The 1951 John Huston classic, set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain in Africa, who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to finally fall into one another's arms. This is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a longtime collaborator with Huston on such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley (Beat the Devil, also featuring Bogart) adds some extra dimension and color. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Classic Wife's favorite movie and brilliant in all aspects. Thoroughly enjoyable and now a part of our choice library!
HEROISM VS. TERRORISM When his village is pillaged shortly after WW 1 outbreak, the Reverend (Morley)dies of shock, leaving only his sister (Hepburn) to fend for herself. Enter Mr. Charlie Allnut (Bogart, winning his only Oscar) the uncouth, hard drinking skipper of the "African Queen", a boat of 1890 vintage, unsafe in a swimming pool. In quick succession, Bogart saves Hepburn, motors perilously down the Congo River, evades the Germans, is saved by one storm, sunken by another, and is captured by a German warship. All the... more info
Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily - was it all a dream? Keeping in mind that I watched this film on the subliminally par VHS option, I must say that "The African Queen" is a film that will bamboozle the senses, while cautiously telling the story about a daring duo in Africa. What brings questions to this film, nearly 56 years since its initial release, is not so much the characters, or the story, or the location, but the transition from 50s cinema to modern. Film studies coursework aside, one can tell the elasticity of a film by watching it again (over five... more info
African Queen This needs no review - A classic movie!! If you have never seen it you definately should. If you don't like it you are probably too young to appreciate the classics. If you are old enough then you don't need my review. You already know!!