I'm conflicted with this one. This shouldn't be the case. It's Huston, Bogart, and Hepburn...in a period piece romantic action comedy. This should be a stone could classic that I'm in love with.Instead, I'm pleased by it, but also stunned at how not excellent this actually is. Set in German occupied Africa during World
War I, the plot concerns a crusty, boozy river trader of a tramp steamer called The African Queen who agrees to take a zealous missionary back to civilization after German officers raid the village she and her brother were working in, burning it to the ground and leaving her as the sole survivor. Along the way, this odd couple have to contend with nature, the war, and one another, but eventually they do bond as you might expect...maybe.The set up is great, but the execution is what left me underwhelmed and a little disappointed. The leads are likeable (as actors), but their characters and performances are kinda blah and overdone. Had their been more weight to the script, and the characters been more darker and edgier, then this could have really had some bite to it. Maybe this is a film that truly does deserve a contemporary update. Also, some more dealing with the historical context of the setting woiuld have been great too. At least is was shot on location, which was a rare thing in those days. The setting and location shooting are great, the cinematography is decnt, but I kidna wishd this was in black and white...it would have added some needed grit to the proceedings.I didn't hate this, but it really came off as silly, which is an adjective that doesn't need to be used ot describe a project involving the cast and crew here. It's decent, but not as exciting and awesome as it truly could have been.
January 11, 2012
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