Out of Africa (1985)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Film: 162 minutes
Director: Sydney Pollack
Cast: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Joseph Thiaka, Stephen Kinyanjui, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson
Oscars: Sydney Pollack (best picture),  Sydney Pollack (director), Kurt Luedtke (screenplay), Stephen B. Grimes, Josie MacAvin (art direction), David Watkin (photography), John Barry (music), Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold, Peter Handford (sound)
Oscar Nominations: Meryl Streep (actress), Klaus Maria Brandauer (actor in support role), Milena Canonero (costume), Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp, Pembroke J. Herring, Sheldon Kahn (editing)

This movie is really long, but the teasing relationship of when Karen and Denys, because you know they get together, but don't know when. Karen Dinesen (Meryl Streep) moves from her home of Denmark to Africa to marry her friend Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) out of convenience. While on the train, she meets up with Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford) who's a big game hunter. As soon as Karen arrives in Kenya, she has less than an hour before the wedding. When Bror and Karen arranged their marriage, they agreed they'd have a dairy farm, without Karen knowing, he switches it to coffee. Bror leaves to go hunting and leaves Karen to take of everything at the farm, and befriends the local tribe, Massai.

Karen's relationship with her husband blooms, sexually...even though it was only supposed to be a marriage of convenience. Karen got really sick, when she went to the doctor, she was informed that she contracted syphillis; syphillis from her husbands philandering.  She ends up leaving Africa, to go home to get well.

When she gets back home, she asks her husband to move into town. Once he's out of the picture, Denys swoops in and takes Karen on a safari. The scenery is beautiful, and they get really close to Baboons and Lions. This is the part of the movie where the audience sits at the edge of their seat waiting for them to kiss for the first time. The most tender part of the whole movie was when Denys volunteers to wash Karen's hair.

They start a love affair, we see them fall into bed, but there's nothing hot and heavy on screen. We do see Meryl Streep's nipple. Anyway...Denys gets a plane and takes Karen on a BEAUTIFUL journey through Africa. Bror asks Karen for a divorce, because he met a new woman, and Karen talks to Denys about marriage, and he's against it. This movie doesn't end happily, but you'll have to watch the movie. The highlights of the movie include a safari via biplane, glimpses of naturally occuring wildlife, and the thrilling music score by John Barry.