Out of Africa

It's hard to describe this film. On one hand, it's long and slow; on the other, it's an absorbing story with fantastic acting and breathtaking scenery.

Meryl Streep stars as Karen Blixen, a Danish woman, who marries Bror Blixen and becomes a Baroness. The couple move to Africa in 1913 and start a coffee plantation.

Blixen cheats on her and is away often for business, while she stays at home working the plantation. Ultimately he gives her VD.

She falls in love with Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford). The relationship is frustrating for her -- Denys does not want a commitment, he wanted freedom. When she returns to her native country, she writes about her experience as Isak Dinesen.

The film shows a lot of interesting history: the class consciousness, for one, as Karen was looked down on because of her humble beginnings. Also, it shows Europeans trying to impose their culture on a foreign people.

It definitely portrays how the different tribes saw the Europeans, basically as people who did not belong there.

It also shows the simplicity of the natives, and how their knowledge of their own country was superior. All of this is before World War II and very interesting.

Interestingly, Sikh Indians are brought to the English Gentlemen's club to act as servants and when Karen dares to enter the men's only den, it's the Sikh who is responsible for escorting her out; none of the English "gentlemen" have the balls or nerve to do it. An interesting observation on the English White man's view of the world before World War I.

Many of the lesser characters were real people. Kumante was apparently consulted by the filmmakers. Felicity is based on aviatrix Beryl Markham.

The cast includes Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Michael Gough, and Rachel Kempson, all wonderful actors.

Meryl Streep does a beautiful job as Karen/Isak. Robert Redford is miscast as Denys, who is supposed to be a British aristocrat. If he speaks with an American accent, he can't be a British aristocrat. Apparently Redford used an accent but Sydney Pollack made him overdub his lines; he thought they would distract the audience.

I think he should have been encouraged to work on and use the accent so his portrayal could have closer to the real man. As it is, he comes off as miscast -- and American. He also doesn't register as well as he could, given his looks and charm.

The scenery in this film is the true star. So many of us don't have a strong picture of Africa; this film displays its great beauty.

Interestingly, the story of Isak Dinesen was considered for Greta Garbo, and Audrey Hepburn was offered the role before Streep.

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.

a film with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford could not be more than a good one. the African landscapes, the music, the cast are virtues in same measure. but the real surprise is the wise balance between emotions, love story, decisions of the lead characters. the science to use a book for explore the nuances of a form of survive far to well- known places. the precise - delicate portrait of relationship and about the status/roots in a different society. and, sure, the high poetry of images - parts of inspired music. a film for remind and discover. small, seductive, bitter details. and for understand a part from a non ordinary biography. more than a good film, a surprising one. for a kind of magic who rebuild a lost form of romanticism and adventure.

What makes a good film? It's funny I lent my DVD of this to a mate recently and although she didn't hate it she didn't get it either. Which surprised me because, to me, there has never been any doubt in my mind about the beauty and quality of this film. Anyway I was surfing IMDb and decided to look at this page. There is (or was) a thread on the discussion board about whether this was a good or bad film, I clicked on it. I have never (in my modest surfing of this site) seen such a big thread. Surely a film that evokes that much passion (the majority of which was positive and defencive) has achieved something.

I'm not saying that Out of Africa is the best film I've ever seen (I've yet to see that one!) but I think I can safely say that it has secured a place for itself both in cinematic history and the future of entertainment. You see at it heart it is a well made, timeless epic.

Yes there will always be the people who take exception to the accents, dislike the ending or believes it drags on for too long, but that's their lost, I can't help thinking they haven't been patient enough (and this annoys me).

You see the thing is in many ways the endless beauty of this film lies in its subtleties. Yes you have Meryl Streep and Redford flanked by the scenery and music, but for me it's the things like Pollock's direction, Michael Kitchen's performance and Karen's interaction with member's of the tribe that make the film.

Part of me wants to tie my mate to a chair and make her sit and watch this until she gets it. The other half is slightly relieved, because I feel that with her rejection this film is ever so slightly more exclusively mine, and I know that although I'm still only young I will always have time a space for it!

What a memorable gem of a movie!! I thought this film deserved every one of its seven Academy Awards it got. After viewing this film again I'm just stupefied why didn't Meryl Streep win Best Actress in this movie. The role of Karen Blixen was very complex and she performed it beautifully. This is probably right up there with "Sophie's Choice" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" both Award winning performances for her and this is right there with "Bridges of Madison County" and "A Cry in the Dark".

Syndey Pollock hit the nail right on the head with this classic beautiful cinematography. The acting is excellent by Streep, Redford, and Klaus Maria Brandeur. I liked the scene when Karen (Streep) wants her servant to address her by her name and he said "You are Karen, Sabu". I also loved the owl that she had in her room - it was a small one, but it was so cute and I loved it.

If you have a chance to rent this movie, please do - it is a classic. I love the beginning line "I had a farm in Africa" it was so moving!!