Out of Africa

Rating:
Summary: OUT OF THIS WORLD - EPIC STREEP AND ROMANTIC REDFORD!
Review: Can one find love and heartache in the wild safari of Africa? Meryl Streep and Robert Redford illustrate in "Out of Africa" a sweeping love story set against the backdrop of colonialist turmoil and civil unrest. This is one of those big, BIG movies that Hollywood has stopped producing since "Dances With Wolves". There are no digital shots (which I personally feel, weaken a movie instead of enhancing it). Everything was shot on location. Based on a true story - "Out of Africa" will captivate you.
Universal Pictures has given us an adequate print of the movie, considerably cleaned up and remastered for this DVD presentation. However, there are several occasions where pixelization, edge enhancement and aliasing problems distract. Colors can seem a bit muddy at times while at other times they are presented naturally, vibrantly and boldly. The cinematography is breathtaking and quite often presented with exceptional clarity and depth. However, there are cases where a soft haze seems to intrude. Black levels are generally solid though here too, occasionally there is an excessive amount of film grain noticed in the darker scenes. The soundtrack is 2.0 surround and well represented for its age. Extras include a wonderful "making-of" and some snippets and interviews, a trailer and some DVD-ROM junk that no one ever seems to use.
Overall, a nice effort and well worth the buy - just not as pristine as it could have been.

Rating:
Summary: Sumptuous, romantic, sad, glorious
Review: Based on the autobiography of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), played by Meryl Streep, Out of Africa is nothing short of a masterpiece of photography, casting (Redford plays opposite Streep as her English lover/adventurer. She is married to the cloddish German baron who is rarely home - he'd prefer being out in the bush playing the great white hunter, and when he does come home, he gives her syphilis. Blixen spends her own money supporting her husband and their plantation while falling in love with the country and with Redford. It's a rite of passage of sorts, as she copes with the pressures of family, duty, and social convention, which all vie with her own free and passionate spirit. The scenes of the countryside, the native tribal structure, the love making between Streep and Redford, and the whole pre-war way of life in Africa are beautifully rendered.
This is a winner, one to own and keep and watch over and over.

Rating:
Summary: one of my favorites ever
Review: This movie combines so many different emotions, and sets up a dreamworld and story for you to fall in love with. But if you're thinking of buying it, you've probably already seen it. The only reason to buy this DVD is if you want to see it over and over again, and if you want see the added features...which are interesting once. As far as the movie goes, I can do nothing but give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: The Story of a Life
Review: This is a movie like "The English Patient" that successfully mingles sweeping vistas and larger-than-life events with the small and human things that we can relate to personally. If we find ourselves in a sympathetic vibration with a character in a story, we can be thrilled by feeling closer to the bigger events which might not otherwise rock our personal worlds. These epic events also give a story a yardstick, something by which to measure the mettle of the characters.

Everyone knows something of love, of the joys and difficulties of marriage and the discovery--good and bad--of another person with whom we are intimately involved. This is our entry into the world of this movie. But how many of us have had the chance to, or have succeeded in, living life on our own terms and without compromise as Karen Blixen does? That she is a woman at the turn of the century is only icing on a cake of universal appeal.

This story (I will not detail the plot which others have already eloquently done) lets us watch an extraordinary person being placed in a fantastic, sometimes awkward but ultimately rewarding series of events and trials, and we are able to watch her rise to these occasions and meet life with the bit between her teeth. The backdrop is an entire continent, a setting so sweeping and vast that we can observe whole food chains or witness entire weather systems plying their trade. Karen Blixen is a character that appeals to something in all of us, and she does us proud as a representative of the human race in the continent's dramas.

I have always found Robert Redford thoughtful and engaging, and he does an excellent job here playing maybe the one person who truly understands our heroine and can meet her on her own terms and not be intimidated by her. But the real performance is Karen Blixen herself, played with such perfection, with such a wizard's breath of true life by Meryl Streep. I have never seen an actress more completely inhabit a character than Streep does here, and her virtuosity is breathtaking to watch.

I finish this movie each time feeling a bit worn out. After the roller coaster of exultation and abject loss, of intense love and apopleptic rage, of a woman young and naive grown old and frail, I am able to sleep soundly feeling I have not failed to glimpse ALL of life's secrets.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the most beautiful film ever made
Review: Reading some of the criticism of this film, I wonder if they saw the same movie that I did. This is an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word! The photography is stunning, with virtually every scene presenting a sumptuous feast for the eyes. The soundtrack is heartfelt and magnificently blended into the story. The actors are superb, with notable performances by Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Michael Kitchen. One of the deepest performances is turned in by Malick Bowens as Farah - so wonderfully sensitive. Those who knock Robert Redford playing a Brit would have also undoubtedly knocked him should he have affected a British accent. His performance, to me, was magnificently understated and on target. I find that a lot of guys have trouble with Redford - undoubtedly insecure egos.

Sydney Pollack deserves to have his face carved on the Mt. Rushmore of filmmaking for this timeless, romantic and deeply moving motion picture.

