The African Queen By Bradley Davis

Title/Year-The African Queen/1951

Director/Birth Country/Year Born-John Huston /USA/1906

Budget- $1,300,000

 Gross-$4,000,000 in US and Canada

Synopsis-In Africa during WW1, a gin-swilling riverboat owner/captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.

Narrative and Visual Keywords-River boat,water, war,romance, adventure, comedy.

Characterization/ Dialogue-The African Queen is a sterling example of the kind of rollicking adventure that makes classic film enthusiasts pine for the old days. It has it all: action, comedy, and romance that unfold in a perfect synergy of plot, character, and dialogue. The film was deservedly nominated for four key Oscars

Camera/lighting/editing technique-Technicolor camera, bad special effects and script flaws.


Historical Relevance/ Recognition-Historical inaccuracies,The biggest problem I have with this film is, however, the lack of historical accuracy. The film suggests that Germans in East Africa at the start of WW1 had the upper hand, as well as intention and resources to conquer the whole continent, using the same brutal force and employing same methods as Nazis would use in WW2. Nothing could be farther from the truth. German colonies were scattered and isolated from mother country, manned by small garrisons and generally destined to be easily taken over by superior forces stationed in bordering Entente colonies

Notable Collaboration- John Huston and Humphrey Bogart. The Maltese Falcon-1941,The Treasure of the sierra madre-1948

Random fact, Etc-Humphrey Bogart won Academy Award for best actor for his role in The African Queen. Its was his only Academy Award.


Sources:WWW.answers.com
WWW.IMDb.com
WWW.Wikipedia.com

 1. Did you find any evidence of ineffective military leadership (associated with upper-class ineptitude) that is compensated for through hard work and commitment of the lowly infantryman? Yes, The German solders came into the village The commander with out speaking told the men to destroy the village and burn it to the ground. 

2. Does the film show a suffering soldier as a victim of war rather than exposing the structure of violence and presenting soldiers as elements in it? Or does it portray the soldier as a strong individual following codes of honor and duty How does the film achieve this point of view? It shows two people fighting against the German army.A man and a women trying to help out England and sink a ship. There code is one of patriotism, witch makes it there duty.

3. Does the film offer the audience the familiar pleasures of cinema – the romantic scenarios and melodramatic poses woven into a more direct and immediate sense of war?The river scene when the Germans where shooting at the boat. With out warning the boat went right off the rapids, when all hope was the lost,they made it through.After that they found them self embraced in a hug and almost kiss. The struggle they go through to get the boat on the lake gives the feeling that at any coast they must take care of the Germans.The two tried to sink a battle ship and there ship went down, they were captured by the Germans. They showed there love by getting married by the German Captain.

4. Is the enemy portrayed as neutral or through hysterical exaggerations of atrocity? The enemy in this film are the Germans. They come across as being evil in every scene, the music change makes you feel how bad the Germans are.