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| The African Queen | ||
Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart |
Directed by regular Bogart collaborator and director John Huston, based on a
novel by C.S Forester and starring both Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, this film was destined for movie greatness.
It is one of Bogie's most loved films, and for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The African Queen tells the story of a hard drinking riverboat captain (Bogart as Charlie Allnut) and a middle aged straight-laced missionary woman (Hepburn as Rose Sayer) who find themselves in the midst of violent conflicts at the outbreak of WW I in German colonised Eastern Africa. | |
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What initially starts as an attempt to escape to safety via the African river channels on board the riverboat
(of which the title of the film is derived) soon turns into an attempt to thwart the German war efforts, as Rose
convinces the unwilling Charlie to assist her in sinking a strategically important German warship - but Charlie
is no coward, and his hesitation lies in the fact that highly dangerous and uncharted rivers must be negotiated
to achieve their goal. The beauty of the story lies in the pairing of two opposite characters, one the sinful and uncouth Charlie Allnut, the other the spiritually upright but emotionally "uptight" spinster Rose Sayer. This and the fact that Bogart and Hepburn have wonderful on screen chemistry makes for both an exciting adventure story and a wonderful and touching romance, as the unlikely pair bond as their adventure unfolds. The great British actor Robert Morley also makes a noteworthy appearance as Rose's brother, the Rev. Samual Sayer, at the beginning of the film. Shot in Color. Strangely this classic has never been released on DVD in the USA, but can be purchased on VHS tape in the film's original aspect ration of 1.33 to 1. For those with multi-region DVD players the film can be purchased on DVD from the UK. The UK region 2 DVD (released by Carlton Visual Entertainment) is also presented in the films original aspect ratio of 1.33 to 1, and features an excellent commentary by the film's Cinematographer Jack Cardiff, the film's Original Theatrical Trailer, a digital gallery of 15 Black & White Stills and 10 Posters and Title Cards and in depth text biographies of Huston, Bogart, Hepburn and Cardiff. | ||