#85 The African Queen - Can you make a torpedo? <--THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!

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

Seen it before? No.

On Facebook I believe I said that I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Did you know that The African Queen was a love story? I didn't! It was fun, with witty dialog and that Katharine Hepburn is awesome as a British missionary who wants to sabotage a German boat as revenge for burning (and terrorizing) her village. Humphrey Bogart was pretty hilarious as the captain of the small ship. Their banter was great - kind of like Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. The chemistry of the two actors playing their characters was subtle but very believable unlike the last movie mentioned!

I particularly liked when they realized love was staring at them in the face and asked each other what their first names were...

Watch it again? HECK YES!
Own it? Sure!

#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.