The Navigator

Director Vincent Ward's brilliant 14th century fantasy revolves around a young boy's vision of saving his village from the Black Plague by tunneling through the center of the earth and carrying a large medallion to the top of a cathedral. Using a wooden drilling machine, the travelers punch away in atmospheric black-and-white, until they suddenly burst through the crust into the blazing color of a 20th century city. Part time travel tale, dramedy, and mystical meditation, The Navigator has long been unavailable on video. Unfortunately, while the film looks good on DVD, there are no extras, and a subtitle option would have been most welcome, since the heavy English accents are a killer. Even so, this exceptionally imaginative 1989 effort is still recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—July 24, 2018—Arrow, 90 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1988’s The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey features a fine transfer with uncompressed LPCM 2.0 audio. Extras include a 1989 'Kaleidoscope' profile on director Vincent Ward (30 min.), a new appreciation by film critic Nick Roddick (9 min.), and a booklet featuring newly commissioned artwork by artist Paul Shipper. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this winning indie fantasy film.]