The African Queen

2):
At the start of World War 1, Charlie Allnut is using his old steamer, The African Queen, to ferry supplies to villages in East Africa. When the Rev. Samuel Sayer dies, Charlie agrees to take Sayers’ sister, Rose, back to civilization, taking on the Germans at the same time.

An English spinster, Rose (Katharine Hepburn), is the sister of a missionary, Rev. Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). The two Christian missionaries are in a remote African village with grass huts and a little wooden church, which is located somewhere deep in a German African colony during WWI near the Ulanga River. The German war machine appears to brutally start burning the little straw hut village, killing the native women and children while kidnapping the African men, and just as quickly the German terror vanishes. When the smoke clears from the burning village, all is in ruin. The meek and fragile Rev. Samuel Sayer is so distraught by what he has just witnessed he kills himself. Rose is left all alone to fend for herself. There is no safety here, and the German threat is all around. There is no way out except to travel south down the dangerous and unforgiving Ulanga River. The river leads to Lake Victoria and possible freedom. Except for the last danger, which is the Louisa – a German gunship that patrols the Tanganyika shore of the lake up to the southern mouth of the river. The Ulanga is filled with dangers like animals that can eat you, rocks and white water rapids that can smash and sink a boat. It has only been successfully navigated once by a map maker named Spangler a hundred years ago and no one since has repeated the feat.

Rose is straggling about the burnt village in shock and despair from her brother’s suicide when a Mr. Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) shows up out of nowhere to save her. This scruffy old gin-swiggling rummy is a boat captain who is unshaven and crusty. Mr. Allnut is there to deliver mail and supplies to the village. Mr. Allnut travels up and down the northern part of the Ulanga on a rusty old 12-foot boat called the African Queen. The boat barely runs, powered by a small antique steam engine on its last legs kept together and encouraged to run with a few well placed kicks and bangs from a hammer by Mr. Allnut. Mr. Allnut buries Rev. Sayer and takes Rose to the African Queen for safety before the Germans come back. While on the African Queen Rose attempts to convince Mr. Allnut they should go south down the Ulanga and sink the Louisa. Mr. Allnut thinks the spinster is a crazy old maid and tells her so. And Rose thinks Mr. Allnut is washed-up rummy good for nothing coward unfit to be a captain. As impossible as it may seem Mr. Allnut decides to follow her suggestion because its the only way to avoid the Germans, and probably the only way to shut Rose up and stop her from nagging on and on about her crazy plan to fight the German navy.

During the first few days aboard the African Queen navigating the Ulanga they annoy each other to the point of being disgusted. Rose reads her bible while Mr. Allnut drinks rum from a generous supply he has on board until he passes out every day. Rose decides to dump all of Mr. Allnuts bottles of gin into the river one morning while Mr. Allnut is still passed out. When Mr. Allnut awakes, he is emotionally destroyed by the thought of no more booze. How could you, Miss? Mr. Allnut asks over and over as the African Queen smokes and tugs along the Ulanga. Rose decides to stop talking to Mr. Allnut and gives him the silent treatment until he gives in to her plan to sink the Louisa. Mr. Allnut continues to talk to Rose even though Rose refuses to acknowledge his existence on the little boat. Mr. Allnut pretends he doesn’t care even though the silence is slowing killing him. It is apparent they cannot stand each others company. Finally Mr. Allnut can’t take the silence anymore and agrees to Rose’s impossible plan to sink the Louisa using home made torpedoes made by Mr. Allnut. Mr Allnut says he can make them from the supplies on the boat – explosives and two gas canisters used for welding.

