Counter Culture

The African Queen, directed by John Huston and based on the novel by C.S. Forester, is a timeless adventure film that not only entertains but also subtly addresses political and social themes of its time. Set against the backdrop of World War I in German East Africa, the film explores the unlikely alliance between two distinct individuals and their journey down a treacherous river, ultimately becoming a metaphor for resistance and the triumph of the human spirit.

Humphrey Bogart delivers a charismatic and memorable performance as Charlie Allnut, the rough and rugged captain of the steam-powered boat, The African Queen. His chemistry with Katharine Hepburn, who portrays the prim and determined missionary Rose Sayer, is undeniable and forms the heart of the film. Together, they embark on a daring mission to navigate dangerous waters and sabotage a German warship, becoming unlikely heroes in the face of adversity.

While The African Queen is primarily an adventure romance, it subtly weaves in political and social themes that reflect the time period in which it is set. The film touches upon the effects of colonialism, highlighting the struggles and conflicts between the colonizers and the indigenous people. The relationship between Rose and Charlie, which evolves from initial cultural and social differences to mutual respect and cooperation, can be seen as a metaphor for overcoming divisions and bridging cultural gaps.

Moreover, the film presents an undercurrent of resistance against oppression and the will to fight for freedom. As Rose and Charlie navigate through hazardous waters, they become symbols of resilience and defiance against the German forces occupying the region. The African Queen subtly portrays the spirit of resistance against imperialism, emphasizing the importance of standing up against oppressive regimes.

While the film’s political and social themes are not overtly explicit, they add depth and nuance to the narrative, elevating it beyond a mere adventure tale. Huston’s direction and the outstanding performances by Bogart and Hepburn bring these themes to life, showcasing the power of cinema to explore deeper issues while entertaining audiences.

It is worth noting that The African Queen was made during a period when the film industry was still grappling with issues of racial representation and stereotypes. As such, the portrayal of African characters in the film may be viewed with a critical lens by modern audiences, recognizing the need for greater cultural sensitivity and accurate representation.

Despite its age, The African Queen remains a captivating and enjoyable film that blends adventure, romance, and subtle political and social commentary. It stands as a testament to the talent of its cast and crew, offering a timeless story that resonates with audiences to this day. Whether appreciated for its thrilling escapades, the chemistry between its leads, or its underlying themes, The African Queen continues to be a classic worth revisiting.

Reviewed by Patrick Harrington

Highlights this week include The Soviet Union 100th Anniversary 1922, Napoleon and Kinky Boots.

Saturday 3 December 2022

Classic Albums: American Pie BBC2 10.10pm

Don McLean takes listeners and viewers behind the making of 1971’s “American Pie” album

Sunday 4 December 2022

Kinky Boots (2006) 10.30pm Channel 5

After his father’s demise, Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) inherits the family business, a shoe factory in Northampton, England. He is not interested in shoes, and the factory is in such dire financial straits that he must lay off 15 employees. However a fortuitous encounter with a transvestite cabaret singer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) inspires Charlie to save the factory from closure by producing erotic footwear, much to the chagrin of the workers.

Unsung Heroines: Danielle De Nise On the Lost World of Female Composers 10.50pm BBC4

Danielle de Niese explores the lives and works of five female composers – from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century – who were famous in their lifetimes, but whose work was then forgotten.

Western classical music has traditionally been seen as a procession of male geniuses, but the truth is that women have always composed. Hildegard of Bingen, Francesca Caccini, Clara Schumann, Florence Price and Elizabeth Maconchy – all these women battled to fulfil their ambitions and overcome the obstacles that society placed in their way. They then disappeared into obscurity, and only some have found recognition again.

Monday 5 December 2022

The Soviet Union 100th Anniversary 1922 (1/3) 8.40pm PBS America

The Soviet Union was formed on 30 December 1922 after five years of civil war. Stalin’s iron fist and his Great Purge gave him unopposed murderous rule over the country, while heroically defeating Hitler’s onslaught on Kursk and Stalingrad between 1941-43 effectively won WWII for the allies, and helped mark out his geopolitical world and power until his death in 1953.

