1952, Dir: John Huston, Horizon/Romulus Cert U, 105 mins
This legendary Technicolour Boy’s Own adventure, set in 1914 German East Africa, is a love story cleverly wrapped in an intrepid river journey. Bogart plays a filthy river captain (for which he won an Oscar) of the eponymous, equally grubby 30ft river steamer (the one used was built in Lytham St Annes) taking the starched missionary Katharine Hepburn down the Yulanga/Bora river to destroy the 100-tonne German steamer Luisa (based on former WW1 vessel MV Liemba that was sunk on lake Tanganyika in 1916 but refloated by the British and serves as a passenger ferry to this day).
River pilotage, prop damage and shaft twist are only some of the problems that rear during this epic journey. Apart from the comedy embroiled in this film – “No one in their might rinds would tackle them rapids” a very drunk Bogart spoonerises; “I now pronounce you man and wife, proceed with the execution”, to name a couple of lines. It is the expertly timed melting of the icy Hepburn that rightly classes this as one of the finest and most unexpected romance films ever made.
Though there’s no sailing and most of the on-water footage was shot in London, the film contains a fine portrayal of an idiosyncratic steam power plant. It’s also one of the British Film Institute’s 100 best films. GV
Trailer: