Out Of Africa (1985)

In 1913, a a moneyed Danish woman (Meryl Streep) enters a marriage of convenience with an impoverished Baron (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and they move to Africa to start a coffee farm. Loosely based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Karen Blixen (writing under the name Isak Dinesen) and directed by Sydney Pollack. Although based on Blixen's time in Africa, Kurt Luedtke's screenplay takes great liberties with the actual facts of Blixen's story and her relationship with the British hunter played by Robert Redford (sans accent). What Pollack intended and succeeded in doing was making a romance that is both epic and intimate. Pushing close to the three hour mark, the film suffers a bit from bloat but it's so beautifully done that one never gets bored. The contributions of cinematographer David Watkin and composer John Barry to the film's success (it was a box office hit and won seven Oscars) are invaluable in providing texture and ambience to what could have been a rather ordinary movie. Despite his top billing, this is Streep's movie all the way and Redford is off the screen for great chunks of time. With Michael Gough, Michael Kitchen, Malick Bowens, Susanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson and Iman.