Out of Africa (1985)

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

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Karen Blixen (book), Judith Thurman (book),

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer

Won 7 Oscars. Another 25 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Karen
Robert Redford	...	Denys
Klaus Maria Brandauer	...	Bror
Michael Kitchen	...	Berkeley
Malick Bowens	...	Farah
Joseph Thiaka	...	Kamante
Stephen Kinyanjui	...	Kinanjui
Michael Gough	...	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

Storyline

Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Her life is Complicated by a husband of convenience (Bror Blixen), a true love (Denys), troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives, war, and catching VD from her husband.

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Plot Keywords:

love | marriage | plantation | africa | hunter | 

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Taglines:

Based on a true story.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swahili

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jenseits von Afrika

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$87,100,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirage Enterprises, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

161 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints) (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Meryl Streep developed her accent by listening to actual recordings of Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) reading her works.

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Goofs

When Denys Finch-Hatton brings a Record Player to Karen Blixen's home he lowers his hand and the sound volume decreases. Volume was set at recording time, not at playback.

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Quotes

Kamante: I think that you had better get up. I think that God is coming.

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Connections

Featured in Oscar's Greatest Moments (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Missouri Waltz"
(1914) (uncredited)
Music John Valentine Eppel
Played as dance music at the party
Reprised on a record on safari
Reprised again on a record and danced by Meryl Streep and Robert Redford

User Reviews

A Dream of Africa

My favorite movie of all time, hands down. I watched it for the first time in the theatre. As it ended, the audience sat motionless and quiet for several beats, then burst into loud applause as the ending credits rolled. I'm not always so prophetic, but I was incredibly moved. I said to my husband, "We've just seen the Academy Award winner." If I had no other basis for recommendation, I would say the breathtaking cinematography and transporting musical score would make a viewing worthwhile (case in point: the main theme playing as Denys Finch Hatton gives Karen Blixen her first airplane ride, and we what she sees, as God must have seen it). But these are merely the window dressings.

There are two movie cuts floating around, which I tried to pursue through Universal, and then Disney. Forget it. Suffice to say there is a theatrical version and a Disney TV version, with little consequential difference to the plot except that the latter edits out a little of Karen's physical lovemaking with Denys and slightly expands her intellectual relationship with Farah; which to some degree helped buttress the development of his absolute devotion to her.

The screenplay resembles Isaak Dinesen's semi-autobiographical book very little; even so, she did not tell the whole truth in her book. You'll have to get over it, except that I think the character development suffered the loss of Blixen's deep involvement with the displaced Kikuyu tribe working her coffee plantation. Also, without an understanding of the historical times, it would be too easy to say simplistically that this is a woman trying to live within the terms of a marriage of convenience and then compensating with pursuit of a doomed passion.

What was crafted out of a mishmash of a more-or-less factual account and director Sydney Pollack's vision is still a beautiful love and adventure story in the midst of British colonial rule and an earlier, more racially and sexually biased era.

Klaus Maria Brandauer as Baron Bror von Blixen (whew! - who called Karen "Tannen," adding to my initial confusion) perfectly portrays that fun man you like immensely but could never really trust with anything important like your feelings. He along with several of the key male figures and symbols in this movie will eventually bow in respect to the "man" Karen Blixen becomes despite his often shabby treatment and other travails, because she rises above it all and perseveres. Redford plays mostly Redford. His Finch Hatton's sense of independence is fragile and illusory and will ultimately cost him dearly.

There are a couple of continuity problems that bother me to this day, including the disappearing-reappearing champagne and the continually retracking parade marchers, but for the most part few expenses or attentions to detail were spared, especially in the lavish costuming. "Bare-breasted native women" will unfortunately also make their National Geographic appearance.

Even so, Out of Africa is a treasure with a half dozen or more perfect and unforgettable scenes; a movie as long as this review, but I hope you'll agree, worth your patience.