Out of Africa

Sydney Pollack, Universal Pictures, 1985.

1. Why does Karen Blixen originally go to Africa? What can she do there that she can't do at home? How does the Emily Baughan reading help you understand Karen's life in Africa?

2. What exactly makes the events in the film "colonial"? Refer to your notes from class lectures and discussion. Also be specific about which colonialism is being represented, where, and when.

3. How does the colonial landscape shape Denys and Karen's relationship?Cite several specific examples from the film.

4. What are their relationships to Africans like? Cite several specific examples from the film.

5. What does Denys think about World War I and European colonialism? Why might he feel this way?

6. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Sound in 1985. Why do you think the film won all these awards?

7. At the end of the film, Karen says "Does Africa know a song of me..." and "I want to hear you say my name...". What do you make of these two statements? Can you relate this to Taylor Swift in Wildest Dreams: "Say you'll remember me"?

8. Given your short reading about the Kikuyu (Canvas/files/assignments/film & map project), how is it possible to reinterpretmany of theevents presented in the film?

9. What are some of the similarities you can discern between Out of Africa (the film is based on a memoir published in 1937) and the Roosevelt reading and short films we watched in class? What about the connections to the Alex Magaisareading?

10. How does the colonial landscape of the film continue to surface as a backdrop in contemporary culture? Think about the NeelikaJayawardane and Nathan J. Robinson readings. Is this ongoing popularity "no big deal"?