Out of Africa

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Producer:

Kim Jorgensen, Sydney Pollack

Writer:

Kurt Luedtke

Release Date:

Dec 18, 1985

Runtime:

2hr 41m

Synopsis

In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.

Cast

  • Meryl Streep
  • Robert Redford
  • Klaus Maria Brandauer
  • Michael Kitchen
  • Malick Bowens
  • Joseph Thiaka
  • Stephen Kinyanjui
  • Michael Gough
  • Suzanna Hamilton
  • Rachel Kempson

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.4
118.3K
48.7K
20.1K
RATINGS 1.4K FANS
3.4
  • May 14, 2021

    I always avoided this film cause it seemed boring. and it is! boring!

    0 Likes
    David Sims
    David Sims
    Jan 10, 2021

    Out of all the Academy Award Best Picture winners I have seen, this is clearly the one that was released in 1985.

    0 Likes
    Matt Singer
    Matt Singer
    Aug 26, 2019

    the first half of this is VERY dull but then the scene where robert redford gently washes meryl streep’s hair happens and you kind of forget how dull everything else has been?? and THEN there’s a scene where robert redford is standing on a porch with one leg all the way up…

    0 Likes
    eely 👻
    eely 👻
  •
    Jan 23, 2017

    Criticisms based on the runtime and the level of boredom are beyond me. This didn't feel long or tedious at all, it is a film of sentiment, a melodrama no doubt, but beautifully crafted and subtly acted out in ways that always had me captivated. It kept a nice balance…

    0 Likes
    Gui
    Gui
    Mar 18, 2020

    imagine you’re meryl and about to be eaten by a lioness and suddenly robert redford appears out of nowhere and saves your life while looking like that. and then you’re lost and he appears again and gives you a compass while looking like that. and then washes your hair while…

    0 Likes
    sofi✨
    sofi✨
    Feb 9, 2025

    robert redford reciting poetry to meryl streep while washing her hair... romance peaked here

    0 Likes
    júlia
    júlia
  •
    Jun 22, 2022

    meryl streep gets an STD and survives multiple lion attacks and somehow it’s boring

    0 Likes
    Evasive
    Evasive
    Nov 13, 2025

    This movie looks gorgeous — David Watkin, possibly the most underrated cinematographer of the 20th century? — but also features one of the ugliest, cheapest looking blue screen/rear projection sequences that you’ll ever see in a Hollywood film, let alone a Best Picture…

    0 Likes
    Sean Fennessey
    Sean Fennessey
    Feb 23, 2019

    *africa by toto starts playing in the distance *

    0 Likes
    megan
    megan

Atom Users Reviews

5.0
1
0
0
0
0

Reviews

  • MK
    Maggie Kelly

Metacritic

69
metacritic
Based on 18 Critics
7.0

USER SCORE (18)

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Reviews
63

It`s a shame to have to knock the otherwise beautiful and haunting picture, but when you`re watching a love story and you can`t stand the character who is being loved, that makes for a very frustrating movie-going experience.

Metacritic review by Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
50

It's big, beautiful, and imposing. But there isn't much to it, and pretty pictures -- replacing ideas, not supporting them -- are its only real attraction.

Metacritic review by David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor
60

Just as the film captures a world (Imperialism, hunting, colonialism) that has faded away, so this film feels like one of the last of it's kind.

Metacritic review by Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Out of Africa (1985) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is Out of Africa (1985)?
The movie is 2hr 41min long.
What's Out of Africa (1985) about?
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Who's the cast of Out of Africa (1985)?
  • Meryl Streep as Karen Christence Dinesen Blixen-Finecke
  • Robert Redford as Denys George Finch Hatton
  • Klaus Maria Brandauer as Bror Blixen/Hans Blixen
  • Michael Kitchen as Berkeley Cole
  • Malick Bowens as Farah
  • Joseph Thiaka as Kamante
  • Stephen Kinyanjui as Kinanjui
  • Michael Gough as Lord Delamere
  • Suzanna Hamilton as Felicity
  • Rachel Kempson as Lady Belfield
Who's the director behind Out of Africa (1985)?
Sydney Pollack directed Out of Africa (1985).
Who produced Out of Africa (1985)?
Kim Jorgensen and Sydney Pollack produced Out of Africa (1985).