THE AFRICAN QUEEN [1951 / 2021] [EUREKA! Entertainment] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
The Mightiest Adventure Ever Filmed!
Three movie giants come together in the cinematic classic ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN,’ combining the masterful direction of John Huston with the fabulous chemistry of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in their only onscreen pairing. Adapted from a novel by C.S. Forester, this wartime romantic adventure sees the pair forced to travel together down a hazardous East African river after the outbreak of World War One.
Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, the maiden-lady sister of a prim British missionary Reverend Samuel Sayer [Robert Morley]. When invading Germans kill her brother and level the village, Charlie Allnut [Humphrey Bogart] in the role which won him his only Oscar), the slovenly, gin-swilling captain of a tramp steamer called the African Queen, offers to take Rose back to civilisation. She can't tolerate his drinking or bad manners; he isn't crazy about her imperious, judgmental attitude. However, it does not take long before their passionate dislike turns to love. Together the disparate duo works to ensure their survival on the treacherous waters and devise an ingenious way to destroy a German gunboat.
‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ is one of the most beloved films in the history of cinema, and may well be the perfect adventure film. With a roller-coaster storyline complemented by the chemistry between its stars, and masterful direction from John Huston, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ on Blu-ray. ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ was restored by Paramount Pictures in 2009.
PRESS:
"Two peerless performers sparring at their most authoritative * … * … * … * … * … * Kevin Maher, The Times
"A ripping, gripping yarn, a surprisingly erotic love story * … * … * … *… * …* Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"A much-imitated model for adventure movies * … * … * … * … * …* Total Film
"A true Technicolor marvel bursting from port to starboard with old-school charm" Empire
FILM FACTNo.1: Awards and Nominations: 1952 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Humphrey Bogart. Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Katharine Hepburn. Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay for James Agee and John Huston. 1952 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Film. Nominated: Best Actress for Katharine Hepburn. Nominated: Best Director for John Huston. 1953 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Film from any Source [USA]. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor for Humphrey Bogart [USA]. 1994 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN.’ 2012 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ Motion Picture.
FILM FACTNo.2: Much of the film was shot on location in Uganda and the Congo in Africa. About half of the film was shot in England. For instance, the scenes in which Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn are seen in the water were all shot in studio tanks at Isleworth Studios, Middlesex. These scenes were considered too dangerous to shoot in Africa. All of the foreground plates for the process shots were also done in studio. The vessel used to portray the German gunboat Königin Luise in the film was the steam tug Buganda, owned and operated on Lake Victoria by East African Railways & Harbours. ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1994, with the Library of Congress deeming it "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Theodore Bikel, Walter Gotell, Peter Swanwick, Richard Marner, Errol John (uncredited), Gerald Onn (uncredited) and John von Kotze (uncredited)
Director: John Huston
Producers: James Woolf (uncredited), John Woolf (uncredited) and Sam Spiegel
Screenplay: C.S. Forester (novel), James Agee (adapted for the screen), John Huston (adapted for the screen), John Collier (uncredited) and Peter Viertel (uncredited)
Composer: Allan Gray
Costume Design: Doris Langley Moore
Cinematography: Jack Cardiff, O.B.E., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Special Effects: Cliff Richardson
Costumes: Doris Langley Moore
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 105 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Romulus Films / ITV Studios Home Entertainment / EUREKA! Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ [1951] has been consistently praised and admired by critics and audiences alike since its 1951 premiere, but for several years John Huston's stirring romantic adventure also carried the dubious distinction of being the only picture on the AFI's list of the 100 Greatest American Movies yet to see a digital release. That frustrating fact sent diehard cinephiles into periodic apoplectic fits, but Paramount Pictures, after much wrangling, at last secured and then painstakingly restored the film's original three-strip negative, which had been locked away in a British vault. According to the studio, all American prints had deteriorated to such a degree they were unsuitable for re-mastering. And now, after what seems like an eternity, this Holy Grail film hits the home video market not only in standard definition, but also in glorious Technicolor.
And let me tell you, the wait has been worth it. Classic film fans who don't rhapsodize over this superior effort, which breathes new life into this venerable drama, should head straight to an Ophthalmic Optician, because ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ will thrill even the most discriminating high-definition viewers.
Notable for its ambitious location shooting in the Belgian Congo, colourful production history, terrific chemistry between stars Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, and sweet, captivating story and based on the novel by C.S. Forester fame, ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ scored big upon its initial release and hasn't lost any of its lustre since. Humphrey Bogart won his only Academy Awards® and beating the likes of Marlon Brando in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ [1951] and Montgomery Clift in ‘A Place in the Sun’ [1951] for his role as the gruff, grimy, gin-soaked Charlie Allnut, skipper of the “African Queen,” a rickety riverboat that delivers supplies to, among other places, a small, isolated mission run by the British missionary Reverend Samuel Sayer [Robert Morley] and his prim, virtuous sister, Rose Sayer [Katharine Hepburn]. Unaware of a major conflict known as World War One, Reverend Samuel Sayer and Rose Sayer are shocked to hear from Charlie Allnut about an imminent German invasion, and when Kaiser Wilhelm's soldiers overrun the mission almost on cue, the siblings watch in horror as troops ransack and burn their settlement. The trauma and devastation sends Reverend Samuel Sayer to an early grave, leaving Rose Sayer to fend for herself in the wilds of The Dark Continent.
When Charlie Allnut stops by to assess damage and offer help, he never dreams the dogged Rose Sayer will shanghai him and his boat, taking them on a dangerous journey down river that will continually test their courage and tenacity, all in the hope of finding and destroying the German gunboat that harbours the regional command. Along the way, the dilapidated “African Queen” must traverse treacherous rapids, cut through dense brush, and survive rough storms, while its two oil-and-water shipmates spar, bicker, and ultimately become smitten. Charlie Allnut and Rose Sayer's romance is as unlikely and unexpected as it is endearing and cute, and the middle-aged couple often acts like two starry-eyed teens basking in the unsullied bloom of young love. Their strong emotions, however, never weaken their resolve to confront and cripple the wily Germans, but executing their preposterous plan will take every ounce of energy and blind faith they can muster.
