Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The African Queen 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 21, 2024

John Huston's "The African Queen" (1951) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by script supervisor Angela Allen and critic Ian Christie; archival audio commentary by cinematographer Jack Cardiff; archival program with co-screenwriter Peter Viertel; behind the scenes stills; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is a loner who lives on an old boat in East Africa. He makes ends meet by trading whatever the locals need. Occasionally, he would also deliver the mail to brother and sister English missionaries Rosie (Katharine Hepburn) and Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). One day, while visiting the village where they live, the Germans show up and seriously injure Samuel. When he dies, Charlie offers to take Rosie with him.

In the beginning, there is plenty of tension between Charlie and Rosie. For a while, she calls him "Mr. Allnut", while he calls her "Missus". Then, after she dumps his stash of gin in the river, and he shaves, the two warm up to each other. They also agree to sink Queen Louisa, a German ship patrolling the area right where the river and the ocean meet.

But to get to Queen Louisa, Charlie and Rosie must travel down the Ulonga-Bora river -- and this isn’t easy. They have to pass by a German fort and various very dangerous rapids and survive Mother Nature’s wrath. During the journey, Charlie and Rosie fall madly in love with each other.

John Huston's The African Queen is highly regarded by many, but its script is somewhat problematic because it keeps the main protagonists alive with pure magic. Specifically during the second half, where the African Queen survives some incredibly dangerous looking rapids, it is next to impossible to take the film seriously.

But the great chemistry between Bogart and Hepburn makes the film work. The early material where the two repeatedly clash and then gradually warm up to each other is simply terrific. Also, both operare with a notably diverse arsenal of terrific one-liners.

Huston and the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff shot the best looking material on location in Uganda and the Belgian Congo, while the rest was done at Isleworth Studios in London. The lush material from Uganda and the Belgian Congo reminds of another terrific looking Technicolor film, also from 1951, Jean Renoir’s The River, which was shot on location in India.

A dramatic soundtrack composed by Allan Gray gives the visuals an old-fashioned epic feel that feels most appropriate. The main themes, which often interact with various nature sounds and the boat's noisy engine, are particularly good.

In 1952, The African Queen earned Bogart his one and only Academy Award. Hepburn was only nominated for one.

In 2009, The African Queen was restored in 4K by Paramount Pictures, in association with ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The restoration was supervised by Ron Smith, the then-current vice president of Restoration for Paramount Pictures. During the restoration, the film’s legendary cinematographer was brought in as a consultant. He passed away on April 22, 2009.

The African Queen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of The African Queen is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

I do not have a market version of the combo pack. I was sent only a 4K Blu-ray disc to review.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

The combo pack offers a native 4K presentation of the 4K restoration of The African Queen that was completed in 2010. In the United Kingdom, the 4K restoration was first introduced on Blu-ray by ITV Studios with this release. In the United States, the 4K restoration was introduced by Paramount Pictures with this release.

Earlier tonight, I viewed the 4K restoration on 4K Blu-ray and thought that its presentation was magnificent. But I was not surprised because even on the Blu-ray, and after all these years, the 4K restoration still looks enormously impressive. Now, in native 4K, the visuals are lusher, tighter, and boasting superior delineation, clarity, and depth. In my opinion, the two most significant strengths of the native 4K presentation are in the areas of color reproduction and delineation/density levels. The expanded color palette and HDR grade give the entire film a type of Technicolor vibrancy that is simply impossible to reproduce on Blu-ray, and on my system the upgrade in quality was very obvious. Also, in many areas, both well-lit and darker ones, background information looked better defined. I will concede that some of the difference I observed has something to do with the superior encoding, but the native 4K visuals clearly have superior density levels too. In close-ups, and there are many throughout the film, this superiority is quite obvious. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks spotless. Finally, I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The following technical information about the 4K restoration was provided by StudioCanal:

"For the 2010 4K restoration of The African Queen, Romulus Films -- one of the film's original production companies -- provided access to the original three-strip negative at a London facility where the film was carefully scanned and digitized. The separate elements were then transferred to Los Angeles and painstakingly recombined and inspected frame by frame to ensure that every detail aligned and that any dirt and scratches were removed.

