THE AFRICAN QUEEN: Blu-ray (Romulus Productions 1951) Paramount Home Video
Fearlessly
directed by master craftsman, John Huston, The
African Queen (1951) is an exemplar of the classical Hollywood narrative.
Based on a 1935 novel by C.S. Forester, the screenplay by James Agee manages to
capture all the harrowing exuberance and spirit of its source material -
despite constant meddling from the Production Code of Censorship. And yet, in
more recent times, Huston’s masterpiece has fallen under far more critical
scrutiny, perhaps because it hardly seems like Huston could have directed it,
or Bogart – the tough guy, with or without his gun – to have delivered such an
empathetic and gently comedic performance where he all but sheds his
trademarked insolence and plays the bemused fop to co-star, Kate Hepburn’s
thoroughly ‘stimulated’ popinjay,
intoxicated on the self-importance of her missionary work. The African Queen is unlike anything else these two titans of the
screen has ever done; each stepping beyond their comfort zone and Teflon-coated
iconography. In more recent times, this is what has come to be known as ‘expanding one’s acting range’. The folly
of such experimentation is easy to spot when talent is lacking. In the case of
Bogie and Hepburn however, there is no cause for concern. By 1951, each was
beloved and well-seasoned; accomplished and comfortable within themselves to
take the gamble seriously and see it through to success. And does it work? And
how!
Assuming many
perils along the way, not the least of which was an utter lack of faith from
his financiers, John Huston set off on his ambitious sojourn to conquer the
wilds. In any other era he might have turned to the patronage of kings to bankroll
such an expedition, for within him there lingered an adventurer’s spirit and explorer’s
heart. Indeed, Huston was happiest the farthest from the studio. Too late to
‘discover’ the world, he settled for reinventing it through the eye of his
camera; digging passionately into the particulars of the exercise and
thoroughly engrossed in the experience. Unquestionably, there remains a certain
je ne sais quoi to Huston’s humanist approach to this material; using Hepburn’s
stalwart Rose Sayer as his sounding board for a critique of religious futility.
Not man – nor woman – shall conquer nature through God, as Huston has incisively
argued divine intervention already at play in the placement of these natural
obstacles by which Capt. Allnut is forced to maneuver not only his vessel but
also his patience and unanticipated growing affections for this caustic
middle-aged proselytizer. By all accounts, Rose Sayer might just as well have
been ‘born again’ or reincarnated as the silly little ingénue, unknowing of the
world she has great plans to reform. And Hepburn is magnificent as this
blind-sided grand dame who has adopted sternness – at first – to cope in the
presence of any man not her brother, and under the watchful eyes and ears of
God.
Making a movie
most anywhere in the world today is generally considered a luxury. But in
Huston’s time, setting out for the uncivilized ‘dark continent’ was not only
looked upon as gusty, but somewhat foolhardy. Huston could find no takers to
fund his ‘dream project’ in Technicolor half way around the world; bankers
likely balking at the logistical nightmares of such a journey, including delays
brought on by the inherent dangers of sickness, injuries, and, volatile weather
conditions. However, Huston’s luck was to change as the newly
formed/London-based Romulus Productions, eager to lure Hollywood talent
overseas, agreed to put up the necessary funds. Consisting of five cars and
trucks, Huston’s entourage would make their pilgrimage up a remote mud road and
through a jungle-infested pass; 3.5 miles from Biondo to the Ruiki River, only
then, loading every last necessity – and a few minor luxuries – aboard ‘The African Queen’ (actually, the L.S.
Livingston; a steamer built in 1912 and used by the British East Africa Company
for more than 40 years to shuttle passengers and cargo across Lake Albert on
the border between Uganda and Belgian Congo). Huston and Spiegel had ‘discovered’ the Ruiki, an inky black
tributary to the Lualaba, riddled in mystery and decaying vegetation, after
logging more than 25,000 miles during their scouting expedition. In fact, the
location was so remote it did not even appear on most atlases. During filming ‘the Queen’ actually sank – twice – and
had to be raised; Huston electing to periodically go off on a hunting
expedition during this ‘down time’ and, by one account, narrowly escaping being
gored by a rhino. “John wanted to bag an
elephant,” Lauren Bacall would later account, “He was absolutely convinced of his own supremacy as the great white
hunter.”
