Essay Questions

Although she missed out on an Academy Award, Katherine Hepburn's performance as Rose is definitely Oscar-worthy. What are some of the ways in which she brings the prudish English spinster to life?

At the time of filming, Hepburn was in the middle of a tumultuous relationship with Spencer Tracy, who, like Charlie Allnut, battled alcoholism. Because of this she was already weary of life with an alcoholic and extremely aware of the devastation alcoholism can create. This brought a general air of disapproval about heavy drinking to her portrayal of Rose which certainly added to the character's prurience. Because Bogart was drinking on set his reaction to her aversion to a drink also brought the main point of contention between Rose and Charlie to life. Hepburn also brought her own determination and moral backbone to the character of Rose which made her belief in their ability to sink the German ship seem almost realistic rather than the delusions of a batty Englishwoman distraught by the murder of her brother. Hepburn has an air of authority that brings realism to Rose's nagging and makes it easy to understand why Charlie would buckle under the pressure of her relentless insistence.

Apart from Robert Morley's scenes, the entire movie was shot in Africa. Why was this unusual for the time and how does it add to the film's cinematic success?

At the time, movies were shot on a soundstage in Hollywood rather than on location which was extremely expensive and presented all sorts of logistical difficulties. Studios preferred their stars to stay in relative safety and also preferred to keep the budget within reason. However, shooting The African Queen in the eponymous continent gave the film both authenticity and also visual beauty. The cinematography is impressive and also gives the audience a realistic impression of the predicament Rose and Charlie found themselves in. The scope and size of the surroundings emphasizes how small and insignificant they are in comparison. Also, by showing the real Africa and not a representation of it, the invasive reach of the German army is also emphasized, and this shows why Rose was so driven to try to fight back against that.

If Bogart had been able to pull off a Cockney accent, both of the film's main characters would have been British. How would this have changed the nature of the film?

The movie would have been completely different had Charlie Allnut been a Cockney Englishman. The film would have shifted from being predominantly a love story in a wartime setting to being a war movie, pitting two courageous ex-pat Brits against the German foe. The relationship between the two would likely have been very different; because Rose was a missionary from a good background and with delicate sensibilities, she would likely have not fallen for a Cockney Londoner because their knowledge of the British class system would have precluded any romance. Allnut's Canadian nationality gave him a sense of mystery to Rose and took out the element of class difference that would have prevented their relationship from blossoming.

How is the character progression helped by the plot in The African Queen?

The storyline is entirely responsible for making it happen. It is important to remember that challenging situations may make us better individuals. Human nature predisposes us to to resist change, unless of course there is intense external pressure. In a tale about character transformation, the storyline serves that purpose. We will walk through the main components of a three-act structure to see how this interaction between the exterior action of the story and the internal development of character in the film. The African Queen is a useful case study because it follows the three-act structure and goes above and beyond it. This makes it possible for us to see how each structural event in the movie advances the storyline and the tales of the characters at the same time.