August 1914 - World War One is declared.
Rose Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) and her brother (Robert Morley) are British missionaries in German East Africa.
After her mission is destroyed and her brother dies from shock, Rose wants revenge.
Joining forces with local riverboat captain Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart), Rose hatches a plan to travel downriver and sink a German gunboat that is defending the border from the Allies.
As the pair travel down the river and endure various hazards, they begin to realize a mutual attraction for each other.
Will the lovers achieve their goal? Will they live to enjoy a happy ending?
A blend of adventure, romance, and comedy, The African Queen is great.
As with Jaws, this is a movie I knew by reputation - and I cannot add anything original as a critical frame.
Does admiration count?
Shot partially on location in Africa, the film benefits from a sense of verisimilitude, particularly seeing iconic stars having to contend with the elements (Hepburn is sunburnt and slightly dirty during the opening church service; Bogart is haggard and constantly sweating).
Bogart’s Charlie is established in a familiar mold - Introduced as a cynical ne’er-do-well, interrupting the Sayer’s service with his various supplies of vice.
As the movie progresses, Charlie is revealed to be a more innocent, naive character. Bogart is loose, almost childlike in his feeble attempts to dissuade his traveling companion-turned-true love.
Talking to himself, slouching and/or grinning, Bogart gives Charlie an exposed, unguarded flair - at the outset he is the opposite of Rosie, at least in terms of verbalizing thoughts and feelings.
Hepburn’s performance complements Bogart - she gives Rosie a steel and a sense of naivete that matches him, and is the rare co-lead who wrests the film’s centre of gravity away from him.
A terrific romantic comedy, The African Queen crafts a pair of characters with a believable, organic connection which takes time to develop.
One of the joys of the actors’ dynamic is how each of them feel like neophytes to the idea of companionship and emotional intimacy - when Rosie calls Charlie ‘dear’, Hepburn is almost giddy in how earnestly she plays it.
In its own comic, yet earnest way, The African Queen ends up being a film about the Importance of faith and hard work - despite their initial failure, Rosie’s plan succeeds, and the couple get to enjoy their happily ever after.
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