ABSTRACT
Groundhog Day is tilled with romantic interest, and the film ends with Phil and Rita in love, planning a future together. But the film focuses on Phil as an individual and his change from a life of indolence to one of virtue. The African Queen suggests that the work of love, which has been building up to the collapse of ego boundaries, escapes the notice of the incipient lovers. They have been promoting one another's virtuous transformation, but unawares. After they fall in love, the mutual moral encouragement is undertaken with awareness, passion, and care for one another. The African Queen proceeds to explore how love develops their virtues through cooperative work. The work of love is mostly done at work: the everyday contexts of joint venture such as tackling domestic chores, resolving disagreements, and making decisions. The film suggests that power of love to transform them morally occurs most unobtrusively, yet most surely, when they toil with their beloved.
