The African Queen is, at its heart, a love story. Despite the movie’s grim background of World War I harkening images of recent World War II real-life headlines, what keeps this movie together and what keeps us coming back is the romance between Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. Coming from opposite worlds: one a missionary and the other a steamboat captain and mechanic, their budding friendship turned relationship is truly one for the books, and the one that has had a lasting impact on me, first as a child, and then as an adult.
“You crazy, Psalm singing, skinny old maid!”
The idea of two opposite, or even enemies, falling for each other was nothing new by the time The African Queen premiered in 1951. Even so, Hepburn’s Rose Sayer and Bogart’s Mr. Allnut could not be more different. Sayer is a missionary, and despite the obviously hot African climate, she is buttoned up to the neck, head held high with the prim and proper etiquette of an English gentlewoman. She is polite, but arrogant and judgmental. Mr. Allnut is her foil, disheveled and tipsy, yet personable and well-liked by the locals.
Their relationship is well-balanced because neither lead is the “one to change.” They both are. Their journeys lead Rose to loosen up and have more grace towards others. Mr. Allnut shaves and gives up his booze. Both meet each other in the middle, becoming better versions of themselves with and for each other.
Backdrop of War
Though The African Queen is set during World War I, the coloring and attitudes of World War II are present throughout. The war had only ended six years prior to the movie’s release, so much of the production took place with the aftermath fresh in everyone’s minds. This is the main reason for the way the Germans are portrayed (which is contrary to the novel the movie was based on) as a hostile villainous force. In the novel, the theme is more along the lines of “both sides suffered equally” which is starkly different to the movie’s needlessly cruel German forces.
Despite the movie not being about the war, it looms large nonetheless. The inciting event is the burning of Rose’s brother Samuel’s church and the kidnapping of the town’s citizens. During this raid, he’s hit by one of the soldiers, and eventually dies after becoming delirious with fever. Even after this, the Germans represent the main threat in the form of a large gunboat: the Königin Luise.
A Unique Story
While the romance between the two leads is at the film’s center, it would be reductionist to call this a romance film. It’s also an action film, a war film and at times, a heart-wrenching drama. So much of the film’s seamless versatility comes from the film’s leads Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, and their ability to translate their chemistry smoothly from comedy to sweetness and even to heartbreak.
Their romance also feels mature in a way that many romances don’t. While romances between older adults isn’t unheard of in film, it’s uncommon and their age is often a main point of contention or conflict in the story. Here, Rose and Charlie are simply two characters in love, who happen to be adults in their fifties. Their romance lies less in sexual energy or passion and more the love and comfort they find in each other.
This movie really does something special in the way it gets you to buy into the spectacle. These poor souls battle rapids, heat exhaustion, leeches, gun fire and threat of hanging in the movie’s runtime, but with the way it’s paced and structured, we don’t question any of it. When Rose and Charlie finally pull off their impossible feat, we celebrate with them, because we know who they are and what they’ve fought through to get here.
Some Personal Thoughts
My parents first showed me this movie because they were very religious, and this movie featured a missionary. I’m grateful though to have seen it at such a young age, because it was such an early exposure of what cinema really could be. Bogart is one of the greatest actors of all time for a reason, and his relationship with Hepburn’s character as they navigate impossible odds is both gripping and delightful to watch. Re-watching this now as an adult, I enjoy it even more and still seek out romances that make me feel the way this one does. It really is a special movie.
What The African Queen Means to Us
I think one of the reasons younger generations don’t watch older movies is due in large part to the fact that they don’t have an entry point. If someone doesn’t introduce them to older movies and if they don’t already have the desire to seek them out, they’ll never discover anything from classic Hollywood. Even though I knew of its stellar reputation, it still took me years to get to The African Queen because I had not discovered the work of Humphrey Bogart or Katharine Hepburn yet. Besides a random appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon here and there, neither Bogart or Hepburn ever appeared in anything I cared about, so it was up to me to finally pull the trigger on their work and I’m mad it took me so long to dive into their filmographies. Both have numerous all-timers to their name but this might be their crowning achievement. The plot is great, Huston’s direction is impeccable and their performances and chemistry are out of this world. This movie is more than deserving of the acclaim and accolades it has received.
–Sailor Monsoon
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