The long-standing appeal of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ may be due in part to its against-all-odds attitude and core values of guts and perseverance, but more likely stems from the irresistible appeal of its improbable hero and heroine. The notion that a blasphemous drunk and pious spinster could fall in love, let alone have the audacity to believe they can take down a well-oiled military machine, is both ludicrous and delightful, and Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn play their roles to the hilt. Never for a moment does their affection seem anything less than genuine, and with a mastery of their craft that few others in the industry possess, the two legendary actors infuse their eccentric, charismatic characters with palpable warmth and spirit.
No stranger to big, outdoorsy tales of indomitable will and chutzpah, John Huston who teamed with Humphrey Bogart on the equally rugged and immortal ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ [1948] just three years before, deftly blends rousing physical sequences with scenes of exquisite tenderness and charm. The director's keen sense of rhythm keeps the story flowing like the river itself, ramping up tension at some points, gently drifting along in others, to create a comfortable mood punctuated by stunning landscape and wildlife shots. The marvellous script, which he co-wrote with James Agee and contains several memorable exchanges, and despite the fact that most of the film is a two-person dialogue, the characters are so richly drawn and brought so vividly to life by the actors, we never tire of them.
Amazingly, ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ was not nominated for Best Picture, but both John Huston and Katherine Hepburn did receive nods for Best Director and Actress, respectively. John Huston was beaten by George Stevens for ‘A Place in the Sun,’ while Katherine Hepburn lost to Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois. Yet the lack of awards recognition can't diminish the film's lasting impact or the reverence it engenders. Charlie Allnut and Rose Sayer, as sweaty and dishevelled as they often appear, and as quirky and stubborn as they often act, are one of the films' immortal couples, ranking right up there with Scarlett and Rhett. Their passion may be muted and their age advanced, but they're still quite a pair. And ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ is still quite an awesome adventurous film.
‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ film’s restoration was done by the ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment Blu-ray has been partnered with Paramount Pictures to save this great classic and restore it back to its former glory. The Original 35mm three strip camera negatives were scanned at high resolution and digitally recombined using restoration tools to repair tears and scratches, remove dirt and stabilise the picture. The soundtrack underwent full digital audio restoration removing clicks, hum, and other audio defects before creating a new Optical soundtrack negative. The Digital files have been output to a high resolution digital cinema File as well as creating a pristine new combined 35mm negative and an HD master. This is a fine example of how today’s technology can protect and preserve classic films both digitally and photo-chemically for the next 100 years and beyond.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN MUSIC TRACK LIST
GOD OF GRACE AND GOD OF GLORY (Cwm Rhondda) (uncredited) (Words by Harry Fosdick) (Music by John Ceiriog Hughes)
BOLD FISHERMAN (uncredited) [Sung by Humphrey Bogart]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Film buffs have waited far too long for a brand new upgraded digital image transfer of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and now the wait is over, because with the cooperation of Romulus Films, ITV Studios Home Entertainment and EUREKA! Entertainment. Paramount Pictures have now given us the ultimate 4k restoration of the 1951 film. Working from the original three-strip negative, technicians scanned and digitized each element, then recombined and carefully aligned them before removing any dirt, nicks, and scratches. The process was long and arduous, but any doubts ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ that it might not arrive on this Blu-ray looking less than its best vanish immediately upon one's first view of this stunningly beautiful rendering. Breath-taking clarity and sharpness, lush colour, and plenty of high-definition pop all belie the picture's advanced age and make this antiquated classic almost seem like a new release. Details, even in the background, remain well defined, and the driving rain possesses such marvellous clarity, it often looks like little needles falling from the heavens. Close-ups, especially those of Humphrey Bogart, are sublime, highlighting every nook and cranny in his weathered face, and though Katherine Hepburn is photographed in soft focus, her classic features (oh, those cheekbones!) still come across well. Omnipresent beads of sweat are also visible, and the thick brush the pair must hack through is marvellously distinct. The African countryside and wildlife, especially a herd of crocodiles and especially the Hippopotamus, nearly jump off the screen, often producing a sort of you-are-there effect that thrusts us into the action and definitely gets a five star rating from me and really shows off the Technicolor process totally spectacular with the upgrade. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Romulus Films, ITV Studios Home Entertainment and EUREKA! Entertainment brings us ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ with a vast improved 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio and really gets the job done extremely well, producing full-bodied sound with plenty of tonal depth and presence and is my mind a vast improvement over previous Blu-ray releases. The clean-up has been thoroughly done, erasing any age-related pops, crackles, and static. Dynamic range is very good, with high ends resisting distortion and low ends possessing good weight, and the action-oriented scenes fill the room really well, and clear and precise. And just because the audio track is front-based does not mean we do not pick up all the ambience of the African setting. On the contrary, the exotic animal noises, buzzing of the bugs, and rustling of foliage all come across really well and gives us a superb immersive audio. Best of all, is the dialogue which is always clear and easy to comprehend, and Allan Gray's composed music film score benefits from solid audio fidelity of this wonderful upgraded original soundtrack, and ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ sounds really good for its age and you will not be disappointed at all and definitely gets a five star rating from me..
