FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE THE BEST MOVIES IN OUR VIDEO STORE! John Huston - The African Queen 

 There are good and very good actors! And then there are unique actors! The likes of Hepburn & Bogart in John Huston's The African Queen! After all, the team travelled all the way to the Congo to get Bogart his only Oscar! The African Queen attracted numerous parodies and practically serves as the model for all films set in a boat on a river. In 1951, this came as a surprise, as it was assumed that Hepburn & Bogart's best days as stars were long behind them. Apart from an exciting opening scene and the big ending, The African Queen consists entirely of Hepburn & Bogart sailing down an obscure river on their old boat as the First World War breaks out. Of course they fall in love - but who would want to see these middle-aged stars in a romantic comedy in 1951 when the young, angry lovers of the 50s were performing next door? Well, apparently a mass audience! And that's still true today at Christmas 2020! My favourite thing to do in our video library is to conduct mini-polls on which film you want to see again right away. The African Queen is always one of them! After all, it's an ideal family treat! The film is not even particularly demanding, but everyone, no matter whether big or small, has a great time! Things happen on the screen or monitor that make us happy and we get directly involved. The African Queen respects its audience, our sincere desire to be well and intelligently entertained. So many films are made with little imagination and no passion that The African Queen still holds up as a Feel Good Movie 70 years after its initial release. For what starts as an adventure film turns into a romantic comedy. And even one that can make basic statements about life! I think a lot of the humour is in the personalities of Hepburn and Bogart. In their interplay, not so much in the story itself. The gin-addicted captain on his riverboat, intimidated by the Bible-reading missionary. Katherine Hepburn's role is particularly difficult, because her missionary had to be both aloof and human at the same time. And what to do when both are captured and led to the gallows? What realist can still believe in the mission of the African Queen at that moment and that it could actually lead to success?