As the two strangers sail down Ulanga River like great map makers before them and determined to sink the Louisa, Rose is impressed by Mr. Allnut’s abilities and admires his seamanship when they hit big white water and how he skillfully navigates pass the dangerous rocks. They ride into some really rough white water that causes Rose to feel aroused by the thrill of the ride. Not understanding the experience she compares it to a thrilling sermon delivered by her brother when the holy ghost consumed him. The spiritual excitement overcomes her as she describes her excitement to Mr. Allnut. Rose and Mr. Allnut survive a second and more dangerous set of white water rapids, along with extra dangers from African guerrillas shooting at them from the banks of the river hoping to kill them and capture the African Queen. When they realize they have survived certian death again they start hugging and kissing. After they kiss, they realize they are in love. Its implied they are lovers that afternoon after much flirting and a quick nap. However, their troubles are not over as the African Queen breaks down and they work as a team to fix it. Mr. Allnut shaves, baths and listens to Rose read the good book. They make tea and find they adore each others company. They call each other dear and tell each other sweet nothings.

Nevertheless there is still more danger ahead. The river disappears, the water is shallow, and Mr. Allnut is forced to get into the mucky river and pull the African Queen by hand to higher water. Blood sucking leaches, mosquitoes, and dangerous animals torment the couple’s efforts. The African Queen comes to a complete stop, stuck dead in mucky swamp water and high weeds covering any sight of land or water ways. They are lost in the weeds and can’t see anything. They are disheartened and beaten and accept their doomed fate as they hold each other in exhaustion waiting to die. Passed out on the African Queen they lie there defeated. When it begins to rain and the river rises, the African Queen becomes unstuck and floats down the river only a few hundred feet from high water and the mouth of the Ulanga River. The Ulanga River is pouring into Lake Victoria and they see the Louisa gunship for the first time as it makes patrol routine.

The two lovers are now alive again! With new hope and determination they are convinced they can now sink the Louisa. They wait in the banks of the Ulanga out of sight of the Louisa until it comes back on its routine patrol. They have fixed and fastened two homemade torpedoes to the insides of the African Queen. By cutting circle holes above the water line they can stick the tips of the torpedoes through the holes which act as battering rams that will compress on collision and ignite the explosives to explode the gas canisters when they crash into the Louisa at full speed ahead. Rose and Mr. Allnut lovingly argue about who will stay ashore while the other steers the boat into the Louisa. The hero will jump just before the collision and explosion that will sink the Louisa on impact. They both decide they would not want to live without the other so they will do it together. Rose and Mr. Allnut wait until the Louisa comes back on its patrol routine that evening and begin to plan to ram the Louisa. Building steam as the weather starts to change and the waves grow higher. The Louisa is not expecting the African Queen to even be there let alone capable of exploding and sinking the Louisa. As they steam towards the Louisa the lake begins to become rough, a rain storm squalls, and the seas begin filling the boat with water. A rogue wave turns the African Queen upside over tossing Rose and Mr. Allnut into the lake. The two are separated by another huge wave and disappear. Have they drowned? Alas, the Louisa is not sunk and the African Queen appears to be gone with the two star-crossed lovers.

The sun appears after the storm and we see Mr. Allnut is alive. He was rescued and captured by the Germans. Mr. Allnut is now standing on the Louisa’s deck in the captain’s office. He is being interrogated by the Louisa’s captain (Peter Bull). The captain is determined to have Mr. Allnut answer his questions. The German captain always ends each question with the threat of death and hanging to Mr. Allnut, who is depressed and despondent. Mr. Allnut answers each question and threat of death with a hopeless sigh of, who cares! Because Mr. Allnut believes his Rose has drowned. Mr. Allnut is relieved by the thought of hanging rather than live without his Rose. Suddenly he hears Rose’s voice coming from a life boat that has rescued her. Mr. Allnut, thrilled that Rose is alive, decides to deny he knows her in hopes of saving her from his fated hanging by the Germans. But the very English Rose not only argues with the captain but brags how she and Charlie and the African Queen sailed down the Ulanga, and how Charlie made homemade torpedoes, and how they came within feet of sinking the Louisa by themselves and would have, but the storm saved the Louisa from their doom when the weather caused the African Queen to sink and a wave tossed them into the water. The Louisa’s captain thinking them both crazy decides to hang them both. On the deck of the Louisa, Rose and Charlie stand holding hands deeply in love, happy about dying together. Standing there with the hangman’s rope around their necks Charlie asks the Louisa’s captain to marry them as his last request before hanging. Charlie says he really doesn’t care about getting married but it would mean a lot to the Mrs. A teary-eyed Rose is thrilled to by the suggestion. The Louisa’s captain thinks they are both mad but reluctantly agrees to marry them. The two are so happy to be married that they don’t care they are going to be hung. Just as he pronounces them man and wife the Louisa explodes. The sunken African Queen has been hit by the Louisa. Rose and Charlie find themselves swimming and the Louisa is gone. They did it. A wood plank with the name African Queen floats by and the two grab it as they swim to apparent safety. Swimming away, the two sing merrily, "There was an old fisherman…"

