I think this one is the classic it’s considered. African Queen is a romance and something of a comedy, so it doesn’t have the world view of, say, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, so rigorously foregrounded. Yes, religious people are hypocrites, bad guys still kill people for no reason other than sheer meanness , and nature can be red in tooth and claw. But there’s still love in the world, and scruffy Charlie finds it with prim Rose.
I don’t completely understand how African Queen overcomes all the obstacles in its way and still ends up a fun, touching classic. The script has one romantic cliché after another (alcoholic boat captain falls in love with missionary) and verbal comedy that’s only polite-smile worthy most of the time. And yet, when Rose lets her hair reluctantly down and Charlie gives up his gin, it certainly touched me. And I was happy for the two in their little dock with all the flowers. And I was riveted as they cascaded down the rapids (perhaps a flashback to my own experience on the White Nile). And I sympathized as they dragged the Queen through the river grasses (perhaps a flashback to my own experience in the Okavango). And I laughed at Charlie’s monkey faces and felt uncomfortable watching the crocs dive in the river. In a word, I was engaged. Even with the horrible, over-the-top melodrama and unlikely coincidences that conclude the film, I was following the two lovers closely all the way to Lake Victoria.
Part of the film’s success is certainly tight editing and a story that moves briskly, and the genuine chemistry and skill of the two stars is another component. In addition, Africa itself is a real part of the film, and Africa here is clearly not a set. African Queen has a verisimilitude that prevents you from being too complacent as you watch.
I’m tempted to see this movie as a thematic extension of Sierra Madre. At the end of that film, the two men learn that the world is a hard, cruel place and go off to seek love as their only refuge in it. In African Queen, the two main characters find love and cope with the world by loving each other. Kate’s prayer pretty well sums up the philosophy of the film when she prays: “ Judge us not for our weakness but for our love.”
