Most movies you could watch about WWI will focus on the gallantry and the horror of the trenches, of the first aviators and the tanks and the food lines. Many will be exciting, some will be heart breaking, but few will leave you feeling happy when the credits role. I'm not sure it's a triumph or if it's folly that I love the spirit and the joy of "The African Queen", but whatever it is I wouldn't change it for the world.
This is not a story about soldiers, but it is a story for patriots. It is a film about doing one's civic duty and the moral obligations that come from the infringements of human rights and dignity. More than that it is a smashing adventure and a perfect love story shared with my heroes, Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart who play two very unlikely champions of England and her colonies (Canada did not become part of the commonwealth until 1931 so it isn't proper to use that term. Digression).
Living in the heart of Africa, two siblings fulfill their White Man's Burden and preach the word of God to a tribe of savages until nasty Germans raid and burn the settlement. The locals are captured to be used as puppet soldiers for the Second Reich. Rosie (Hepburn) must then contend with her brother's death, which may have come from disease, but is hinted that his mind was broken from the trauma of their brutality. Alone and despondent, she leaves the tribe with a steamboat captain/mailman (Bogart) and heads for English territory on the African Queen.
Rarely has there been such a fantastic pairing as Hepburn and Bogart playing two of the most funnily mismatched characters. Often remarked as being frigid on screen, Kate excels as the minister's sister. Cold, proper and sheltered, Rosie finds pleasure in nothing more than reading the Good Book with a nice cup of tea. Her foil is the gruff, gin-guzzling Charlie Allnut who has the manners of an unflushed toilet. You can tell Bogart loves his character and the two actors ooze chemistry.
Rosie is sheltered, yes, but she's practical and sharp as a tack. Moreover, she is brave and angry and convinces Mr. Allnut to use his boat to attack a formidable German ship, the Louisa, which is keeping the British from a strategic lake. To reach the boat, however, the two misfits must first traverse an unnavigable river and dodge a German outpost, all the while dealing with each other.
This is one of those movies where all of the pieces create a whole so wonderful that it can be considered nothing but a classic. It's funny, thrilling, beautifully shot and fantastically acted. The story is unusual and compelling, but it is most remarkable that the love story is far more engaging than the adventurous framework of the film. We have basically two actors for most of the film confined to a 30 foot floating set. The dynamics of their characters had to be (and are) rich and interesting enough to shoulder the weight of an entire movie.
The moments I love most are those when Rosie and Charlie exchange little glances and we learn they are growing fond of each other's quirks. Seeing Rosie dumping the gin off the side of the boat or Charlie shaving as a form of unspoken apology are simple ways to make a love story so much better. The best love scenes are those that never say "I love you". That's a paraphrase from a movie I can't remember, but I do recall it was one of the smartest things I've ever heard in a film and it applies here. What makes the love story so damned good is that it feels so organic and just so full of love, even if it doesn't proclaim it.
I have seen this film several times and it never ceases to amaze me how well it has aged. I guess there is just something about a well made movie that can't grow old. When you have a good plot that is executed well there really isn't much room for it to become stale. There is a scene near the end where all hope seems lost as the African Queen gets stuck in desperately thick reeds. I tear up every time I watch it. There must be something especially powerful about the bond these two people form with each other and the bond that I form with them in order to get this way even knowing the scene is coming and its outcome.
This is an impressive movie and one of my favorites. I hope that modern audiences aren't turned off by the Technicolor or the lack of blood. A war film needn't be gritty and bloody in order to be brilliant. Simply relying on the powers of movie magic can create great cinema. I give this my highest recommendation and hope that everyone gets the chance to experience it.
4/4
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