The African Queen

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Morley
Directed by: John Huston
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Adventure, Romance
Box Office: $10,750,000
1951

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:Before her village is invaded by NAZI forces, Christian missionary Rose (Katherine Hepburn) is saved by gruff, hard-drinking river boat captain Charlie (Humphrey Bogart). The two travel downsteam, and along the way find romance and decide to use the boat to attack a NAZI warship, risking both their lives.

Review:

Tim: Hepburn: "You never tried it."
Bogart: "Well I never tried shooting myself in the head, either."
This small bit of dialogue gives us a great idea into what type of film this is. Huston wanted to make a serious adventure tale, but Bogart and Hepburn were so funny together that the film took on an unexpected comedic sense as well. This is a great movie and it derives much of its charm from the chemistry between the two leads. They pull off performances that require them to hate each other, love each other, be serious and scared in the face of danger, be heroic, and be hilarious. It is remarkable that they do all this so well.

The African Queen features an incredible mix of adventure, romance, drama, and comedy. This is a film that simply has it all. You can get so caught up in the romance and comedy that you almost forget this film is a tremendous adventure story. You will ultimately realize it, however, and marvel at how well this multi-faceted movie delivers on all fronts.

Pay attention to the scene directly after the leeches. Here, you see exactly how much these two brave people have suffered and you will be amazed at how they come through all obstacles- not through luck alone, but by wits and hard work. This is what an adventure movie is all about.

The weakest part of the movie is the incredibly unbelievable ending, but in light of all that is good about this movie, it can easily be forgiven. This is a classic, required viewing for all movie lovers.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 9



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Vertigo, It's a Wonderful Life