The Best Adventure Movies: The African Queen

You Are Here:

Home >> A Perfect 10

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov listen
Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz listen
Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch listen
Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer listen
Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman listen
Out of Bounds: That '70s Guy listen

What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer

Why do mosquito bites itch? answer
Are elite athletes just lucky genetic mutants? answer
Can women really tolerate cold water better than men? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries

Outside Magazine, June 2005

Outside Goes to the Movies
A Perfect 10
The African Queen

By Steven Kotler & The Editors

6. The African Queen (1951)
In no other film is the transformative power of adventure realized with such clarity. Adapted from C. S. Forester's 1935 novel, this genre-bending picture—is it a comedy, love story, or travel epic?—follows hard-drinking steamboat captain Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) and stiff lady missionary Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn) on a journey through the backwaters of German East Africa, at the start of World War I.

Partnered by chance, they battle

"One of the most amazing movie experiences I've ever had was when I showed a DVD on a laptop to a group of Tuaregs in the Libyan Sahara.... We chose The English Patient, since it takes place in Libya. It was likely the first movie they'd ever seen, and they couldn't take their eyes off it. I think they gave it two thumbs up!"—Richard Bangs, author and adventure travel pioneer

Class V whitewater, leeches, and each other in a quest to sink a German gunboat. Along the way they fall in love (natch), and Hepburn morphs into a hardened and enthusiastic river warrior. ("I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!" she crows after a particularly hairy set of rapids.) More shocking still, Bogie turns into a gentleman. Under the guidance of powerhouse director John Huston, the lady-and-tramp interplay is flawless. Bogie's ability to broadcast onscreen frailty, which movie fans hadn't seen from him before, garnered the actor his only Oscar.

Next Page: Aliens

• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.

TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
Material Girl: Winter-Ready Surfing
For most of us, it's not cold enough to break out thicker wetsuits, hoods, booties, or gloves. But...