At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
Director:
Anthony Minghella
Stars:
Ralph Fiennes,
Juliette Binoche,
Willem Dafoe
Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy. But a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.
Director:
Robert Benton
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman,
Meryl Streep,
Jane Alexander
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
Director:
Kevin Costner
Stars:
Kevin Costner,
Mary McDonnell,
Graham Greene
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Director:
Robert Redford
Stars:
Donald Sutherland,
Mary Tyler Moore,
Judd Hirsch
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.Written by
Tony Bridges <tbridges@spicer.com>
Watching Meryl Streep in 2011's The Iron Lady and in 1985s Out of Africa gave me two different results. While in both of them, Meryl gave her best shot, the director's approach towards the actress is very different. In Out of Africa, Meryl's character Karen is a hardworking, independent, strong-willed young baroness/plantation worker later author, while in The Iron Lady, she oscillates between an eighty year old dementia-suffering Thatcher and a middle-aged Thatcher, both authoritative.
While I do understand Phyllida's attempt to have Meryl foreshadow others to show Thatcher's dominance, the movie itself became a one-woman show that barely gave a s*** about the supporting cast. While in Out of Africa, Pollock never resorts to showy camera work to highlight Meryl. The camera moves through the picturesque Africa and the beautiful Meryl so naturally as if the cameraman was lost in the beauty of the entire place. While Meryl is a marvel, Pollock himself is a wise man who gave the picture an independent existence. The Iron Lady will always remain Meryl's Iron Lady.
Based on a true story, Out of Africa shows Karen Blixen's life as she adjusts to the African lifestyle while romancing Denys (Redford) and divorcing Bror (Klaus). The opening itself talks of the farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills and is voiced by Streep in a very distinctive accent. Many of her performances, especially the ones where she uses accents, are slightly difficult to accept first but shine later, even though she does sound like Sly Stallone at times, especially when she says in one scene "I want you to COME HOME". Karen marries Bror to retain her title of baroness and moves to Africa. Bror uses her money against her wishes and doesn't take care of her properly. Karen meets Denys and another guy, and invites them to her home. Both the guys are attracted to her but things go awry for one. Denys and Karen fall in love but Denys lives a very different life, independent like Karen but in a nomadic way. Karen runs the entire farm, opens up a school and acquaints and adjusts herself with the Africans.
Pollack has handled the movie tactfully, and the film is enriched by fine performances. The green verdant lands of Africa with the pastoral huts of the Africans on one hand and the lavishness of the Britishers on the other can be seen. There is this lovely scene where the tribe chief tells Karen that only tall children will go to school. When Karen tells him that sending kids would be very wise of him, the African replies that the Britishers have learned to read, but it has not helped them in any way. Still, the farmers hold respect for Karen's caring nature.
Clocking at 2 hours and 40 minutes, Out of Africa is like a landscape of a beautiful bird on its mighty flight over the flowing rivers and the dense forests. My Rating: 8 out of 10
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Watching Meryl Streep in 2011's The Iron Lady and in 1985s Out of Africa gave me two different results. While in both of them, Meryl gave her best shot, the director's approach towards the actress is very different. In Out of Africa, Meryl's character Karen is a hardworking, independent, strong-willed young baroness/plantation worker later author, while in The Iron Lady, she oscillates between an eighty year old dementia-suffering Thatcher and a middle-aged Thatcher, both authoritative.
While I do understand Phyllida's attempt to have Meryl foreshadow others to show Thatcher's dominance, the movie itself became a one-woman show that barely gave a s*** about the supporting cast. While in Out of Africa, Pollock never resorts to showy camera work to highlight Meryl. The camera moves through the picturesque Africa and the beautiful Meryl so naturally as if the cameraman was lost in the beauty of the entire place. While Meryl is a marvel, Pollock himself is a wise man who gave the picture an independent existence. The Iron Lady will always remain Meryl's Iron Lady.
Based on a true story, Out of Africa shows Karen Blixen's life as she adjusts to the African lifestyle while romancing Denys (Redford) and divorcing Bror (Klaus). The opening itself talks of the farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills and is voiced by Streep in a very distinctive accent. Many of her performances, especially the ones where she uses accents, are slightly difficult to accept first but shine later, even though she does sound like Sly Stallone at times, especially when she says in one scene "I want you to COME HOME". Karen marries Bror to retain her title of baroness and moves to Africa. Bror uses her money against her wishes and doesn't take care of her properly. Karen meets Denys and another guy, and invites them to her home. Both the guys are attracted to her but things go awry for one. Denys and Karen fall in love but Denys lives a very different life, independent like Karen but in a nomadic way. Karen runs the entire farm, opens up a school and acquaints and adjusts herself with the Africans.
Pollack has handled the movie tactfully, and the film is enriched by fine performances. The green verdant lands of Africa with the pastoral huts of the Africans on one hand and the lavishness of the Britishers on the other can be seen. There is this lovely scene where the tribe chief tells Karen that only tall children will go to school. When Karen tells him that sending kids would be very wise of him, the African replies that the Britishers have learned to read, but it has not helped them in any way. Still, the farmers hold respect for Karen's caring nature.
Clocking at 2 hours and 40 minutes, Out of Africa is like a landscape of a beautiful bird on its mighty flight over the flowing rivers and the dense forests. My Rating: 8 out of 10