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Isolated Music and Effects Track: Here you get to hear the wonderful evocative composed film score by Allan Gray that really shows us what a talented composer Allan Gray is and the subtle way he brings in the score at poignant parts of the film and also with the sound effects you get to hear the wonderful exotic sounds of the Africa jungle, also get to hear the wonderful steam engine sounds of the African Queen, as well as the sounds of the mighty rapids the little boat has to endure, plus all the gun fire especially when hitting the African Queen and most of all the mighty explosion of the German ship that was torpedoed by the African Queen. So all in all, this is another great way to view ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ in a very different way.
Audio Commentary by Director of Photography Jack Cardiff: Here Jack Cardiff introduces himself and mentions about sitting in a suite at the Claridge's Hotel in London's Mayfair with the director John Huston, producer Sam Spiegel, Jack Cardiff and the cameraman and John Huston started to talk about an idea on how to shoot the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN,’ and goes into lots of technical information on how it would be filmed, and simply drift down the river in Africa filming scenes, and felt it would all be very easy and simple, but in reality it was totally opposite, very difficult, in fact it turned out to be the most horrendous difficult film to shoot and it was a miracle we ever got to finish shooting the film. Jack Cardiff perhaps wisely doesn't call attention to the first process shots which was shot against a blue screen with background added later on. At the start of the film you see inside the church where you see Reverend Samuel Sayer conducting the African natives singing, well in fact that is actually producer Sam Speigel, but with the close-up of Reverend Samuel Sayer it is of course Robert Morley, then when you see Rose Sayer walking towards Reverend Samuel Sayer hoeing the ground to plant seeds, again this is actually producer Sam Speigel and especially if you freeze the frame and of course when they do a close up of Reverend Samuel Sayer it is again the actor Robert Morley. When you see Charlie Allnut walking up towards Rose Sayer and Reverend Samuel Sayer, in the background there was no river so the African Queen boat supposedly in the river was actually put on a track and slowly hauled forward. The Belgium Congo was not a wonderful place to be, because it was a testy fly area, plus a malaria ridden place, and because the area was a jungle, they had to live a primitive existence, but despite this, they got a lot of help from the local natives, especially helping to carry the equipment, but unfortunately the locals were all lepers. One striking information was that the river was incredibly black, because of all the dying trees that was caused through millions of years of decaying trees and on top of that there were so many crocodiles they encountered. Also they built a massive raft that had 20 canoes strapped together and that was their main use throughout the filming for carry the massive Technicolor camera on it. Jack Cardiff insisted on two massive arc lamps, but was told they would not be needed, but Jack Cardiff insisted and said they were vital for the filming in Technicolor, but eventually Jack Cardiff got his arc lamps and were vital when filming scenes when the lighting was not good, and on top of all that for two weeks they experienced really heavy rain storms. Jack Cardiff discusses in great detail how specific filmed sequences ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ were shot, and the various technical obstacles the technical crew had to overcome in the Belgian Congo, especially the diseases the actors struggled during the shooting of certain scenes, and we hear about some of the similarities and differences between C.S. Forester's novel and the film and other fascinating in-depth facts. They give great kudos to Katherine Hepburn for her courageous nature and fortitude throughout the shooting of the film, especially becoming very ill and beside her organ was a bucket that Katherine Hepburn had to use between shooting scenes in the church and in the end a lot of people had to be treated for the illness they endured as they were losing a lot of weight and slowed up the shooting of the film. John Huston wanted the steam engine noise to be heard throughout the film, but of course the sound engineers hated it, but that is what John Huston insisted on allowing and I also felt it works really beautiful and gives the “African Queen” boat a wonderful personality. Humphrey Bogart and Jack Cardiff got on really well after their first meeting; also Jack Cardiff found working with the crew was a great experience, also for Jack Cardiff found working with John Huston also a great experience, as the director was very laid back and nothing really bothered him, and he would leave Jack Cardiff to sort out the lighting, in doing so had a great relationship with the director. Jack Cardiff found Kathryn Hepburn had a very strong personality as well as a very strong determination for a woman, but also found her very courageous and did not want people to think she was a frail woman, but was also a very courageous woman striding off into the jungle and was very loyal to supporting the film. Jack Cardiff found working with Humphrey Bogart really good and rewarding, but Humphrey Bogart told Jack Cardiff that he did not want any fancy lighting on his face, he wanted it to look natural, especially showing all the lines and wrinkles, which he had worked on all of his acting career, and Jack Cardiff from then on got on really well with Humphrey Bogart and they become good friends on the shoot. When you see the German Officer leading the African soldiers past the house that Reverend Samuel Sayer Rose Sayer lived in and eventually burned the village, well that person was one of the crew and was named John von Kotze [German Officer] and he was really a Assistant Camera Operator because he was fluent in German and that is why he was asked to appear in that scene and to the left of him was Harry Arbour [German Sergeant Major at Kungdu] who worked in the Art Department as a Carpenter. When Jack Cardiff and crew arrived in the Belgian Congo location, the straw huts had been hastily built to their specifications, but when they arrived at the location they had a crisis on their hands, because someone had found a Black Mamba snake in the gents toilets, and the experts said that it had to be killed, but there was another problem before they could do this, is that the expert informed them that Black mamba snakes come in pairs and of course no one was allowed to use the toilets until they had found the second dangerous snake, and this took for ages to find it, but eventually the second dangerous snake was found and killed and everyone could now get back to doing what they had arrived to do and especially people who were desperate to use the toilet. Another concern for Jack Cardiff, is that he slept in a room with bunk beds and woke up with a lot of agitated people shouting in French, so with his torch shone it around the room and notice with the other bunk bed opposite to him, he could see something moving on it and it turned out to be thousands of ants covering the whole structure of the bunk beds, which of course terrified Jack Cardiff and was informed the reason this had happened is because the ants had found food