The African Queen main backdrop
The African Queen main poster

The African Queen

Visit website

7.4/10 • 978

1952-01-071h 45m

RomanceAdventureDrama

The greatest adventure a man ever lived… with a woman!

At the start of the First World War, in the middle of Africa’s nowhere, a gin soaked riverboat captain is persuaded by a strong-willed missionary to go down river and face-off a German warship.

Directors
John Huston
Editors
Ralph Kemplen

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Humphrey Bogart

    Humphrey Bogart

    Charlie Allnut

  2. Katharine Hepburn

    Katharine Hepburn

    Rose Sayer

  3. Robert Morley

    Robert Morley

    The Brother

  4. Peter Bull

    Peter Bull

    Captain of Louisa

  5. Theodore Bikel

    Theodore Bikel

    First Officer

  6. Walter Gotell

    Walter Gotell

    Second Officer

  7. Peter Swanwick

    Peter Swanwick

    First Officer of Shona

  8. Richard Marner

    Richard Marner

    Second Officer of Shona

Reviews3

View Reviews
John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Mar 15, 2019

10/10

Giants of the silver screen delivering one giant of a movie. WW1, East Africa, after her brother is killed by invading German troops, Rose Sayer is reliant on gruff steamboat captain, Charlie Allnut, to ferry her safely out of harms way and back to civilisation. Trouble is is that they are poles apart in ideals and ways, she is a devoted missionary, he a hard drinking tough nut with a glint in his eye. Yet as they venture further down the river, an unlikely alliance is starting to form, both in personalities and a keenness to give it to the Germans! It's probably something of a given that The African Queen was starting with an advantage from the very first cry of action! Because to have Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn as your lead actors is not to be sniffed at, whilst also having John Huston directing is stacking the odds heavily in your favour. Thankfully history and time show us that all involved in this piece crafted a most delightful and exciting picture, yet it triumphs more as an intriguing picture than merely a meeting of Hollywood giants. Adapted by Huston and James Agee from the novel by C.S. Forester, it's believed that the original intention was to film it as an outright drama, but whether by star design or a going with the flow attitude, the picture turned out to be a drama fused with splices of humour, the kind where the tongue gets firmly stuck in the cheek. As character pieces go, The African Queen has few peers, especially in the pantheon of 50s cinema, then you add the excellent story to work from, with the location work in Congo and Uganda expertly utilised by Huston (clearly revelling in the mix) and his photographer, Jack Cardiff. Then there is that magical flow, just as The African Queen (the boat itself) is flowing down the river, so does the film effortlessly glide along without pretentious posturing, screaming out that this is as a humane a story as you are likely to witness again. Some cynical reviewers will point to the dated studio filmed segments as a reason why this film shouldn't be termed a classic amongst classics, but really it's only an issue if you want it to dim your appreciation of the splendour from every other frame. From Bogart and his wry or humorous expressions, to Hepburn and the art of acting prim, this is a pure joy and justly it deserves to make all those lists containing greatest films of all time. 10/10

Media

  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster
  • The African Queen poster

Recommendations

  • Downhill Racer main backdrop

    Downhill Racer

    5.9

  • Great Day in the Morning main backdrop

    Great Day in the Morning

    5.9

  • Conflict main backdrop

    Conflict

    6.6

  • Razzia main backdrop

    Razzia

    6.8

  • No Backdrop

    Kathy Griffin: The D-List

    7.1

  • Anna main backdrop

    Anna

    7.3

  • The Night of the Iguana main backdrop

    The Night of the Iguana

    7.2

  • La famiglia Passaguai fa fortuna main backdrop

    La famiglia Passaguai fa fortuna

    6.0

  • Umberto Eco: A Library of the World main backdrop

    Umberto Eco: A Library of the World

    7.2

  • Appointment with Danger main backdrop

    Appointment with Danger

    5.5

  • The Iron Petticoat main backdrop

    The Iron Petticoat

    5.8

  • Philanthropy main backdrop

    Philanthropy

    7.6

  • Life Is Sweet main backdrop

    Life Is Sweet

    7.0

  • Duel at Diablo main backdrop

    Duel at Diablo

    6.3

  • The Spirit of St. Louis main backdrop

    The Spirit of St. Louis

    6.7

  • The Glenn Miller Story main backdrop

    The Glenn Miller Story

    6.9

  • The Son of Kong main backdrop

    The Son of Kong

    5.4

  • The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean main backdrop

    The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean

    6.4

  • Moon 44 main backdrop

    Moon 44

    5.0

  • The Agony and the Ecstasy main backdrop

    The Agony and the Ecstasy

    7.1

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$1,000,000.00
Revenue
$10,750,000.00
Keywords
world war ifaithafricamissionaryboatriverhopepatriotismhippopotamusgiraffemethodist churchanimal speciesmoqukitoboat weddingleechgintanzaniacongoman woman relationshiptechnicolor