By 1951,
Huston and Bogart were not only good friends but great drinking buddies, a past
time of which the tea-toddling Hepburn did not approve. Understandable perhaps,
since she had coped enough with her paramour, Spencer Tracy’s frequent bouts of
alcoholism and was mildly put off by Huston and Bogart’s vast consumption of
imported Scotch whiskey. Exercising her disgust for booze, Hepburn refused to
drink anything except plain water; a decision ultimately to afflict her with a
virulent bout of dysentery. Huston and
Bogart would remain the only two members of the crew to escape any illness;
Hepburn, famously accounting her nightmarish affliction in her memoir, The
Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogie, Bacall and
Huston and Almost Lost My Mind. A bucket was placed just out of camera
range to accommodate her frequent vomiting; Hepburn’s loss of appetite equating
to a rather severe weight loss – her newfound gauntness evident during the
early scenes shot at the makeshift mission. Nevertheless, Hepburn’s stubborn
resolve, despite a daily case of the runs, impressed even cinematographer, Jack
Cardiff. Much later, Cardiff would recall one of Hepburn’s trips to the
outhouse, interrupted by a black mamba waiting for her inside and causing the
afflicted actress to tear off through the underbrush.
Cast and crew
endured hardships in the spirit of a communal passion to achieve something
greater than themselves. “John really
loved the jungle,” Hepburn would recall with genuine affection, “Just loved it, God help him. He’d still be
there to this day. Crazy man. Hopelessly crazy, and wonderful too.” What
Huston idolized was likely the verisimilitude of shooting on location. “I wanted these characters to sweat when the
script called for it,” he explained in an interview, “On a sound stage you fake
it. But here you don’t have to imagine that it’s hot…it’s so hot, so humid and
so wet that cigarettes turn green with mold…and clothes mildew overnight. When
people sweat it isn’t with the help of a make-up man.” Bogart and Huston
were very much kindred spirits. Indeed, Bogart would refer to Huston as ‘unpredictable’ and ‘brilliant’; Huston returning the favor by suggesting of Bogart “he’s an absolute joy to work with…”
While their professional relationship remained intact despite a few instances
of tempers flaring, Bogart absolutely abhorred the climate in Africa. Indeed,
he had hoped to cut their initial ten week shooting schedule short and was
genuinely bewildered by Kate Hepburn’s ‘wallowing
in this stink hole’. Yet, Hepburn found Africa ‘stimulating’ rather than
stifling; the epic humidity and unspeakably primitive conditions bringing out
the high-spirited adventuress in her. “Kate
was in her glory,” Bogart would recall, “While
I was griping, she couldn't pass a fern or berry without wanting to know its
pedigree, and insisted on getting the Latin name for everything she saw walking,
swimming, flying or crawling.”
Hepburn was
initially more skeptical about Bogart’s decision to bring along his young wife,
Lauren Bacall for the trip. Like most everyone else, she had underestimated
Bacall’s character and the depth of her genuine love for Bogie. Serving in the
capacity as something of den mother, hostess, cook and supervisor of their makeshift
camps, Bacall garnered the respect of virtually everyone, though particularly
Hepburn, who came to regard her with great affection after her quick thinking
in taking along antibiotics helped to stave off a crew member’s attack of
appendicitis, long enough to rush the man to the nearest hospital in
Stanleyville for emergency surgery. Indeed, the friendship between Bacall and
Hepburn would ripen and outlast the many ordeals in this daily trial by fire,
and remain paramount in the lives of both ladies – particularly after Bogie and
Spencer Tracy’s passing, right until Hepburn’s death in 2003. In coaxing
performances from his two stars, Huston instructed Hepburn to think of Eleanor
Roosevelt putting on her ‘society smile’ under adverse conditions. “It was the best damn piece of acting advice
I ever got,” Hepburn would later admit. As for Bogart, the part had
originally called for the actor to sport a cockney accent. As Bogart freely
admitted he could not do one, Huston had his character’s origins changed from
England to Canada. But Huston was rather startled when Bogart refused to
partake of a scene in which he is afflicted by leeches. Despite having hired a
wrangler to manage the blood-suckers, the thought of attaching a living
creature to his flesh left Bogart queasy. Thus, the scene was photographed with
plastic leeches glued to Bogart’s body with an insert showing a real live leech
in close-up attached to the wrangler’s chest instead.
