The African Queen (1951)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

C.S. Forester (novel)
James Agee (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The greatest adventure a man ever lived...with a woman!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

German | Steamboat | Torpedo | Swamp | Fort

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Charlie Allnut
Katharine Hepburn	...	Rose Sayer
Robert Morley	...	Rev. Samuel Sayer
Peter Bull	...	Captain of Louisa
Theodore Bikel	...	First Officer
Walter Gotell	...	Second Officer
Peter Swanwick	...	First Officer of Shona
Richard Marner	...	Second Officer of Shona
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Errol John	...	(uncredited)
Gerald Onn	...	Petty Officer (uncredited)
John von Kotze	...	German officer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits
C.S. Forester		(novel "The African Queen")
James Agee		adaptation &
John Huston		adapted for the screen by
Peter Viertel		uncredited
John Collier		uncredited

Produced by
Sam Spiegel	....	producer (as S.P. Eagle)
John Woolf	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Allan Gray

Cinematography by
Jack Cardiff

Film Editing by
Ralph Kemplen

Art Direction by
Wilfred Shingleton

Costume Design by
Connie De Pinna

Makeup Department
Eileen Bates	....	hair stylist
George Frost	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Leigh Aman	....	production manager
T.S. Lyndon-Haynes	....	production manager
Robert Sterne	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Guy Hamilton	....	assistant director
Bill Herlihy	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Bert Pearl	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
John Hoesli	....	assistant art director
Don Picton	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
John W. Mitchell	....	sound recordist (as John Mitchell)
Eric Wood	....	sound editor
Kevin McClory	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Moore	....	camera operator
Edward Scaife	....	photography: second unit (as Ted Scaife)
Steve Birtles	....	electrician (uncredited)
Desmond Davis	....	clapper loader: studio (uncredited)
Arthur Graham	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)
John von Kotze	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Doris Langley Moore	....	costumes: Miss Hepburn
Vi Murray	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Roy Hyde	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
George Minassian	....	color technician: Technicolor (uncredited)
Ted Obolensky	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Norman Del Mar	....	conductor

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Bunny Allen	....	location manager (uncredited)
Edward Joseph	....	location scout (uncredited)
V.B. Lyndon-Haynes	....	location manager (uncredited)
Kevin McClory	....	assistant: Mr. Huston (uncredited)
Eva Monley	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jeanie Sims	....	secretary to producer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Horizon Pictures (II)
• Romulus Films (as Romulus)

Distributors

• United Artists (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Independent Film Distributors (IFD) (195?) (UK) (theatrical)
• Impuls (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (video)
• CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (1992) (USA) (video)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Elephant Films (2003) (France) (all media)
• Elephant Films (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The  music played by

Also Known As:

African Queen (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
La reina africana (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
La reine africaine (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Raínha Africana (Portugal) [pt]
Africká královná (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Africká královna (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Afrika kraliçesi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Afrikan kuningatar (Finland) [fi]
Afrikas dronning (Denmark) [da]
Afrikas drottning (Sweden) [sv]
Afrykanska królowa (Poland) [pl]
De afrikaanse koningin (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
I vasilissa tis Afrikis (Greece) [el]
L'odyssée de l'African Queen (France) (informal title) [fr]
La regina d'Africa (Italy) [it]
La reina d'Àfrica (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
La reina de África (Spain) [es]
Schicksal am Olanga-Fluß (Austria) [de]
Uma Aventura na África (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German | Swahili

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #15611) | South Korea:15 (2002) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Horizon Pictures (II)

Trivia:

According to United Artists press materials and John Huston's autobiography, the director built a camp to house the cast and crew in Biondo, outside the town of Stanleyville. It included a bar, a restaurant and several one-room bungalows.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Robert Morley lays on his deathbed only a few days after being hit, forcefully, in the left cheek with a rifle butt, his cheek is perfectly smooth and pink with no sign of an injury.

Quotes:

Charlie Allnut: You know why did the chicken cross the road.
Rose Sayer: [missing the joke] I beg your pardon.
Charlie Allnut: Nevermind, miss.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sanford and Son: Home Sweet Home for the Aged (#2.21)" (1973)

Soundtrack:

God of Grace and God of Glory (Cwm Rhondda)

Kate and Bogey on a Quest

This one's unique. The photography often makes it look like a travelogue, but it's one of the most captivating adventure/love stories ever put on film. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn cruising down the river. Taking care of the gin. Over the rapids. Past the bullets. Through the swamp. Among the leeches. "It's no wonder you love boating, Mr. Alnutt." And guess who comes to the rescue! This is an epic quest, the kind of tale humans have been spinning since we learned to talk. Movies don't get much better than this.