From Book to Screen – C. S. Forester, The African Queen

Some really good books have been turned into really good films. And sometimes the books are forgotten, but not the films. Who doesn't have flickers of memory of Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut, the belching Cockney in his dilapidating steam boat, rescuing prim missionary Rose Stacy (Katharine Hepburn) in the chaos of WW I? However, who knows that the film is based on a delightful (and insightful) 1934 novel by C. S. Forester? The strength of the written word which has no bounds and the strong physical visuals of the film. Which medium expresses more fully the transformation of both protagonists – the prudish old maid becoming a freed woman of passion, the self-centered low life rat Allnut's growing admiration of Rose's determination and courage? We will read and discuss the short book, we will watch the 1951 John Huston film and we will discuss what makes a good book-to-film adaptation. Literature/Film. Level C1.