The African Queen

Possible spoilers... I love films. I love classic films. This film was released over 20 years before I was. My dad was surprised I'd never seen this one, and I finally gave it a rent last week. I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in a movie frame of mind? This film did nothing for me at all. I've seen better from both lead performers. In fact, I'm rather surprised this is the one Bogey won the Oscar for. Once the romance blossomed, it just seemed I was watching this thing constantly waiting and wondering, "When's this going to get somewhere?" A round or two of the rapids, ducking German fort gunfire, getting through the muck, having their tiff after Bogey overindulged on his gin...all of this ultimately didn't keep my interest very deeply. Only in the last 15 minutes did I really feel fully attentive to the film, and in that same last 15 minutes were probably among the funnier moments of the film. The cinematography was excellent, whether any or all of the animal footage was first unit or second unit or stock footage or whatever. I didn't not like the film overall, but it's nothing I'll be rushing to see a second time.

"The African Queen" might the most well-rounded movie I have ever seen, or at least most well-rounded of the oldies. Staring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn 'The African Queen" touched on brilliance in action, adventure, comedy, and a nice little dose of drama and romance to create a package that anyone would love. The majority of the filming was done with just Bogart and Hepburn as they steamed down the river in the filthy and boozing Captain Charlie Aunt's (Bogart) boat "The African Queen", in which the movie was named after. Hepburn played a strong willed missionary named Rose Sayer who was somewhat an annoying character early on but I thought effectively fell into place as a character you applauded at just the right time in the movie. Anyone who has seen Hepburn in "True Grit" will realize she is playing pretty close to the same character which could have been a negative but in both cases (Being "True Grit" and "The African Queen") the combined talent of actors easily overpowered the problem. The lone flaw that was obvious in the movie was the fact that a vast majority of the filming appeared to be filmed in studio with fake backgrounds. Of course it was standard practice at that time but given the clarity and visuals we are use to in this modern day and age it does stand out more than it would of even just ten years ago. I guess the reason it stands out so much in "The African Queen" is the adventure aspect itself was a very visual thing with the river rolling by behind the camera and many subtle actions in the background. I watched the movie on VHS because at the time of this review there isn't a good US release or a widescreen release. Which of course I question why it isn't cleaned up and released.

Tom Cruise played an exaggerated version of himself in "Magnolia," following a tradition set long ago. We liked to believe that the sex sirens we saw in movies the 30's were really that way in life and probably they were. John Wayne followed, never playing anything but himself. And so is the case with our Miss Kate. She delivers her lines with conviction, but it is always her conviction, not the character's. (A clue: she never acts with her body, only her mouth and the tilt of her head. Even that tilt was normally restricted in the studio films as she insisted in a downward lighting to emphasize her cheeks.) I like to watch this every once in a while to remind myself how forgiving we are. A film can be severely flawed; dialog and normal dramatic practice can be compromised, but if there is one strong element -- only one is required -- we forgive all and happily join. The strong element here is the characterization of the two of course. Neither was an actor of particularly wide range or depth. Each had established themselves, their lives, in the public's mind -- screen and real persons merged. Reading her memoir of this movie, you can just see her on screen behaving not so much as her character (which is very poorly portrayed in the scenes with her brother) but as herself. It is a sort of documentary around which someone has arranged a story, after the fashion of "What's up Tiger-Lily." So it boils down to whether you think these people are interesting, as people. I don't. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

