Out of Africa (1985)

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Malick Bowens, Michael Kitchen, Shane Rimmer, Suzanna Hamilton, Michael Gough, Joseph Thiaka, Stephen Kinyanjui. (PG-13)

Sydney Pollack’s sweeping drama based on Karen Blixen’s autobiographical book of the same name (under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen)—along with other sources—is one of those stuffy prestige pictures that looks terrific but fails at being involving or fascinating on any sort of human or dramatic level. Streep is, of course, quite good as the Danish woman who marries her nobleman friend (Brandauer, even better) and moves to Africa to run a dairy (though he decides to make it a coffee plantation instead). David Watkin’s photography is splendid, presenting some truly evocative images of vast African scenery, but underneath the lush imagery, the story is a plodding, episodic non-starter. Only cursory attention is paid to the continent at large or global affairs, while the lion’s share of the running time is devoted to her inert romance with Redford (badly miscast as an English big-game hunter). A late scene set in a “boys’ club” is meant to be triumphant, but is instead laughable; condescending attitudes toward the natives bleeds through its surface-level liberal-mindedness. Barry’s fine score sounds like a warm-up for the great one he would produce for another period epic, Dances with Wolves. Seven Academy Awards total were handed out to this “safe pick,” including the aforementioned photography and music, plus Picture and Director.

43/100