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• The 1985 film Out of Africa is based on a series of autobiographical writings by Karen Blixen, a Danish Baroness who lived in Kenya (then British East Africa) from 1914–1931. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (for Kurt Luedtke) and Best Director for Sydney Pollack.

• Fast Facts

  1. Director/Producer: Sydney Pollack
  2. Starring: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford and Klaus Maria Brandauer
  3. Released: December 18, 1985
  4. Run time: 161 minutes
  5. Budget:
     1. 31 million
  6. MPAA rating: PG
  7. Based on the autobiographical book by Karen Blixen (as Isak Dinesen)
  8. Most of the film's narration is taken directly from Blixen's writings
  9. Streep based her accent on actual recordings of Blixen
  10. Redford had originally performed his role with an English accent

• Background

  Many filmmakers had previously intended to make a film about Blixen, including Orson Welles and David Lean. At one point, Audrey Hepburn had been considered for the role.

  Though the film is titled after one of Blixen's books, Out of Africa takes material from a variety of her publications about life in Kenya.

  The film was shot on location in Africa, in some cases in the actual places where the original events took place and featuring the descendants of some of the individual players.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Meryl Streep | Robert Redford | Sydney Pollack | Golden Globe Awards | Academy Awards

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