• The first choices for the lead roles were John Mills and Bette Davis.
• The scenes in the reed-filled riverbank were filmed in Dalyan, Turkey.
• Originally offered to Bette Davis in 1938, the film would have co-starred David Niven as Charlie. It was offered to Bette Davis again in 1947, this time to co-star James Mason, but she had to pull out of the project due to pregnancy. In 1949, Bette Davis tried again to make the film, but by that time plans were under way for Katharine Hepburn to star.
• This is the role that won Humphrey Bogart the only Oscar of his career.
• Known as the “LS Livingston”, the “Queen of Africa” was a working steam boat for 40 years prior to it being “cast” in the movie.
• The boat is now docked next to the Holiday Inn just off US Highway 1, in Key Largo, Florida.
• Walt Disney used this film as the basis for the Disneyland’s “Jungle Cruise” attraction.
• To show her disgust with the amount of alcohol that John Huston and Humphrey Bogart consumed during filming, Katharine Hepburn drank only water. As a result, she suffered a severe bout of dysentery.
• Katharine Hepburn, in her written account of the film’s production titled “The Making of “The African Queen,” or How I Went to Africa with Bogie, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind”, described the first day of shooting, which required five cars and trucks to take the cast, crew and equipment three and a half miles from Biondo to the Ruiki river, at which point they loaded everything onto boats and sailed another two and a half miles to the shooting location. Press materials and contemporary articles detail the various perils of shooting on location in Africa, including dysentery, malaria, bacteria-filled drinking water and several close brushes with wild animals and poisonous snakes. Most of the cast and crew were sick for much of the filming. In a February 1952 New York Times article, John Huston declared that he hired local natives to help the crew, but many would not show up for fear that the filmmakers were cannibals.
• Columbia originally bought the novel as a vehicle for Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lanchester while that duo instead made Vessel of Wrath (1938), which was same story but became box office failure. And at one point David Niven and Paul Henreid were each considered for the male lead.
• According to United Artists press materials and John Huston’s autobiography, the director built a camp to house the cast and crew in Biondo, outside the town of Stanleyville, which included a bar, a restaurant and several one-room bungalows.
• Because the African Queen boat used in the film was too small to carry cameras and equipment, portions of the boat were reproduced on a large raft in order to shoot close-ups of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Interior and water-tank scenes were filmed in London, as were most of the scenes containing secondary characters. Robert Morley shot all of his scenes in London, including the footage of him preaching, which was then edited together with shots of the natives praying, that had been filmed in Africa.
• During the writing of the screenplay, James Agee suffered a serious heart attack, and uncredited writer Peter Viertel wrote the film’s final scenes with John Huston.
• Shortly after filming was completed, Belgian fan magazine Cine-Revue published an article allegedly written by Lauren Bacall, who had accompanied her husband, Humphrey Bogart, on location, which included behind-the-scenes photographs. According to a Mar 1952 Daily Variety story, Romulus Films protested the publication of the photos, which they said “dispelled the film’s illusion” by exposing private shooting information. Lauren Bacall denied having written the story.
• Berlin’s film trade union requested that The African Queen (1951) be withdrawn from the Berlin Film Festival because of its “anti-German tendencies”.
• In 1953, Peter Viertel published the book White Hunter, Black Heart , a thinly fictionalized account of his experience writing the script for The African Queen (1951) with John Huston. The book follows the exploits of a tyrannical director who stalls the production of his African-set film by obsessively hunting an elephant. It was made into a film in 1990 by Clint Eastwood and starred Eastwood and Jeff Fahey.
• Katharine Hepburn’s 1987 book ‘The Making of the African Queen’ details ‘John Huston’’s obsession with hunting. One day he even convinced Hepburn to join him, and he inadvertently led her into the middle of a herd of wild animals from which they were lucky to escape alive.
• Sources claimed that everyone in the cast and crew got sick – except for Humphrey Bogart and John Huston, which they attributed to the fact that they basically lived on imported Scotch. Bogart later said, “All I ate was baked beans, canned asparagus and Scotch whiskey. Whenever a fly bit Huston or me, it dropped dead.”
• The scene in which Humphrey Bogart finds his body entirely covered with leeches (This was actually shot in the studio in London), Bogart insisted on using rubber leeches. John Huston refused, and brought a leech-breeder to the studio with a tank full of them. This made Bogart queasy and nervous — qualities Huston wanted for his close-ups. Ultimately, rubber leeches were placed on Bogart, and a close-up of a real leech was shot on the breeder’s chest.
• In Katharine Hepburn’s autobiography, John Huston had been dissatisfied with Hepburn’s performance, finding it too serious-minded. He came calling at her hut one day and suggested that she model her performance on Eleanor Roosevelt – to put on her “society smile” in the face of all adversity. Huston left the hut, and Hepburn sat for a moment before deciding, “That is the best piece of direction I have ever heard.”
• The leeches were first modeled in Plasticine before moulds were made and the leeches Humphrey Bogart pulls off were made of rubber.
• Katharine Hepburn’s first color film.
• Debut of Theodore Bikel.
• Lauren Bacall famously ventured along for the filming in Africa to be with husband Humphrey Bogart. She played den mother during the trip, making camp and cooking. This also marked the beginning of her life-long friendship with Katharine Hepburn.
• In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #65 Greatest Movie of All Time.
• According to cameraman Jack Cardiff, Katharine Hepburn was so sick with dysentery during the shooting of the church scene where she played the organ, a bucket had to be placed off camera because she had to throw up constantly in-between takes. Cardiff referred to her as being “a real trooper” because she kept working nonetheless. Hepburn herself described the incident in her book “The Making of The African Queen” (1987) more reluctantly yet more adventurously: She rushed for the outhouse only to find a black mamba inside, therefore had to retreat to the trees.

