There is some marvelous symbolism in this film and the screenplay by Kurt Luedtke touches on much of it, but the enhanced DVD contains commentary by Isak Dinisen's biographer, Judith Thurman, as well as comments by director Sydney Pollack that provide additional insights into the characters that we don't necessarily see on screen. However, this doesn't detract from this immensely well-crafted film, so rich in texture and scope, that it accomplishes what all good movies do; it removes us from our world for the amount of time it's on the screen and immerses us in the milieu it creates. This films, not only because of the craftsmanship, for which John Barry also deserves exceptional recognition for a masterful music score, stands head and shoulders above the other blockbuster "woman against the elements" contemporary films of the time, such as 'Heat and Dust' and was obvious inspiration for other such hi-dollar period romances to follow like, "The English Patient" and "The End of the Affair". What makes this film really shine, however, is Streep's performance as Dinesen, at once both likable and empathetic due to her complete mastery of the art of screen acting, in which again, we forget we're watching a performance. Klaus Maria Brandauer is also excellent as the philandering Baron Blix...and Redford is Redford, perhaps, as some have suggested, a tad mis-cast, but still commanding and ultimately plausible as the conscious big-game hunter/conservationist, that he too is impossible to dislike. All in all, a film that truly enriches the overall experience of American cinema.
Review of Out of Africa
