Humphrey Bogart played in more than a few quality films. The African Queen is one of them. He received a well deserved and overdue academy award, for playing Charlie Allnut. He is paired with Katherine Hepburn, who plays Rose Thayer. The film is directed by Walter Huston, and was adapted from the novel of the same name, by C.S. Forester.
The film takes place in the formerly Belgian Congo, at the start of World War I. Rose Thayer and her brother are missionaries in a small African village. One day the Germans come in, and take the men into service. They burn the village, and massacre everyone. Rose and her brother are left alive, but her brother later dies. Out of nowhere comes Charlie Allnut, who has a small supply boat, called The African Queen. Allnut along with Rose Thayer, take the boat, down a nearly unnavigable river, to escape the Germans, and get to safety.
Charlie Allnut is a hard drinking, crude man ,whose behavior offends Rose. One day, while sleeping one off, Rose spills out all his gin into the river. This upsets Allnut, who calls her all kinds of names. This infuriates her and she doesn’t speak to Bogart for awhile. The pair run into trouble, when they are spotted by Germans in a hillside fort. They begin firing, and do significant damage to the boat. The pair do repairs to the boat, encountering mosquitoes and leeches while doing it. During their voyage downriver, they are nearly killed, when they go over rapids, and down a falls. They almost drown, but Rose is experiencing thrills, that she’s never known. She is also falling in love with Charlie, and he with her. They get onto the lake, and spot the German ship, Louisa. Rose comes up with the crazy idea of making torpedoes from the supplies on the boat, and blowing up the ship. Charlie makes the torpedoes, and they get ready to launch their plan. Unfortunately, rough weather comes up, and capsizes The African Queen. Rose and Charlie are separated, and Charlie is picked up by the Germans. He is questioned and found guilty of spying. He is about to be hung, when Rose comes on board. She spills the beans, about her and Charlie’s plan. This seals her fate as well. Charlie has a last request before they hang. He asks the captain to marry them, as a favor to Rose. He does and then says to proceed with the execution. Before the execution is carried out, the Louisa, hits the submerged African Queen, detonating the torpedoes, and blowing up the Louisa. The final scene shows Charlie and Rose swimming to shore, on a wood plank, with The name African Queen on it.
The African Queen is a movie that flows from beginning to end. The story is nonstop adventure, with romance thrown in. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn make a great onscreen pair. They do some of the best acting of their careers. That’s saying something, considering the many great performances that they turned in. This was John Huston’s fourth collaboration with Humphrey Bogart. It was one of their best efforts. John Huston managed to direct some great scenes on the water, as well as filming in the Congo. It’s always a challenge to film on location, as opposed to a studio. Huston also co-wrote the script. This film adds to many of Huston’s film hits. This movie can be enjoyed by experienced filmgoers or novices, who can appreciate it for the first time.