Tuesday 6 December 2022

The Soviet Union 100th Anniversary 1922 (2/3) 8.35pm PBS America

With the pace of the 1950’s Cold War increasing, alongside the the space race and the Berlin Wall, the decision to join forces with Cuba and build missile sites there brings the world to the brink of disaster. While the Cuban Missile Crisis is averted and a peace settlement reached, not long after JFK is assassinated in 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald, a US Marine veteran who had defected to the Soviet Union in 1959

Back to Basquiat 9.15pm Sky Arts

The life and work of New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat were marked by a long quest for identity, by his Haitian and Puerto Rican family origins, and by his pivotal trip to Africa. Portraying this major painter of the twentieth century, who died in 1988 at the age of 27, is also a way of evoking the place of black American artists in the conservative America of the Reagan years.

Wednesday 7 December 2022

Napoleon (1/3) 7.35pm PBS America

The first programme in this three-part series charts Napoleon’s extraordinary rise from Corsican obscurity, chronicling the military victories in Italy that made him a hero to the French and convinced him he was destined for greatness. Also revealed is young Napoleon’s love for a woman of extravagant tastes and habits who initially rejected his passionate affection: the legendary Josephine de Beauharnais. The programme features sites important to Napoleon’s early life, including Corsica, where this son of a provincial aristocrat was raised as one of eight children; Brienne in northern France where he spent five years at boarding school; and the Italian Alps, where he fought the Austrians with a skill that no one expected, and where his quest for power began. Numerous paintings as well as dramatic re-creations of Napoleon’s historic battles combine to bring the story of his life to the screen.

The Soviet Union 100th Anniversary 1922 (3/3) 8.45pm PBS America

With the escalation of nuclear missiles globally, Brezhnev invades Czechoslovakia in 1968, as the proxy East vs West war in Vietnam continues. Following the catastrophic invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, a new era begins with Mikhail Gorbachev, as his bold statements quickly lead to a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and by 1989, the collapse of communism. That same year the symbolic Berlin Wall falls, with the end of the Soviet Union formally declared in August 1991.

Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive Sky Arts 9pm

Documentary featuring never before aired film, interviews and scripts from inimitable comedian and poet Spike Milligan.

Dodi: Last Days Of A Playboy 9pm Channel 5

Dodi: Last Days Of A Playboy aims to go “beyond the image of a pampered playboy portrayed by the media, to reveal how an isolated, lonely boy had to deal with his parents’ divorce at a young age, built a career in Hollywood and ended up dating the most famous woman in the world.”

Thursday 8 December 2022

Napoleon (2/3) 7.10pm PBS America

Charts his transformation from a political leader to Emperor and global statesman.

Friday 9 December 2022

Napoleon (3/3) 7.15pm PBS America

Deals with his defeat at Waterloo and exile.

Selections by Pat Harrington

I should have been ‘banging’ the drums with a Big Band at this time; two weeks of playing throughout each day, with more informal playing during the night. But, as with everything else, the reaction to the virus forced its cancellation. Undoubtedly I would have enjoyed this as I have done in previous years but I am also content being outside my home reading. And thinking. And listening — as some magpies shout in their vulgar, guttural fashion. Have they noticed the change we are all experiencing? And now I am inside writing.

My mood is good and I wonder how much of that is due to blue sky and nascent sun. How much are we creatures of the weather we live under? How much of our thought and language and even culture is tied to temperature and scudding clouds? The flora and fauna that surrounds us is surely a product of our seasons — the weather of our particular part of the world. I can feel spring rising. And what must spring think of these times — less noise, less pollution, fewer humans out and about. There is palpable silence at times in an air that seems clearer and sharper. Maybe this is fancy upon my part. I am lucky for sure.

