Out of Africa (1985) – Romance/Drama

When Robert Redford took on the role of Denys Finch Hatton in Sydney Pollack’s sweeping epic Out of Africa (1985), one of the first creative decisions became a point of debate: the accent. The real Finch Hatton was English, but Pollack, who had worked with Redford on multiple films, asked him not to use one. His reasoning was simple—he feared audiences would focus more on the accent than the character. Redford agreed, later reflecting, “The accent was Denys, but the heart was mine.” Even Meryl Streep questioned the choice, but what mattered most was the authenticity and quiet emotional depth Redford brought to the role.

The film’s most famous moment—Finch Hatton washing Karen Blixen’s (Streep) hair by the river—nearly didn’t happen. Pollack worried it might feel overly sentimental, but both Redford and Streep fought to keep it. On the day of filming, Redford chose to wash her hair for real instead of faking it, and Streep’s serene, vulnerable expression was genuine. That decision gave cinema one of its most unforgettable romantic images, forever tied to the film’s legacy.

Filming in Kenya was both magical and grueling. The cast and crew faced sweltering heat, unpredictable storms, and the ever-present danger of lions and elephants nearby. Redford, an outdoorsman at heart, often wandered into the savanna between takes, embracing the wilderness so deeply that he sometimes worried the crew by disappearing for long stretches. Streep would later joke that he seemed to want to become Finch Hatton even when the cameras weren’t rolling.

Though Out of Africa went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Redford’s understated performance was overlooked by the Academy. Yet his portrayal gave the film its soul: a man defined by freedom, romance, and the bittersweet truth that some loves are too expansive to last.