Only a couple months back, Meryl Streep walked away with her third Oscar for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
Three decades earlier, her take on another true story (and European accent, because Meryl loves accents) was getting acclaim.
Danish writer Karen Blixen, under her pen name Isak Dinesen, wrote a memoir reflecting her early life as a coffee plantation owner in Kenya during the 1910s, and the man she met and fell in love with while living in Africa. Played by Streep and Robert Redford this tale became the Best Picture Winner of 1986; Out Of Africa.
The movie has everything the Academy voters notoriously look for in a best picture; sweeping sceney, lush epic feel, drama, and of course, romance. These all happen to be qualities a lot of movie viewers adore as well, which puts Out Of Africa as both a best picture winner and a classic to many lovers of film.
Thirty years later all of the reasons people love this movie has definitely stood the test of time and, vastly crucial, made me want to reserve my place on a safari as soon as possible; any movie that excites travel plans is a winner in my book.
Only having seen it once before, while hopped up on pain meds after surgery a couple years ago, I knew that a time would come where I would need to watch it coherently.
At that time, even while slightly out of it, I appreciated it for many of the above qualities, but mostly just Redford's dreaminess, and for the love of all things Meryl.
Watching it a second time was definitely necessary to fully understand the story filled with WWI excitement and gender struggles over a woman's place in society, which Blixen was pushing against her entire life.
Out Of Africa is definitely a Best Picture winner to put on your movies to see list. I feel like this is one of those that I will grow more fond of, through each viewing, and especially as I grow older.
As a final tip of my hat to this memorable film I give you something that is either the funniest thing I have ever done...or the lamest. You decide and judge accordingly, but none the less it was a blast.
As a promise to last years me, who was inspired by the annual Washington Post Peeps Contest, but did nothing about it, I present my entry: Out Of Peeps (or the less creative Peeps Of Africa).
I know what you're thinking; the likeness to Meryl and Redford from this scene are uncanny! Also, to answer your question, yes, that is Rajah from Aladdin-we'll just pretend he's a lion.
Go snag a copy of your favorite Oscar winner and wrangle some Peeps for a night of fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment