The biography of Danish author Isak Dinesen (1885-1962) was the subject of Hollywood interest for many decades. Greta Garbo was among the actresses who had expressed an interest in playing her.
But it was veteran producer/director Sydney Pollack who managed to successfully bring her story to the screen. He used recollected voiceovers to express Dinesen's thoughts, and took full advantage of Africa's colorful cinematography. The sets and costumes were very good as well.
Perhaps Pollack's wisest decision was casting Meryl Streep as Dinesen. Streep gamely developed a Scandinavian accent. She found the restraint that was appropriate to a titled European lady, expressing her emotions with her eyes. Streep's character has many devastating setbacks, with her only reaction being a glazed 'deer in the headlights' look. But Streep does this well. Her character is too independent and willful to simply break down and cry.
The film begins in Denmark in 1913. Karen (Isak was her pen name) is in love with her cousin. He breaks it off, and instead she becomes engaged to his twin brother, Bror (Klaus Maria Brandauer). Bror plans to run a coffee plantation in Africa, and needs her family's money for capital. In return, she gets a title of Baroness and an African adventure.
From a negative point of view, Karen spends the film lurching from one failure to another. Further elaboration would spoil too much of the plot.
Yet Karen does have her triumphs. She conquers British adventurer Denys (Robert Redford), and she improves the lives of native Africans who live on her property. She shows courage in the face of gender prejudice and hungry lions. Karen's lasting accomplishment, however, was the success of her literary career, which took off after she left Africa.
Redford makes no attempt at an English accent. There's little romantic chemistry between Redford and Streep. When Redford is shampooing her hair, it doesn't seem like a memorable cinematic moment. It's more like, what shall we do today while surveying the golden plains, and waiting for lions to attack us yet again? Brandauer is more effective than Redford, but he is mostly absent during the film's second half.
A common complaint about Out of Africa is that there isn't much of a plot. Things just happen to Karen, who must adjust. But sometimes an elaborate plot doesn't reflect real life, which typically is more reactionary than dramatic.
Out of Africa dominated the 1986 Academy Awards. It was nominated for eleven Oscars, winning seven. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score (John Barry), Best Art Direction and Best Sound. Streep was nominated for Best Actress, while Brandauer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. (64/100)
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