The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey

Profoundly moving story and original drama about crossing not only time zones but values and perspectives. I can recommend it to anyone who likes a film with heart rather than pace.

Vincent Ward is one of those directors who make films that are easier to admire than to enjoy. The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey is an excellent example - striking visuals, harsh landscapes, painful accents that make key plot points incomprehensible and a big idea that doesn't work quite as well as you'd like it to. Kicking off in a harsh black and white Cumbria in the early 14th century, an isolated village is persuaded by a boy's visions that the only way to keep the plague out of their village is to tunnel to the other side of the world and erect a cross on the great church tower before dawn - only to find themselves in God's city (or New Zealand circa 1988 to us), a world of colour and lights crippled by its own plagues, redundancy, nuclear proliferation and AIDS. Blinded by television and information overload, the boy loses his ability to see beyond the knowledge that one of them will die in the attempt... There are a lot of pluses, not least the great faces in the cast, many of which look like they've literally stepped out of a Renaissance painting, but it never really engages as much as you'd like, leaving you an almost disinterested observer.The Australian DVD is much better than the shoddy NTSC release, boasting a superb anamorphic widescreen transfer, trailer and trailers for Ward's Vigil and What Dreams May Come.

I saw this back when it came out. It's a neat little independent film; not a lot of bang and flash, but a thoughtful fantasy adventure. A smart film that's well worth a watch.

Funny story. Overall nice DVD in this category.