IMDb > The African Queen (1951)
The African Queen
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The African Queen (1951) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 70 | slideshow) Videos (see all 13)
The African Queen -- The African Queen: DVD/Blu-ray Trailer
The African Queen -- Clip: Tea
The African Queen -- Featurette: Restoring The African Queen part two
The African Queen -- Clip: Torpedo
The African Queen -- Clip: Shaving

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   40,458 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
C.S. Forester (novel)
James Agee (adapted for the screen by) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The African Queen on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 February 1952 (USA) See more »
Genre:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
Bogie Deserved It See more (180 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Directed by
John Huston 
 
Writing credits
C.S. Forester (novel "The African Queen")

James Agee (adapted for the screen by) &
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 (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ralph Kemplen 
 
Art Direction by
Wilfred Shingleton 
 
Makeup Department
Eileen Bates .... hairdresser
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 .... second unit photography (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
Connie De Pinna .... other clothes designer
Doris Langley Moore .... costumes designer: 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)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"La reina africana" - Argentina, Mexico (imdb display title), Venezuela
"African Queen" - Austria, West Germany
"Afrikas drottning" - Finland (Swedish title) (imdb display title), Sweden
"La reine africaine" - Belgium (French title), France
"A Raínha Africana" - Portugal
"African Queen" - France (DVD title)
"Africká královná" - Czechoslovakia (Slovak title)
"Africká královna" - Czechoslovakia (Czech title)
"Afrika királynője" - Hungary
"Afrika kraliçesi" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Afrikadronningen" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Afrikan kuningatar" - Finland
"Afrikas dronning" - Denmark
"Afrykanska królowa" - Poland
"De afrikaanse koningin" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"I vasilissa tis Afrikis" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"L'African Queen" - France (reissue title)
"L'odyssée de l'African Queen" - France (informal title)
"La regina d'Africa" - Italy
"La reina d'Àfrica" - Spain (Catalan title)
"La reina de África" - Spain
"Schicksal am Olanga-Fluß" - Austria
"The African Queen" - France (DVD title)
"Uma Aventura na África" - Brazil
See more »
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
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) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | UK:U (video rating) (1987) (2001) | UK:U (tv rating) | Netherlands:9 (2010) (DVD) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1978) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1952) | USA:Unrated | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:12

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The ship "Königin Luise" in the script (called "Louisa" by the English-speaking characters, but by its full name by the German crew) was inspired by the "Liemba", initially a German gunboat steaming (and controlling) the Tanganyika lake. Originally it was called the "Graf Goetzen". The ship, almost 70 meters long, had been built at the Meyer Shipyard in Germany (now maker of some of the world's largest cruise ships), but assembled on-site. The "Graf Goetzen" was sunk in June 1916 by its own crew to avoid capture, then raised by the Belgians, sunk again in a 1920 storm and was raised once more by the British in 1927, who renamed it "Liemba". It is still in service on Lake Tanganyika. The ship actually used in the film was the steam-tug Buganda, which was operating on Lake Victoria.See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: When they are passing the German fort, the Germans and Askaris are using British Long Lee Enfield rifles, not German Mausers.See more »
Quotes:
Rose:[after Charlie checks the boat for damage after going down a rather rough set of rapids] Could you see anything, dear?
Charlie Allnut:Yeah. The shaft's twisted like a corkscrew and there's a blade gone off the prop.
Rose:We'll have to mend it, then.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Bold FishermanSee more »

FAQ

Any recommendations for movies like "The African Queen"?
Is this movie based on a book?
How closely does the movie follow the book?
See more »
55 out of 82 people found the following review useful.
Bogie Deserved It, 14 January 2004
Author: Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California

To me this film will always be the validation of Humphrey Bogart's long and distinguished career. His portrayal of the hard drinking Charlie was what made this film what it was. Also, he showed just how great an actor he was when he was able to match up against the woman who is generally considered to be the greatest actress in film history, Katherine Hepburn. Also, this film will always be recognized for having the perfect mix of action, romance and comedy and it will always be a classic.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (180 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The African Queen (1951)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Plot question regarding torpedo plan paul-273-129025
Restoration is over the top skeiwalker
why people rate this movie so high??? lilafotioy
Why did it take so long to secure the rights to release it ? frank-zubek
Oscar Snubs packers56789
How is this film considered a comedy? 02109057
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The New World The English Patient Hell's Headquarters Mountains of the Moon Gone with the Wind
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Adventure section IMDb UK section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.