HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (January 11, 2010) – Filled with adventure, drama, humor and romance, the epic and enduring cinematic classic THE AFRICAN QUEEN will finally make its way home when it debuts on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time ever on March 23, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Meticulously restored using state-of-the-art 4K digital technology, THE AFRICAN QUEEN will now be available for a new generation to appreciate and for long-time fans to see again, as if for the first time. Legendary director John Huston’s treasured romantic adventure stars the incomparable Humphrey Bogart as hard-drinking boat captain Charlie Allnut—a role that won him his only Academy Award® (Best Actor, 1951)—and renowned actress Katharine Hepburn as missionary Rose Sayer in a tale of two disparate people thrown together by fate and drawn together by love.
A six-year journey filled with challenges nearly as difficult as those faced by Rose and Charlie, the restoration process began at the source: Romulus Films—one of the film’s original production companies—provided access to the original three-strip negative at a London facility where the film was carefully scanned and digitized. The separate elements were then transferred to Los Angeles and painstakingly recombined and inspected frame by frame to ensure that every detail aligned and that any dirt and scratches were removed.
To ensure that the restored picture matched the filmmakers’ original vision, Paramount arranged a screening of an MPAA archive print for the film’s original cinematographer, Academy Award® winner Jack Cardiff*, whose comments were recorded live during the screening. That same archival print was later screened alongside the newly restored version so that the restoration team could ensure that all of Cardiff’s notes had been addressed. The result is a vibrant, warm picture that reverentially recreates the film as it was originally meant to be seen.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN will be available as a single disc DVD or Blu-ray and also in Commemorative, Limited Edition DVD or Blu-ray box sets. Both the DVD and Blu-ray feature a new documentary entitled “Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen”, which includes new interviews with contemporary film experts such as Martin Scorsese and incorporates home movies, archival images and more. The Commemorative box set includes either the DVD or Blu-ray detailed above, plus an audio disc with a recording of the Lux Radio Theater broadcast of The African Queen, a reproduction of Katharine Hepburn’s out-of-print memoir The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind, a Senitype® film frame collectible reproduction and postcards featuring reproductions of images related to the film.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN DVD & Blu-ray
THE AFRICAN QUEEN DVD is presented in full screen format with English, French and Spanish Mono and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English, French and Spanish Mono and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are as follows:
• Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen—This comprehensive documentary takes a look back at the production with commentary about the cast, the challenges of the filming locations and how the spectacular cinematography impacted the industry overall. Includes on-camera interviews with notable Hollywood icons, critics and crew members from the film including Martin Scorsese, Tony Huston, Richard Schickel and more, plus never-before-seen archival images and home movie footage provided by the estate of cinematographer Jack Cardiff.
The Commemorative, Limited-Edition DVD and Blu-ray box sets include the above along with:
• An audio disc with a recording of the Lux Radio Theater presents The African Queen radio broadcast
• A Senitype® film frame collectible reproduction
• Collectible postcards featuring reproductions of images related to the film
• A reproduction of Katharine Hepburn’s out-of-print memoir The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind
