The African Queen (1951)

Based on the novel by C. S. Forester, this film places two very different people in close quarters to see what will happen as they are required to work together despite their differences.

Set in German East Africa in 1914, the film opens with missionaries Reverend Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley) and his sister Rose (Katharine Hepburn) trying to maintain order during their weekly church service. Despite the language barrier, they persist singing their hymns in English while the villagers simply try to keep up making noises along with the music having little idea of what is going on.

Into this environment steps Charlie Allnutt (Humphrey Bogart), delivering the weekly mail from up the river on his boat, The African Queen.

Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley), Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn) and Charlie
Allnutt (Humphrey Bogart).

Soon after, German troops enter the village and burn it to the ground, with the intention of making everyone homeless to give the people nothing else to live for, hoping to recruit local fighters for their eventual takeover of the entire continent.

Suffering from shock after the attack, Samuel dies. The next time Charlie comes by on his boat, he and Rose escape, making their way down the river.

The remainder of the film consists of these two incredibly different characters having to live together in close quarters, all the while having to fend off predators and German soldiers alike.

Rose comes up with a plan - crazy as it may be - to turn their small boat into a missile using the explosives on board, to ram a large German vessel on a large lake that is miles downstream.

The African Queen.

The screenplay, written by James Agee & director John Huston, is quite good. It is primarily dialogue-heavy, with the interactions between Charlie and Rose providing endless opportunities for conflict. As the film goes on, their exterior 'shells' begin to melt away, and the two become close for the simple reason that neither of them have anyone else any more.

Unfortunately, the ending of the film relies far too heavily on deus ex machina to bring it to its conclusion.

One of the best things about this film is Jack Cardiff's cinematography, particularly the shots of the African landscape as the boat makes its way down the river. The shots of the two protagonists on the boat at various points are also good, and bring the viewer right into the middle of the action or, more accurately, the many conflicts between them.

Rose (Katharine Hepburn) and Charlie (Humphrey Bogart).

Allan Gray's score, on the other hand, is largely disappointing. The music isn't bad, as such, but it is terribly traditional as far as film music goes. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the score which relies largely on cliche, and feels as though it could have been written by anyone with the smallest amount of knowledge of compositional theory. There are even multiple moments throughout the film that feel overscored, which essentially detracts from what is happening on screen rather than adding to or supporting it.

The performances of the cast, particularly the two protagonists played by Bogart and Hepburn, are very good. Of course, seasoned performers such as these two are incredibly well-suited to a film like this that requires great skill to pull off the high-conflict scenes, and neither one of them disappoints at any point.

Director John Huston has made a reasonable film here, that looks beautiful and contains excellent performances from its two stars, but falls short in a few too many areas.

5 out of 10.