My imagination (and I trust empathy) reveals situations others must find themselves in. Perhaps YOUR situation. This is a time we are forced to confront ourselves. How many people love to ‘go out’ to escape themselves and their life? Perhaps it is only in silence that we can evolve spiritually. How can we evolve if we don’t know ourselves and how can we know ourselves in a world of noise and confusion? But now we are turned in and this might be both positive and negative. We must evaluate every relationship we have (human or otherwise) — be that a mother, alone with three young children; an old person alone peering from a bedroom window at an empty park opposite; a husband and wife quarrelling over lack of money; a young man desperate for the company of his friends…We have to assess our inward and outward life. Others, of course, are still ‘out there’ doing invaluable jobs — their time for reflection will come later.

It’s odd in that it feels as if a sky-sized shroud has been lowered upon the earth. This shroud allows the sun to penetrate — it both warms and freezes us. It is a comforting blanket and a winding sheet for the dead. This shroud has deadened sound but in its fibres also carries the deadly virus. The world is enfolded by and with this danger. Thankfully the great majority of us will be there to see it cast aside and thrown away as we are resurrected from this collective experience. The Everyman corpse will rise and — I hope — greet its new world with a different attitude and approach. But for the moment we rest in peace — or not.

For those of you encountering deep boredom be rest assured that boredom always gives way to creativity. We ALL have this potential no matter how simplistic. It’s good for children to be bored — because that boredom will become the mother of invention. We live in an age of passivity. It wasn’t always like this. We also live in an age of passive and individual entertainment. Many of us are tied to a ‘smart phone’ that is a magical box of potential. Yet this spring of knowledge allows us only to drink alone for the most part. There ARE things we can do in communion — but we really need to restore equilibrium and have connexion with our fellow beings. Okay, normally I am content alone — but that includes listening to great artists and reading books. The latter is NOT a passive act — it requires commitment and re-imagination as my mind translates printed symbols created by another’s mind to enter my own where I ‘magically’ translate these symbols into the most beautiful or complex of ideas. The greatest minds lie dormant on my bookshelves until I breathe life upon them as I take them down and open their pages. It is TRULY wonderful.

Once confined folk have grown irritated by a succession of films or a diet of fast-food television then perhaps their creativity might shoot along with those of spring. It’s simply a matter of activating our brains into ‘action’ rather than ‘reception’. But it’s also, perhaps, a matter of tempering the passions of our brain. I’m not advocating acceptance here but rather restraint that can lead to creativity. Imagine a fully blind person whose concept of the ‘outside world’ is limited to the extent of their body (including hearing and smell). They live in a constant interior world. For the moment we are tied to dwellings — houses that can become homes. Families that can become fully connected. Relationships that can become fully honest. This is our time to change.

Confinement is not without risk and we could feel ourselves tethered and chained both mentally and physically. It is our relationship with these tethers with which we must come to grips. You’ll notice that the generic title for these thoughts is Co-Void 19. Co represents: cooperation, coexistence, correspondences and Void — that which we encounter. We are being given the potential to refill this void in a new way. We stand at its periphery and gaze inwards in uncertainly. But the void is filled with everything we exude. Every thought and action. Every creative act.

The world as was, has been voided. Even if this experience is shortened quicker than anyone might think and with fewer folk dying or being affected than we might have projected — something tangible has happened. The void we stare into is potentiality. Maybe as creatures brought to life again through a great shock we might slump back into our old ways. The void then instantly becomes but a shared hallucination and the old world is revealed to our tired eyes. But maybe not. We can step into this void with courage and common-sense and re-imagine and re-furnish our existence anew.

‘Spring Steps’
https://youtu.be/6FBpppYulmg

By Tim Bragg
Tim Bragg is the author (amongst many books) of Lyrics to Live By – Keys to Self-Help Notes for a Better Life available from Amazon