The African Queen Details

What an inspired pairing! And to think the roles of Charlie Allnutt and Rose Sayer were nearly played by David Niven and Bette Davis in this classic romantic adventure. Initially, all was not well between Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. But, from the moment she began basing her character on Eleanor Roosevelt, the elements fused into a unique screen chemistry, and a gentle humour (that was noticeably absent from the shooting script) began to seep into the action. With director John Huston distracted by extracurricular safaris, the location work was clearly a strain — Bogie wouldn't have had to act too much to look distressed as he pulled the Queen through the leech-infested water. Yet the discord and discomfort resulted in a classic and a long overdue Oscar for Bogart.

Despite some unfortunate studio sets mixed in with real African footage achieved through great hardship by all concerned, this is one of those surprising films that really work, a splendidly successful mixture of comedy, character and adventure.