>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you’ve not already seen this title.

• SPOILER: C.S. Forester had written two different final scenes for his book, one of which was published in England and the other in America. In the more widely published American version, “Rose Sayer” and “Charlie Allnut” are turned over to British officers, who then blow up the Louisa . Another final scenes were, the African Queen hits the Louisa and destroys it, after which Rose and Charlie walk down the beach to inform the British Army that their way is now clear. In a modern interview, Peter Viertel stated that since he and John Huston wanted Rose and Charlie to be together at the final scene, they anticipated possible censorship problems by inventing a way for the couple to be married on the German ship.

• Continuity: When arguing about who is going to steer the torpedoes, a cigar suddenly appears in Charlie’s mouth.
• Boom mic visible: On first evening on African Queen, while Rose is drinking her tea, the shadow of the boom mic appears over the port edge of the boat several times.
• Continuity: When Charlie wakes up in the rain, his blanket is completely soaked but after Rosie lets him in out of the rain, his blanket is dry.

• Factual errors: At the end, Charlie and Rose are married by the captain of a ship that rescued them. However, while this is an entertaining plot device and provides a splendidly happy ending, they wouldn’t actually be legally married. The captain of a ship has no particular power to perform weddings, as was established in a 1898 case, Norman v Norman. Regulations in the US, British and Soviet navies, as well as those of other nations, specifically prohibit a commanding officer from performing marriage ceremonies. The belief that the captain has such authority is probably based on the almost total power he exercises while at sea.
• Continuity: The knot on Charlie’s neckerchief during the argument with Rose when he calls her a psalm-singing, skinny old maid.
• Continuity: When Rev. Samuel and Rose kneel to pray, his coat is unbuttoned. When they go out to attend the African man who screams, his coat is completely buttoned.
• Continuity: When Allnut sets up the torpedoes in the African Queen, the holes are a little behind the prow. The turned boat which supposedly explodes the German ship has the torpedoes ahead.
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the final scene where Bogart and Hepburn are swimming in the lake, their voices reverberate as they talk to each other, revealing that they are indoors, not outside.
• Continuity: When Rosie tries (and fails) to climb aboard the boat, we can see by means of her shoulder blade and leg that she is naked; yet when Charlie helps her into the boat, she suddenly has on women’s underwear.
• Revealing mistakes: Obvious double for Robert Morley as he tends the garden after the Germans leave.
• Continuity: In the scene where they were setting the torpedo, Bogart’s cigar is shown to be a stub, and in the next scene it is longer.
• Continuity: In some close-up shots of the African Queen, her name is painted in white letters. All other shots show the name of the boat in black lettering.
• Continuity: Allnut is considerably cleaner shaven in the water after the Louisa is sunk then he is while being interrogated on board.
• Revealing mistakes: When Allnut goes underwater to check on the propeller, the water lifts up the back of Bogart’s toupee and his bald pate is visible.
• Revealing mistakes: When Charlie is seen welding the replacement blade that he “made” onto the broken propeller, you can see that the blade he is using is a perfect fit and clearly was cut from the propeller he is repairing.
• Revealing mistakes: When Charlie and Rosie are being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes the entire swarm moves around in unison as they are superimposed on a glass plate over the film.
• Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Allnut get all wet sleeping under the open sky, Rose finally lets him in to the canopied part of the boat. After he got back to sleep, she opens an umbrella to save him from further humidity. It can clearly be seen that the umbrella is already wet when she opens it (presumably from previous takes).

• Continuity: SPOILER: When the Germans arrive at the village, Rev. Sayer confronts a German soldier and is struck in the face with a rifle butt — he falls to the ground, where we see the left side his face near his mouth swollen, bruised, and bloodied. The Germans then burn the village. A short time later- the village is still smoldering — Rev. Sayer is working outside and Rose talks to him and brings him inside. His face is now unblemished, showing no sign of swelling or bruising.

That is a mistake. Based on the famous C.S. Forester novel, which itfollows quite closely, THE African QUEEN is the simple story ofpragmatic river-rat Charlie Allnut (Bogart) and high-minded Methodistmissionary spinster Rose Sayer (Hepburn) who are thrown together bychance when German troops sweep through Africa during World War I. Oncesafely aboard his beat-up riverboat "The African Queen," Allnut desiresnothing more than to dodge the Germans until war’s end; Rose, however,determines to strike a blow against the Germans by sailing the boatdownriver to attack a German battleship.

There are so many fine things about this movie that they are hard toinnumerate. Filmed on location in the Congo, the cinematography isremarkably fine without being obtrusive; the script, which is at oncesubtle and very purposeful, has a remarkably natural tone; the twostars–who play the vast majority of the film alone together–givejustly famous performances; and Huston’s direction is so fine that wenever feel even the slightest hint of directorial manipulation. As anadventure, it has a sense of realism that most adventure stories lack;as a character study it is remarkably detailed and finely wrought; as alove story, it is quite touching without engaging in commonsentimentality. And it can be enjoyed by many people of diversebackgrounds and ages without the faintest qualm.