This film was born in 1952. For those of you who are used to the cgi and tech wizardry of the 90's and this new millennium, then you have a painful adjustment to make. Welcome to reality... Films used to be shot on a medium called "Film". Actors spoke their lines and they were recorded live on tape. Films were literally cut with a razor blade. If you aren't prepared to make some allowances for the 1952 date on the film, 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 it isn't an impediment to enjoying the movie. Yes, the boat going down the rapids is a model, with stuffed dummies nailed to the tiller. Yes, the social niceties of 1952 seem quaint from our perspective, but they were real then - as real as the leeches - The *way* in which the characters work out their personal issues are part of the magic of the movie. By modern standards it's quaint, but back then it was revolutionary. Never forget this in film reviews - many great films of their era are now outpaced by later copies with more action and less style(rip-offs?). The best films are the most copied and in a strange way the earliest to date - but they come back in style. That said, I agree that Bogie didn't win the Oscar for *this film* but for his *previous* work that had not been adequately rewarded at the time (Maltese Falcon anyone?). Awards are like this. They're partial and they lag reality... I agree that Bogie and Hepburn fall together too fast, but at the time it was almost verboten to hint at a night of passion the way this film does. The film was a landmark. We can never go back to how things were in the past, and before this film. Similarly, by breaking so many rules and moulds, this film may have contemned itself to a non-appreciative future 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, nobody could appreciate that one would not do it this way. Bogie and Hepburn were marvelous here. Watch it just for them...

Okay, so I admit that "The African Queen" is pure escapism, but you gotta love it. Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, a prim and proper missionary in German East Africa with her brother (Robert Morley) in 1914. Suddenly, right after they receive news that war has broken out in Europe, the German army comes in and demolishes their settlement. After the brother dies, hard-drinking stubbly sailor Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) comes in and agrees to take Rose down the river. Along the way, they bicker about various things (she's disgusted by his drinking, he finds her too pious), but they grow to respect each other. Bogart and Hepburn pretty much play their usual roles, and the movie also stars a few crocodiles (most of the movie was filmed on location in Africa). The portrayal of the German army certainly seems to be an allusion to the Nazis. But overall, the movie is quite admirable, with Rose's and Charlie's personalities bouncing off of each other. It's like an early buddy comedy, even though it's serious.

This one's unique. The photography often makes it look like a travelogue, but it's one of the most captivating adventure/love stories ever put on film. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn cruising down the river. Taking care of the gin. Over the rapids. Past the bullets. Through the swamp. Among the leeches. "It's no wonder you love boating, Mr. Alnutt." And guess who comes to the rescue! This is an epic quest, the kind of tale humans have been spinning since we learned to talk. Movies don't get much better than this.

An amazing romance-adventure classic highlighted by the brilliant performances of Bogart and Hepburn. Oscar winner Bogart's Charlie is a broken man who finds true hope and happiness in Hepburn's Rose. Rose finds love and meaning from Charlie. It's adorable to see them call each other "Missus" and "Mr. Almont" even when we know that they love each other. Even when they have their "first quarrel" near the end of the picture, we know that their lives have changed forever as a result of the other person. It's a film about true love. This is also a very funny film, which was a shock to director Huston. Bogart's stomach growling scene early on in the film is a hoot. More humor commences as both stars play off of each other wonderfully. The scenary is beautiful. No film has captured the essence and importance of nature better than this classic. This is the film that sparked other romance adventures such as "Romancing the Stone" and "Six Days and Seven Nights." Before you view those newer installments, you better check out the one and true original classic.

