The African Queen

Buy This Item The African Queen by CBS/Fox VIdeo  Available from Amazon  $14.98  on 8-28-2008     The 1951 John Huston classic, set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain in Africa, who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to finally fall into one another's arms. This is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a longtime collaborator with Huston on such classics as <i>The Maltese Falcon</i> and <i>Key Largo</i>) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley (<i>Beat the Devil</i>, also featuring Bogart) adds some extra dimension and color. <I>--Tom Keogh</I> Reader Reviews When his village is pillaged shortly after WW 1 outbreak, the Reverend (Morley)dies of shock, leaving only his sister (Hepburn) to fend for herself. Enter Mr. Charlie Allnut (Bogart, winning his only Oscar) the uncouth, hard drinking skipper of the "African Queen", a boat of 1890 vintage, unsafe in a swimming pool. In quick succession, Bogart saves Hepburn, motors perilously down the Congo River, evades the Germans, is saved by one storm, sunken by another, and is captured by a German warship. All the while, he and Hepburn have developed a romance, culminated by marriage just before they're about to be hanged as British spies. Miraculously, the warship strikes underwater torpedos of Bogart's sunken boat, is sunk herself, as the newlyweds swim to safety. This cursory review is intended to appeal to those under 50, as I"m afraid a modern audience would find little appeal in this production,once a real classic for most.

The African Queen Available from Amazon Price: $14.98 Updated on 8-28-2008.

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