Out of Africa, a 1985 drama directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, won 7 Academy Awards.

The film is loosely based on Danish author Karen Blixon’s biographical novel about a wealthy women (Streep) who marries for convenience and moves to Africa with her new husband to begin a dairy farm. After contracting syphilis from her philandering husband, she befriends a local big game hunter (Redford), enters into an affair with him, and unsuccessfully tries to domesticate him. The story ends with Karen alone and broke, her lover killed in a plane crash, and she returning to Denmark to become an author writing of her experiences in Africa (never to return again!).

The music for the film was composed by English composer John Barry, best known for the“James Bond Theme he wrote (ownership was disputed in court).” The Out of Africa score includes a number of integrated pieces such as Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A, and traditional African themes, as well as a great deal of original music written by Barry including the beautiful Flying Over Africa sequence.

Barry received the 1985 Oscar for Best Original Score for Out of Africa which rests at 15th place in the American Film Institute’s list of the top 25 American Film Scores. Barry, in fact, composed and performed 11 of 14 Bond films. He also won Oscars for three other American scores including Born Free,The Lion in Winter,” and Dances with Wolves, as well as an Oscar for the song Born Free.

Despite uneven reviews, Out of Africa received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Screenplay, Director, Cinematography, Art Direction and Sound as well as for the scoret. Though an Academy Award winner and a beautiful movie to watch, the film is not a favorite among film connoisseurs, most likely due to its slow pace and 2hr.40min. running time. The soundtrack abum is exquisite.