Maybe one of the side benefits of having Mrs. DisneylandTraveler's father come live with us is my opportunity to catch up on some old classic movies - like The African Queen which we watched together a few days ago. The old guy likes his movies but most of his movie interest seems to focus on 40 or 50 years ago. I think over the years I may have seen bits and pieces of The African Queen but I can't ever recall sitting down to see the whole think beginning to end. And seeing the film, some 60 years after it was first made, was really quite enjoyable.
At first I was put off by Humphrey Bogart's curious attempts to smile. "This guy won an Academy Award for this?" "This guy is someone many claim to be the finest actor of all time?" Eventually the movie won me over if you put it into the context it was made. I always thought of the movie as a serious adventure dripping with danger. That wasn't case at all as those involved with the movie saw it more of an adventure comedy. Bogart was having fun playing a character that went against some of his serious tough guy roles. He had reason to smile. He was making a movie with people he truly liked with Katherine Hepburn and John Huston. Much of the film was shot in either Africa or England so he was on location, and at least for the African portion of the shoot, he was excusably getting plowed regularly which was a lifestyle he embraced. He was an actor's actor who was at the very top of his game and knew exactly what he was doing and what the character was all about.
With all the attempts Hollywood has made trying to remake movies, The African Queen has been left to its own existence through the years. You can't mess with perfection.
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