available and that is what had caused the invasion of thousands of ants, and so Jack Cardiff wanted to get out of the room, but could not, as there was three inch high writhing ants covering the whole floor, but luckily the natives heard about this and came in with loads of buckets of gasoline that finally got rid of the ants and again found the whole incident a very frightening experience and lasted for about 30 minutes, but despite this, Jack Cardiff had some exciting experiences filming in that particular African location. Another shocking discovery was one day they went to start filming the “African Queen” boat, but found it totally submerged in the river and found it a terrible blow, so they had to get a number of the natives to help raise the African Queen, and with some strong rope they put it around some trees and with some brutal strength, they finally were able to raise the whole boat up to the surface of the river and this took a whole day. Jack Cardiff remembers one incident between Katharine Hepburn and John Huston while filming a scene on the boat, but John Huston had his back to the actress and ignoring her because he was fishing off the massive raft, and Katharine Hepburn got very angry and said, “John Huston, I refuse to act while you have your back to me,” and John Huston said, “I am listening to you baby and you sound great, so let’s doing it again,” and after that incident John Huston never turned his back on Kathryn Hepburn again. Sometimes they experienced some hairy moments with the big raft, as it had no steering facility, so would just do its own thing, and on top of all that, they had a second steam engine on the big raft for certain filming purposes, and two of the big arc lamps, and at one dangerous moment the raft floated off toward the river bank with Katharine Hepburn on it, and as it crashed into the river bank, the two arc lamps crashed onto the big raft, and the steam engine was rocking really badly and John Huston realised the actress was in danger, so he leapt over to the big raft and grabbed Katharine Hepburn out of the way as the steam engine crashed onto the big raft, and if John Huston had not done that, the actress would have been crushed to death. At another location someone got stung by a hornet and luckily was okay, but the next day the same incident happened to someone else, and the hornets knew when people turned up in the area and in the end after four days of this incident, they asked some of the natives went to investigate and found the hornets’ nest, and eventually they destroyed the hornets’ nest. Jack Cardiff found that when the boat was moored up found it very peaceful apart from the animal noises in the jungle, but also says that there are not many locations where you get no traffic noise or airplanes flying overhead. When you see Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn go for a swim in the river, this is of course was filmed in a large water tank in the studio in England, as was when they did the underwater scene mending the propeller shaft, but of course if the two actors had gone in the real river in Africa, for a start there would probably be loads of crocodiles swimming about, but even more serious in African rivers there is nasty little microbe creature called a “bilharziasis” or Schistosoma haematobium is a species of digenetic trematode, belonging to a group of blood flukes and what happens they can burrow into the sole of your foot, burrow up your leg and finally into either your bladder or more seriously get into your kidney, lays eggs and eventually rots your kidney and that is why they warn you to never bath in any African rivers, especially the ones in the Belgium Congo. But one thing that puzzles me regarding nasty little microbes in the river, so when we see Humphrey Bogart drinking gin, first he filled up his glass half way with river water and then topped it up with gin, surely the nasty critters would be in the river water in his glass, so something to think about and nowhere have I seen any critic mention this situation, very puzzling? Anyway, with the scene with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn sleeping on the boat in the torrential rain, this was actually filmed in the studio in England, but John Huston loved to play practical jokes especially during the studio rain sequence and what happened is that they left Humphrey Bogart on his own and the rest of them left the studio for ages while Humphrey Bogart got absolutely soaking wet, but after a while Humphrey Bogart suddenly realised what had happened and got extremely angry, but after some time realised that it was a joke and felt it was quite a good one that was he knew was executed by John Huston. As the “African Queen” boat approaches the first rapids, and as you see the boat hits the rapids, you can definitely see a couple of shots of actual dummies in the back of the boat that were supposed to be the two actors, probably it was done for the two actors safety and especially if it had gone really seriously wrong. At certain times of the shoot, whenever possible, Humphrey Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall would come out to Africa to watch the shoot, but at the same time would bring with her a wonderful lunch, including lot of different sandwiches and a host of other wonderful food stuff and Jack Cardiff felt this actress was the most glamorous waitress ever on the shoot. Jack Cardiff read the novel by C.S. Forester and the two main characters it were totally different, for the male character was a cockney and the female character was a posh lady and they realised this would not work, and Jack Cardiff also saw other photos of other actors touted to be in the film like Bette Davis and David Niven, but of course they chose in the end Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn and of course this was totally perfect and they of course made the right choice. At one point in the shoot the whole crew and Katharine Hepburn went down with a serious sickness illness and it went on for four days and they could not work out what was causing the serious illness and they all started losing a great deal of weight and had a job to do any work, but Humphrey Bogart and John Huston did not get ill as they never lived on the houseboat, apart from all the crew and of course Katharine Hepburn and so they did an exhausting investigation with several doctors trying to figure out what was making them seriously ill, but eventually one doctor happen to check the water filter on the houseboat that drew water from the river and happen to find that it had no water filter, which of course had nasty items in the water, like the poo from the animals swimming in the river, and of course it was contaminating the drinking water, eventually when they realised what was the cause of the illness were all prescribed certain drugs to combat the serious illness and eventually they all got fit again. But again the reason Humphrey Bogart and John Huston did not get seriously ill was because they only drank whiskey. At one point in the filming, something tragic happened, because unbeknown to them was a load of Hippopotamus’s were swimming nearby, and a couple of them went under the raft they were filming a scene and decided to come to the surface under the raft, but luckily it only happened very quickly and no damage was done the to the camera and the Hippopotamus’s went back down and then swam away from the raft underwater. Jack Cardiff talks about the scene where Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn