Th African Queen

Often when watching old movies I begin to wonder what it is that makes them so different, so special. I believe it is a number of things, and that acting is one of the most influential. The actors in those old movies are the greatest of film.

The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn is the greatest acted film ever made. Just recently I watched the movie after not seeing it for a while and was stunned once again by the perfection of the performances. I was so awestruck by the acting that I watched it again the next day (something I almost never do).

The skills and talents of Bogart and Hepburn were so great they demanded deeper discussion. Why is the acting in this movie stand so stark against everything else? One reason would be the simple fact that this is the greatest actor of all time teamed with quite possibly the greatest actress of all time. And they have a natural chemistry!

Bogart and Hepburn are in the later years of their careers when the movie was made, and were at the peak of their abilities. Because it was later in their careers they not only had natural talent but the wisdom and skills only experience can give. They are give a clever script then placed alone on the small setting of a river boat so their performances are not dragged down by lesser talents. The African Queen is great acting and only great acting.

Their performances are what make the film so precious. I have been using the words ‘acting’ and ‘actors’ but they are really misleading. Watching the movie, their performances are so natural and real there are many moments where you will lose yourself forgetting you are watching a performance through the glass. They remove the boundaries separating you in realty and them in your TV causing you to feel you are watching the true reactions of people rather than the prepared actions of characters.

The superiority of their acting to anything else ever filmed has to be seen to be believed, but once you see it you will believe.