Out of Africa (1985)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Karen Blixen (books)
Judith Thurman (book)
(more)

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:

Marriage | Plantation | Love | 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
Mohammed Umar	...	Ismail
Donal McCann	...	Doctor
Kenneth Mason	...	Banker
Tristram Jellinek	...	First Commissioner
Stephen B. Grimes	...	Second Commissioner (as Stephen Grimes)
Annabel Maule	...	Lady Byrne
Benny Young	...	Minister
Sbish Trzebinski	...	Beefy Drunk
Allaudin Qureshi	...	Rajiv
Niven Boyd	...	Young Officer
Iman	...	Mariammo
Peter Strong	...	Huge Man
Abdulla Sunado	...	Esa
Amanda Parkin	...	Victoria
Muriel Gross	...	Lady Delamere
Ann Palmer	...	Dowager
Keith Pearson	...	Missionary Teacher

Directed by
Sydney Pollack

Writing credits
Karen Blixen		(books "Out of Africa", "Shadows on the Grass" and "Letters from Africa") (as Isak Dinesen)
Judith Thurman		(book "Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller")
Errol Trzebinski		(book "Silence Will Speak")
Kurt Luedtke		(screenplay)

Produced by
Anna Cataldi	....	associate producer
Terence A. Clegg	....	co-producer (as Terence Clegg)
Kim Jorgensen	....	executive producer
Sydney Pollack	....	producer
Judith Thurman	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
Pembroke J. Herring		(as Pembroke Herring)
Sheldon Kahn
Fredric Steinkamp
William Steinkamp

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Art Direction by
Colin Grimes
Cliff Robinson
Herbert Westbrook

Set Decoration by
Josie MacAvin

Costume Design by
Milena Canonero

Makeup Department
J. Roy Helland	....	hair stylist: Miss Streep
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup artist: Miss Streep
Mary Hillman	....	chief makeup artist
Norma Hill	....	makeup artist
Joyce James	....	hairdresser
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist: Mr. Redford
Vera Mitchell	....	chief hairdresser
Suzanne Belcher	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robin Forman	....	post-production supervisor
Gerry Levy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roy Button	....	second assistant director
Jack Couffer	....	second unit director
Patrick Kinney	....	assistant director
George Menoe	....	assistant director
Meja Mwangi	....	assistant director
Tom Mwangi	....	assistant director
David Tomblin	....	first assistant director
Simon Trevor	....	second unit director
Lee Cleary	....	key second assistant director: UK (uncredited)
Michael Zimbrich	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Bert Hearn	....	prop master
Geoff Langley	....	construction manager
Frank Billington-Marks	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Handford	....	sound mixer
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
William L. Manger	....	adr editor (as William Manger)
Tom McCarthy Jr.	....	supervising sound editor
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Stevenson	....	boom operator
Blake R. Cornett	....	first assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Malcolm Davies	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Paul Pavelka	....	re-recording engineer (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
John Sutton	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Harris	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Syd Dutton	....	special visual effects: matte paintings (uncredited)
Mark Freund	....	optical cameraman: Illusion Arts (uncredited)
Steve Gawley	....	model maker (uncredited)
Michael Gleason	....	visual effects editor (uncredited)
Jay Riddle	....	animation camera: ILM (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	aerial photographer
Alan Barry	....	best boy
Frank Connor	....	still photographer
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator
Maurice Gillett	....	gaffer
Rodrigo Gutierrez	....	camera operator: second unit
Ray Hall	....	grip
Ricky Hall	....	grip
Ibrahim Jibril	....	grip
Ali Matata	....	grip
Mohamed Ngela	....	grip
Mahmud Sheikh Omar	....	grip
Stephen St. John	....	Steadicam operator (as Steve St. John)
Mohamed Wafula	....	grip
Douglas Kirkland	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Mary Selway	....	casting
Sarah Withey	....	local casting: Kenya

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Stephen Cornish	....	wardrobe
Ken Crouch	....	wardrobe (as Kenny Crouch)
David Garrett	....	costume maker
Jenny Hawkins	....	wardrobe (as Jennie Hawkins)
Joanna Johnston	....	assistant costume designer
Pat McEwan	....	wardrobe
Elizabeth Ryrie	....	wardrobe
Andres Fernandez Sotillos	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Jeffrey James Bell	....	assistant editor (as Jeffrey Bell)
Don Brochu	....	assistant editor
Claudio M. Cutry	....	associate editor (as Claudio Cutry)
Craig Herring	....	assistant editor
Rick Meyer	....	assistant editor
Joe Mosca	....	assistant editor (as Joseph Mosca)
Saul Saladow	....	assistant editor
Karl F. Steinkamp	....	assistant editor (as Karl Steinkamp)

