Out of Africa

Locations
Call Number: DVD Drama Out
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Drama Out	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Drama Out	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Drama Out	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Drama Out	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Drama Out	1-week checkout	On Shelf

Based on the life of writer Isak Dinesen.
Based on the books: Out of Africa ; Shadows on the grass ; Letters from Africa / by Isak Dinesen. Isak Dinesen, the life of a storyteller / by Judith Thurman. Silence will speak / by Errol Trzebinski.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1985.
Special features: Song of Africa : an original documentary; Feature commentary with director Sydney Pollack; Production notes; Cast & filmmakers; Theatrical trailer; Universal WEB links.
Cast: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer.
The true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who runs a coffee plantation in Kenya in 1914.
DVD; Dolby digital 4.1 surround or 2.0 stereo; anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1).
Contents: Shadows in the grass. -- Breve fra Afrika. -- Isak Dinesen, the life of a storyteller. -- Silence will speak.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Summary / Annotation

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

beautiful submitted by manz on March 25, 2010, 10:40am This is an amazing film. Great acting, great tempo. It makes you feel good.

A classic submitted by klickitat on August 24, 2012, 10:59pm Great adventure story about an interesting woman who made the best of what life offered her. I was inspired to check out Dinesen's fiction. Many memorable scenes.

Inspiring submitted by crazypockets on June 21, 2013, 2:16pm I remember that the mother of a friend I had growing up watched this a lot during the day when I'd be over at her house, and it always seemed so boring. Seeing it on the shelf one day though made me want to check it out. It was far from boring (though probably would still seem that way to a kid)! This was a really great true story about an incredibly strong woman and a man who was strong enough to let her be herself and respect her for it. I absolutely loved it.

beautiful submitted by yufamily on August 25, 2019, 9:29pm Terrific cinematography and cast

Will make you want to travel there submitted by AndAReaderToo on August 17, 2022, 10:15pm Such gorgeous country. This movie, based on the book, depicts the time when European colonialism of East Africa (the movie mostly takes place in Kenya), was established and only picking up more steam. It is more tastefully done than you might expect for 1985, but it is nonetheless a story of colonialism. It is loved, however, for the performances of both Redford and Streep, the strong non-traditional character Streep portrays, the sweeping aerial imagery, and the slow-build romance. Spoiler alert: this is not a happily-ever-after tale. It is loosely based on two books, which is part autobiographical/memoir and part whimsical, and which do not strictly track actual events. In this instance, I actually like the movie better.

Out of Africa submitted by leighsprauer on September 5, 2022, 9:49pm I read Out of Africa several years ago, and gave it 4 stars, although I’d have to go back and look at my review to remember why. Maybe it’s just because I loved the descriptions of Eastern Africa, which I was planning to visit at the time I was reading it. (I did visit it, and it did remind me of Out of Africa, and I was glad I had read it. But that’s neither here nor there.)
But standing alone, it’s really hard to find anything redeeming about the movie. Robert Redford as Denys is fine, I guess, although there’s I didn’t find anything particularly charming about him. Meryl Streep gets on my nerves during the best of times, so listening to her “Danish” accent for almost three hours was a chore. Neither character is likable; Karen’s attempts to care for and educate the local people somewhat temper her other flaws (such as infidelity, insecurity, and pride), but even these attempts are tinged by racism. (Denys does accuse her of racism, but I can’t remember now whether that was an 80s movie addition or whether there was any indication in the book that the criticism was contemporary.) Denys is ultimately selfish; it’s difficult to see what Karen sees in him, other than is “wildness” and free-spiritedness, which she sees as essentially African (although the safe, white kind of African).
The scenery and score are both beautiful, but these aren’t enough to overcome the tediousness of the plot and characters.