Flick of The Day: The African Queen

We have looked at the work of Humphrey Bogart before in The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon which was the first collaboration between Bogart and director John Huston. Perhaps their most famous collaboration is today's flick of the day, The African Queen. A film as famous for its laborious location shoot as for the end result, it is a great technical achievement even today its arduous shoot earned Bogart and co-star Katharine Hepburn Academy Awards nominations.

The African Queen

Adapted from a novel by C.S Forester, the African Queen is set in East Africa during World War 1 and stars Bogart as Charlie Allnut, a gin swilling slob of who captains the steam boat of the title, delivering supplies up and down the river. Hepburn is her usual prim self as Rose Sayer, this time the sister of a missionary who dies when the Germans invade. Allnut offers to take Rose back to the civilisation and together the two begin an arduous journey down the river. Charlie mentions in passing that the Germans have a gunboat, the Louisa, that controls the lake into which the river drains. Rose becomes obsessed with sinking the gunboat, perhaps for retribution at the death of her brother or perhaps for a need to do something to help the war effort. In either case, Charlie believes navigating the river will be suicide enough without turning their small steam boat into a torpedo boat. The pair overcome a number of obstacles, from white water rapids to a German Fort, gradually revealing the softer sides of their characters to each other and falling in love. When they eventually make it to the lake, they are resolved to sink the Louisa.

As noted at the outset, this film is best remembered for the filming of it as much as anything else. The shoot was over 4 months on location in the Congo and Uganda. This was not your typical Hollywood shoot with Bogart's wife Lauren Bacall on set for the duration and in her own words acting as cook, nurse and clothes washer. To combat the threat of disease, both Bogart and Huston survived on a diet of canned food and Scotch whiskey, more of the latter than the former. It worked as almost everyone else in the cast came down with dysentery during filming. As Bogart explained:

"Whenever a fly bit Huston or me, it dropped dead"

Hepburn, who did not drink, fared much worse, losing weight and getting very ill at one point. Despite this, the cast and crew pulled through and overcame many other obstacles such as marauding hippos and a boat fire to put together a memorable film. The shoot was documented in Clint Eastwood's fictionalised White Hunter, Black Heart

The true strength of the film is the interplay between Bogart and Hepburn, for they are the only ones on camera for most of the film. If they don't gel, then you don't really have a film, thankfully they make great sparring partners.

Charlie: All this fool talk about The Louisa. Goin' down the river... 

Rose: What do you mean? 

Charlie: I mean we ain't goin' to do nothin' of the sort. 

Rose: Why, of course we're going! What an absurd idea! 

Charlie: What an absurd idea! What an absurd idea! Lady, I may be a born fool, but you got ten absurd ideas to my one, an' don't you forget it!

This apart, the film is a romantic melodrama with adventure elements, it is however a fun journey all the same, holding your interest as they go from A to B. The difficulties involved in filming are obvious throughout, from the leech invested waters where only for Bogart's objection, they would have used real leeches at John Huston's request. Even for a director as peerless as Huston, this stands out as an achievement.

All in all, a fine film which earned Bogart his only Oscar win, a crying shame for perhaps the greatest leading man in cinema history. A great script and an interesting tale are combined to great effect by John Huston. It is well worth seeking out for a viewing.

Flick of The Day: The Big Sleep (1946)

As noted during our look at The Maltese Falcon, Raymond Chandler is to detective fiction what Elvis Presley is to rock n roll. He is one of the most influential writers of his time and perhaps his greatest creation is Philip Marlowe. This adaptation is perhaps the most stylish and the least cogent. Today's film is The Big Sleep.

A star vehicle for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall who by this time were married and very much the biggest stars of the day. In fact, additional scenes between the two were added to highlight their chemistry. Directed by Howard Hawks, the film is famed for its convoluted plot, and it is hard at times to follow. The important point to remember though is that essentially the story as written by Chandler is about the process of an investigation and how the characters interact rather then catching the killer. It is perhaps best to just relax and allow the plot to flow over you. Legend has it in fact that neither the director or the screenwriters who included William Faulkner knew whether one of the characters, the chauffeur had been murdered or had killed himself. They went as far sending a telegram to Chandler asking him to clarify. He later told a friend:

"They sent me a wire ... asking me, and dammit I didn't know either"

Without labouring the point or giving too much away,the plot is thus. Cynical private detective Philip Marlowe is summoned to the home of the ageing oil magnate General Sternwood. A blackmailer is attempting to obtain funds from the General in exchange for compromising photographs of his youngest daughter, Carmen. Marlowe is hired to investigate much to the chagrin of the General's eldest daughter, Vivian, played by Bacall. Marlowe soon becomes involved in the death of Arthur Geiger, a purveyor of pornography. There is also a local hood and gambling den owner named Eddie Mars involved. The rest of the plot...well you'll see for yourself.

The film's plot is muddled mostly because of the Hays code which we discussed in our review of The French Connection. Elements of the book could simply not be included in the film. Indeed if it is important to you to know that Mr Geiger is a pornographer, you will have to read the book because it is completely avoided in the film. As is any reference to drug use. This bowdlerised version of the plot makes little sense at times and often there is just so much plotting that you couldn't take it in if you tried.

As I said previously, perhaps the best thing to do is just to relax and enjoy. Lauren Bacall looks gorgeous, Bogart is as cool as ever and the film is the epitome of the '40s noir style with dark corners, sultry femme fatales and the underbelly of Los Angeles, the city of Angels.

Flick of The Day: The Maltese Falcon

When it comes to film noir and detective fiction in general, there are no more influential writers then Raymond Chandler with his creation of Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammett with his Sam Spade. Spade is the central focus of today's film, The Maltese Falcon. The novel was the source of two previous adaptations by Warner Bros before this, the definitive version with Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade.

Legendary director, John Huston was 35 years old when he wrote and directed this classic tale of greed and its consequences for his debut outing as a director. The film opens with the following introducion:

"In 1539 the Knight Templars of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels——but pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day..."

The story is thus: Spade and his partner are hired by a mysterious woman to protect her from a man called Floyd Thursby. Before long, Spade's partner is dead and he is submerged into a web of deceit in the search for the titular falcon.

This was the role that made Humphrey Bogart a leading man, the next year he made Casablanca and was at the height of his profession and never looked back though he was not the first choice for the film. George Raft turned down the role because of an unwillingness to work with a first-time director. This proved a fatal mistake for Raft who's career went into terminal decline as the decade wore on, while Bogart became Hollywood royalty.

Bogart wasn't the only star though for this film had a truly stellar supporting cast with a fine performance from Sydney Greenstreet as the "Fat Man" and Peter Lorre playing his usual sinister foreigner. There is even a small appearance from the noted Western actor and John Ford alumnus, Ward Bond as a San Francisco detective.

One of the finest movies ever made and quite probably the best example of film noir at its best, The Maltese Falcon still weaves a tale today that is every bit as compelling as it was in 1941. One of the great achievements of this film is the superb cinematography from Arthur Edeson. The lighting is low key and the camera angles chosen are always strikingly unusual. The camera is often placed low to the ground, perhaps to reinforce the image of the characters being low down villains.

All in all, a film you just have to see.