The African Queen

Synopsis: September 1914, news reaches the colony German Eastern Africa that Germany is at war, so Reverend Samuel Sayer became a hostile foreigner. German imperial troops burn down his mission; he is beaten and dies of fever. His well-educated, snobbish sister Rose Sayer buries him and leaves by the only available transport, the dilapidated river steamboat 'African Queen' of grumpy Charlie Allnut. As if a long difficult journey without any comfort weren't bad enough for such odd companions, she is determined to find a way to do their bit for the British war effort (and avenge her brother) and aims high, as God is obviously on their side: construct their own equipment, a torpedo and the converted steamboat, to take out a huge German warship, the Louisa, which is hard to find on the giant lake and first of all to reach, in fact as daunting an expedition as anyone attempted since the late adventurous explorer John Speakes, but she presses till Charlie accepts to steam up the Ulana, about to brave
Director(s): John Huston
Production: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
  Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.9
Metacritic:
91
Rotten Tomatoes:
98%
PG
Year:
1951
105 min
1,181 Views


Bread of heaven

Bread of heaven

In this barren wilderness

Song of praises

Song of praises

I will ever give to thee

Be the Lord my righteousness

Song of praises

Song of praises

I will ever give to thee...

Death of death and hell's...

Song of praises

Song of praises

I will ever give to thee

When I tread the verge of Jordan

Song of praises

I will ever give to thee

Amen.

Amen

- Hello, Reverend.

- Mr. Allnut.

- Here's your mail.

- Thank you.

Sorry I'm late, but one thing and another

kept me in Limbasi.

You know how it is. Maybe you don't.

- Good morning, Mr. Allnut.

- Good morning, miss.

Splendid, they've come at last.

My rose trees.

- You'll stay for tea?

- Don't mind if I do.

I sure need something in my condition.

I'm in for a going over

when I get back to the mine.

Them Belgians are calling me

all the names they can think of,

but I don't mind being cussed out

in a foreign language.

They won't fire me.

Ain't nobody in Africa except yours truly

can get up a good head of steam

on the old African Queen.

You take sugar,

I seem to remember, Mr. Allnut?

That's right, miss. Couple of spoonfuls.

And milk?

That's right, miss.

- Bread and butter?

- That's right, miss.

- Brother.

- Thank you.

Just listen to this stomach of mine.

The way it sounds,

you'd think I had a hyena inside me.

Do have some more

bread and butter, Mr. Allnut.

Thanks, miss. I... I don't mind if I do.

Excuse me.

Queer thing, ain't it? What I mean is,

what do you suppose makes

a man's stomach carry on like this?

Try a rock cake, Mr. Allnut.

No, thanks, miss.

Herbie Morton's a bishop.

- Who's that, dear?

- Dear, surely you remember Herbie.

Blond, a bit younger

than I am, ruddy-faced.

He sang a solo

at the commemoration concert.

Holy, Holy, I think it was.

I think I remember. It was so long ago.

- He's a bishop now.

- Splendid.

Yes, I'd say Herbie was

a bit younger than me,

four or five years. Surprising, really.

He wasn't up to much as a student,

didn't have more than his share

of the social graces.

Then, of course, he married well.

Yes. That manufacturer's widow.

What was his name, Griggs?

Briggs. That was it. Alfred Briggs.

Soap flakes, I think. Mrs. Alfred Briggs.

Not to take anything away from Herbie.

I'm delighted for him, naturally.

Of course.

Ain't a thing I can do about it.

Itwas Holy, Holy.

More tea, Mr. Allnut?

Thank you, no, miss.

I reckon I'd better be shoving off

if I'm to get back to the mine

before tomorrow night.

- Don't hurry, Mr. Allnut.

- Do stay for dinner.

Thanks just the same.

I probably won't be coming around

this way for a couple of months.

Really? Well, what about our mail?

Don't look like there's going

to be any mail for a while.

Why not?

- The Germans will hold it up.

- Why, in heaven's name?

