Out of Africa Page #3

Synopsis: Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Her life is Complicated by a husband of convenience (Bror Blixen), a true love (Denys), troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives, war, and catching VD from her husband.
Director(s): Sydney Pollack
Production: Universal Pictures
  Won 7 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 27 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.2
Rotten Tomatoes:
59%
PG
Year:
1985
161 min
2,524 Views


These Kikuyu want to be sick now.

Good Lord.

Your leg has got worse.

You should go to hospital.

This leg may be foolish.

It may think

not to go to hospital.

This leg will

do as it pleases.

But if you will take it

to hospital...

I will think

that you are wise.

And such a wise man as this,

I would want to work in my house...

for wages.

How much wages would come

to such a wise man as that?

More wages than come

from tending goats.

I will speak to this leg.

What about air raids?

Quiet! One question at a time.

The war is in Europe. How do we know

they're going to reach here?

German East is only 200 miles south.

General von Lettow is there.

I don't want to wait

until he joins us at the bar.

Would we engage them?

Blix, this is our war.

You don't have to be involved,

but thanks.

I've got crops coming in.

How long's this thing gonna last?

We just have to stay

and go as we must.

They won't fight

if we won't fight.

We could always arm the Masai

and point them south.

Do you want the job of collecting rifles

from the Masai when this is over?

What about our women and children?

Should we bring them into town?

We will deal with that problem

as it arises.

Will they use native troops?

I'd assume so, but not Masai.

Berkeley, what about your Somalis?

They'd make very good scouts. We could

cover the area from here to the border.

We could gather information

for when the regulars arrive.

What's it about?

Have you any idea?

Not really.

Then why do you want to get into it?

Well

It's got nothing to do with us.

They've made agreements

we know nothing about.

Victoria and the Kaiser were

relatives, for God's sake.

They've divided Africa between them.

Do you know why there's a border?

Because she had two mountains,

and he had none.

So she gave him Kilimanjaro.

It's a silly argument

between two spoiled countries.

The sooner it ends, the sooner

we pick up where we left off.

It may end...

but we're not going to

pick up where we left off.

You don't have to go.

You want to go.

We've got to live here.

They have made it plain

they don't want you.

I'll have to show them where we stand.

I'm not so fond of their empire...

I'd have you shot for it.

More likely

chewed on than shot.

The farm will take care of itself,

and you've got Belknap.

The farm will not

take care of itself.

That's not the point.

I didn't expect

to like you so much.

You're not going to go

falling in love, are you?

Not with someone

who's always leaving.

If you need me,

send a runner to find Delamere.

That's where I'll be.

That's a fine kiss goodbye.

I am better at hello.

It's an odd feeling... farewell.

There is some envy in it.

Men go off to be tested

for courage.

If we're tested at all,

it's for patience...

for doing without...

for how well

we can endure loneliness.

But I had always known that.

It didn't require a war.

I said goodbye to Bror.

Denys left without a word...

which was quite proper.

Hello, the house!

Felicity!

I thought you might

want some meat.

Is there any word?

No, nothing new.

Not much fighting.

Awful fever, though.

I've got time for tea,

I should think.

Are you for the Germans?

Did they send you out

to ask me this?

We had a row about it in town.

Because of my bad English.

And whose side were you on?

Yours.

They want to send me home to school.

Mother says I'm growing up wild.

I wanted to ask you about it.

Me?

You've been round and about.

Someday, I'd like

to run my own show the way you do.

Is that what I do?

You don't seem to need us much.

Baroness, may I

ask you something?

I don't know much about men.

I want them to like me,

but I

I want to be let alone too.

I'm supposed to want

to be taken, aren't I?

I've got this book.

But how do you know when to do

what they want you to...

and when not to?

I suppose you

ought to call me Karen.

They need paraffin and tinned food,

enough for 300 men.

He wants you to send a white man

with the wagon.

Is he all right?

Well enough to send the message.

And where would my husband

like this wagon sent?

He's with Delamere

on the border near Lake Natron.

That's confidential,

of course.

I will bear that

in mind, Lieutenant.

I only meant it wouldn't do

for it to be talk around Nairobi.

And we're going to have to move you

into town. We can't protect you here.

What do you mean?

With the men gone, we're worried about

the native element. We have orders.

Women and children into town.

That is internment, Lieutenant.

Women and children, Baroness.

Is that one category or two?

You'll want time to gather your things.

I'll send an escort

for you Thursday.

And I'm a captain, Baroness.

I'm not paid

to fight, Mrs Blixen.

Where is Lake Natron?

It's south, bush country.

It's no place

for a white man.

We should have crossed

the Sand River today.

I may have got us lost.

God is great, msabu.

What the devil are you doing here?

I'm on my way to Delamere.

Ridiculous.

We don't send women to war.

I'm going.

We haven't time for this.

You don't even know where you are.

I do now.

You'll just get lost again.

I'm going on.

Talk to her, will you?

No.

She could be hurt or worse.

I imagine she knows that.

Right. I tried.

Here.

Find a spot on the horizon

each morning and steer by it.

South, southwest.

About three days.

I see.

Don't worry about us.

We'll be all right.

What is it?

Masai.

Ismail! My rifle!

Where's my rifle?

Get away!

Msabu's bleeding.

She does not have this ox.

This lion is hungry.

He does not have this ox.

This wagon is heavy.

It doesn't have this ox.

God is happy, msabu.

He plays with us.

Tell Blix his wife's here.

Hello, Karen.

Hello, D.

Hello, Bror.

I've brought you some things.

You've changed your hair.

You needed supplies.

Send someone, I said.

You were lucky to get through.

It was really foolish.

But I did get through.

And it was fun.

When are you coming home?

Not just yet.

You're not going to help

at all with the farm.

I could force you.

I could cut you off.

I'll just hunt professionally.

I might do it anyway.

It's not the way

we thought it would be.

Is it?

But I like it

that you're honest with me.

I like you too.

Very much.

I had a compass from Denys.

To steer by, he said.

But later it came to me...

that we navigated differently.

Perhaps he knew, as I did not...

that the Earth was made round...

so that we would not see

too far down the road.

You've got syphilis.

That's not possible.

Your husband is not ill?

Not the last time I saw him.

That was three months ago.

He's on the

He's on the border with Delamere.

He would have come home.

These cases vary.

He may have just a touch.

You're very ill.

Is he the only possibility?

Yes.

You'll have to go home

to deal with it.

The treatment's difficult,

but they have a thing called salvarsan.

Arsenic.

And if I'm not cured...

then I will be insane, won't I?

You ought to go soon.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes

Kurt Luedtke

Kurt Luedtke (born September 28, 1939) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for writing Out of Africa (1985), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Absence of Malice (1981) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay) and Random Hearts (1999). All three films were directed by Sydney Pollack. Before becoming a screenwriter, Luedtke was a newspaper reporter, eventually rising to the rank of executive editor of the Detroit Free Press. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Out of Africa" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/out_of_africa_15422>.

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