This story of adventure and romance, based on C. S. Forester’s novel The African Queen (C.S. Forester is mostly known for his Hornblower Saga), experienced by a couple in Africa just as World War I got underway, is an engrossing motion picture. Just offbeat enough in story, locale and star teaming of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn to stimulate the imagination. It is still a very worthwhile picture to view, and also one that really displays the star qualities of the main characters. Actually, it is one of the best movies Humprey Bogart ever made. As well, it is a picture with considerable warmth. And there is plenty of African wildlife.

New York Times in its review of this movie, wrote:

“Whether C. S. Forester had his salty British tongue in his cheek when he wrote his extravagant story of romance and adventure, “The African Queen,” we wouldn’t be able to tell you. But it is obvious—to us, at least—that Director John Huston was larking when he turned the novel into a film.

His lively screen version of it, which came to the Capitol yesterday with Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in its two predominant roles, is a slick job of movie hoodwinking with a thoroughly implausible romance, set in a frame of wild adventure that is as whopping as its tale of off-beat love. And the main tone and character of it are in the area of the well-disguised spoof.

The movie is entertaining, visually interesting, has great acting by wonderfully talented actors and tells a strange and intruiging story with lots of warmth, humor and compassion. What more do you want?

Links to The African Queen (DVD) on amazon US, amazon UK and amazon CAN.

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