Out of Africa by Karen Blixen and adapted for The BBC
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen and adapted for The BBC
Another version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
Out of Africa has become famous after the production of the film based on the book, with its many Academy Awards nominations and wins.
Directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, it is indeed an excellent advertising for the original.
As for the unabridged version, I cannot say anything.
This note refers to the dramatization for The BBC.
Alas, the narrator and heroine of the book are played by an actress who is using a rather heavy-for this listener- Nordic accent.
In general, I am against this habit of having an actor use a foreign accent, which is supposed to indicate a French, German or another nation.
If the character is Italian American, I think it is all right for him to have an Italian background, discernable in his speech.
But if he is just Italian, I see no point in hearing him speak English with a Mediterranean flavor, at least not always.
There is a lot to admire in the main character, Karen that has brought Meryl Streep one of her many Oscar nominations.
The heroin is resilient, brave, compassionate and passionate.
Indeed, she has reminded me of the results of psychology research that have demonstrated that grit is more important than intelligence.
- Twice as important!
Karen is Danish and after she marries in an interesting circumstance, she moves with her husband to…Africa.
The husband is Bror and has a less important role in the plot, but it received another Academy award nomination for Klaus Maria Brandauer, a fabulous actor that carried to an Oscar win the marvelous picture:
- Mephisto
Bror is the cause of a lot of grief and so much in disappointed expectations, but in the dreadful disease with which he infects his wife.
The syphilis does not do much damage to the man, but his spouse has to endure severe and complicated treatment.
Karen is unable to have the children she wanted, but she is very kind to the people who work for her and some of the animals.
She seems to feel no remorse or affection for the lions killed, which must have been regarded only as predators.
But she adopts a small, young deer that is called Lila, because that is the Swahili name for pearl.
The animal brings joy and is respected by the hounds who allow her unrestricted access to their food and drink.
At one point, Lila is causing destruction, as she is allowed to roam through the house, until she experiences the urge to go free.
Then there is an incident with a chameleon that has interested me in particular, since I have one called Humbaba.
The one in the story is seen by a bird, she tries to change color desperately, moving to red, back and forth.
Nevertheless, when she sticks out her longue tongue, the bird grabs it to the chagrin of Karen and this reader.
Without a tongue, the poor chameleon would die…and it would be a slow death.
So Karen is asking Farah to take the shotgun and offer it the mercy of a death that will end an agonizing, slow finale.
Very good narrative.
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