Review of Out of Africa (1985) by Hatem A — 06 Sep 2013

3.0/4.0.

The real life story of wealthy Karen Dinesen (Meryl Streep) who in 1913 marries out of convenience her friend Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and they move together from Denmark to British-occupied Nairobi where they run a large farm together. There she takes matters in her own hands and grows drawn to the traditions there more than she thought and falls for big-game hunter Denys Hutton Finch (Robert Redford).

I must say this is quite an overrated film. Yes, there is so much to like: i) the beautiful landscape and scenery with breathtaking cinematography; ii) reliable direction by Sydney Pollack that perfectly captures the time and place (aided by excellent costumes and production design); and iii) the ever-reliable Streep portraying a powerful woman who is unafraid but who has subtle vulnerabilities and is looking for real love. One of the movie's main problems is over-length - at 2hr40mins, it really, really drags! And one other thing is that the troubled relationship between Streep and Brandauer is far more intriguing than her love affair with Redford's character. And there are a multitude of other supporting characters but none are really properly developed or even stick to one's memory.

The movie has this kind of epic scale that prestigious movie awards (especially the Oscars) salivate for and it did earn its share of awards including (an undeserved) Oscar for Best Picture. Indeed, there is so much to admire here but this could have been much better (and shorter). Loosely based on the 1937 autobiography of the same name by Isak Dinesen (pseudonym of Karen Blixen) as well as a few other sources on the matter. Winner of 7 Oscars: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay (Kurt Luedtke), Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound. Nominated for 4 Others: Actress (Streep), Supporting Actor (Brandauer), Costume Design, Editing.