Continuity mistake: When Charlie Allnut grabs a bottle of gin from the box, all the bottles in it are wrapped with paper for transport. But when Rose Sayer takes the bottles out of the box to empty them into the river, the paper is gone (from the movements of her hand/wrist, you can tell that she doesn't unwrap the paper from the bottles).
The African Queen (1951)
1 review
Directed by: John Huston
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull
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What a charming movie. I can fully understand why Bogart would win an Oscar for his perfomance here, because while he surely chews scenery, he does it with great flair and a rugged charme that works wonders with the exotic location. The movie has surely a fair dose of surprises and stays fresh even today, with of course some caveats. Katherine Hepburn is a wonderful performer, portraying to perfection the uptight Englishwoman and turning into a believable heroine - within the boundaries of not quite being an 'action' star - also thanks to a frankly hilarious character twist that has her discover a thrillseeking side of her that she keeps rocking till the end of the movie.
Visually the movie is very good, with all the limitations of the time: get your hands on a digitally restored copy, because the effects are pretty corny in spots - still an acceptable green screen from the 50s, really we've seen much worse even in this century - but they did the best (without a proper master, even) to correct many flaws you will find in older copies. A movie made for the two actors, with very limited other roles, but all you need is seeing Hepburn and Bogart in a boat, clashing personalities on a mission in the splendid, perilious (this movie has been plagued by several real life problems!) Africa.
More mistakes in The African Queen
Rose Sayer: Dear Lord, We've come to the end of our journey, and in a little while we'll stand before you. I pray for you to be merciful. Judge us not for our weaknesses, but for our love and open the doors of heaven for Charlie and me.
Trivia: Humphrey Bogart won his only Oscar for his performance as Charlie Allnut in this film.
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