The African Queen (1951, John Huston)
The African Queen is yet another classic I had overlooked for some reason. The IMDb plot summary writes: “In Africa during World War I, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.” This sounds completely bonkers, yet it completely makes sense within the confines of the story.
Humphrey Bogart is, of course, the drunkard captain of the titular riverboat. Katharine Hepburn is the missionary whose brother has been killed, thus sending her down the river with Bogart to find civilisation (and perhaps attack some Germans on the way).
It’s perhaps worthy to note that this movie is the only one Bogart and Hepburn made together. They were two of the biggest stars at the time, yet they hade never been paired together on screen. In hindsight, this seems a real shame, as their chemistry is excellent, and quite a surprise.
This movie was not only exciting, it was also surprisingly funny. The banter between Bogart and Hepburn is stellar, and they offer some of their best work in their entire careers. Also notably, this is the role that won Humphrey Bogart his only Oscar (he acquired two other nominations). Hepburn was nominated, but did not win.
Frankly, this movie is worth seeing for their chemistry alone. However, I think this is a true classic that should be seen by anyone who loves movies.
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