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Awards and recognition
American Film Academy has rewarded The African Queen with an Oscar (Best Actor in a Leading Role - Humphrey Bogart) and other three nominations (Best Actress in a Leading Role - Katharine Hepburn; Best Adapted Screenplay - James Agee and John Huston; Best Director - John Huston).
American Film Institute was considered The African Queen in the following list:
#17 - 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES (1998)
#14 - 100 YEARS...100 PASSIONS (2002)
#48 - 100 YEARS...100 MOVIE CHEERS (2006)
#65 - 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES - 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (2007)
#17 - 100 GREATEST AMERICAN MOVIES OF ALL TIME (2007)
Also on AFI's 100 YEARS...100 STARS (1999), Humphrey Bogart is ranked no. 1 (legend actor) and Katharine Hepburn is ranked no. 1 (legend actress). So we can say that The African Queen is the only movie that reunites the two number one in the AFI's legend actors list.
Cast and crew
Directed by John Huston
Novel "The African Queen" by C.S. Forester
Screenplay by James Agee and John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnutt, Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer, Robert Morley as Rev. Samuel Sayer, Peter Bull as Captain of Louisa, Theodore Bikel as First Officer, Walter Gotell as Second Officer, Peter Swanwick as First Officer of Shona, Richard Marner as Second Officer of Shona
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Deep in German East Africa, near the Ulanga River, in Kungdu, an exotic African village, during WWI (September 1914), Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn), an English spinster, is the sister of a gentle missionary Rev Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). After the destruction and burning of the village by enemy troops which caused the premature death of his brother (after a severe psychological shock), Rose, lost in despair, left the village with the help of Charlie Allnutt (Humphrey Bogart) (Charlie Allnutt "a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none, like they say" but "Nothing a man can't do if he believes in himself.") and his little rusty old 30-foot boat called the African Queen to travel south down Ulanga River. The Ulanga is filled with rocks and white water rapids that can smash and sink a boat (Charlie Allnutt "there's the rapids, 100 miles of water like it was coming from a fire hose"). Rose attempts convince Charlie (Rose Sayer "Could you make a torpedo?" Charlie Allnutt "How's that, miss?" Find more about the story of The African Queen
Deep in German East Africa, near the Ulanga River, in Kungdu, an exotic African village, during WWI (September 1914), Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn), an English spinster, is the sister of a gentle missionary Rev Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). After the destruction and burning of the village by enemy troops which caused the premature death of his brother (after a severe psychological shock), Rose, lost in despair, left the village with the help of Charlie Allnutt (Humphrey Bogart) (Charlie Allnutt "a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none, like they say" but "Nothing a man can't do if he believes in himself.") and his little rusty old 30-foot boat called the African Queen to travel south down Ulanga River. The Ulanga is filled with rocks and white water rapids that can smash and sink a boat (Charlie Allnutt "there's the rapids, 100 miles of water like it was coming from a fire hose"). Rose attempts convince Charlie (Rose Sayer "Could you make a torpedo?" Charlie Allnutt "How's that, miss?" Find more about the story of The African Queen
Characters
This page would not exhaustive; it highlights only some of these character traits. Why? To discover or rediscover yourself this great movie. And a short note about the genius of John Huston; an extraordinary achievement from early movie that happens in the Methodist Church from Kungdu who show as the Rose's dress.
Find more about movie main characters
This page would not exhaustive; it highlights only some of these character traits. Why? To discover or rediscover yourself this great movie. And a short note about the genius of John Huston; an extraordinary achievement from early movie that happens in the Methodist Church from Kungdu who show as the Rose's dress.
Find more about movie main characters
Reviews
Oscar winner Bogart's Charlie is a pragmatic 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. "The African Queen" movie is a true romance after all. I believe this is one of the best films ever made. The chemistry between Bogart and Hepburn is unique. Why this movie is still so fresh and exciting? I'll mention a few arguments not in a hierarchical order. One argument is that his romantic side is immortal. Another great advantage is that the time at which it was made, entire crew was in maximum form. Like this couple unsurpassed (Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn), where both actors were at the highest potential for artistic expression. Find more reviews
Oscar winner Bogart's Charlie is a pragmatic 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. "The African Queen" movie is a true romance after all. I believe this is one of the best films ever made. The chemistry between Bogart and Hepburn is unique. Why this movie is still so fresh and exciting? I'll mention a few arguments not in a hierarchical order. One argument is that his romantic side is immortal. Another great advantage is that the time at which it was made, entire crew was in maximum form. Like this couple unsurpassed (Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn), where both actors were at the highest potential for artistic expression. Find more reviews
Trivia
Katharine Hepburn described in "The Making of The African Queen" or "How I Went to Africa with Bogie, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind"), the first day of shooting: Five cars and trucks were needed to take the cast, crew and equipment 3.5 miles from Biondo to the Ruiki river; there, they loaded everything onto boats and sailed another 2.5 miles to the shooting location; press materials and contemporary articles detailed the perils of shooting on location in Africa, including dysentery, malaria, contaminated drinking water, and several close brushes with wild animals and poisonous snakes; most of the cast and crew were sick for much of the filming.
The African Queen, built in England in 1912 was used by the British East Africa Company from 1912 to 1968 to shuttle passengers and cargo across Lake Albert (on the border between Uganda and Belgian Congo).
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Katharine Hepburn described in "The Making of The African Queen" or "How I Went to Africa with Bogie, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind"), the first day of shooting: Five cars and trucks were needed to take the cast, crew and equipment 3.5 miles from Biondo to the Ruiki river; there, they loaded everything onto boats and sailed another 2.5 miles to the shooting location; press materials and contemporary articles detailed the perils of shooting on location in Africa, including dysentery, malaria, contaminated drinking water, and several close brushes with wild animals and poisonous snakes; most of the cast and crew were sick for much of the filming.