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Jack Brymer	....	musician: clarinet, "Concerto for Clarinet amd Orchestra in A" (K.622 )
Cliff Kohlweck	....	music editor (as Clif Kohlweck)
Alan Loveday	....	musician: violin, "Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major for Violin & Viola" (K.364 )
András Schiff	....	musician: piano "Sonata in A Major" (K.331 "Rondo Alla Turca") (as Andras Schiff)
George W. Senoga-Zake	....	advisor: African music
Stephen Shingles	....	musician: viola, "Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major for Violin & Viola" (K.364 )
Alan Smyth	....	music researcher
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer
Neville Marriner	....	conductor: "Concerto for Clarinet amd Orchestra in A", "Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for Violin & Viola" and "Three Divertimenti" (uncredited)
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Margaret Adams	....	production coordinator
Christine Buuri	....	production secretary
Nelson Chege	....	Kikuyu advisor
Nikki Clapp	....	script supervisor
Brian Gibbs	....	production accountant
David Hilton	....	production assistant
Allan James	....	location manager
Patricia Johnson	....	publicist
Phill Norman	....	title designer: main title
Grania O'Shannon	....	location manager
Lissa Ruben	....	script supervisor
Monty Ruben	....	production consultant
John Sutton	....	field consultant
John Sutton	....	location consultant
Thomas Thanangadan	....	production assistant
Hubert Wells	....	chief animal trainer
Alex Matcham	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Syd Dutton	....	special thanks (as Syd Dutton of Illusion Arts, Inc.)
Bill Taylor	....	special thanks (as Bill Taylor of Illusion Arts, Inc.)

Production Companies

• Mirage Enterprises
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1986) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1985) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1988) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (video)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates (uncredited)
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (uncredited)
• Makeup Effects Laboratories (uncredited)

Other Companies

• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing  special thanks: vintage clothing rentals (uncredited)
• Ker & Downey Safaris  location camps and safari transport services provided by (as Ker & Downey Safaris, Kenya)
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment (uncredited)
• MCA Records  original soundtrack album available on (as MCA Records and Cassettes)
• Mayflower Recording  adr recording (uncredited)
• Pacific Title  titles
• Rungstedlund Foundation, The  special thanks
• Universal Title  opticals by

Runtime:

160 min

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:

Robert Redford initially intended to play Denys Finch Hatton, as an Englishman. That was later nixed by director Sydney Pollack, who felt it would be too distracting for audiences. Redford had to overdub some of his lines from early takes, when he used a trace of English accent.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Denys Finch-Hatton brings a Record Player to Karen's home he lowers his hand and the sound volume decreases. Later on, in the scene where Finch_Hatton plays Mozart to monkeys he starts the Record Player by means of a cord that starts the playing. Since the events took place in 1911-13, such actions where not possible in mechanical "Gramophones". There was no electricity in the jungle, for a start. Those machines were powered by a hand-crank as were the watches and volume was set at recording time, not at playback.

Quotes:

Karen Blixen: When you go away... you don't always go on safari, do you? Just want to be away.
Denys: It's not meant to hurt you.
Karen Blixen: It does.
Denys: I'm with you because I choose to be with you. I don't want to live someone else's idea of how to live. Don't ask me to do that. I don't want to find out one day that I'm at the end of someone else's life.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Home on the Range (2004)

Soundtrack:

God Save the King

Stunning

This film is a masterpiece in all aspects. Of course, it's not for those looking for action or a fast-paced plot -- this film allows you to meet and get to know the characters with their virtues and foibles. The cinematography is incredible and John Barry's score is matchless; one of the very few scores which would diminish a film if absent. Meryl Streep was robbed of the Oscar; her meticulous German/Danish accent was first-rate. If I had to name the weakest attribute of the film, it's the casting of Robert Redford as Denys. He did a fine job, and it was understandable that he was cast in that role, due to his bankability, but in reality, Denys was not American. Redford is a bit too all-American for this role, but it's a minor detraction. This film is my next purchase on DVD -- I've seen it dozens of times and I never tire of it.