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DiscountDelight - African Queen / Movie
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List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $7.95
Your Save: $ 7.03 ( 47% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Directed By: John Huston
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0086162202537
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 630150528X
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 1997-08-26
Running Time: 106
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: 1952-02-20
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Should be rated "G" not Unrated.
Comment: This movie should have a "G" rating becauseit's a classic film from 1952. I saw this movie in 1990 when I was 10. I liked it then and, I like it now. There's nothing explicit in this movie at all. That's why it should be rated "G".
Customer Rating:
Summary: Undiminished Classic Carries the Unshakable Triumvirate of Bogart, Hepburn and Huston at Their Peak
Comment: The reputation of this deserved classic rests primarily on the shoulders of master director John Huston and his two legendary stars, Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. The story itself, penned by Huston and James Agee (with uncredited help from Peter Viertel) based on a novel by C.S. Forester, is a two-character high adventure that moves its narrative in a rather contrived manner. Yet, the resulting 1951 film sparkles in a burnished aura of Hollywood lore, as Clint Eastwood saw fit to make a film about the production itself with 1990's "White Hunter, Black Heart" and Hepburn herself wrote an entertaining memoir 36 years after the fact with the seemingly apt title, "The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind". Between Bogart's apparent boozing, Huston's big game obsessions, Hepburn's idiosyncrasies and the challenging African jungle, it must have been quite an unpredictable set.
Set at the outbreak of WWI in 1914 German East Africa when there was an unabated frenzy to colonize and convert the native Africans, the story focuses on Rose Sayer, the prim sister of a missionary who just died from fever and dementia after the Germans invaded and destroyed the village in which they were living and holding mass. To escape the pending return of the Germans, she joins Charlie Allnut, the boozy steamship captain who runs supplies - including torpedo shells and the makings of explosives - along the Ulanga-Bora River. She concocts an ambitious plot to use the explosives aboard Charlie's boat, The African Queen, as a means to destroy the powerful German gunboat, the Louisa, which rules the large lake at the end of the river. Charlie reluctantly agrees, and their perilous journey takes up the bulk of the film. Even though the ending is a bit far-fetched, it doesn't matter much by that point since the characters have so completely ingratiated themselves with the viewer.
What makes the film memorable is how the characters evolve from lonely souls who have given up all hope for happiness in their lives to the heroic defenders of the British Empire whose mutual patriotic dedication turns to love. Lesser actors would have been defeated by the sharp corners of the sometimes incredulous plot turns, especially Rose's lightning-quick turnaround on Charlie's charms, but Bogart and Hepburn are so completely in their element that the contrivances actually become part of the allure of the movie. Both have given more accomplished performances in their careers, but neither has appeared more winning than they do here. A Huston favorite, Robert Morley has a few effective moments at the beginning as Rose's reverend brother Samuel, and toward the end, Peter Bull brings appropriate Teutonic bluster as the captain of the Louisa.
Obviously inspired by the real-life locations he uses in the Congo and Uganda, Huston directs the proceedings with passion, and he brings genuine excitement to scenes such as their conquest of the rapids and Charlie's dredging of the boat through the mud. More importantly, he allows the two stars ample room to generate the chemistry that has made this such an enduring classic. Jack Cardiff's cinematography is appropriately evocative for the first color film by either star (or for the director for that matter), though some of the later scenes, especially the storm sequence, feel comparatively claustrophobic given that they were obviously shot inside a studio tank in London. As a true must-see among Hollywood classics, it is disappointing that the current DVD package is quite sparse, even though picture quality is relatively good. The movie cries out for a refurbished release from the Criterion Collection.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Please get this movie on DVD!!!
Comment: 'The African Queen' is a truly classic film, with two of the greatest stars ever put on screen-Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Why Warner Brothers hasn't released it on DVD by now is beyond me. Enter your e-mail on the sign-up list to finally get this wonderful gem the credit it deserves. This movie belongs among Warner Brothers' numerous two-disc special editions, some of which are far less worthy than 'The African Queen'-I mean 'The Bodyguard'? seriously. It may be an okay film, but it holds no candle to the 1951 treasure.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards-best actor (also won-Bogart), best actress (Hepburn, of course), director John Huston, and screenplay by Huston and James Agee. (It's one of the most obvious choices for Best Picture that wasn't nominated. A Place in the Sun, An American in Paris, and A Streetcar Named Desire all earned their spots rightfully, but the Academy overlooking this classic is a true misjudgment.) The film ranked 17th on the American Film Institute's list of greatest American films of all time, (and 14th on greatest love stories) with the two stars topping AFI's list of greatest screen legends. Both of their performances are excellent, and Huston weaves a terrific journey down a river in hot, humid Africa. It combines love and adventure flawlessly-if you haven't seen it, I recommend it highly. It has excitement, comedy, a wonderful pair, great direction, a beautiful setting, leaches, and Kate telling Bogie "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above." It's a huge oversight by now that the movie remains in the vault of dusty vhs movies. Sign up now!
Customer Rating:
Summary: DVD Availability
Comment: I am disappointed that African Queen is not available in the United States on DVD. I have never seen this shown on TV. Even on "Bogie" nights. I ordered it from amazon UK but when I received it today it would not play on my DVD player because it did not have the correct country code and my player showed a country code error message. I'm disappointed, I was so looking forward to watching it, I have been looking months for this movie on DVD. It is incomprehensible that it is not available on DVD in the United States.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Destined for DVD
Comment: Fortunately all the other classic Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn movies are on DVD. I would bet this one will be on DVD within the next year or two at the most. This and King Kong which are high on the AFI list of favorites have surprisingly only been available on VHS when some of the worse video trash to grace the screen has made it to DVD. Now that King Kong is finally on the way to DVD, this is the only other top classic that is not on DVD. Sure there are plenty of other good movies that need to be on DVD, but this is by far one that should be considered first.
The first time I saw this movie I thought it was decent but I was not overly impressed compared to other movies like "Casablanca", "Caine Mutiny", "Adams Rib" and "The Glass Menagerie". The more times I viewed it I began to further appreciate not only the great character acting, but the cinematography, sets, music, and directing of this fine movie. This is one of the best war movies ever made. The action may not be as intense as others but it certainly is compelling and believable. Some of the quirks of the characters make it all the more special. Bogart is wonderful as the rag tag wiley steamer Captain, and Hepburn is magnificent as a disciplinarian missionary. Amazon please do anything in your power to grease the skids for this to get to DVD. Thanks!!!
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Editorial Reviews:
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The 1951 John Huston classic, set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain in Africa, who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to finally fall into one another's arms. This is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a longtime collaborator with Huston on such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley (Beat the Devil, also featuring Bogart) adds some extra dimension and color. --Tom Keogh
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