The African Queen (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Adapted from a novel, 'The African Queen' (directed by John Huston) stars Humphrey Bogart in his Oscar-winning portrayal of Charlie Allnut, the slovenly, unshaven, gin-drinking Canadian tramp steamer captain of the The African Queen, which ships supplies to East African villages during WWI. Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, the prim-&-proper sister of British missionary, Reverend Samuel Sayer (underused Robert Morley). When Germans invade the village they stay at, Samuel dies, & Charlie Allnut offers to take a shaken Rose back to civilization via his boat. The bulk of the movie is about their arduous journey down the Ulonga-Bora river. She can't STAND his drinking or uncouth manners (she even pours his gin overboard); and he isn't wild about her haughty, judgmental attitude.
She's further annoyed that he won't use their explosives to blow up German gunboat, The Louisa, which he considers to be a hopeless mission. He tries hard to dissuade her by taking her over the treacherous rapids, but that backfires on him when she actually gets a thrill out of it! Over time, their mutual dislike turns to mutual love. And together, this dissimilar duo work hard in tandem to ensure their survival through the winding river, a deadly German fort, swarms of flies, bloodsucking leeches, alligators, & other hazards. They mount an ingenious plan to destroy The Louisa ... but getting caught - which they do - doesn't help matters.
'The African Queen' is a solid adventure film that is aided by the chemistry btwn. its 2 stars. The script is spirited & includes great dialogue. The movie looks gorgeous thanks to cinematographer Jack Cardiff & their enormous Technicolor camera. I love the exotic African locales (Belgian Congo & British Uganda). Some of the special/sound effects are effective. I liked the melodic musical score. Having said all of this, and while I absolutely understand this film's "classic" status (I certainly enjoyed it) ... I found the actual story to be a little contrived, a little flimsy, & fairly unbelievable; especially the last 3 minutes or so of the film.
But as mentioned, the 2 stars make this film as successful as it is. They are the main assets in a sea of strengths & weaknesses. Humphrey Bogart is boorish, but also loveable. He won an Oscar for this performance. It's a good one. I don't know that I would have necessarily given him the win, but because he missed out in 1942's Casablanca, I could see why the Academy went for him. Katherine Hepburn is excellent {when isn't she?} as the prim spinster, Rose. I just really, really enjoyed the easy chemistry btwn. the 2 actors. And I found it amusing how their characters find romance during such a time of strife. So yeah, very good movie. Entertaining. Good-looking. I think I was just expecting something a bit more narratively substantial, when what I got was 'merely' an adventure flick.
She's further annoyed that he won't use their explosives to blow up German gunboat, The Louisa, which he considers to be a hopeless mission. He tries hard to dissuade her by taking her over the treacherous rapids, but that backfires on him when she actually gets a thrill out of it! Over time, their mutual dislike turns to mutual love. And together, this dissimilar duo work hard in tandem to ensure their survival through the winding river, a deadly German fort, swarms of flies, bloodsucking leeches, alligators, & other hazards. They mount an ingenious plan to destroy The Louisa ... but getting caught - which they do - doesn't help matters.
'The African Queen' is a solid adventure film that is aided by the chemistry btwn. its 2 stars. The script is spirited & includes great dialogue. The movie looks gorgeous thanks to cinematographer Jack Cardiff & their enormous Technicolor camera. I love the exotic African locales (Belgian Congo & British Uganda). Some of the special/sound effects are effective. I liked the melodic musical score. Having said all of this, and while I absolutely understand this film's "classic" status (I certainly enjoyed it) ... I found the actual story to be a little contrived, a little flimsy, & fairly unbelievable; especially the last 3 minutes or so of the film.
But as mentioned, the 2 stars make this film as successful as it is. They are the main assets in a sea of strengths & weaknesses. Humphrey Bogart is boorish, but also loveable. He won an Oscar for this performance. It's a good one. I don't know that I would have necessarily given him the win, but because he missed out in 1942's Casablanca, I could see why the Academy went for him. Katherine Hepburn is excellent {when isn't she?} as the prim spinster, Rose. I just really, really enjoyed the easy chemistry btwn. the 2 actors. And I found it amusing how their characters find romance during such a time of strife. So yeah, very good movie. Entertaining. Good-looking. I think I was just expecting something a bit more narratively substantial, when what I got was 'merely' an adventure flick.