The African Queen

The movie begins in German East Africa, September 1914 with the Germans invading and destroying a small town that missionaries Samuel and Rose (brother and sister) are living in. After the Germans take all the natives away Samuel falls ill and dies.

Mr. Alnutt (sailor of the African Queen), the man who delivers their mail, comes around and Rose goes with him for safety reasons. They hide (Mr. Alnutt feels the Germans will want his boat) and discuss what to do next. With the war all around them, they need to figure a way out of there.

With much pushing on Rose's part they decide to go down a very difficult river and torpedo a German ship to help their country.

The scenery and the wild animals are amazing to behold. I love when Rose calls Charlie "a coward". This very different pair has many adventures.

This is why the movie is considered so good!


A Queen among movies   November 10, 2003
L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

This terrific film stars Katherine Hepuburn as a prim missionary's sister, stranded in the wilds of Africa when her brother dies, and the Germans are coming. She persuades riverboat man Charlie Allnut (Humphry Bogart) that they should make a torpedo to blow up a German warship, and they travel down the river together in his tatty little boat the African Queen. Their personalities clash painfully at first, but gradually they come to appreciate each other. Katherine Hepburn has the two best lines in the film, after she's travelled down the rapids, Bogart expects her to be terrfied, but she says "I never dreamed any mere physical experience could be so exhilirating!". Then, when Bogart has insulted her and she's poured all his gin away in revenge, he protests that getting drunk now and again is only human nature, "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above!" A great film. Just to clear up a point that seems to have confused some previous reviewers, this film is set during World War ONE, not Two...


Romantic Adventure on an African River   September 16, 2002
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

After a somewhat discordant and irreverent beginning we meet a Spinster Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn) and her brother who are missionaries in Africa in 1914. Charlie (Humphrey Bogart) arrives in his steam-powered boat and after delivering their mail, he delivers news of World War I. Almost immediately the Germans arrive and burn down the entire village. Distraut, Rose's brother dies suddenly from shock and she is left wondering what will become of her.

When Charlie arrives back and sees the destruction, his immediate impulse is to save this damsel in distress and the two are thrown together by circumstance in a mission so improbable, it is almost comical. Together they attempt to sail down an African river on "The African Queen" in order to attack the Germans. To do this, they must pass by a German fort and survive the rapids.

Charlie: There's only one little thing wrong with your idea. There ain't nothin' to torpedo.
Rose: Oh yes there is.
Charlie: There's what?
Rose: Something to torpedo.
Charlie: What's that?
Rose: The Louisa.
Charlie: The Louisa! Oh now, don't talk silly, Miss. You can't do that. Honest you can't. I told you before, we can't get down the Ulanga!

This is all Rose's idea, more than likely due to her romantic notion of the world. She is determined to have her way and sees Charlie as a way to help save her country. She becomes horrified when he starts to drink gin and the absolute shock she expresses reminds me of the story of Miss Jones and Ginger Ted in The Vessel of Wrath by W. Somerset Maugham.

As Rose would say: "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above." As Charlie is in a drunken sleep, she pours his gin into the river, bottle by bottle.

Eventually Rose has to let go of her civilized English ways and starts to rely on her wild natural instincts. Fighting a river becomes the most exciting experience of her entire life and she enjoys this new feeling of being completely unconstrained in her passion for this new adventure.

Forced to rely on one another, they start to show their strengths and weaknesses. Fighting the river causes respect to be born and this grows into love.

To me, this entire movie is almost a metaphor of marriage. The calm times when you can relax and enjoy the scenery and the stressful times when you are holding hoping for better times. Just like this trip down an African river, marriage takes courage and staying there may in fact test the bedrock of your character.

Sometimes you don't want to be sailing down an African river, you'd rather be in Bali. But maybe Bali wouldn't build your character the way an African river could.

Adventure, romance, comedy and an unexpected conclusion.

~The Rebecca Review


African Queen deserves royal treatment....on DVD!!!!!!!!!   June 13, 2006
Georgy Girl
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This movie is way looooong over due to be put on DVD. I find it amazing how some of the crapiest movies get released on DVD, yet this wonderful gem of a movie has yet to see the light of day on
DVD. So please,please, please release this movie soon on DVD.