I can't believe there is any doubt after fifty-five years that "African Queen" is one of the greatest romantic/adventure films of all time, and one of Humphrey Bogart's most delightful roles.
Some "classic" films appear awkward and even amateurish after all this time, due to the stunning advances in film technology over the decades, but "African Queen" remains astonishing fresh. I believe this is due to the rugged on-location filming, which is a Hollywood legend in and of itself (Please read Katherine Hepburn's excellent book "Making of the African Queen" AND Clint Eastwood's outstanding film 'White Hunter, Black Heart", for an accurate and detailed look at the goings-on behind the cameras). The realism of the location filming feels as immediate and convincing as if the movie had been filmed this year.
Bogart and Katherine Hepburn turn in what must be among the very best performances of their respective careers, as a drunken captain and a prim missionary lady. Perhaps because they are initially not very sympathetic or traditionally "good looking" or even young, their courtship is deeply touching. I think that this is one of the most moving screen romances of all time because of this...it's a refreshing change from youth-obsessed Hollywood (then as now) to see 40-somethings in a convincing and deeply romantic love story.
My favorite scene remains the one where Charlie and Rosie, exhausted by their travails trying to get the African Queen through a reed-choked section of river, collapse unconscious in the boat, feeling they are doomed for certain death...while a crane shots shows that they have indeed reached the last portion of the reeds, and are gracefully floating into clear waters...what a beautiful metaphor for hope against all odds. This never fails to move me to tears.
Surely one of the source inspirations for modern stuff like "Indiana Jones", "African Queen" has plenty of physical adventure (white water rapids), evil Germans (always reliable baddies, even in WWI), gross out parts (the leeches) and suspense...so that this film seems equally loved by both men and women. It's a grand adventure as well as a sensitive love story. The ending is one of the most deeply satisfying in all of cinema history.
That brings me to the source material -- the original novel by C.S. Forrester. Many reviewers comment on this, but I'll bet that very few have READ it. I went to great lengths to order this long out-of-print novel (so short it's almost a novella) from interlibrary loan a few years back. The film is a remarkably faithful adaptation of the book, with ONE glaring obsession. I don't think it's an actual spoiler to remark on this for film history buffs, but I'll still buffer this:
"SPOILER ALERT! (well, sort of)"
In the movie, Rosie and Charlie are married by the German captain and this is one of the satisfying romantic highlights of the film, especially as they ask to marry just before what appears to be their certain execution. However, in the book, it's revealed at the novel's end (which otherwise mostly reflects the film's ending) that Charlie is a womanizer, who has already married (but never divorced) several other women. He's a bigamist, who doesn't take his vows with the least seriousness and will undoubtedly leave Rosie, just as he has the last three wives. Furthermore, due to his bigamy, their "marriage" is a sham and certainly invalid.
This is the ironic twist that ends the novel, and I can't say I am surprised that Hollywood cleaned it up to present us with the far more conventional (and I have to admit, far more satisfying) ending that exists. However, for film buffs, I think this detail is interesting and well-worth knowing!
Some "classic" films appear awkward and even amateurish after all this time, due to the stunning advances in film technology over the decades, but "African Queen" remains astonishing fresh. I believe this is due to the rugged on-location filming, which is a Hollywood legend in and of itself (Please read Katherine Hepburn's excellent book "Making of the African Queen" AND Clint Eastwood's outstanding film 'White Hunter, Black Heart", for an accurate and detailed look at the goings-on behind the cameras). The realism of the location filming feels as immediate and convincing as if the movie had been filmed this year.
Bogart and Katherine Hepburn turn in what must be among the very best performances of their respective careers, as a drunken captain and a prim missionary lady. Perhaps because they are initially not very sympathetic or traditionally "good looking" or even young, their courtship is deeply touching. I think that this is one of the most moving screen romances of all time because of this...it's a refreshing change from youth-obsessed Hollywood (then as now) to see 40-somethings in a convincing and deeply romantic love story.
My favorite scene remains the one where Charlie and Rosie, exhausted by their travails trying to get the African Queen through a reed-choked section of river, collapse unconscious in the boat, feeling they are doomed for certain death...while a crane shots shows that they have indeed reached the last portion of the reeds, and are gracefully floating into clear waters...what a beautiful metaphor for hope against all odds. This never fails to move me to tears.
Surely one of the source inspirations for modern stuff like "Indiana Jones", "African Queen" has plenty of physical adventure (white water rapids), evil Germans (always reliable baddies, even in WWI), gross out parts (the leeches) and suspense...so that this film seems equally loved by both men and women. It's a grand adventure as well as a sensitive love story. The ending is one of the most deeply satisfying in all of cinema history.
That brings me to the source material -- the original novel by C.S. Forrester. Many reviewers comment on this, but I'll bet that very few have READ it. I went to great lengths to order this long out-of-print novel (so short it's almost a novella) from interlibrary loan a few years back. The film is a remarkably faithful adaptation of the book, with ONE glaring obsession. I don't think it's an actual spoiler to remark on this for film history buffs, but I'll still buffer this:
"SPOILER ALERT! (well, sort of)"
In the movie, Rosie and Charlie are married by the German captain and this is one of the satisfying romantic highlights of the film, especially as they ask to marry just before what appears to be their certain execution. However, in the book, it's revealed at the novel's end (which otherwise mostly reflects the film's ending) that Charlie is a womanizer, who has already married (but never divorced) several other women. He's a bigamist, who doesn't take his vows with the least seriousness and will undoubtedly leave Rosie, just as he has the last three wives. Furthermore, due to his bigamy, their "marriage" is a sham and certainly invalid.
This is the ironic twist that ends the novel, and I can't say I am surprised that Hollywood cleaned it up to present us with the far more conventional (and I have to admit, far more satisfying) ending that exists. However, for film buffs, I think this detail is interesting and well-worth knowing!