Watching.......The African Queen

We watched The African Queen last weekend. It was the first time I've ever seen this film, but it's one of Mark's old favorites. He had been disappointed because it wasn't available on Netflix for ages. That struck us both as sort of odd, considering it's such a classic, and has big name stars like Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, but when we saw the credits we learned that it was restored in 2009, so I guess that's why it was out of circulation for awhile.




Anyway, to be honest, at first, I really didn't like it. In fact, I voted to turn it off, but was vetoed. And I'm glad I was. This film should definitely not be judged by the first 10 -15 minutes. It's like they were really rushing through all this dramatic stuff (Germans marching in, villages being burned, etc.) to get to the part where Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn (or Charlie and Rosie I should say) get on the river in the African Queen. From that moment on, it's an excellent movie. The scenery is gorgeous and Bogart and Hepburn are superb together. It's not a particularly believable movie (especially the ending), but it is a grand, incredible adventure, and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved it! I'm also overcome with the desire to go whitewater rafting, which I've never done before. Maybe this summer!