The African Queen (1951)

In Africa during WW1, a gin-swilling riverboat owner/captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

C.S. Forester (novel), James Agee (adapted for the screen by),

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Charlie Allnut
Katharine Hepburn	...	Rose Sayer
Robert Morley	...	The Brother / Rev. Samuel Sayer
Peter Bull	...	Captain of Louisa
Theodore Bikel	...	First Officer
Walter Gotell	...	Second Officer
Peter Swanwick	...	First Officer of Shona
Richard Marner	...	Second Officer of Shona

Storyline

September 1914, news reaches the colony German Eastern Africa that Germany is at war, so Reverend Samuel Sayer became a hostile foreigner. German imperial troops burn down his mission; he is beaten and dies of fever. His well-educated, snobbish sister Rose Sayer buries him and leaves by the only available transport, the dilapidated river steamboat 'African Queen' of grumpy Charlie Allnut. As if a long difficult journey without any comfort weren't bad enough for such odd companions, she is determined to find a way to do their bit for the British war effort (and revenge her brother) and aims high as God is obviously on their side: construct their own equipment, a torpedo and the converted steamboat, to take out a huge German warship, the Louisa, which is hard to find on the giant lake and first of all to reach, in fact as daunting an expedition as anyone attempted since the late adventurous explorer John Speakes, but she presses till Charlie accepts to steam up the Ulana, about to brave...

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Plot Keywords:

german | steamboat | african | torpedo | mission | 

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Taglines:

The greatest adventure a man ever lived...with a woman!

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and smoking

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German Swahili

Release Date:

20 February 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

African Queen

Filming Locations:

Isleworth Studios, London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horizon Pictures, Romulus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (as Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Walt Disney used this film as the basis for the Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise" attraction.

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Goofs

Allnut gets wet sleeping under the open sky, and Rose finally lets him into the canopied part of the boat. After he falls asleep, she opens an umbrella to protect him from the rain. When she opens the umbrella, it is already wet, presumably from previous takes.

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Quotes

Charlie Allnut: [skitting Rose] Can you make a torpedo? Well do so Mr. Allnut.

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Connections

Referenced in Home and Away: Episode #1.615 (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Bold Fisherman"
Sung by Humphrey Bogart

User Reviews

If some one remakes this, I'm sending out a posse.

To face a script in which most of the plot revolves around the dialogue of only two people in one location must be terrifying. Thank goodness for Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. John Huston's adaptation of C.S. Forester's The African Queen was solid. And the decision to film on location in Africa helped develop the concept of nature as a viable character within the plot helps solidify the film. But without Katharine Hepburn, and Humphry Bogart, this film could have been reduced to a nice little travelog on the beauty and terror of African and the pretty animals living there. Within The African Queen each character undergoes metamorphosis. Charlie Alnutt grows from an apathetic man who enjoys the inside of a bottle, to a courageous man. Rosie in turn allows herself to be human, and vulnerable perhaps for the first time in her life. With lesser actors these changes would have appeared rushed, unexplained,and a dull beginning to an inexplicable romance. But it isn't. It's a captivating film. Rosie's brittle smile, Charlie's face as his vices are destroyed, these are moments of brilliance in an incredible film. I highly recommend it.

It's also worth noting that this was not an easy film to make. These performances survived crew and cast illnesses, constant mechanical errors and inclement weather. For more about the conditions it was created under, I suggest you read Katherine Hepburn's The Making of The African Queen or How I 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 more enjoyable.