Where was The African Queen filmed
The African Queen
Year: 1951
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: Congo, USA, Uganda, United Kingdom
<p>The 1951 adventure film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by S. С. Forester 1935. In adapting the script, significant changes were made at the insistence of the production censors. In particular, the moment of unmarried characters living together on a boat, as it was in the book, was excluded. The movie was shot both in the studio and on location. About half of the footage was shot in Africa, in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Uganda. Locations included the Ruiki River, Lake Albert and a section of the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park. At the time, such location shoots, especially in color using heavy Technicolor cameras, were rare. The cast and crew worked in harsh conditions, suffering from illness and heat. Katharine Hepburn, for example, was filmed while suffering from severe malaise. Bogart later ironically noted that he and director John Huston did not get sick only because they drank whiskey instead of local water. The rest of the movie was filmed in the UK. All scenes involving water, which could have been dangerous, were filmed in the pavilions of Worton Hall Studios in Aylworth (a suburb of London). A large raft with a mock-up of the African Queen on the deck was used for filming on the boat. Some elements of the boat's structure were specially made removable in order to accommodate a bulky camera in a narrow space. </p>
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Locations
African jungle
In movie
Scene where German colonial troops burn down a village and take away the locals to force them to serve in the army. Samuel tries to intervene, but is beaten by the soldiers. Shortly afterward, Samuel falls ill with fever, loses consciousness, and dies.
Real
Scene was shot at Worton Hall Studios, in southwest London. The studio recreated African jungle and riverscapes - this allowed for safe filming of scenes that were difficult to realize on location, especially those where the characters are in the water.
Lake
In movie
Scene where heavy rains raise the water level, and the African Queen is swept by the current straight into the lake. Over the next two days, the heroes prepare the boat for the attack. When the German ship Queen Louise reappears on the lake, Charlie and Rose take their boat out at night, planning to send it to ram the enemy vessel.
Real
Scene was shot on Lake Albert, located west of the Murchison Falls in Uganda. It is one of Africa's largest lakes, lying on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time of filming in the 1950s, the shoreline remained sparsely inhabited, with dense thickets and wildlife.
River rapids
In movie
Scene where the heroes sail past a German fortress, and the soldiers open fire on them. The boat's boiler sustains damage. Charlie manages to reconnect the pressure hose just before the boat enters the second section of rapids. The boat is rocked and lurching violently, water flooding the deck. After overcoming the danger, Charlie and Rose are overjoyed at their success - they hug and kiss.
Real
Scene was shot Kabaraga Falls (now better known as Murchison Falls) in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. This is one of the most picturesque places on the Nile River, where the waters narrow down to a gorge only 7 meters wide and rumble down from a height of over 40 meters. The area combines dense jungle, rocky banks and turbulent rapids, which made it the perfect setting for filming the movie's challenging river scenes.