Reflections
on “The African Queen”
Directed
by John Huston
Screenplay
by John Huston and James Agee, Peter Viertel and John Collier, based on the
book by C.S. Forester
Starring
Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn
A video presentation of this material is available
here.
This is an apparently
straightforward tale of two ill-matched and unlikely escapees of German expansion
in Africa at the outbreak of World War One who set out to use a fairly decrepit
old river boat (the African Queen) to find and destroy a German gunboat
patrolling the lake at the end of the Ulanga River, thereby allowing an Allied
counterattack.
Along the way, we are
treated to some wonderful character development, an unusual and totally
engaging love story, observations on religion, social status, feminism and
tyranny, and we witness the result of the combination of spiritual strength and
physical ability. We are also treated to clever and cunning performances from
the lead actors and sly, multi-layered and brisk direction from John Huston.
The start of the film is
very important as it establishes situation and character. Huston is quite
brilliant in terms of managing to condense a substantial amount of information on
circumstances and character traits into just a few short minutes.
Our story opens during a religious
service conducted by missionary Samuel Sayer, accompanied by his sister Rose.
Their work consists of introducing Christianity (and European mores) to the
natives of a community living by the Ulanga River. Judging by the scenes in
which they attempt to sing a hymn with the villagers, it is fair to say this
well-intentioned and gentle attempt to impose European religion and culture on
this African community is failing somewhat.
Samuel and Rose appear to
be considerably more concerned by this failure than the villagers, especially
when they are distracted by the African Queen’s ship’s whistle, marking the
arrival of Charlie Allnut and any number of physical diversions from the stout
spiritual work being conducted by the missionaries.
After abandoning the hymn
as their congregation takes its leave (note we have our first hint of Rose’s
determination and strength of spirit as she persists in ending the hymn and
giving a full-voiced “Amen” even after her brother has ceased singing and
produced a rather perfunctory “Amen”), Samuel and Rose invite Charlie to have
tea with them.
Not only have Samuel and
Rose brought Christianity and hymn-singing to this remote African community,
they have also imported English afternoon tea complete with English etiquette
to go with it.
Totally anachronistic,
given the geographical, historical and social contexts, Samuel and Rose
nevertheless insist on fussy politeness and the maintenance of social standards
when serving tea.
Apart from being amused
and entertained by the scenes in which tea is served, we learn that Samuel and
Rose belong to a somewhat coddled and perhaps sheltered class whose lives are
governed by social niceties, rules and position. Charlie, on the other hand, is
seen as a pleasant, natural and open man used to industry. He is not afraid of
hard work but is equally happy to sit back and enjoy some relaxation. He is
willing – even keen – to discuss the embarrassment of his loudly rumbling
stomach (and thereby dissipate it), but his hosts are too schooled in manners
and etiquette to be able to cope with any infringement of such, and they may
even consider him their social inferior.
Samuel’s inability to
cope with challenge and difficulty proves too much for him when the Germans
invade the community, set fire to the villagers’ homes and, showing a complete
disregard for common humanity and human rights, bundle the villagers off for
the purpose of forced labour. This is in direct contrast with his gentle (if
unsuccessful) attempts to inculcate European values. He is struck, but Samuel
loses the place largely as a result of his inability to cope with such brutal
violations of his Christian code. He dies, but not before revealing several
truths about himself and his sister.
Samuel, it seems, was not
bright enough to shine as an academic and opted to pursue what he hoped would
be perceived as a worthwhile (if distinctly second rate) career as a
missionary. Rose appears to have been included in this “deal” as she was not
considered “comely” enough to attract an appropriate husband and apparently it
was uncommon for women to be expected to succeed independently. Africa was
perhaps viewed as a destination for “failures”, or at least as an inferior
career path for those unable to gain a place in Europe, and one wonders if Charlie
Allnut (willing and pleasant, but hardly inspirational) also fits into this
categorisation. However, Rose and Charlie will shortly display strength of
character, determination and courage which will prove these judgments decidedly
wrong …..
At the start, Charlie
might be described as something of a feckless wanderer - a man who drifts from
job to job happy to keep his head above water and displaying competence but no
real ambition or direction. He is friendly and at ease with the villagers and
shows no “side”. He is also natural, caring and polite – he is willing to make
the effort to get along with Samuel and Rose even though they show him scant
regard or respect. There is even a hint of innocence and purity in his actions
and manner as he shows kindness, goodness and generosity when he buries Samuel
and offers to take Rose to safety on board the African Queen.
