Out of Africa

Beautifully shot with a wonderful score by John Barry. Movie plays a bit long and first hour and a half is a struggle to stay invested. Film location and supporting casts adds authenticity to the memoir based feature. Overall enjoyable but could have been trimmed to a more befitting runtime.

This is not a movie, it's an experience. The sets, the soundtrack, the cast, blend together seamlessly. It's joyful and painful and you wish it didn't have to end. Meryl Streep represents Karen Blixen with style, grace, and accuracy according to those who knew Karen Blixen. Robert Redford is Robert Redford. I see him as the only possibly weak link. Denys Finch-Hatten was English and his attempt at an English accent was so bad that Sydney Pollack had him play the role with his normal voice, so you can't forget it's Robert Redford. It made me wonder how it would've been with Liam Neeson or a Jeremy Irons. Even so, it's a film you can fall in love with.

Some beautiful music and incredible cinematography makes this historical melodrama a lot more interesting than it has any right to be.

Stunning movie breathtaking scenery unbelievable story

I admit that my feelings toward this film are very biased. As a teenager living in a rural mountain town any film that provided pure escapism was loved by me, and if it was an epic film of both scale and run time, all the better. “Out Of Africa” was one of my favorites! The outstanding scenery captured by the magnificent cinematography, the beautifully detailed period set design, and of course the Harlequin-esque romance story line all came together for a film that I could lose myself in. Watching it as a 50 year old, my feelings are a bit different. All the ingredients of an old fashioned epic in the spirit of David Lean are there, but the screenplay is so episodic (which could’ve worked in the hands of a Robert Altman style of director) and under Sydney Pollacks direction there is nothing that really propels one episode into the other. Also, no real over arching theme other than the Meryl Streep characters desire for the land and her man (neither of which seem to really want her there) ever emerges. The supporting players (especially the characters of Streeps husband and her house valet and Resfords best friend) steal every moment they’re in. Along with the glimpses of the beginning of WWl playing in the background, I wish these characters and moments had been given a bit more of the spotlight than they were. So, the passing years have made me a bit more critical of what was once one of my favorite films, but they have also reaffirmed that despite its flaws this film is still one than can take my breath away with its music, its look, its style and even all its flaws. It remains one of the last great romantic epics.

The lackluster reviews from "professional critics" here smack of sophomoric contrarianism. Without a doubt, one of the best films of the past 50 years, based on a brilliant adaptation of Blixen's autobiography, career-defining performances from Streep and Redford, a transcendent musical score, and arguably the best cinematographic showcase of East Africa of any Hollywood film ever. One of my top 5 films ever.

I read the book recently. The movie is just as long and dull as the book was. But Meryl Streep was excellent as usual at least.

The film began with Karen telling her story from her point of view. The screenplay retained some of the poetry of the author’s original writing, and the pace was slow because Karen was savoring all the details of her memories - her story. She was stoic when recounting her story because she could be objective with the passage of time, so her recounting was on the tender side yet passionate. All in all: a fine screenplay and excellent editing. Aileen

It's a beautiful film - photography, soundtrack - with outstanding performances that needed to have a little more get-up-and-go.

A beautiful love story that I return to again and again. Redford and Streep are incredible and totally inhabit their characters. Beautifully shot and conceptualized film.