If you haven’t seen THE African QUEEN in a while (or heaven forbidnever seen it at all) don’t take it for granted thinking you’ll catchit sooner or later. Sit down with the film and watch it with fresheyes. You’ll be amazed.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

2) "The African Queen" was Bogart’s fourth film to be directed by JohnHuston and his performance in it was very likely the best in his careeras well as one which finally won him an Academy Award… He beat outMarlon Brando, who was heavily favored to win for "A Streetcar NamedDesire."

The screenplay by Huston and the celebrated movie critic-writer, JamesAgee, matched Bogart with Katherine Hepburn in what amounted to atwo-star tour de force in a deeply touching romance linked toadventures and heroics…

Bogart and Hepburn were delightful as they infused their personalconflict with a warmth, humor, and tenderness rarely seen in films…Mixing comedy and adventure, it was a two-character film, in whichHepburn gave a fine demonstration of her ability to develop within arole… The sensitive interaction between her and Bogart (in anunfamiliar guise) undoubtedly benefited from her many films with Tracy…

Bogart was given a rare opportunity to demonstrate his range as anactor, more than holding his own opposite the formidable Hepburn… Heplayed many scenes with maximum effectiveness, down impossible rapids,where he becomes covered with leeches and suffers a severe feverattack, his drunk scene where he rebels against Hepburn and mocks herhigh-blown speeches, and the tender moments in which he realizes he’sfallen under her bewitching spell…

"The African Queen" was not an easy film to make, most of it being doneon location in the insect-infested, suffocatingly hot and humid AfricanCongo… But the result was a brilliantly entertaining film, a successfulmixture of comedy, character and adventure…

3) To face a script in which most of the plot revolves around the dialogue ofonly two people in one location must be terrifying. Thank goodness forKatharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. John Huston’s adaptation of C.S.Forester’s The African Queen was solid. And the decision to film onlocation in Africa helped develop the concept of nature as a viablecharacter within the plot helps solidify the film. But without KatharineHepburn, and Humphry Bogart, this film could have been reduced to a nicelittle travelog on the beauty and terror of African and the pretty animalsliving there. Within The African Queen each character undergoesmetamorphosis. Charlie Alnutt grows from an apathetic man who enjoys theinside of a bottle, to a courageous man. Rosie in turn allows herself tobehuman, and vulnerable perhaps for the first time in her life. With lesseractors these changes would have appeared rushed, unexplained,and a dullbeginning to an inexplicable romance.But it isn’t. It’s a captivating film. Rosie’s brittle smile, Charlie’sfaceas his vices are destroyed, these are moments of brilliance in anincrediblefilm. I highly recommend it.

It’s also worth noting that this was not an easy film to make. Theseperformances survived crew and cast illnesses, constant mechanical errorsand inclement weather. For more about the conditions it was created under,Isuggest you read Katherine Hepburn’s The Making of The African Queen orHowI went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind.She’s not the sanest author in the world, but all the moreenjoyable.

4) This great classic has everything you could ask for – two fine stars whocould carry the show by themselves, and a story full of adventure, drama,humor, and romance. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and it is also a film youcan admire for the expert way it was put together.

Bogart and Hepburn not only give great performances, they are also wonderfultogether, and they make the on-screen relationship between their charactersbelievable and interesting – it’s great to watch as it develops. Theadventures that they find are that much more entertaining for the way thatyou come to care about them. The story itself is exciting, too, with a lotof ups and downs for the heroes. Topping it off are the wonderful settings,with a lot of fine shots of wild animals and jungle scenery – there isalways plenty to look at, and it also sets off the actionnicely.

Any one of a number of things would make "The African Queen" worth watching,and as a whole it is a terrific movie. It’s a must-see for any fan ofclassic movies, and one that you can also enjoy watching numeroustimes.

5) To me this film will always be the validation of Humphrey Bogart’s long anddistinguished career. His portrayal of the hard drinking Charlie was whatmade this film what it was. Also, he showed just how great an actor he waswhen he was able to match up against the woman who is generally consideredto be the greatest actress in film history, Katherine Hepburn. Also, thisfilm will always be recognized for having the perfect mix of action, romanceand comedy and it will always be a classic.

