Plot: What’s it about?
Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) moves to Africa to assist her husband in running a coffee plantation operation. Once there, she is overwhelmed by Africa, with all of its natural beauty, local wildlife, and also the people who live there. Her husband is not exactly a nice guy, and he sleeps around on her. Karen leaves her husband behind, to explore her love for the lands and also her attraction to a hunter (Robert Redford).
I realize I was a little vague in my plot summary, but that’s the best way to treat this movie. Instead of reading a bunch of text, you have to see the movie unfold to understand what the appeal is. In all honesty, the movie moves more with visual images than words many times, and that’s not the easiest thing to summarize with words. Out of Africa took home seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. Once you watch the film, it’s very easy to see how those awards were garnered. The visuals in this movie are nothing short of amazing, with incredible locations and set designs. The movie runs nearly three hours, so make sure you have enough time set aside to watch the film in one sitting. I recommend this disc for purchase without hesitation, it is a fantastic treatment of a modern classic.
Robert Redford and Meryl Streep both deliver great performances. The two have nearly flawless chemistry, bringing a realistic feel to their on screen emotional journey. Streep gives the performance of her career, filling the screen with her presence. She shows excellent depth with this character, and established herself as a top dramatic actress. While she has done other impressive work, I feel this stands as the best of her career. Redford turns in his typical solid, charming performance, more than adequate for his character. While not his best acting turn, it certainly proves to be one of his better works, far better than his turn in The Way We Were. The supporting cast includes Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Malick Bowens, and Suzanna Hamilton.
Video: How does it look?
Out Of Africa has been given a new 4K transfer and it shows. The overall image is very strong, with the film showing little signs of its age. The movie features a great many shots of the African plains and other landscapes, and the disc ensures they look rich and colorful. The colors are well done, with vivid hues when called for, since the movie has a more natural spectrum. As I mentioned, the landscape shots look beautiful, especially the ones with golden tones to them. The contrast levels are deep and correct, with excellent separation. Some of the interior scenes appear more muddied than the outdoor scenes, but the visual problems with the interior scenes are minor.
Audio: How does it sound?
While this isn’t the movie you’d associate audio prowess with, the disc’s new Dolby Atmos track makes the film’s audio come to life. The musical score, which won an Oscar, is outstanding here, using the surrounds very well. The main focus of the audio however, is dialogue, which the disc replicates without a hitch. Every word is crisp and clear. While the general ambiance leaves a bit to be desired, the birds chirping and all the little intricacies do make this a worthwhile upgrade.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Sadly, there’s nothing new in the supplemental department. These are the same extras that have been around when the film first hit DVD. Given that Redford and Pollack are no longer with us, likely there’ll be no more.
- A Song of Africa – This documentary packed with interviews, behind the scenes footage, everything a fan of the film could want. Between the commentary and the documentary, you’ll know everything there is to know about this movie.
- Audio Commentary – A running commentary with director Sydney Pollack is included, which is filled with tidbits of behind the scenes info. He gives insight on almost every aspect of this movie, locations, casting, the script, you name it. If you enjoy this movie, you should give this track a listen.
- Deleted Scenes – Fifteen minutes’ worth are included, in sub par quality, but given the film’s length of 161 minutes, these were wisely cut.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
It’s nice to have another Best Picture winner in 4K. I’m fairly certain that this was put out after the news of Robert Redford’s death, but whatever the reason it now looks and sounds better than ever before.