gets attacked on the boat by hundreds of nasty flying insects and you see the two actors terrified what was happening and trying to fight them off and of course with modern CGI effects they could have created that scene so easy, but to actually create that terrifying scene, what they did is put a 2 feet extension on the lens and at the end they had a glass case that was filled with tiny feathers and with a rubber pipe inserted into the glass case, they then proceeded to pump a lot of air into it and of course this is how the created the effect of tiny flying insects and of course it looked so realistic and definitely made you feel you was actually experiencing the actors were supposedly being attacked by nasty tiny flying insects and Jack Cardiff felt it was a really good effect and especially after viewing the film again. With the scene where Humphrey Bogart has to get into the murky water and drag the “African Queen” boat through the reeds, and of course when he gets out of the water has all those blood sucking leeches on his body and people have asked Jack Cardiff if they were real leeches, and he says, “Yes and no, and 97% were fake, and were stuck on, and one or two were real leeches, and Humphrey Bogart did not want to know whether any of them were real leeches, and with the close up on his skin, they were the real leeches and worked out okay. When we get to chapter nine and around 1 hour 23 minutes Jack Cardiff says that at the end of the shoot they went back to their hotel in Nairobi because they had near enough covered most of the shoot and when they arrived at their destination in Nairobi they were challenged to a cricket match by the local residents and they wanted Humphrey Bogart to bat in the cricket match, and because the actor was American, he only knew the game of baseball, and because he was a great celebrity and was astonishingly keen to play in the team, on top of all that, there were also one or two other Americans decided to join in and the English guys thought the Americans would be hopeless, but instead of the normal way you play cricket, they swiped the cricket bat as though they were playing baseball and despite this, they hit the ball every time and scored several sixes and Humphrey Bogart also had a go at bowling the cricket ball and made a really good effort, and when Humphrey Bogart had a go at batting, his fellow Americans did not want him to be bowled out, but overall it seems the Americans really enjoyed the experience and made a really good effort, despite being very alien to the game of Cricket. After a gap of about 10 minutes, Jack Cardiff informs us that after finishing the interior shots in England, the shoot was finally over, and they did not realise how successful the film would become and over the years it has become a true classic film and Jack Cardiff’s son Mason Cardiff was about 10 years old when the film was released and eventually bought a VHS tape of the film and enjoys running the film any chance he can, and when Jack Cardiff viewed the film for the first time, he winces at the thought of all the sufferings that happened to them all while filming, but despite that, Jack Cardiff still marvels at John Huston’s magical touches as a director, and the truly perfect performances of Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, and I know the whatever the painful difficulties we endured, it was jolly well worth it, and another thing Jack Cardiff winces about, was that before shooting the film, producer Sam Spiegel offered Jack Cardiff a small percentage of the films profit, but instead turned down the offer and instead went for the full salary option, which in hindsight he now regrets. Jack Cardiff comments that despite all the difficulties, he really enjoyed doing the trip down memory lane and says that he hopes that you have enjoyed it to, and my name is Jack Cardiff and at that point the audio commentary ends abruptly, but despite this, it was a really jolly fascinating experience. There were large chunks where Jack Cardiff goes very quiet (mostly relating to the studio filming) but eventually he comes back in while our heroes are prepping the torpedoes for the “African Queen” boat. I have a lot of time for Jack Cardiff's because of his wonderful contribution to cinema and especially listening to Jack Cardiff's wonderful with his audio commentary and all of the aspects about making the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN.’ On top of all that Jack Cardiff gave us some wonderful in-depth anecdotes regarding the making of the film and again with all the difficulties they endured. So all in all this was a truly amazing and fascinating audio commentary and definitely gets a top five star rating from me.
Special Feature: Film Historian Neil Sinyard on ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ [2019] [1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [15:55] Here we get to meet Neil Sinyard, which seems to be in a room in his home, that has behind him what looks like a total mess of stuff and obviously someone who does not like to keep the place tidy? Neil Sinyard feels at the start of the film he feels Reverend Samuel Sayer played by Robert Morley is far too dominant over Rose Sayer, the maiden-lady sister which of course was played by Katherine Hepburn, and when Charlie Allnut played by Humphrey Bogart arrives and brings her along on a massive adventure, Neil Sinyard feels Rose Sayer is brought out of her sheltered life and really blooms and especially when they come upon the massive amount of flowers in bloom on the side of the river bank, which Rose Sayer could not name the flower, and finally feels Rose Sayer is now seeking her own destiny, all because Charlie Allnut gave Rose Sayer the confidence to bloom out of her shell and now believes in herself and it has also given her freedom now that her domineering brother is no longer influencing her character. Neil Sinyard comments that director John Huston was disillusioned with Hollywood and McCarthyism and was happy to get away to a very remote location to direct a few firsts in his career – a film in colour, a romantic comedy and a love story. Neil Sinyard reminds us that this is essentially "two old people going down a river in a boat." Ah, but what two people and Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn is a classic pairing, both actors adorned with significant Hollywood baggage and both manage to play against type. Neil Sinyard thinks director John Huston tone of his films can be sardonic or ironic and really relishes the aspiration of the characters, even if they do not achieve what they set out to achieve, and the director John Huston really admires characters that try to reach for the impossible, and John Huston also admires that in a character who are challenging. Neil Sinyard feels the film is about a journey down a river, but is really a metaphor for life and is also about the obstacles people have to face, and it is also about despair and also the joys on the couples journey down the river, it is also about how things might not turn out, but never the less, you go on with your journey. John Huston felt the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ was not one of his best film, but it certainly was one of his most popular film, and it certainly was his happiest film. At that point the Neil Sinyard interview finished abruptly. Here Neil Sinyard gives us another lovely informative special feature interview from a hugely knowledgeable film historian for this very informative Blu-ray special feature.