- On account of the war.

- War? Where, Mr. Allnut?

- Europe.

- Indeed. Between whom?

Germany, England...

- England?

- England?

- That's right.

- You really mean war?

Yeah, that's what they tell me.

Germans claim the British started it,

British claim it was the Germans.

Well, what do you know about it?

What's happened?

Well, let's see. I...

That's all I can remember.

Yes, the French are in it,

and all them little countries.

Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Spain.

I forget who's with who.

- Is that all you can tell us?

- That's all I know.

I'll see what I can find out

when I get to Limbasi.

Well, I'm wondering

what our position will be. Enemy aliens.

What harm could anybody do

the Germans

in this godforsaken place?

God has not forsaken

this place, Mr. Allnut,

as my brother's presence here

bears witness.

- No offense, miss.

- War.

Yeah. Yeah, looks like it.

Well, I'll be shoving off.

Thanks for the tea.

Take care of yourselves.

- Goodbye. Thank you.

- Goodbye, Mr. Allnut.

Wretched little man. What indifference.

He's a Canadian.

Doesn't he realize he's in this, too?

Shouldn't we perhaps try

to get to Limbasi while we can?

A good shepherd

doesn't desert his flock

when the wolves are prowling.

We must ask the Almighty

to bless the arms of England

and carry her through her hour of trial.

Rose, go into the house and stay there.

What's the meaning of this outrage?

How dare you!

Samuel!

Dear, here you are.

And without your hat on.

Didn't you hear me calling you?

Yes, but I must get the seeds in now.

It's a bit late. August.

But, dear, you know it doesn't matter

when one plants in Central Africa.

Africa?

Brother, dear, you're not at all well.

Africa?

- I'll help you off with your things.

- Rose.

Brother. Brother. Dear.

Smite the Amalekites, O Lord.

Smite them, hip and thigh.

Amen.

Cold. Foggy.

Where's Rose?

Rose, are you down there in the shop?

I'm here.

Bring me a nice, hot cup of tea.

I'm here, Brother, beside you.

I try so hard, you know, to study.

Hebrew, Greek. I've got no facility.

If I don't pass the examinations,

I shall volunteer as a missionary.

Rose, too.

Not comely among the maidens,

but she, too, can be a servant

in the house of the Lord.

Even for such as she,

God has a goodly purpose.

I'm going to put my books away.

I'm not going to work anymore.

If I don't pass, it'll just mean

that God has other work for me.

Thy will be done.

O Lord, if it be thy will,

let me distinguish myself.

Give me a call here in England at home.

Mother would be so proud.

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John Huston

John Marcellus Huston (; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an Irish-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Huston was a citizen of the United States by birth but renounced U.S. citizenship to become an Irish citizen and resident. He returned to reside in the United States where he died. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), Fat City (1972) and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). During his 46-year career, Huston received 15 Oscar nominations, won twice, and directed both his father, Walter Huston, and daughter, Anjelica Huston, to Oscar wins in different films. Huston was known to direct with the vision of an artist, having studied and worked as a fine art painter in Paris in his early years. He continued to explore the visual aspects of his films throughout his career, sketching each scene on paper beforehand, then carefully framing his characters during the shooting. While most directors rely on post-production editing to shape their final work, Huston instead created his films while they were being shot, making them both more economical and cerebral, with little editing needed. Most of Huston's films were adaptations of important novels, often depicting a "heroic quest," as in Moby Dick, or The Red Badge of Courage. In many films, different groups of people, while struggling toward a common goal, would become doomed, forming "destructive alliances," giving the films a dramatic and visual tension. Many of his films involved themes such as religion, meaning, truth, freedom, psychology, colonialism and war. Huston has been referred to as "a titan", "a rebel", and a "renaissance man" in the Hollywood film industry. Author Ian Freer describes him as "cinema's Ernest Hemingway"—a filmmaker who was "never afraid to tackle tough issues head on." more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The African Queen" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_african_queen_2280>.

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