Released in 1951, The African Queen stars Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Before the story was brought to life on the big screen, it started out as a novel of the same name by C.S. Forester. His novels were centered around stories of naval warfare, most notably during the Napoleonic Wars and both World Wars (one of his other famous novels, The Good Shepherd, was adapted into a 2020 film called Greyhound starring Tom Hanks). However, Forester was arguably most famous for his 12-part Hornblower series, all of whose stories were based on real events during the Napoleonic Wars [2].
The film revolves around Rose Sayer (Hepburn), a British Missionary who has gone to Africa with her brother, Sam (Robert Morely) to bring Christianity to a village. However, deep into their residency, World War I begins, and a group of German soldiers raids the village and takes every local person prisoner. All this leads to the death of Rose’s brother, motivating her to try and go to safety with the help of boatman Charlie Allnut (Bogart). The majority of the conflict comes from the pair’s attempts to navigate the rough and wildlife-filled Ulanga River on the titular boat, so although there is a backdrop of war in the movie, it would not technically be considered a war film.
Impressively, about half of the film was shot on-location in Africa, with both Uganda and Congo serving as the backdrop. This covered most of the land scenes, as those were deemed the safest to film there, though several of the cast members fell ill, allegedly from drinking unsafe water. Anything on the river was shot at Isleworth Studios in Middlesex [3]. However, that does not in any way detract from the impressive set pieces and use of green-screen images. Of course, by today’s standards, the technology is quite outdated, but for 1951, the blending of added image and the actors in front of the green screen is quite smooth. All other effects appear to be practical, which is incredibly commendable considering there are shots that involve massive and wide-spread fires, explosions, and even a live leech.
Both Hepburn and Bogart give memorable performances, and help give their characters distinct personalities. Apparently, improvisation, particularly from Bogart, was encouraged during dialogue, which definitely helped contribute to Rose and Charlie’s entertaining cracks at each other and banter. Both actors also helped make their characters incredibly distinct. Everything about Rose, down to her posture and micro expressions, is buttoned-up, ladylike, and even judgmental at times. Meanwhile, Bogart swings his arms wildly, speaks loudly, and almost always wears an overly-enthusiastic smile, perfectly encapsulating Charlie’s carefree nature. While The African Queen‘s other actors are good as well, none of them are in the movie long enough to make a fully sound judgement on their abilities as actors.
However, all of this doesn’t mean the film isn’t a product of its time. Primarily, the issue of gender roles stands out. Although Rose sometimes demonstrates that she’s both smart and strong, she often falls into a damsel in distress role, screaming and begging for Charlie’s help to get her out of an unpleasant situation. Despite that, her character is fun and, as previously mentioned, proves quite useful throughout the movie.
Overall, The African Queen is an entertaining watch. It’s packed with action, with one thing happening after the other, witty dialogue, and even a bit of endearing romance. If you’ve got 100 minutes and want something exciting to watch, it’s definitely worth the time.
[1] Image from https://www.amazon.com/African-Queen-Katharine-Hepburn/dp/B002TOL4QO
[2] To see more about Forester’s works, https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-S-Forester
[3] For more information, see https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-African-Queen-film-1951