Strange as it may seem, I just recently saw the epic historical film "Out of Africa" in it's entirety. I had started watching it a couple of times over the years, but couldn't get into this.
This time around, I watched the whole thing & was quite impressed. Interesting story with good acting; the storyline was well-done. However, most impressive of all was the scenery - the epic landscape was incredible, and may as well have been another character in the film.
The long flight scene when Streep/Redford were in the small yellow plane & flew near the waterfall, the water, the birds flying underneath them, etc. was quite impressive.
Obviously, the ending was a real downer - but that was to be expected...
Meryl Streep has made a career of starring in depressing films, notably "The Deer Hunter", "Sophie's Choice" and "A Cry in the Dark".
And, in the '90's she was in "The Bridges of Madison County" and played a similar character to her "Out of Africa" role - she also played an unsatisfied married woman who had on-again/off-again affair with an independent loner (Clint Eastwood).
[ 06. March 2017, 13:05: Message edited by: Nostalgic for the '80's ]
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Out of Africa is one of those films, usually an Oscar winner, that you watch, enjoy because it is really well done, and then never re-visit. The English Patient is another one in that category.
Posted by Nostalgic for the '80's (Member # 37454) on :
quote:Originally posted by Crash: Out of Africa is one of those films, usually an Oscar winner, that you watch, enjoy because it is really well done, and then never re-visit. The English Patient is another one in that category.
Agreed! It was great to see the film at least once, but I have 0 interest in ever watching this again.
I have only seen The English Patient once, but may check that out again - if only for the truly gorgeous Kirsten Scott Thomas Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
I love Kristen Scott Thomas, the epitome of the sexy European actress.
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
"Iiiiiiii had a faaaaarm in Aaaaaaahfricaaaa"
John Barry's music is great in this. Always like Pollack movies. Redford was still on top form. I agree with Crash; once watched you seldom feel the need to revisit. It has Oscar bait written all over it.
One of the most interesting things I heard about Streep was; "She's not as intelligent as you think she is" from a fellow actor some years ago.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Love your impression! ROFL Barry is one of my favorite film composers. Out of Africa is great, but my favorite of his is Body Heat, all saxophone and wind chimes. Along with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Bernard Herman's Psycho, Angelo Baldamenti's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and Thief by Tangerine Dream, it is one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. (I should probably put a Carpenter one in their too. My personal favorite is Assault on Precinct 13. Just amazingly good.)
You know, I'd believe that about Streep. She's a brilliant movie actress, perhaps the best of all time, see Sophie's Choice, but as others have noted, there's something off-putting about that faux-humility that she effects when folks tell her that. (She might not be that intelligent.) I've always thought that Tom Hanks, who is one of our best actors, always handled that humbleness a lot better than Streep. He always comes across as an ordinary Joe just trying to do good work in his day job, which just so happens to be being a movie star. I think that's what makes him so well liked. He's great and humble, but he doesn't beat you over the head with it like Streep, who knows she's great and wants you to believe that she's humble about it, when she really isn't.
[ 08. March 2017, 09:47: Message edited by: Crash ]
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Love your impression! ROFL Barry is one of my favorite film composers. Out of Africa is great, but my favorite of his is Body Heat, all saxophone and wind chimes. Along with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Bernard Herman's Psycho, Angelo Baldamenti's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and Thief by Tangerine Dream, it is one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. (I should probably put a Carpenter one in their too. My personal favorite is Assault on Precinct 13. Just amazingly good.)
Nice list, but not a single Jerry Goldsmith or John Williams soundtrack there! 'Chinatown' was always a fave of mine. I haven't really heard Body Heat - a movie I only saw once years ago - my fave John Barry would have to be Somewhere in Time. Twin Peaks / GBU I listen to a lot.
quote:You know, I'd believe that about Streep. She's a brilliant movie actress, perhaps the best of all time, see Sophie's Choice, but as others have noted, there's something off-putting about that faux-humility that she effects when folks tell her that. (She might not be that intelligent.) I've always thought that Tom Hanks, who is one of our best actors, always handled that humbleness a lot better than Streep. He always comes across as an ordinary Joe just trying to do good work in his day job, which just so happens to be being a movie star. I think that's what makes him so well liked. He's great and humble, but he doesn't beat you over the head with it like Streep, who knows she's great and wants you to believe that she's humble about it, when she really isn't.
Hanks has an everyman quality about him, and it seemed to take him a long climb to get to household name status. He's also not traditionally handsome, but boyish. I reckon he feels grateful for getting where he is. Streep seemed to become a top actress quite quickly, and then never seemed to leave 'star' status. Can't picture her in something like 'Bosom Buddies'! Did she even do any 'light' movies throughout the 70's / 80's? She was always 'serious' wasn't she? Maybe that's why people assume she's smart?
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