Out of Africa (1985)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Karen Blixen (books)
Judith Thurman (book)

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Based on a true story.

Plot:

In 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate but ultimately doomed love affair with a free-sprited big-game hunter.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Marriage | Plantation | Africa | Farm

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 22 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Karen Blixen
Robert Redford	...	Denys Finch Hatton
Klaus Maria Brandauer	...	Bror Blixen / Hans Blixen
Michael Kitchen	...	Berkeley Cole
Malick Bowens	...	Farah
Joseph Thiaka	...	Kamante
Stephen Kinyanjui	...	Kinanjui
Michael Gough	...	Lord Delamere
Suzanna Hamilton	...	Felicity
Rachel Kempson	...	Lady Belfield
Graham Crowden	...	Lord Belfield
Leslie Phillips	...	Sir Joseph
Shane Rimmer	...	Belknap
Mike Bugara	...	Juma
Job Seda	...	Kanuthia

Runtime:

150 min | USA:160 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swahili

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:16 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Mirage Enterprises

Trivia:

Audrey Hepburn was originally offered the role of Karen.

Goofs:

Continuity: Denys is shown peeling nearly half a dozen oranges when talking to Karen outside.

Quotes:

Karen Blixen: [Voiceover] I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The Equator runs across these highlands, a hundred miles to the north, and the farm lay at an altitude of over six thousand feet. In the day-time you felt that you had got high up; near to the sun, but the early mornings and evenings were limpid and restful, and the nights were cold.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Three Divertimenti (K.136,137,138)

Liked It A Lot More After Several Viewings

Few movies ever increased in my ratings as much as this one did from first viewing to the last one - the fourth, about 5-8 years ago. I guess I am due to see this again soon.

Early on, after seeing this on widescreen, my rating of it began to increase dramatically. I hadn't realized on those first two early viewings on formatted-to-TV VHS just how beautiful this movie was shot. The accompanying music score also is outstanding. The main score, the theme song of the movie, if you will, still ranks as perhaps the prettiest I have ever heard on ANY film. (For the full version of the music, stay with the ending credits.)

In addition to a greater appreciation of the visuals and soundtrack, I enjoyed the story much more by the third time and Meryl Streep's Danish accent as "Karen Blixen" went from annoying to acceptable. It is a romance story and there isn't much action, and parts of it can drag a bit, but not for long. I even found I could enjoy this 161-minute film broken up into several viewings.

One credibility problem, the other main character: " Denys," played by Robert Redford, was supposed to be British but had a 100 percent American accent. He didn't even try to fake it! His character also was a little too secular-humanistic for me to root for him, anyway. He didn't have much a moral base ("marriage is just a sheet of paper"-type beliefs). Streep's character wasn't all that hot, either, and I'm wondering if the real Karen Blixen was more Christian-like than shown in this movie. It wouldn't surprise me. Character-wise, I liked Blixen's husband, played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, probably best in this movie.

This is such a classy-looking film that I can overlook a few flaws and too-secular main characters and enjoy what the rest has to offer: mainly the magnificent African scenery, mellow story and rich music.