Until very
recently, the enduring myth was John Huston shot all of The African Queen on location in Africa. In reality, there were too
many obstacles to make this feasible; Huston settling for the bulk of the
footage shot in Uganda where a language barrier with the natives repeatedly
resulted in miscommunication, costly delays, and one highly amusing vignette bordering
on screwball comedy. Huston’s Art Director, Wilfred Shingleton had built the
mission outpost with the express purpose to have it burned to the ground by the
Germans. For authenticity, Huston had requested a local chieftain encourage his
people to partake in the scene as background extras. Alas, on the day of the
torching, not a single native was present. Lost somewhere in translation was
the apparent rumor this request was a dark ploy, designed to lure the natives
to the set where they would be eaten by Huston and his crew, who were
mis-perceived to be cannibals! While Bogie and Hepburn actually did a great deal
of their sparring against this rustic backdrop, co-star, Robert Morley (cast as
Rose’s doomed brother, Rev. Samuel Sayer) never left London’s Pinewood
facilities to shoot any of his scenes; his sermonizing skillfully edited with
footage of the native congregation photographed back in Africa. The climactic
scuttling of ‘the Queen’ and sinking of the German SMS Königin Luise, was achieved
using a combination of full-scale action and sizable miniatures; the scenes
depicting Bogart and Hepburn waist deep among the reeds and rushes done partly
on location, with close-ups shot back at Pinewood, using rear projection
plates.
When production
wrapped, Bogart retreated to the relative safety and comfort of the Beverly
Hills Hotel for a much-needed respite in the lap of luxury. Unapologetic, he
had had quite enough of remaining perpetually stubbly and sweat-soaked,
sporting the same tattered clothes and careworn captain’s cap day in and day
out, and, living off of baked beans and Scotch whiskey. Yet, it is one of
Hollywood’s ironies that the performance Bogart suffered through the most
should also win him his only Best Actor Academy Award – and – not the only paradox
to be had in this production. C.S.
Forester’s novel, first published in 1935, and had been rife for consideration
in Hollywood. Yet, somehow, the project continued to languish in turnaround,
first at RKO, then later, at Warner Bros., despite such high profile names as Charles
Laughton, Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Elsa Lanchester repeatedly bandied
about for consideration in the title roles. Then as now, conventional wisdom
resisted telling any tale of romance – fateful, fitful or otherwise – in which
the protagonists were well beyond the age of thirty (Bogart, a seasoned 53, and
Hepburn, a caustic 45 at the time of filming) – Hollywood’s ageism, a chronic
condition almost entirely unfounded in the audience’s immediate and
overwhelmingly positive response to The
African Queen upon its premiere. Nearly all of the picture’s allure can be
attributed to its two iconic stars who ultimately came to be cast in the
picture; Huston, despite his long-standing friendship with Bogart, approaching Hepburn
first, and consulting her thoughts to have Bogart as a co-star. “Can you imagine anyone but Bogie playing
that part,” Hepburn would later muse,
“Ridiculous! There is nobody else who could have done it. Thank God, nobody
else did it!”
Equally in
retrospect, imagining The African Queen
without Kate Hepburn seems ludicrous. Who else but Hepburn could have pulled
off such an astringent, yet inadvertently comical and ‘thrilling’ performance? Indeed, in committing to the picture,
Hepburn made one request of Huston; to have her favorite costume designer,
Doris Langley Moore create the dresses she would wear. Alas, the intense
humidity and heat never allowed any of these creations to fully dry out from
the day’s sweating in them, resulting in pockets of mold infiltrating the
fabric. Nevertheless, determined to look her best, Hepburn dragged a full-length
mirror around to the various locations where the day’s shooting would take
place. When the mirror accidentally cracked in half, an undaunted Hepburn
simply continued to drag both halves with her. Huston, mildly amused by
Hepburn’s stubbornness, and well aware she objected to the consumption of
alcohol, made it a point of exaggerating his own intake, encouraging Bogart to
follow suit, in order to stir Hepburn’s ire to a critical breaking point.
Hepburn endured this teasing, eventually coming to regard it in the friendly
spirit of a good joke for which she had so obviously been had.
As early as
1947, Huston had expressed his interest to make The African Queen with his producing partner, Sam Spiegel for
Horizon Pictures. Huston had already brought writer, and good friend, James
Agee, whom he regarded as “sensitive and
perceptive” to help brainstorm script ideas. While Warner Bros. (presently
owning the rights to the novel) were willing to sell the property to Huston and
Spiegel outright, their asking price of $50,000 was beyond their grasp.
