The African Queen

1 9 5 1 (UK)

Set in German East Africa at the beginning of World War I this magnificent comedy tells the tale of an unlikely romance between Rose Sayer, a prim and priggish missionary (Hepburn) and Charlie Allnut, a booze-soaked mailboat skipper (Bogart). The adventure-filled movie has the pair bringing the old mailboat down a river infested with leeches, reeds and rapids to pursue a German gunboat.

Bogie picked up the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of skipper Charlie Allnut (beating Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire). The picture brought Hepburn a fifth Oscar nomination for her role. Nominations also went to director John Huston and screen writer James Agee who adapted the novel by CS Forester.

It had originally been planned for David Niven to play the role of Charlie Allnut.