Out of Africa (1985)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1985 is…..”Out of Africa.” This epic romantic drama tells the story of Karen Blixen, a wealthy Danish woman who moves to Kenya in 1913 with her husband, dramatically depicting the ups and downs of her life. Producer-director Sydney Pollack (“Tootsie” 1982) filled the motion picture with great production values, unforgettable performances, stunning cinematography by David Watkin filmed in Kenya, and a marvelous screenplay by Kurt Luedtke. It was adapted from the 1937 novel “Out of Africa” by Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Karen Blixen, drawing from her real-life experiences).

Meryl Streep performs her screen magic in the title role, earning the three-time Oscar winner one of her twenty-one nominations. Co-stars include Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Shane Rimmer, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Graham Crowden, Leslie Phillips, Annabelle Maule, Benny Young, Iman, and Rachel Kempson (mother of Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave) as Lady Belfield.

“Out of Africa” was nominated for eleven Oscars, winning seven: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Original Score (John Barry). Non-winners include Best Actress (Streep), Best Supporting Actor (Brandauer), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing.

This very watchable melodrama “Out of Africa” was a huge hit at the box office, the fifth highest grossing film of 1985, for producer Sydney Pollack, Mirage Enterprises, and Universal Pictures. It has a running time of two hours and forty-one minutes. “I had a farm in Africa…”