Special Feature: Kim Newman on ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ [2019] [1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [18:47] Here we get to meet Film Critic Kim Newman in one of the rooms in his home that has lots of different books on lots of different subjects relating to films, but Kim Newman says that because of the film ‘The Beachcomber’ [1938] that starred Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton, there were rumours going around at the time that they might team up Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton as the grumpy couple in ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN,’ but it was not to be, because it was known that Charles Laughton would never under no circumstances go up a river in darkest Africa. Kim Newman says that the job of filmmaking was enjoyed by an over-privileged few who were handsomely rewarded for a life of preferential treatment and also says that John Huston could make a claim to be at the vanguard of the machismo film director, the ones who want to make their filmmaking experience unreasonably difficult and fraught so they can at least feel they've done a difficult job. John Huston says that directing is not a simple job but neither is it gruelling unless there are six of you and if you have a full crew, the director doesn't exactly break a sweat in manual work. Kim Newman mentions a famous incident that happened while filming ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN,’ where John Huston was quietly fishing off the back of the filming boat with his back to Katherine Hepburn who not unreasonably called “Cut!” in defiance of her director's behaviour. Kim Newman also reminds us that director John Huston is the very epitome of the Hollywood director, who made niche, idiosyncratic art films and it just so happens that his only romantic comedy film was his biggest hit and Kim Newman reminds us that even Humphrey Bogart "suffered from the illusion that he was Humphrey Bogart," which must be the greatest wish or even the worst curse ever to befall any actor. At that point the Kim Newman interview finished abruptly. This is another excellent special feature interview with one of the industry's most informed film critic.
Special Feature: Interview with Co-screenwriter Peter Viertel, author of “White Hunter Black Heart” and was by filmmaker Michael Scheingraber [2019] [1080p] [1.78:1] [17:42] Here we meet the famous gravel-voiced Co-screenwriter Peter Viertel for this special interview. Peter Viertel informs us that John Huston was a very good friend of his and worked together a totally disastrous film called ‘We Were Strangers’ [1949] that starred Jennifer Jones and John Garfield and John Huston was having a very serious problem with the screenplay for the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and wanted Peter Viertel to come out to Africa to improve the screenplay for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and at the same time offered him a big game shoot, which he declined, especially shooting an elephant, and eventually Peter Viertel flew out to Africa and got down to sorting out the screenplay, which took about two weeks hard graft, and especially as at the time it did not have a very good ending to the film, and eventually near the end of the two week hard graft they eventually got the screenplay that John Huston was happy with. One person that Peter Vietrel really liked and that was Katherine Hepburn and he got on with her really well, and said the actress worked really hard and never complained about the environment she had to work in and was a woman with a mind of her own, but being a red head, had to keep out of the rays of the sun, as it caused havoc with her skin. Peter Vietrel really enjoyed the company of John Huston, who preferred to tell stories that to directing the film and always wanted to go off and shoot big game. Peter Vietrel was asked by producer Don Spiegel if he wanted a screen credit for doing the majority of the work on the upgraded screenplay, and said that he did not give a shit about it, and eventually over time now regretted his decision in not having his name in the film credits, whereas now when you see the film credits it informs you that the screenplay is by James Agee and John Huston. Eventually over time Peter Vietrel wrote the book “White Hunter, Black Heart” at his home in Switzerland and was basically about the making of the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and that was eventually turned into the film ‘White Hunter Black Heart’ [1990] and was an American adventure drama film produced, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood and based on the 1953 book of the same name by Peter Viertel who also co-wrote the script with James Bridges and Burt Kennedy, that unfortunately turned out to be not a very good film, even though Peter Vietrel was asked to change the ending of the film. There's a lovely irony that on filming ‘White Hunter Black Heart,’ Clint Eastwood changed the ending again. But of course before the film was conceived, Peter Viertel informed John Huston about the book and the director was very interested to read Peter Viertel first draft, so John Huston invited Peter Vietrel to fly out to France where John Huston was directing the film ‘Moulin Rouge’ so he could read the draft of the book, which of course the book was mainly about the director John Huston and of course Peter Vietrel was keen to get the book published. So when Peter Vietrel arrived in France and met John Huston on the set and they both went off to a café so John Huston could read the draft, but Peter Vietrel was concerned about the cast and crew waiting to shoot some scenes for the film, and John Huston in his typical style, and insisted they would have to wait until he had read the draft, and really loved the draft and also said that it was the best thing that Peter Vietrel had written, but felt the ending was not right, because it was too mild, so Peter Vietrel decided to fly back to Switzerland to re-write the ending in a much more dramatic ending due John Huston’s comment and eventually John Huston was able to read the draft again with the new ending and gave it his 100% approval and to now go ahead and get the book published, and Peter Vietrel and insisted that the book be dedicated to his long-time friend John Huston, but Peter Vietrel felt the book was also a love letter to John Huston. Unfortunately critics who read the book, felt that Peter Vietrel had shot John Huston in the back, but on the other hand, Hollywood was totally delighted with the book. Despite some animosity towards Peter Vietrel after the book was published, but one day John Huston telephoned Peter Vietrel and asked for a personal meeting, as John Huston was desperate for a good story and Peter Vietrel had just read the novel “The Man Who Would Be King” and written by Rudyard Kipling and informed John Huston this would be a totally ideal film for him to direct, so after John Huston had read the Rudyard Kipling book overnight, and was totally eager in directing the film and immediately telephoned Peter Vietrel the next day and wanted Peter Vietrel to write the screenplay with John Huston, but informed John Huston that this would not work because of past history of working together, and would rather work on his own, so Peter Vietrel immediately wrote the first screenplay draft and then invited Peter Vietrel to John Huston’s home in Ireland and immediately got down to reading the first draft, and gave it his full approval and as they say, the rest is history. At that point of this very fascinating Peter Vietrel interview, suddenly ends abruptly, but despite this, Peter Vietrel is a very intelligent nice person and full of interesting anecdotes with his friendship with John Huston and is someone I would of really liked to have met, as he must have had hundreds of more fascinating stories of his time associated with films and this is a fascinating glimpse into classic 1950’s Hollywood and it's worth reading up on this man as he had a wonderful career and as an odd fact, his personality and looks were the basis of the Robert Redford character in ‘The Way We Were,’ and definitely gets a five star rating from me. This really special interview was taken from 400 hours of interview shot by filmmaker Michael Scheingraber shortly before Peter Vietrel died in Marbella, Spain on the 4th November, 2007 leaving behind Deborah Kerr, Jigee Viertel and his daughter Christine Viertel.
