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Movies / Upcoming / I Dreamed of Africa
I Dreamed of Africa

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I Dreamed of Africa (2000)

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9 %
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Reviews Counted:87

Fresh:8

Rotten:79

Average Rating:3.6/10

Consensus: The straightforward retelling of Kuki Gallman's life in Africa neither moves or entertains the viewer.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: 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.... 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. [More]

Starring: Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Liam Aiken

Starring: Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Liam Aiken, Allison Daugherty Smith, Robert Loggia

Director: Hugh Hudson

Director: Hugh Hudson
Screenwriter: Paula Milne, Susan Shilliday
Producer: Stanley R. Jaffe, Allyn Stewart
Composer: Maurice Jarre

[See More Credits]

Reviews for I Dreamed of Africa

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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Basinger has wisely bided her time and chosen her post-Oscar project carefully. It’s a pity that in this empty spectacle, she comes off lost in the bush.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Beautiful landscape photography aside, do we really care about a single mother so out of it she marries a man more in love with hunting wild game than with her?

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This truth-based account of the life of Italian environmentalist Kuki Gallmann is astonishingly bereft of dramatic momentum.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Basinger makes this unusual life unfurl beautifully.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

In I Dreamed Of Africa, the story-telling is not just problematic, it's crushingly dull and painfully laboured.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

You should avoid this film and take a trip to the zoo instead.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Film Threat

The rambling narrative has no point, except to neaten up the details of -- and eliminate everything interesting in -- Kuki's life.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

A beautiful travelogue and a squandered opportunity.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
07/24/01
Christabel Padmore
Christabel Padmore
Apollo Guide

As a book adaptation, the story feels strangely abridged, as if the screenplay is based on every other page of the book, willy-nilly.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

The director is unable to breathe life into this tale of woman against nature.

comment Comment
01/01/00
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
03/10/07
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Moviegoers looking for exotic scenery and a good cry may find the picture enjoyable.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Similarly anesthetized, director Hugh Hudson keeps the movie rambling and episodic.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Village Voice

Kenya is portrayed as a sort of rough resort, and the thorny questions behind issues like conservationism vs. cultural insensitivity don't get looked into.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
01/01/00
Diana Abu-Jaber
Diana Abu-Jaber
Oregonian

What must have been gripping in the book somehow got lost in the translation to screen.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

With such good raw material, you have to wonder why the screenplay, direction and dialogue are so flat.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elfrieda Abbe
Elfrieda Abbe
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kim Basinger has selected an honest attempt to demarcate actress-defining moments. Unfortunately, she has chosen…poorly.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elias Savada
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online

Pic's lack of dramatic rhythm and narrative continuity is exacerbated by Scott Thomas' rough editing.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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