"Out of Africa" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Avaitor]

"If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on her back, of the plows in the fields and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me? Will the air over the plain quiver with a color that I have had on, or the children invent a game in which my name is, or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me, or will the eagles of the Ngong Hills look out for me?"

Release Date: December 18, 1985
Studio: Universal
Director: Sydney Pollack
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Starring: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer

Plot Summary: Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Her life is Complicated by a husband of convenience (Bror Blixen), a true love (Denys), troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives, war, and catching VD from her husband.

COMMENTS?

Universal's third centennial special edition release. I actually haven't seen this one before, so I can't comment on it.

[Lord Dalek]

Ladies and gentlemen.... the reason why Sidney Pollack was an overrated hack.

[Avaitor]

The only film of his that I've seen is Tootsie.

Proof positive that cross-dressing isn't funny.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I haven't seen this but I still don't get the hoopla over Tootsie. It's just one of those movies I don't seem to "get" or whatever.

[Avaitor]

I think the joke behind Tootsie is just that it stars a method actor in drag, which people in the community just find delightful. Dustin Hoffman's performance is more irritating and creepy than anything.

While we're here, I also want to say that I don't like Meryl Streep. I find her utterly pandering and droll.

[Avaitor]

So I finally got around to watching this. Jeez, talk about a hit or misser.

Really, there was a good 15 minutes you could have chopped off, at least. It isn't that long of a movie (about 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is nothing compared to Gone With the Wind and Titanic), but it sure feels longer due to its glacier-like pacing. The worst of it is that the meat of the story, the love arc between Karen and Denys, doesn't actually start until around the 2 hour mark.

And speaking of GWTW and Titanic, these are obvious films to compare the film to, since they're all very popular Best Picture winners about accidental love stories of great consequences. And Out of Africa fails in comparison to either since there wasn't a great necessity to tell its story like there was for Gone With the Wind, and Pollack isn't anywhere near as talented of a director as Cameron. Really, there are some heinous camera shots taken throughout, including some unnecessary slanting that you'd swear was done by a rookie, not someone who has had such a lasting career as Pollack. Plus some dreadfully honest green-screening during a crucial moment.

The thing that really annoyed me about the film though was Meryl Streep's performance. Her Danish accent was FUCKING AWFUL, and she just sounded like she was whining throughout. Even if I liked her, I would have found her performance dreadful.

There's plenty of good, though. When the camera is used correctly, the cinematography is fantastic. Africa looks so lively and gorgeous in the film. If you're interested in Africa or culture in general, the movie is worth watching just to see the scenery. The score, while sometimes a little grating, is mostly quite effective. And the actual love story itself was well-told, when you get to it. Robert Redford was great in his role, and I'll admit that the ending caught me by surprise.

If you're interested in African culture, then I can recommend the film. Otherwise, I don't think it's an essential.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've tried watching this film on at least 2 occasions. On both occasions I fell asleep within 20-30 minutes of watching the movie (and it wasn't because I was physically tired or watching it late at night). I have no idea how this could be considered entertainment. Its just flat-out boring in every sense of the word. The actors have no enthusiasm in their performances and not one moment of what I've seen of the movie feels like its the least bit inspired. Its the fact that movies like this can get "critically acclaimed" that has lead me to believe that most film critics of so-called artsy films are full of shit. Its one of the most overrated movies I've ever attempted to watch.

[Avaitor]

To be fair, it does get better as you go along, but it takes so long to get to the main point of the story that it's not worth it.

Edit: Oh, and critics didn't exactly love it, either. Some did, but others agree with us that the movie is tedious as fuck. Why it won so many awards is beyond me though.

[Lord Dalek]

Why it won so many awards is beyond me though.

Racism.

Also... Bob Harris may be one of the greatest film restorers arround but he doesn't know shit about what was actually a good movie in 1985.

[Avaitor]

The Color Purple was so much better, but I feel like it wasn't as good as it could be since Spielberg wasn't the right director for it. It doesn't feel as personal as Schindler's List or Munich, and it's a little too polished for the film's good. If someone else tackled it, the movie would be a lot better.

[Lord Dalek]

The Color Purple was so much better, but I feel like it wasn't as good as it could be since Spielberg wasn't the right director for it. It doesn't feel as personal as Schindler's List or Munich, and it's a little too polished for the film's good. If someone else tackled it, the movie would be a lot better.

Still getting nominated for 11 awards and not winning a single one casts a long shadow over the process.

Even a POS like Babel won at least ONE award against The Departed (the one it didn't deserve).