6) The African Queen is a significant historical film in two respects.Along with King Solomon's Mines it was the first American film to showthe real Africa to the American public. Previously our ideas aboutAfrica were gleaned from studio backlot jungles created for Tarzanfilms and the like. The African Queen changed all that, no cheap studiosets would do any more.

But also, The African Queen dealt with romance among mature adults intheir forties. A ne'er do well river pilot on a ramshackle boat and thespinster sister of a missionary, thrown together by the circumstance ofwar.

Humphrey Bogart, our intrepid river pilot, makes a scheduled stop todeliver mail to the mission run by Robert Morley and Katharine Hepburn.And he breaks the news to them that World War I has started. Almost assoon as he leaves them, German troops from East Africa come to call.Bogie comes back and he finds Kate with her dead brother. They bury himand skedaddle. And while skedaddling they conceive of a cockeyed planto help in the war effort.

To say what it is and what happens would spoil the story, but let mesay this. The original opening of the film with Bogart coming in aschurch services are being conducted for a few hundred uncomprehendingnative Africans is Director John Huston's comment on the usefulness ofthe lives Morley and Hepburn have led up to that point. What Hepburnand Bogart accomplish by the end of the film makes up for the wastethat was Hepburn's life.

But The African Queen is a great romance as well. Bogart became a greatromantic star in Casablanca and he upholds the tradition here, winningan Academy Award for Best Actor. Katie Hepburn doesn't seem to miss herusual partner Spencer Tracy not a bit, the part of Rose Sayer is aperfect fit. As was remarked, they're going to have stories to telltheir grandkids.

When I watch The African Queen I'm reminded of what Bogart's friendFrank Sinatra sang in one of his best ballads about how Love Isn't JustFor the Young. Kate and Bogie sure prove it here.

7) This is almost strictly a two-person movie with Humphrey Bogart andKatharine Hepburn dominating the story and screen time. It's a likableclassic film because of those two famous actors, a nice romance, goodadventure and even some comedy thrown in to the mix. I'm shocked awell-known film with these actors still isn't available on DVD inRegion 1, as of late 2006.

The two actors squabble in the beginning but I like the fact that thefilm didn't go on too long in that regard as they did in many old-timebattle-of-the-sexes movies. The story also a little unusual in thatneither lead actor is in his/her prime, meaning it's almost amiddle-age romance story.

Once they become enamored with each other, the movie mainly goes intothe trials the two have in piloting this boat, "The African Queen" downriver with the goal of reaching a German ship and blowing it up. Yes,it's a World War II movie, of sorts.

To be honest, the film does slow down a bit in the beginning of Bogieand Hepburn's romance but the last 30 minutes finish strong with oneobstacle after another hitting the pair of adventurers, and it'sinteresting to watch.

This film was born in 1952. For those of you who are used to the cgiand tech wizardry of the 90’s and this new millennium, then you have apainful adjustment to make. Welcome to reality…

Films used to be shot on a medium called "Film". Actors spoke theirlines and they were recorded live on tape. Films were literally cutwith a razor blade.

If you aren’t prepared to make some allowances for the 1952 date on thefilm, go away and watch some cgi marvel that doesn’t "need" actors.Look at the latest Starwars movie – all cgi, no quality.

Yes, the green screen background is visible in many scenes, but itisn’t an impediment to enjoying the movie.

Yes, the boat going down the rapids is a model, with stuffed dummiesnailed to the tiller.

Yes, the social niceties of 1952 seem quaint from our perspective, butthey were real then – as real as the leeches – The *way* in which thecharacters work out their personal issues are part of the magic of themovie. By modern standards it’s quaint, but back then it wasrevolutionary.

