Stars: Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez, Daniel Craig

Director: Hugh Hudson

Summary: A woman and her family go on a journey of discovery when they leave their luxurious and sheltered life in Italy to live in Kenya...

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.

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Based on the memoirs of party-girl-turned-conservationist Kuki Gallman, I Dreamed of Africanever comes close to living up to its title; the mood is more prosaic travelogue than oneiric wonderment. After a car accident warns Kuki of her mortality, she resolves to grow up, a process that mysteriously involves marrying a man she barely knows and moving with him and her young son to the wilds of South Africa. There she learns new beau Paolo is less reliable than she thought, but also that the sun-baked plains and roaming beasts of Africa speak to her in a way the nightlife of Italy did not. (We learn of her blossoming humanity because she introduces herself to the servants; a probing study of interpersonal relationships this isn't.) Kim Basinger obviously feels connected to the role--she can stride across a room with a majestic self-righteousness that the film should have drawn upon more--but she's defeated by a script composed of repetitive vignettes that have no cumulative effect and a director (Hugh Hudson) who keeps the film's emotional impact curiously flat and diffuse except for the crass, manipulative moments every 20 minutes or so. Sure the photography's lovely, but really, how hard is it to get a nice shot of flamingoes at dawn? --Bruce Reid, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, Filmographies, Interactive Menus, Isolated Score, Making Of Featurette, Trailer
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish
Year:	2000
Release Date:	February 5, 2001
Runtime:	110 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 28040
Keywords:	Africa, General, Wide, Screen, I, Drama, Dreamed
Genre:	Drama