As has already been
suggested, Rose is made of sterner stuff than her brother. Even from the little
we see of her at the start of the film, it is clear she is a woman of spiritual
and moral substance – persisting with the hymn and “Amen” despite the hymn’s
reception, her insistence on etiquette at afternoon tea and her polite diffidence
in persistently referring to Charlie as “Mr Allnut”. She is also, however, stirred
and distressed by the amoral and selfish actions of the enemy (her brother’s
death and their awful treatment of the villagers) and especially her brother’s “indictment”
or judgment of her as a woman. She wants to prove her worth and she wants to
hurt the enemy.
Principled and
idealistic, Rose is highly spirited (and certainly not just in terms of
religious fervour), but she has led a sheltered existence and is relatively
inexperienced in the practicalities of life. Charlie, on the other hand, is
very well versed in the practicalities of life but lacks direction and drive.
Together, they make the perfect pair – Rose sees very clearly what to do while
Charlie sees how to do it. Consumed with the sense of duty to fight the enemy,
Rose conceives the idea to attack and destroy the enemy gunboat (the Louisa)
which is patrolling the lake at the end of the Ulanga River, and which is
preventing Allied advances. Charlie, somewhat to his own surprise and really
just to humour Rose, sees a way to achieve this using potentially explosive and
cleverly combined materials already on board the African Queen. Of course,
Charlie is convinced the sheltered and inexperienced Rose will abandon her
daring and idealistic plans as she encounters numerous practical hardships and
faces physical dangers. In the end, however, Rose is thrilled by their physical
encounters with peril and is much impressed by Charlie’s ability to navigate
the dangers they face together, while Charlie is equally impressed by Rose’s
spirit and resilience.
They form the perfect
team as each complements the other to allow them to achieve things neither would
have considered or been able to do alone. Mutual admiration leads to
appreciation and love, inspiring both to even greater acts and achievements.
Of course, what matters
in terms of appeal and entertainment is that all of this is accomplished with
charm, humour and affection.
Katharine Hepburn plays
up her image as a haughty, difficult and aloof woman (her career came close to
an early end precisely because of this image) who transforms into a loving,
caring and touchingly sweet devoted partner. This transformation is tinged with
a youthful innocence and happiness which is playful and appealing to the
audience and is in direct contrast with our initial view of Rose, and indeed
Miss Hepburn’s own public image.
Humphrey Bogart’s
performance is a masterstroke of comic underplaying and playing against type.
His excessive politeness and gentleness in the face of danger and provocation ran
contrary to public experience and expectation and is crowned by the occasional
grimace or reaction of outraged shock (emphasising his innocence and sincerity)
cleverly shared with the audience before facing other characters.
The consciously playful interplay
between the two leads, combined with the growth and development of the two main
characters as they learn to appreciate one another’s qualities of spirituality
and physicality, is a joy to behold.
Clearly, the suggestion
is that in the right circumstances and with the right chemistry, apparent “losers”
can be transformed into glorious winners, and that applies equally to the
African Queen herself. This tired, worn and seemingly insignificant little boat
provides a metaphor (in essence a mechanical mirror of those who sail her) for
apparently spent or worthless forces rising up to fight tyranny and oppression.
At various points luck
intervenes to support our pair’s efforts and help them on their way. These
moments include the dazzling of the sniper as they pass the fort, the sudden
rains that transport the African Queen the last few yards through marsh-land
and of course the chance striking of the upturned and armed African Queen by
the Louisa, saving Rose and Charlie from execution. Little is made of these
strokes of luck, but there is certainly room for several possible interpretations
– God working in mysterious ways, karma or just blind luck. I dare say viewers
will opt for whichever interpretation best suits their outlook.
Although undoubtedly
dated to modern audiences, the film is superbly co-written and directed by John
Huston and is principally memorable for the comic yet touching development and
evolution of the main characters. Bogart and Hepburn deserve the highest praise
for their performances and I cannot recommend this film highly enough.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this page. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie
I can be contacted at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk .
Similar pages may be
found at www.stuartfernie.org .
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