Tuesday, March 30, 2010

#85 The African Queen: Can you make a torpedo?

1951. Dir. John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn.

Seen it before? No.

This one was fun. Katherine Hepburn plays a missionary living in Africa. World War I breaks out and the Germans burn down the village, so she wants revenge. Enter salty riverboat captain Humphrey Bogart, who seems to subsist on a diet of crackers and gin. His boat conveniently has some crates of explosives on it, so they hatch a plot to blow up a German gunship in a nearby lake. Adventures ensue as they encounter obstacles on the river.

It's a great adventure film, notable for being made most outside of the Hollywood studio system. Much of this was shot on location in Africa, which was practically unheard of in the early 50's. Oh and apparently this was the inspiration for the "Jungle Cruise" ride at Disneyland...

Position on the list: 212
Method acting: Bogart was drunk for most of the filming. He won Best Actor.

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