However, Spiegel’s quick thinking resulted in a partnership with Sound Services
Inc.; a company not in the business of loaning money, but rather, renting
equipment. Spiegel sweetened the deal thus; first, by signing a promissory note
to reimburse the company the full amount of their investment with interest;
also, agreeing to rent all of the necessary equipment to make the picture from
Sound Services. It was enough to get the ink dried on the contract, The African Queen purchased outright by
Sound Services Inc. who would continue to hold the rights thereafter. Alas, Agee’s participation on the project was
cut short when the aspiring screenwriter suffered a severe heart attack that
effectively forced him to retire from the fray.
The African Queen opens with a main title sequence
stirring with the exotic sounds of this forgotten part of the world. Depending
on one’s point of view, what follows is either a beguiling adventure through
these tropical boonies or a dreadfully Darwinian descend into a sort of unkempt
purgatory from which only the strongest will survive. In short order we are
introduced to Bogart’s peevish, but benign Canadian sea captain, Charlie
Allnut, whose mail delivery route through the missionary villages of German-occupied
East Africa place him in constant contact with brother and sister Brit evangelists,
Samuel (Robert Morley) and Rose Sayer (Katherine Hepburn). Charlie forewarns
the Sayers their safety is in question. WWI has begun. Samuel coolly shrugs off this threat. After
all, the war is in Europe. Surely the Germans will respect their presence in
this part of the world. Charlie thinks Samuel naïve but reserves his judgment
to continue on his mail route. Shortly thereafter, German soldiers torch the
Sayers mission, beating Samuel so severely he soon contracts an infection, then
fever; eventually succumbing to his injuries. On his return trip, Charlie
discovers the stark desolation where once there thrived a community. Charlie
helps Rose bury her brother’s body, convincing her to join him aboard the
African Queen. In discussion of their situation, Rose learns that the Luisa, a
German gunboat, is preventing British counter-attacks in the region. She is
resolved to use the African Queen as a torpedo boat to sink the Luisa - thereby
avenging Samuel's death. Although Charlie reluctantly agrees to this scenario
to placate Rose – merely to take her away to relative safety – his quiet hope
is she will become discouraged by the insurmountable odds and folly of her plan
and ultimately resign herself to quiet exile.
The nightmares
resulting from Rose’s seemingly simple plan of counter attack is what fuels the
rest of the film's narrative. Together, Charlie and Rose survive some harrowing
rapids, escape harm from dangerous wildlife and elude the constant threat of
being taken prisoners of war, either by the Germans or very hostile natives. An
early confrontation with German soldiers damages the Queen’s boiler, thrusting
the helpless vessel into deadly rapids. Violently pitched, the Queen narrowly
survives severe flooding with Rose and Charlie clinging to her bow for dear
life. Ecstatic over their good fortune, Charlie and Rose momentarily embrace.
Thus begins their awkwardly slow, yet ultimately satisfying – if only
platonically realized - romance. Rose’s stubborn resolve softens - somewhat.
She shares memories of her life with Charlie. This humanizes Rose and allows
Charlie to better comprehend the crux of what he had initially misperceived as
her spinsterish and stern spirit. Yet, Charlie’s respect for Rose – as she
sports a man’s temperament – begins to slowly mutate into something more. Dare
we suggest it? Can it be love?
A third set of
rapids cripples the Queen’s propeller shaft. However, Rose's ingenuity and
Charlie's steady hands manage to resurrect the ship once again. Unfortunately,
the Queen adrift becomes lodged in heavy mud. Despite several valiant attempts
to free her, Rose and Charlie quickly discover that they are trapped among the rushes and reeds. Charlie contracts malaria and becomes delirious. Without
proper food or water to heal her ailing partner, Rose quietly resigns herself
to death and prays both she and Charlie will be admitted into Heaven together.