Special Feature: Audio Interview with Director John Huston [Audio only] [1981] [1080p] [1.37:1] [88:14] This was The Guardian newspaper special interview with John Huston at the NTF [National Film Theatre] in front of a live audience and while you listen to this item, they show the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN,’ while John Huston discusses his work and career in the film industry. John Huston takes us on a wonderful biographical journey for the first thirty minutes and we break into the audiences questions quite early which annoyingly are hardly audibility and with these participants with the audience asking questions, and why can’t the people running the NTF supply a microphone so we can actually hear what an audience members question is. Anyway despite this, the rest of the of this Audio Interview with Director John Huston is totally riveting and John Huston is a fascinating man with an amazing oeuvre, he's one of the very few 'star' directors who defined in the public eye what a director actually was. Some nuggets that really stand out; is the time John Huston was a down and out and sleeping rough in London, and he used to beg for money by singing cowboy songs to the public. John Huston talks about directing Clark Gable he realised that he just had to let Gable be Gable for he wasn't capable of 'acting' in the traditional sense. Another fascinating anecdote John Huston informs us about, the time, showed some of the African elders their work on the ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ film, and the tribesmen announced that "We shall never die!" How right they were. John Huston feels that his work is often pored over by critics too deeply and he claims to understand very little of critics' assessments of what he was actually communicating in his work. When asked why he cast his daughter in one of his films, he brazenly replies that it was "...to further the career of my daughter!" The day before a general election that will redefine my native land for the rest of my life at the very least, I miss that kind of honesty in public discourse. Bless you, John Huston. So all in all this is really fascinating and well worth listening to and we really get to know what made John Huston tick as a director.
Special Feature: Audio Interview with Anjelica Huston and Angela Allen [2010] [1080p] [1.37:1] [30:53] This was a 2010 one off special audio recording on-stage at the NFT [National Film Theatre] in front of a live audience with Anjelica Huston and script supervisor Angela Allen, because they had just seen a restoration of the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and the director's daughter Anjelica Huston was on hand specifically to add her personal stories about her father. This special feature also provided great stories from the woman at the very centre of the shoot, Angela Allen, whose bravery, especially taking notes from a canoe three feet from a hippo and was one of the reasons John Huston worked with her so often because of her ultimate professional skills. The anecdotes are mostly witty and director Huston is the pivotal figure of most of them. The first audience member to bring up a question and yes, it is the BBC DJ Paul Gambaccini with the first question and Angela Allen replies that there is no bad language or violence in ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and something Angela Allen champions. Angela Allen also informs us that she distaste for what she calls British "F & C films" and I am fairly sure I know what the “F” stands for. Technically, the interviewer Adrian Wootton was excellent with his questions to the two guests, but once again it makes me very angry that when the audiences are asked their questions, why can’t the people running the NTF supply a microphone so we can actually hear what an audience member question is, especially when either Anjelica Huston and Angela Allen reply back to the audience, but what we do hear very clearly is when Anjelica Huston or Angela Allen reply back with some humorous anecdote, we certainly get an explosive laugh from the audience that is quite piercingly loud and of course is only heard with the microphone of the three people up on the stage. Otherwise, this is a lovely extra told from an often overlooked perspective which Blu-ray makers should take advantage of. So script supervisors unite!
Special Feature: Embracing Chaos: Making of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ [2010] [480i / 1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [59:20] At the start of this very special feature, we get a very short grainy black-and-white film from the NBC news footage entitled “Ship’s Reporter” where we see Humphrey Bogart being interviewed on a cruise liner with his wife Lauren Bacall and was asked why they were on the cruise liner and informs the interviewer that they were off to deepest Africa to film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN.’ This is an outstanding and marvellous in-depth comprehensive Paramount documentary that was produced mainly by Nicholas Meyer who is totally enthusiastic about the film as all the other contributors who also adore this all British film. But this documentary is mainly about the making of the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and also takes an in-depth look at the production history of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and the story of how a number of improbable circumstances combined with some exceptionally creative people to bring about the unlikely critical and commercial success of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN.’ We hear about John Huston’s weapons that were seized at Nairobi's customs, then John Huston instead goes to the Belgian Congo where the hunting is free, at this point, I had to split my opinion about this cruel man and the great filmmaker, so John Huston was back to make an fabulous achievement at nowhere on Africa's core where he already had chosen to shooting the unpredictable and bold enterprise. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn at last made something together, the producer Sam Spiegel got the money and John Huston got Humphrey Bogart eventually, who was also asking for Katharine Hepburn, who accepted at once, and the whole filming experience thing was a true mess, improvised installations was made in nearby area for all crew and casting, hard takes of the African Queen boat were made under very extreme stress, and back in England they finally finished the underwater scenes, many curious stories and rumours are told by the living crew and old footage. Contributors include: Humphrey Bogart [Charlie Allnut] (archive footage), Lauren Bacall [Humphrey Bogart’s Wife] (archive footage), Rudy Behlmer [Film Historian/Author], Richard Schickel [Critic/Historian], John Forester [C.S. Forester’s Son], Nicholas Meyer [Writer/Director], Eric Lax [Humphrey Bogart’s Biographer], Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni [Sam Spiegel’s Biographer], Theodore Bikel [First Officer in ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], Guy Hamilton [Assistant Director for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], Martin Scorsese [Director], Norman Lloyd [Actor/Director/Producer], Sir John Wolf [Producer for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], William J. Mann [Kathrine Hepburn Biographer], Katharine Hepburn [The Dick Cavett Show on 3rd October, 1973], Laurence Bergreen [James Agee Biographer], John Huston [Director of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’] (Playboy interview archive footage September 1985), Jack Cardiff [Director of Photography] (archive interview footage by Craig McCall 1998), Angela Allen [Script Supervisor for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], Steven-Charles Jaffe [Producer], Desmond Davis [Clapper Boy for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], Brenda Scott Royce [Lauren Bacall Biographer], Warren Steven [Humphrey Bogart Biographer], James Ursini [Film Historian], Tony Huston [John Huston’s Son], Mark Rydell [Producer/Director], David Lewin [Publicist for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’], John Philip Dayton [Kathrine Hepburn Friend] and Sam Spiegel [Producer] (archive footage) Directed by Eric Young. Produced by Nicolas Meyer and Lynn O’Leary. Cinematography by Eric Neal Young, Michael Klaumann, Oliver Young and Paul Baker.
