The African Queen (1951)

This movie is a great old classic. Well worth watching and enjoying. It has a little bit of everything in it from romance to war and lots of adventure. Although it probably didn't cost much to make this movie, as the two lead characters are who we spend the entire movie with, this movie has much value for the viewer. We follow along as two opposites survive in a very small boat with many obstacles and fall in love and fight the Germans in Africa. I have watched this movie several times and every time I feel like it was time well spent. Humphrey Bogart gives what I believe is one of his best performances. And Kathryn Hepburn is superb! If you love old movies this is a must see.

Fmovies: In reference to Elentari's query about why this film appeared on TV in B&W - it was a common practice for early TV to have prints that were in B&W even if it was originally a color theatrical release - usually in the era before color TV - it would have been cheaper to produce B&W film prints. These were generally 16mm prints released to the TV studios in B&W. Some of these "TV Prints" still survive in collector's hands today. African Queen was made in the Technicolor process and all theatrical screenings would have been in color. Generally speaking it is possible to tell which (originally b&w prints) have been "colorised". They have an un-natural appearance about them, and there is a general repetition of the same color - example hats, coats, cars, all seem to the one shade of brown, or all vegetation seems to be the one shade of green. In artificial colorization prints there is not the subtle tonings of different shades of color associated with natural (original) color productions.

In the 1950's,location shooting was a rarity,so the locale selected,everyone involved with this production knew it was going to be very hard work to get this film made.They just didn't know how tough until work began.I guess it helped to have one of the best directors of that day (not to mention in all of cinema history),John Huston,paired with two of the best actors to grace the screen,Humphrey Bogart and Kate Hepburn.The story is very captivating,and these cinema giants,working harder than usual under very adverse conditions,managed to come up with a winner.Definitely on the must see list for any classic cinema fan.

The African Queen fmovies. To me this film will always be the validation of Humphrey Bogart's long and distinguished career. His portrayal of the hard drinking Charlie was what made this film what it was. Also, he showed just how great an actor he was when he was able to match up against the woman who is generally considered to be the greatest actress in film history, Katherine Hepburn. Also, this film will always be recognized for having the perfect mix of action, romance and comedy and it will always be a classic.

An amazing romance-adventure classic highlighted by the brilliant performances of Bogart and Hepburn. Oscar winner Bogart's Charlie is a broken man who finds true hope and happiness in Hepburn's Rose. Rose finds love and meaning from Charlie. It's adorable to see them call each other "Missus" and "Mr. Almont" even when we know that they love each other. Even when they have their "first quarrel" near the end of the picture, we know that their lives have changed forever as a result of the other person. It's a film about true love. This is also a very funny film, which was a shock to director Huston. Bogart's stomach growling scene early on in the film is a hoot. More humor commences as both stars play off of each other wonderfully. The scenary is beautiful. No film has captured the essence and importance of nature better than this classic. This is the film that sparked other romance adventures such as "Romancing the Stone" and "Six Days and Seven Nights." Before you view those newer installments, you better check out the one and true original classic.

This great classic has everything you could ask for - two fine stars who could carry the show by themselves, and a story full of adventure, drama, humor, and romance. It's a lot of fun to watch, and it is also a film you can admire for the expert way it was put together.

Bogart and Hepburn not only give great performances, they are also wonderful together, and they make the on-screen relationship between their characters believable and interesting - it's great to watch as it develops. The adventures that they find are that much more entertaining for the way that you come to care about them. The story itself is exciting, too, with a lot of ups and downs for the heroes. Topping it off are the wonderful settings, with a lot of fine shots of wild animals and jungle scenery - there is always plenty to look at, and it also sets off the action nicely.

Any one of a number of things would make "The African Queen" worth watching, and as a whole it is a terrific movie. It's a must-see for any fan of classic movies, and one that you can also enjoy watching numerous times.