Rating:
Summary: Into the Heart of "Out of Africa"
Review: The most honored movie of 1985, "Out of Africa" is indeed an outstanding cinematic achievement. It works on every level imaginable: as an historical epic; as an adventure; as a biography; as a poignant romance. The film's success is partly attributable to many fine elements which blend together seamlessly: its script, direction, sets, cinematography, performances, and editing are each masterful accomplishments.

These individual virtues are given synergy by two outstanding achievements that together form the movie's backbone and provide its true heart and soul. One is the sensitive performance of the radiant Meryl Streep, who dominates both in terms of screen time and charisma; the other is the exquisite, majestic score by John Barry. Actor and composer complement each other perfectly. The famous flying sequence in which his music underscores the emotions flashing across her face is a superb example of cinema at its best: it invites the viewer's spirit to soar.

Happily, the DVD presentation of this gem is a treasure in itself. The video transfer is sharp and clear, with a fairly subtle transition between the dual-layers of the disc, and the sound is well-balanced and crisp, a definite improvement over the LaserDisc and VHS releases. There are fantastic extras offered on the DVD, including the advance theatrical trailer and a director's audio commentary. I especially enjoyed the documentary on the making of the film, which featured recent interviews with Streep, Barry, and director Sydney Pollack, intercut with behind-the-scenes footage taken during filming. All-in-all, this is a marvelous edition of a much-beloved film, and a worthy addition to your DVD library.

Rating:
Summary: A song of Africa; and: What price freedom?
Review: He often tries to distill his movies' themes into a single word, Sydney Pollack explains on "Out of Africa"'s DVD. Here, that word is "Possession:" The possessiveness of the colonialists trying to make Africa theirs; to rule her with their law, settle on the local tribes' land, dress their African servants in European outfits (complete with a house boy's white gloves), import prized belongings like crystal to maintain the comforts of European civilization, and teach African children to read, to remove their "ignorance." And the possessiveness of human relationships; the claim of exclusivity arising from a wedding license, the encroachment on personal freedom resulting if such a claim is raised by even one partner - regardless whether based on a legal document - and the implications of desire, jealousy, want and need.

As such, the movie's story of Danish writer Karen Blixen's (Isak Dinesen's) experience in Kenya is inextricably intertwined with her love for free-spirited hunter/adventurer Denys Finch Hatton. Just as she spends years trying to wrangle coffee beans from ground patently unfit for their plantation and create a dam where water that, her servants tell her, "lives in Mombassa" needs to flow freely, only to see her efforts fail at last, so also her romance with Finch Hatton blossoms only as long as she is still (pro forma) married, and thus cannot fully claim him. As soon as the basis of their relationship changes, Finch Hatton withdraws - and is killed in a plane crash shortly thereafter, his death thus cementing a development already underway with terrible finality. In her eulogy Karen asks God to take back his soul with its freedom intact: "He was not ours - he was not mine." Yet, both Kenya and Finch Hatton leave such a mark on her that, forced to return to Denmark, she literally writes them back into her life; again becoming the "mental traveler" she had been before first setting foot on African soil, using her exceptional storytelling powers to resurrect the world and the man she lost, and be united with them in spirit where a more tenable union is no longer possible.

While "Out of Africa" is an adaptation of Blixen's like-named ode to Kenya, several of her other works also informed the screenplay; as did Judith Thurman's Blixen biography. And it's this combination which in screenwriter Carl Luedtke' and director Sydney Pollack's hands turns into gold where prior attempts have failed; because Blixen's book is primarily, as Pollack explains, "a pastorale, a beautifully formed memoir [relying] on her prose style, her sense of poetry and her ability to discover large truths in very small ... details" but lacking "much narrative drive" and thus, "difficult to translate to film." In addition, Blixen was largely silent about her relationship with Finch Hatton, which however was an essential element of the story, thus dooming any attempt to produce a movie without extensive prior research into this area.

Meryl Streep was not Sydney Pollack's first choice for the role of Karen, for which luminaries including Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn had previously been considered. Looking back in the DVD's documentary, Streep and Pollack recount how his change of mind came about (and ladies, I just know her version will make you laugh out loud). But while unfortunately neither her Oscar- nor her Golden-Globe-nomination turned into one of the movie's multiple awards (on Oscar night alone, Best Movie, Best Director and Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Music and Sound), she was indeed the perfect choice. Few contemporary actresses have her range of talent and sensitivity; and listening to tapes of Blixen reading her own works allowed her not only to develop a Danish accent but to become the story's narrative voice in the completest sense, from Blixen's persona to her perceptions and penmanship.

