Ultimately the movie is alluring and respectful -- its sadness may be what saves it from becoming sensationalist or trite.
I Dreamed of Africa (2000)
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:2
Rotten:26
Average Rating:3.3/10
Consensus: The straightforward retelling of Kuki Gallman's life in Africa neither moves or entertains the viewer.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based on the book of the same name, I DREAMED OF AFRICA is the true story of Kuki Gallman (Kim Basinger), a wealthy Italian socialite whose life changes abruptly after a near fatal car crash.... Based on the book of the same name, I DREAMED OF AFRICA is the true story of Kuki Gallman (Kim Basinger), a wealthy Italian socialite whose life changes abruptly after a near fatal car crash. Vowing to appreciate her life more deeply, she agrees to marry Paolo Gallman (Vincent Perez), a man she does not know well, and sets off with her young son, Emmanuelle (Liam Aiken), for a new life in the countryside of Kenya. A cattle ranch in the Lakipani region of Kenya becomes the Gallmans' new home, far away from the creature comforts of their posh household in Italy. Kuki is beset with the daily challenges of life in Africa, including harsh weather, dangerous animals, and the absence of her husband, who spends days away hunting with his new friends. Forced to face many challenges alone, Kuki experiences a cultural awakening, inspired by an intense and emotional connection to the land, animals, and rhythm of Africa. Finding her new purpose in life, Kuki becomes an activist for endangered African animals, most notably elephants and rhinoceroses. Her resulting battles with those opposing her ideas provide the greatest conflicts in this inspiring and lyrical film that features an impassioned performance by Basinger. Director Hugh Hudson effectively captures the breathtaking beauty of both the African landscape and the animals that Kuki dedicated her life to help save. [More]
Starring: Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Liam Aiken
Starring: Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Liam Aiken, Allison Daugherty Smith, Robert Loggia
Director: Hugh Hudson
Director: Hugh Hudson
Screenwriter: Paula Milne, Susan Shilliday
Producer: Stanley R. Jaffe, Allyn Stewart
Composer: Maurice Jarre
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Reviews for I Dreamed of Africa
It hasn't any rhythm at all, just a string of downbeats and a hackneyed old tune that equates mere survival with heroism.
Similarly anesthetized, director Hugh Hudson keeps the movie rambling and episodic.
Pic's lack of dramatic rhythm and narrative continuity is exacerbated by Scott Thomas' rough editing.
I Dreamed Of Africa turns authentic experience into the stuff of high cliché.
So disjointed and confusing one can only surmise it fell prey to poor preview screenings and some major last-minute tinkering.
I Dreamed of Africa plays like a string of journal entries waiting to be assembled into the fully involving narrative you're convinced it can be, but isn't here.
Hudson is hamstrung by a script that strives to touch on every episode in Gallmann's life (or book) without knitting them into a coherent whole.
This is a Laura Ashley on Safari meditation on bored rich people searching for fulfillment and a new life among the photogenic wildlife of Kenya.
Director Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) visits adversities as if they were stops on a photo safari.
Out of Africa, which was so bland I'd almost forgotten it, packs a dramatic wallop compared with the enervated storytelling in I Dreamed of Africa.
The film version is a beautiful, fascinating and moving picture of a courageous life in a strange and humbling paradise.
The film, lackadaisically directed by Hugh Hudson, never really makes it humanly clear what keeps Kuki going, but the African vistas are breathtaking -- you were expecting otherwise? -- and so is Kim Basinger.
It's gorgeous, sure, but I Dream of Africa is surprisingly dull and predictable in its characterizations.
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