Sydney Pollack month: Out of Africa

A retrospective by Brooks Rich

Going to cover this film differently than I would other films in a director's month. I am not the biggest fan of Out of Africa. I have no beef with it but as far as prestigious Oscar films go it's not one of my favorites. The '80s were full of these big sweeping Best Picture winners and I think films like Gandhi and Amadeus are much better than Out of Africa. Out of Africa is that film that might come to mind when someone thinks of a big Oscar winner that fades over time. Nothing wrong with it but really, this was the best film of the year?

But I think Out of Africa is a solid film and it's more of what makes Pollack an interesting director. Even with a big sweeping epic like this, he knows to back the camera off at the right point and let the story play out. Nothing can ruin a character moment or a quiet story beat in an epic more than an intrusive camera. Sure there is skill in making a big movie. But there is also skill in being subtle and shooting competently but not going overboard.

I think Out of Africa has it's place for sure. It's definitely worth watching if someone is exploring Pollack's filmography. It scored him Best Director and Best Picture. While it is not his best movie, it is by far his worst. It is a solid big epic and if those long romantic prestige films are your thing and you've somehow missed this one, there's far worse. Meryl Streep gives one of the better performances of her career and Robert Redford is always a treat.

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