Her prayers are answered by way of a thunderstorm that not only provides the
two with fresh drinking water but also raises the river levels, thereby
floating the Queen to safety and not too far from the Luisa. Recovering from
his fever, Charlie helps Rose convert oxygen cylinders into torpedoes. On the
eve of another violent storm, Charlie attempts to use the Queen as a battering
ram to sink the Louisa. Ill timing and a rush of sea water tips the Queen. As
she sinks, Charlie is captured by the Germans and taken aboard the Luisa. The
next day, Rose resigns herself to a similar fate, confessing to the German
captain their plan to sink the Louisa and thereby forcing him to sentence them
to death as spies. Charlie pleads that before they are hanged they be allowed
to take one another as man and wife, having endured all the struggles sufficient
to declare themselves in the eyes of God. The Captain agrees, even as the
gallows are being prepared. Fate intervenes moments after the ceremony. The
Luisa suffers a mortal wound, having brushed over the submersed hull of the
Queen, thereby detonating its oxygen torpedoes. In the ensuing panic, the
Luisa is destroyed, leaving Rose and Charlie to float their way to safety up
the Belgian Congo.
The African Queen is exuberant old-school film-making
at its finest, Huston concentrating on two aspects of the storytelling; first,
the evolution of his two characters, who embark on this journey of self-discovery
as moderate adversaries, but ultimately arrive at their destination
unequivocally devoted to one another. The film also exposes the futility of
war and thoughtless revenge. Rose’s heart is softened by love; her confession
to the Germans redeeming her in the eyes of God and thus sparing both hers and
Charlie’s lives at the last possible moment by an act of possibly ‘divine’
intervention. The uncharacteristic nature of the project, and the even more
startling departures in performances given by Hepburn and Bogart generate a
sparkling originality as bold and refreshing as the day they were recorded. In
summarizing the picture’s appeal, The New York Times astutely surmised, “(Huston's) lively screen version...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 offbeat love. And
the main tone and character of it are in the area of the well-disguised
spoof...there is beauty and excitement...While the hardships were said to be
oppressive, he and his producer, S.P. Eagle (Sam Spiegel), have been repaid.
Their picture is doubly provided with the insurance of popularity.”
“The movie is not great art…” Time Magazine
suggested, “…but it is great fun!” Undeniably,
The African Queen endures today
because of the reputation of its three monumental talents: Huston, Bogart and
Hepburn with the latter two giving unfettered adult and deeply moving
performances. Invariably, Bogart’s is the more spectacular of the two; his
transformation from unshaven/ crotchety rummy into a forthright man, forced
into rediscovering his heart, is quintessentially among the best work Bogart
ever did. The picture also survives as one of the most sublimely gorgeous
3-strip Technicolor experiences – a real Cook’s Tour through the
salamander-winding Belgium Congo. With only two days left on location, John
Huston announced to his cast and crew he would need an additional three to
complete his masterpiece, almost inciting a mutiny. By then, everyone was most
eager to return to the relative safety and comfort of their homes. Ultimately,
Huston retained only a skeleton crew and his principles for the remaining three
days. Decades later, Huston would reflect fondly on the time spent in Africa as
“a wonderful experience…one of the
happiest I've ever had”. But by then, Huston may have been looking upon his
memories through rose-colored glasses. Indeed, he never did bag his elephant. While
some critics continue to poo-poo the movie’s reputation as a bona fide classic,
it is virtually impossible to dismiss it for its sheer entertainment value.
So, prepare to
set sail on adventures anew, because Paramount Home Video's treatment of this
American classic on Blu-ray is nothing short of impressive. Selected for
preservation by the National Film Registry, yet absent from the screen for more
than a generation (except in horribly marred third and fifth generation bootlegs)
The African Queen has long since
been one of the 'Holy Grail' titles desperately sought by film collectors
around the world. Extensive restoration work performed in 2010, produced under
the old regime at Paramount before that studio officially gave up on its back
catalog of classics, farming a good many out to Warner Home Video for
distribution, has produced a minor miracle. The resulting 1080p image is crisp,
well defined and bursting with the luxurious hues of 3-strip Technicolor. Flesh
tones are accurately sun-burnt. Jack Cardiff’s cinematography has never looked
quite so appealing. Contrast is superior to anything we have ever seen and film
grain has been lovingly preserved, looking very indigenous to its source. Truly,
this new Blu-Ray presentation will surely not disappoint. The audio has been
cleaned up and is presented in mono as originally intended. Extras are limited
to a comprehensive documentary on the making of the film. Odd, we are given no
audio commentary or even a brief featurette on this monumental restoration. Nevertheless, and bottom line: The African Queen on Blu-ray is very highly
recommended! A great movie to revisit during these waning dog days of summer.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
1
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