1951, TSPDT Rank #296
Two very good reasons to watch The African Queen: Humphrey Bogart's amazing performance, and the astounding on-location color cinematography. Otherwise, a quite mediocre film. Katharine Hepburn's character is annoying and grating, the plot is threadbare - probably on the hopes that the main character's antics and the cinematography will help the film stay afloat, so to speak. The ending is contrived and abrupt, not to mention unsatisfying. But in the end, the two reasons I mentioned are good enough reasons to stick with this film for the whole ride. And unpleasant as it may seem at times, it's neither that good or that bad - just rather middle of the road. However, it's a much-lauded film in cinematic history, so although the '50s was a decade that produced much better films than this one, it won't hurt to give it a chance if you're interested in said history.
(Rating: 6/10)
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