Much has been made of the fact that as Finch Hatton no British actor was cast but Robert Redford, with whom Pollack had previously collaborated in five successful movies, including the mid-1970s' "The Way We Were" and "Three Days of the Condor." But as Pollack points out, Finch Hatton, although a real enough person in Karen Blixen's life, in the movie's context stands for the universal type of the charming, ever-unpossessable, mysterious male; and there simply is no living actor whose image matches that type as closely as Redford's. Indeed, in this respect his character in "Out of Africa" epitomizes his "Redfordness" more intensely than *any* of his other roles. Moreover, all references to Finch Hatton's nationality are deleted here; so this isn't Robert Redford trying to portray a member of the English upper class, this is Redford portraying Redford (or at least, his public image) - and therefore, it is only proper that he didn't adopt a British accent, either.

Praise for this movie wouldn't be complete without mentioning the splendid, Golden-Globe-winning performance of Klaus-Maria Brandauer, one of today's best German-speaking actors, in the role of Karen's philandering husband Bror. (And if you think he's duplicitous here, rent such gems as "Mephisto" and "Hanussen" - or, for that matter, "James Bond: Never Say Never Again" - and you'll see what creepy and demonic really is when it's grown up). And of course, "Out of Africa" wouldn't be what it is without its superb African cast members; particularly Malick Bowens as Karen's faithful major domus Farah and Joseph Thiaka in his only known screen appearance as Kamante, Karen's indomitable cook. Several fine British actors complete the cast, providing enough British colonial feel even for those quibbling with Redford's casting; to name but a few, Michael Kitchen as Finch Hatton's friend Berkeley Cole, Michael Gough as Lord "Dee" Delamere and Suzanna Hamilton as Felicity (whose character is based on Blixen's friend and rival for Finch Hatton's attentions, Beryl Markham).

In all, "Out of Africa" is a grand, lavishly produced tribute to Africa, nature, freedom, adventure and love: Karen Blixen's "Song of Africa" brought to the big screen - and one of the profoundest love stories ever written by life itself.

Rating:
Summary: Life In Kenya
Review: Sydney Pollack's 1985 film Out of Africa is a beautifully filmed epic of the true-life story of Karen Blixen-Finecke. Blixen moves from her native Denmark to Kenya to marry and live with the Baron Blixen-Finecke. At first she is wary and unhappy with her new home, but eventually, she comes to love the land and its people. Along the way she must deal with her unfaithful and she herself starts a relationship with a dashing Englishman, Denys Finch Hatton. The romantic relationships are just minor subplots to the film's overall theme of Blixen finding her own place in the world and one that would lead her to become a writer (the film is based on her own book of the same name). Meryl Streep is winning as Blixen and shows why she is such a great actress. She is a true chameleon as she adopts a completely credible Danish accent and tone. No one can mold their voice like Ms. Streep can. On the flipside, Robert Redford plays Hatton with an English accent that fades in and out. It's tough to believe him as an Englishmen because he has the quintessential All-American look. Klaus Maria Brandauer is excellent as the smarmy Baron. The movie is lushly filmed and the cinematography is in places, breathtaking. Mr. Pollack uses the grand African Plains to perfection and this helps as the film tends to drag in places. The movie swept the 1985 Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars including Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Picture.

Rating:
Summary: Into the Heart of "Out of Africa"
Review: The most honored movie of 1985, "Out of Africa" is indeed an outstanding cinematic achievement. It works on every level imaginable: as an historical epic; as an adventure; as a biography; as a poignant romance. The film's success is partly attributable to many fine elements which blend together seamlessly: its script, direction, sets, cinematography, performances, and editing are each masterful accomplishments.

These individual virtues are given synergy by two outstanding achievements that together form the movie's backbone and provide its true heart and soul. One is the sensitive performance of the radiant Meryl Streep, who dominates both in terms of screen time and charisma; the other is the exquisite, majestic score by John Barry. Actor and composer complement each other perfectly. The famous flying sequence in which his music underscores the emotions flashing across her face is a superb example of cinema at its best: it invites the viewer's spirit to soar.

Happily, the DVD presentation of this gem is a treasure in itself. The video transfer is sharp and clear, with a fairly subtle transition between the dual-layers of the disc, and the sound is well-balanced and crisp, a definite improvement over the LaserDisc and VHS releases. There are fantastic extras offered on the DVD, including the advance theatrical trailer and a director's audio commentary. I especially enjoyed the documentary on the making of the film, which featured recent interviews with Streep, Barry, and director Sydney Pollack, intercut with behind-the-scenes footage taken during filming. All-in-all, this is a marvelous edition of a much-beloved film, and a worthy addition to your DVD library.

Rating:
Summary: Out of Africa - Film review
Review: If you're a Sydney Pollack fan you'll sure enjoy this film. Out of Africa, besides the excellent performances of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, will certainly get your attention with the astonishing landscapes of Africa.
The story is about the life of Karen Blixen who gets married for convenience and moves to Africa where she starts running a plantation. Things start to go wrong when her husband starts being absent often and cheating on her. Karen, eventually, falls for a hunter, Dennis, but she demands more of the relationship than he is ready to offer. For Dennis his freedom is essential and in the end you're faced with the unexpected.
You can also count on an extraordinary soundtrack and photography, so it is a film that is really worth seeing!