I love them both, and I love the movie. For me, Charlie isn't a fool: he's a supremely practical individual, who's paramount interests are his work and survival. He sees no further than he has to, and has no clue about what he's capable of. This does not make him a fool, at least not to me: it makes him an under-achiever. Under Rosie's influence, he becomes an inventor, a very good problem solver, a risk-taker, a care-taker, a care-recipient, and a man who finds love with a woman who has shown him he is someone worthwhile, and who can give him as good as he can give. To me, Bogart gives Charlie a wonderful warmth, sense of humor, glimmers of wit and a strong arc of growth both of strength and vulnerability. He plays wonderfully, to me, the delicate parallel between him and the wonderfully-gifted Hepburn, as she grows in an equal opposite direction.
Long ago, I remember Bogart in an interview saying something like: "We loved those two crazy people on that boat". They both made me love them too.
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molypocho
9 years ago
Fair enough. I probably went too far in calling him a fool. For me, he's got some foolish moments, for example, how he waffles back and forth between rage and flattery when Rose is giving him the silent treatment. From my masculine perspective, the scene is humiliating. It's a powerful scene, I do not deny it, but the kind of man Charlie eventually becomes, "an inventor, a very good problem solver, a risk-taker, a care-taker, a care-recipient" and one who is willing to capitulate to his woman, is the kind of man I have yet to become. You can call it what you want, chauvinistic, prideful or egotistical, but I prefer independent. I'm certain there are many strong-willed women who feel the same way in regards to men.
The truth is that there are many men who capitulate to their women, but perhaps such portrayals are rarely caught on film, especially during the 50's. It's obvious to me that Rose is The African Queen. That such an overlooked social dynamic could worm its way into a classic Hollywood movie makes Bogart's humbling performance all the more praiseworthy. It's even fitting that Hepburn's performance should carry more gravitas because hers is the stronger character. I'm all for it. That's what I call gutsy filmmaking.
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