I completely understand the reviewer that wrote "Did I miss something", because that's what I feel about this movie. To see that it even made it to the top 250 movies is even more ridiculous that this supposedly romantic movie itself. The acting by Katharine Hepburn is bad, her make up artist being worse(c'mon, the woman looks 15 years older than Bogie), but leaving the relationship between the two as the worst. I know that a lot has changed in the man/woman relationship over the past century, but when exactly did guys regain their pride and ba..s? I'm talking about the scene where on the first night on the "Queen" it starts raining and poor old Bogie, left sleeping in the rain, tries to take shelter where Hepburn is sleeping. She gets p***ed off and says:"What are you doing?" or something like that. MAN OH MAN, I get p***ed off just by remembering this scene because it's SOOOOO irritating. The woman is on HIS boat, because HE had the courtesy of saving her life(if he had known what a drag she'd turn up to be, I bet he wouldn't give it a seconds thought) when zee Germans burnt the village, and what does she do, SHE actually has the nerves to kick HIM out of HIS shelter despite the heavy rain. What the f..k? I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe any man would take this crap. I'd have thrown her Skeletor ass overboard the second she'd even start considering doing this. Seriously, the guy gets treated worse than George from Seinfeld, and that's saying a lot! And later on he gets drunk (hmmmm, go figure why he does that), in a moment of weakness(truth, if you ask me)explains to her that she's an utterly obnoxious and controlling person, which for some reason gets to her, and as soon as he falls asleep she's at it again. Picture waking up with a big hangover and the first thing you see is the most annoying person you've ever met in your life. Not pretty, right, well that person is destroying you property. Hepburn decided she had enough of Bogie (remember, she's still alive and kicking because of him) so she pours all of his booze into the river. And I'm not talking about a single bottle, NOOOOO SIR, she unloads the whole case. Everything!!! I can't really remember what happens next, my mind just went blank, probably because of the hatred I felt. Go figure. Anyways, these were just some bright moments from the developing romance between the two actors. The rest of the film relies completely on the dialogue between the two, because the exact story is told in the first two minutes the woman gets on board the "African Queen". And what a plan she delivers, you have to see it to believe it, but I'll spare you with this one. Well, the corny dialogues fail completely, but we are left with the decades funniest moment when Bogie imitates a hippo. Another golden moment emerges when Bogie has to fix the propeller and gets naked. He's one skinny man and that's when it hit me that his character is probably supposed to be a slave of some sort. Under fed, with no dignity, wears the same clothes all the time, and even has to drag the ship on foot all by himself. There's actually a scene where he's dragging "The African Queen"(Hepburn is doing nothing helpful of course) and then you see the winning close up of his face. That was the Oscar winner for sure (NOT!), who'd let a white guy go through so much. And this movie actually got nominated for a bunch of Oscars, and Bogie even won one. He's not bad, but that's it, and if not bad wins an Oscar I can only imagine how many Bruce Willis should have gotten. Shows what they know, the should-have-given-an-Oscar-to-Kubrick-for-at-least-two-movies. (not counting the special effects one) This just might be the longest review I've ever written and the reason why I'm in such a sarcastic mood lies in the opening page of this movie, the user rating to be precise! I thought "Casablanca" was overrated, but this is just ridiculous. 5/10

I watched "The African Queen" after I read it was on the Top 250. I have never been so disappointed by a movie off the Top 250-list before. The plot is totally unbelievable and predictable. I know it is based on a true story (very loosely I assume) but the script is just awful. It seems really unrealistic. The love story is highly unbelievable and cheesy. The action sequences are horribly dated. I know that this movie is from the 50's but the "special effects" are hilariously bad. Catherine Hepburn's character is annoying from the first second on. Whatever she says (example: "Mister Allnut?!"; she says that at the beginning of every sentence...just annoying and stupid since there was no other person than him on the boat) or does (e.g.: with the booze). She plays one of the least likable characters in the history of cinema. The idea she comes up with, which is the idea of the whole movie, wow, just plain ridiculous. This movie sucks big time. Uninteresting movie about a man and a woman, both without metabolism, going on a boat trip to attack a battleship with their small boat. * 4/10 *

This is almost strictly a two-person movie with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn dominating the story and screen time. It's a likable classic film because of those two famous actors, a nice romance, good adventure and even some comedy thrown in to the mix. I'm shocked a well-known film with these actors still isn't available on DVD in Region 1, as of late 2006. The two actors squabble in the beginning but I like the fact that the film didn't go on too long in that regard as they did in many old-time battle-of-the-sexes movies. The story also a little unusual in that neither lead actor is in his/her prime, meaning it's almost a middle-age romance story. Once they become enamored with each other, the movie mainly goes into the trials the two have in piloting this boat, "The African Queen" down river 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 Bogie and Hepburn's romance but the last 30 minutes finish strong with one obstacle after another hitting the pair of adventurers, and it's interesting to watch.