Special Feature: Lux Radio Theatre Adaptation of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ [1952] [1080p] [1.37:1] [59:23] This rare radio broadcast aired on the 15th December, 1952 and is audio version of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ starring Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut, Greer Garson as Rose Sayer and John Dodsworth as Reverend Samuel Sayer. Canadian boat captain Charlie Allnut helps a Christian missionary Rose Sayer to leave their African village as the Germans take control during the first World War One and Rose Sayer persuades the boat captain Charlie Allnut to use his boat as a torpedo, and destroy a German war ship, at the onset of World War One. Recorded before a live audience, Humphrey Bogart and Greer Garson crank up the roles of Charlie Allnut and Rose Sayer considerably for the audio-only crowd. As colourful as Humphrey Bogart was for the film version, he is even more goofy and eccentric here. It makes sense, considering the entire story now has to happen in our minds as we listen along, and both actors are forced to rely only on their spoken words to get the message across. Humphrey Bogart throws himself into the radio version of Charlie Allnut just as much as he did in the filmed version. He’s quirky, charming, goofy, and just a little bit off of his rocker. It all makes for a lot of fun as he and Greer Garson have decent chemistry together, and we get to re-enjoy the courtship of two great film characters. Greer Garson plays Rose Sayer, and while she’s no Katherine Hepburn, she does a good job. Greer Garson’s version of the English missionary is even more prim, proper, and enunciation-obsessed than Kathrine Hepburn’s, as she really plays up Rose Sayer’s stuffiness for the radio, and she capably handles herself alongside Humphrey Bogart. My only complaint would be that Greer Garson lacks the tough side of Rose Sayer, and errs too greatly in the direction of British snob. What’s so great about Humphrey Bogart in the film version is that he truly held nothing back in his quirky and eccentric portrayal of Charlie Allnut – the captain who starts a little off-his-rocker even before the river drives him over the edge. What’s even more fun about the radio broadcast is that Humphrey Bogart gets to turn it up a notch as he plays for both a live crowd, and a crowd that can only hear his voice. This means that when it’s time to get drunk, he gets silly drunk, singing “The Bold Fisherman” with slightly more zest and bravado than the film version. We’ve seen a slurring, droopy-eyed, drunk Humphrey Bogart quite a few times in film, but this is a sloppy, giddy, off-the-wall, plastered Humphrey Bogart, and it’s a blast. Intermittently, we get spots for Lux Toilet Soap (it’s how Esther Williams and Zsa Zsa Gabor keep their complexions so healthy, dontcha know!), and a teaser for the following week’s production of Les Misérables. There is also a short, very much scripted, “off the cuff” moment with Humphrey Bogart and Greer Garson after the curtain call that is kind of a shocking reminder about how completely staged Classic Hollywood could look and sound in its “candid” moments. The Bottom Line: If you have a spare 59 minutes and 23 seconds, take a listen, as it is a lot of fun to hear Humphrey Bogart having so much fun. With this Lux Radio Theatre Adaptation of ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ you get a plethora of still images from the film.
Theatrical Trailer [1951] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:42] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and what a thrilling theatrical trailer it is. At the end we get to view The Picturegoer Seal of Merit is awarded to JOHN HUSTON for ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and judged by the PICTUREGOER AWARDS PANEL for outstanding merit in fil craftsmanship and entertainment.
PLUS: FIRST PRESSING ONLY: A beautiful collectors 24 page booklet featuring an interview with John Huston in March 1952 and entitled A PAIR OF ACES AND A QUEEN. An archival article on the film’s production entitled AFRICAN ADVENTURE on Teddy Joseph’s memories working on the set of the film. We also get to read the SIGHT & SOUND INTERVIEW WITH HUSTON by Karel Reisx in January/March 1952. We also get PETER VIERTEL: IN MEMORIAM by Michael Scheingraber in September 2019. We also get VIEWING NOTES and the Blu-ray Credits. Plus two black-and-white rare images.
BONUS: Reversible printed Blu-ray sleeve featuring original artwork and a rare full colour poster for the film ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN.’
Finally, now for the first time we have the ultimate upgraded UK Blu-ray release of John Huston's ‘THE AFRICAN QUEEN’ and has two key advantages over the USA Region A/1 Blu-ray release, as it comes with a very good audio track and a very strong audio commentary by the late Jack Cardiff. If you do not yet have this classic film in your Blu-ray library collection, but keen to get this particular copy, then please remember that this is a Region B/2 Blu-ray disc. Ever since I had this on an NTSC LaserDisc, it has always been a massive favourite of mine, but now I have it in the ultimate Blu-ray format; I am now a very happy bunny and it will give me endless hours of enjoyment and an honour to have it in my extensive Blu-ray Collection. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