The African Queen, built in England in 1912 was used by the British East Africa Company from 1912 to 1968 to shuttle passengers and cargo across Lake Albert (on the border between Uganda and Belgian Congo).
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Songs lyrics
"God of Grace and God of Glory", lyrics by Harry Fosdick, music by Cwm Rhondda, John Ceiriog Hughes, sung at the beginning of the movie by Robert Morley as Rev Samuel Sayer and Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer in Methodist Church
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower...
"Bold Fisherman" sung by Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnutt during the film and the two protagonists in the film's end
There was a bold fisherman who sailed out from Pimlico
To slew the wild codfish and the bold mackerel...
Find the full songs lyrics
"God of Grace and God of Glory", lyrics by Harry Fosdick, music by Cwm Rhondda, John Ceiriog Hughes, sung at the beginning of the movie by Robert Morley as Rev Samuel Sayer and Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer in Methodist Church
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower...
"Bold Fisherman" sung by Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnutt during the film and the two protagonists in the film's end
There was a bold fisherman who sailed out from Pimlico
To slew the wild codfish and the bold mackerel...
Find the full songs lyrics
Quotes
First Officer: How very interesting.
Rose Sayer: You don't believe me, do you? Charlie, tell them how you made the torpedoes.
Charlie Allnut: Well, well, I took the heads off two cylinders of oxygen, and filled them with live explosive. That was easy enough. The detonators took some doing. You know what I used? Cartridges and nails and blocks of soft wood. Then I put the two cylinders in the bows of the African Queen, near the water line. When we rammed you, poof!
Captain of Louisa: Where is the African Queen?
Rose Sayer: She sank in the storm.
Captain of Louisa: How did you get onto the lake?
Rose Sayer: We came down the Ulanga. The Bora, you call it here.
Captain of Louisa: That's impossible.
Rose Sayer: Nevertheless.
Captain of Louisa: But the river's unnavigable.
Rose Sayer: That may be. We came down it, though, didn't we? And in the African Queen.
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First Officer: How very interesting.
Rose Sayer: You don't believe me, do you? Charlie, tell them how you made the torpedoes.
Charlie Allnut: Well, well, I took the heads off two cylinders of oxygen, and filled them with live explosive. That was easy enough. The detonators took some doing. You know what I used? Cartridges and nails and blocks of soft wood. Then I put the two cylinders in the bows of the African Queen, near the water line. When we rammed you, poof!
Captain of Louisa: Where is the African Queen?
Rose Sayer: She sank in the storm.
Captain of Louisa: How did you get onto the lake?
Rose Sayer: We came down the Ulanga. The Bora, you call it here.
Captain of Louisa: That's impossible.
Rose Sayer: Nevertheless.
Captain of Louisa: But the river's unnavigable.
Rose Sayer: That may be. We came down it, though, didn't we? And in the African Queen.
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Script
by James Agee, John Huston and Peter ViertelEXT. A NATIVE VILLAGE IN A CLEARING BETWEEN THE JUNGLE AND THE RIVER. LATE MORNING
LONG SHOT - A CHAPEL
Intense light and heat, a stifling silence. Then the SOUND of a reedy organ, of two voices which make the words distinct, and of miscellaneous shy, muffled, dragging voices, beginning a hymn:
VOICES (singing)
"Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah..."
INT. CHAPEL -- LONG SHOT -- THE LENGTH OF THE BLEAK CHAPEL PAST THE CONGREGATION, ON BROTHER, AT THE LECTERN, AND ROSE, AT THE ORGAN
BROTHER, a missionary, faces CAMERA near center; ROSE, his sister, is at side, her face averted. Everybody is singing.
"Pilgrim through this barren land..." Find to the full script in the website dedicated page
Production
Most of the filming was done in Uganda and Congo. The production team endured sickness and harsh living conditions. Hepburn was often sick. Bogart was the only one to escape illness. He confessed that never drank water from shooting locations. The scenes were considered too dangerous to shoot in Africa were done in Isleworth Studios, Middlesex, England. The small steam-boat used in the film to depict the African Queen was built in 1912, in Lytham St Annes, England. The scenes on board the boat were filmed using a large raft with a mockup of the boat on top. Sections of the boat set could be removed to make room for the large Technicolor camera. This proved hazardous on one occasion when the boat's boiler almost fell over onto Hepburn. It was not bolted down since it also had to be moved to accommodate the camera. Because of the dangers involved with shooting the rapid scenes, a model was created at the studio tank in London. The film also features a German gunboat, the Louise, which is based on the former World War I vessel MV Liemba (known until 1924 as the Graf von Götzen), which sank in 1916 during the Battle for Lake Tanganyika, but was subsequently refloated by the British and continues to operate as a passenger ferry to this day.
Others considerations
The movie is known in other countries under different names such as: La reine africaine (France), La regina d'Africa (Italy), La reina de África (Spain), A Raínha Africana (Portugal), La reina africana (Argentina), De afrikaanse koningin (Belgium), Afrikas drottning (Finland), Afrikas dronning (Denmark), Afrika kraliçesi (Turkey), Afrika királynöje (Hungary), Afrykanska królowa (Poland), I vasilissa tis Afrikis (Greece), Uma Aventura na África (Brazil), La reina africana (Venezuela).
The African Queen was adapted as a one-hour radio play on the December 15, 1952 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater with Humphrey Bogart reprising his film role and joined by Greer Garson.
The African Queen movie for fans
On every page of this website (in the right column), we made one or more specific quizzes with questions from the content. Let's have fun and see how this great classic movie will remain in our memory.