While Tracy Lord was the role that reinvigorated Katharine Hepburn's career, Rose Sayer is one which seems to mark the beginning of a new era for Kate. Watching The African Queen, one might be surprised to realize that she is just a little over ten years older than she was when she played Tracy. Gone are the soft, beautifying studio lights befitting for A Goddess. Gone are the gowns by Adrian. Gone are MGM's opulent mansions. Instead, we see a sweaty, matronly Kate thrusted out in the bright African sunshine and shot in vivid, unforgiving technicolor. The African Queen is the debut of the deglammed, "old maid" Kate.
For all of the film's action and adventure, I required a revisit before seeing how multifaceted Rose actually was. I initially wasn't sure how to feel about Kate's work. That's because Rose is so much - at a surface level, Rose is an action film heroine who just so happens to also be a straight-laced religious missionary finding liberation, an aging spinster who finds romance - it's a loaded role that was tough to process on my part because I didn't know where to focus my attention. However, in retrospect, Kate plays out all of these faces of Rose quite nicely.
Rose is hellbent on executing her whimsical plan of attacking Nazis with some homemade, makeshift torpedos. She is as fun as she is fearless, possessing a stubborn attitude that bears few fucks - a character that's very much aligned with how I imagined Kate to have been in real life.
And yet, Rose also bears attributes quite unlike "Kate". Starting off the film as a prim missionary, layers are slowly peeled to reveal deeper characteristics. There is an undercurrent of insecurity that Rose has regarding her spinsterdom - as demonstrated by the twangs of hurt she showcases when her dying brother makes that delirious "comely" comment, or from Bogie's "skinny old maid" rant. Her reactions here pack a punch. What's most interesting is seeing how Rose loosens up and sheds her former identity - after successfully navigating some aggressive river rapids, you'd be remiss not to notice how orgasmic Rose's excitement is. This is the moment my mind turns to instantly when I think of Kate's performance in this film - it is lively in its uninhibitedness, which, coupled with the film's suggestion that she and Charlie sleep together later on, seems to point to a liberation if you will, a sexual awakening that was left dormant for years.
I'm continuously surprised by how Kate manages to infuse fresh attributes into her characters that I wouldn't have expected, and this part is no different.
Haven’t seen her yet, but I really look forward to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite Hepburn performance and I think she's terrific. She captures all of Rose's characteristics without milking them, managing to entertain, engage and touch the heart. This is where Hepburn moved to a new level in her work, heretofore not quite seen to this extent, and she mostly maintained that for the rest of her career.
ReplyDeleteIn her hands, Rose is a multifaceted woman who gradually lets Charlie (and us) see just how dynamically vivid and complex she is. It's marvelous work. Just seeing her look of devastation as she lets Charlie know that her brother is dead is an unforgettable moment, but it is only the first of many. Hepburn truly became one of the greats with her work in this film and I think her performance is more than Oscar worthy at every level.