OUT OF AFRICA

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If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon
lying on her back, of the plows in the fields
and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers,
does Africa know a song of me?
Will the air over the plain quiver with a color that I have had on,
or the children invent a game in which my name is,
or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me,
or will the eagles of the Ngong Hills look out for me?
- Karen Blixen-

The past few days of holidays were spent in front of the idiot box (tv). For a very long time, I haven’t been watching marathon movies. Since, it was a holiday and a long weekend, I decided to stay home and watched some tv.. and ended up, watching almost everything that HBO and Cinemax had to offer. Yes, I managed to bargain with the people in this house to let me watch other than Wah Lai Toi.

I watched re-runs of Mona Lisa Smile, Final Destination 2, The Legend of Bruce Lee, Born of Fourth of July, etc, just to name a few.

I can’t believe my luck that I get to watch Out of Africa today, a 1985 production, which was accredited seven (7) Oscars to its name.

I could even recall some of the dialogues. I had watched Out of Africa almost 5x and each time I watched it, it seemed to get better. I love Meryl Streep. There is indeed some sizzling chemistry between Meryl Streep’s Karen Blixen and Robert Redford’s Finch Hatton (Denys), which the actors today rarely could portray.

I would like to share with you, some of the scenes and dialogues I loved most in this movie:

Favorite scenes:-

When she first met Denys and Berkerley and they ended up having dinner and told stories till the end of the night.

When Karen ventured out into the safari to carry supplies to her promiscuous husband, Baron Bror Blixen, the scene where she drove away the lions which came to attack the herds of cattles, by merely using a whip.

The shampoo scene right in the middle of the safari. (Who could forget that??)

The first flight that Denys took Karen, mesmerized over the scenic horizon of Africa.

The sight of baobabs trees, overlooking the sunset.

When she wanted so much to own Denys by marrying him, after bathing in the sea over the sunset.

Favorite dialogues:

Between Karen and Kamante, a kikuyu

Karen: Good Lord. Your leg has got worse. You should go to hospital.

Kamante: This leg may be foolish.It may think not to go to hospital.

Karen: This leg will do as it pleases.But if you will take it to hospital... I will think that you are wise. And such a wise man as this, I would want to work in my house... for wages.

Kamante:How much wages would come to such a wise man as that?

Karen:More wages than come from tending goats.

Kamante: I will speak to this leg.

Denys and Karen when she argued about marrying:

Karen: Do you ever get lonely?

Denys: Sometimes.

Karen: Do you ever wonder if I am lonely?

Denys: No, I don't.

Karen: Do you think about me at all?

Denys: Often.

Karen: But not enough to come back.

-edit-

Denys: I'd mate for life. One day at a time.

I'm with you because I choose to be with you.

I don't want to live someone else's idea of how to live.

and I won't love you more because of a piece of paper.

Karen’s last speech during Denys’ funeral

"The time you won
your town the race...
we cheered you
through the marketplace.

Man and boy stood cheering by...
as home we brought you,
shoulder high.

Smart lad,
to slip betimes away...
from fields where glory
does not stay.

Early though
the laurel grows...
it withers quicker than a rose.

Now you will not swell the rout...
of lads that wore their honors out.

Runners whom renown outran
and the name died...
before the man.

And round that early laureled head...
will flock to gaze
the strengthless dead...
and find unwithered on its curls...
a garland...
briefer than a girl's."

Now take back the soul
of Denys George Finch Hatton...
whom You have shared with us.

He brought us joy...
and we loved him well.
He was not ours.
He was not mine.

Part and parcel of life. We cannot always have what we want. We could only try our very best and make do with what we have.