|
"Keep
'Dreaming'"
by Scott Mantz
"I Dreamed of Africa"
Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez
Directed by Hugh Hudson
For some people,
no matter how good they have it, it's simply not good enough. Even
after attaining a certain level of comfort with their lifestyle,
they may still have dreams that remain unfulfilled. Well, just like
the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for, because you may
get it." In "I Dreamed of Africa", Kim Basinger certainly gets what
she wishes for, but she pays the ultimate price for it. While the
film definitely has a lot to offer in term of its incredible cinematography
and an impressive lead performance from Basinger, poor characterization
and an ill-conceived screenplay keep it from reaching its true potential.
Kuki Gallmann
(Kim Basinger) lives the good life in Italy, but a near fatal car
crash forces her to re-evaluate her priorities. She sees it as a
second chance to follow through with her dream of moving to Africa
with her son Emanuele (Liam Aiken) and her new husband Paolo (Vincent
Perez). She arrives to find her new home in shambles, and living
on the open land is going to be much harder than she thought. Where
she was once a lost woman in Italy who didn't know how to keep a
plant from dying, she becomes a remarkably strong and independent
woman who's hell-bent on protecting the native wildlife.
Near the end
of "I Dreamed of Africa" Kuki tells her husband, "We think we control
this place, but this place controls us." That same analogy could
easily be used to describe the shortcomings of the film. There's
no doubt that director Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire") knows how
to capture the trials and tribulations of life in Africa, but he
does so at the expense of his main character. We know that Kuki
longs to go to Africa because of stories her father told her, but
once she gets there it doesn't explain why she would continue to
suffer through one disaster after another. We see Kuki's transformation
from codependence to independence, but the underlying motivation
to support that drive keeps the audience from making a connection.
Furthermore, the fact that she would stay and continue to put her
children in harms way makes her come across as more selfish than
self-assured.
In her first
role since she won an Academy Award for "LA Confidential", Kim Basinger
puts in another stellar performance. Had it not been for a shabby
script and erratic direction, it might have actually been worthy
of another nomination. Still, don't let her good looks and Banana
Republic wardrobe fool you. She holds her own against her dangerous
surroundings and her daredevil husband, Vincent Perez. At first,
Perez seems like a loving and dedicated husband, but when they arrive
in Africa, he'll disappear for days on end. His reckless behavior
may serve him well in his new environment, but it's only a matter
of time before it finally gets the best of him.
While the film
falls short in its writing, it almost makes up for it by its beautiful
cinematography. The airborne shots of the native wildlife are truly
breathtaking, which makes it easier to see why Kuki would put up
with so much pain to stay. It's just too bad the filmmakers didn't
put as much time into the script as they did with capturing the
scenery.
Ultimately,
what we learn through Kuki's experience, which is actually based
on a true story, is that sometimes we need to jump off the cliff
to see if we can fly. It's so easy to get comfortable in a certain
lifestyle, and we forget that we need to find ourselves and follow
our dreams. It may hurt at times, but only through the pain of the
journey can we appreciate the final destination. You'll feel so
much better that you took the chance. Otherwise you'll just have
to keep dreaming.
|