Never forget this in film reviews – many great films of their era arenow outpaced by later copies with more action and lessstyle(rip-offs?). The best films are the most copied and in a strangeway the earliest to date – but they come back in style.

That said, I agree that Bogie didn’t win the Oscar for *this film* butfor his *previous* work that had not been adequately rewarded at thetime (Maltese Falcon anyone?). Awards are like this. They’re partialand they lag reality…

I agree that Bogie and Hepburn fall together too fast, but at the timeit was almost verboten to hint at a night of passion the way this filmdoes. The film was a landmark. We can never go back to how things werein the past, and before this film. Similarly, by breaking so many rulesand moulds, this film may have contemned itself to a non-appreciativefuture with a new generation who don’t understand that there was a"before".

Before this film, it had never been done. Once this film did it, nobodycould appreciate that one would not do it this way.

Bogie and Hepburn were marvelous here. Watch it just for them…

9) This is not the best movie Ford, Bogart, or Hepburn did as individualartists, the but joining of their considerable talents did create aunique and most enjoyable movie that is fondly associated with all ofthem.

"The African Queen" is a war movie, romance, adventure, comedy, drama,morality tale, and battle of the sexes all in one and it works on alllevels. Though it often appears as somewhat "hoaky"…almost like asilent movie at points with its melodramatic score… that’s because itdoes not strive to recreate reality like the usual war movie, it isactually an on location play. You could put it on a Broadway or Londonstage today and it would still work without a word or inflectionchanged.

Though this is a movie of many great moments, what stays with you isthe blossoming love of Charlie and Rose and how it helps them find thebest in themselves for each other. I guess when all is said and done,"The African Queen" is a romance after all.

If you appreciate any of the great artists that created it or justgreat movie making, this is one for the collection.

10) "The African Queen" is a classic, not because of the chemistry of its starsor the pretty pictures, but because unlike many similar stories of thisnature, it is about something: Salvation.

The movie begins when a church service held in a remote african village byRev. Sayer and his sister is interrupted by Charlie Allnut, a comic variationon the theme of existentialist heroes so familiar to both Bogart anddirector John Huston’s work.

While the africans can be redeemed simply by exposure, Allnut is beyond theSayer’s reach: He is unredeemable, belching and gurgling his way throughhigh tea. Minutes after he leaves,the village is burned to the ground by German. The reverend is dead. He isnot physically killed by the Germans: He loses his mind, and then dropsdead.

Allnut returns to rescue Rose and they begin their journey down the rivertogether. Hundreds of incompatible couples have been sent on journeys downroads and rivers by thousands of screewriters, but in most cases theirdifferences are invented and phoney, and the resolving of their differencescomes only because the people making the movie knew it had to be thatway.In "The African Queen" it is organic and it is noble. With her brother andher village gone, rose has only one soul left to save: That of CharlieAllnut. And he is a legitimate challenge to her, a true lost soul, not somederivative character played by Harrison Ford.

In the course of their journey they don’t bicker and fall in love, they havea profound impact on each other. Allnut loosens Rosie up, and turns her intoa "woman". Rosie reforms Allnut, and turns him into a man, ultimatelyinspiring him to become a hero by attempting the impossible: an attack onthe German boat at the lake the river empties into. Their plans go awry andthey are caputured and sentenced to death. Before being hanged, they ask theGerman Captain to marry them. Like the church service athe beginning, themarriage ceremony at the end of the movie is interupted: not by Mr. Allnut,but instead by the "African Queen" herself, now outfitted as a floatingbomb, crashing into the German boat.

Huston returned to the idea of putting a bunch of people in a tight spottogether many times: "The Treasure Of Sierra Madre", "Key Largo", "We WereStrangers", "Beat The Devil", "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison" being a fewexamples. In some cases the purposes were noble, in others they were mostcertainly not. In this case it is the act of falling in love and in doingso, inspiring each other to greatness. "The African Queen" is no "TreasureOf Sierra Madre", but that’s one of the 10 great movies ever, this is just agreat movie.