To ensure that the restored picture matched the filmmakers' original vision, Paramount arranged a screening of an MPAA archive print for the film's original cinematographer, Academy Award winner Jack Cardiff, whose comments were recorded live during the screening. That same archival print was later screened alongside the newly restored version so that the restoration team could ensure that all of Cardiff's notes had been addressed. The result is a vibrant, warm picture that reverentially recreates the film as it was originally meant to be seen."

The African Queen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. All exchanges are clear, sharp, and stable. Even though plenty of natural sounds and noises interact with the music, dynamic balance is good as well. There are no traces of age-related anomalies. However, now that we have Dolby Atmos, I would not have been opposed to the idea of having a new Dolby Atmos track, like the ones the folks at Sony prepare for various releases of older films. Some of the most impressive footage with the boat being tossed around can probably sound a little better. Regardless, I think that purists will be very happy with the LPCM 2.0 track.

The African Queen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - in this archival audio commentary, the late Jack Cardiff discusses in great detail how specific sequences from The African Queen were shot, the various technical obstacles his tech crew had to overcome in the Belgian Congo, the diseases several actors struggled with during the shooting process, some of the similarities and differences between C.S. Forester's novel and the film, etc.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by script supervisor Angela Allen and critic Ian Christie. Mrs. Allen recalls as best as possible the work she was required to do during the production of The African Queen with plenty of observations about her interactions with various people, including its iconic stars. Also, there is some interesting information about various technical details that some of the film's critics have been unhappy with.

• John Woolf on the Making of The African Queen - this interview with producer John Woolf is part of an audio recording from the archive of the British Entertainment History Project. The information that is shared in it addresses the early plans for and conception of The African Queen. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen - an outstanding in-depth look at the production history of The African Queen, with various comments by Martin Scorsese, Jack Cardiff, film historian Rudy Behlmer, writer/director Nicholas Meyer, Bogart Biographer Eric Lax, assistant director Guy Hamilton, and actor/director/producer Norman Lloyd, among others. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Interview with Co-Screenwriter Peter Viertel - in this archival program, co-screenwriter Peter Viertel recalls his initial impressions and interactions with producer Sam Spiegel and the production of The African Queen. Also, there are some quite interesting comments about Viertel's trip to Africa and the completion of the screenplay that was later used to do the film. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Q&A Session with Anjelica Houston and Angela Allen - in this archival audio program, Anjelica Houston and script supervisor Angela Allen. The most interesting information that is shared is about the difficult shooting conditions in the Belgian Congo, which apparently produced plenty of hilarious situations. The ladies are interviewed by Adrian Wootton after a screening of the 4K restoration of The African Queen at the National Film Theatre in London in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Interview with John Houston - in this archival audio interview, John Houston discusses his career and involvement with The African Queen. The interview was conducted at the National Film Theatre in London in 1981. In English, not subtitled. (88 min).

• Interview with Kim Newman - in this archival program, critic Kim Newman discusses The African Queen. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Interview with Neil Sinyard - in this archival program, critic Neil Sinyard discusses The African Queen. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Lux Radio Theatre Adaptation - presented here is an archival Lux Radio adaptation of The African Queen which aired on December 15, 1952, In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Stills Gallery - presented here a collection of behind the scenes stills. Silent. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The African Queen. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with writings on the film and techncial information.

The African Queen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal's release introduces a wonderful native presentation of the excellent 4K restoration of The African Queen that premiered in 2010. This native presentation is the best presentation of the film that I have seen to date. Also, the release has a big selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features that were previously used by other boutique labels. Hopefully, it won't be long before Paramount produces a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo release of The African Queen for the U.S. market as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.