I Dreamed of Africa

I Dreamed of Africa is a 2000 American biographical-drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Kim Basinger. It also stars Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Garrett Strommen, Liam Aiken and Daniel Craig. It is based on the autobiographical novel I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallmann, an Italian writer who moved to Kenya and became involved in conservation. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.^[2] This film was both a commercial and critical failure.

I Dreamed of Africa
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hugh Hudson
Screenplay by	Paula Milne Susan Shiliday
Based on	I Dreamed of Africa 1991 novel by Kuki Gallmann
Produced by	Stanley R. Jaffe Allyn Stewart
Starring	Kim Basinger Vincent Perez Eva Marie Saint Liam Aiken
Cinematography	Bernard Lutic
Edited by	Scott Thomas
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Production company	Columbia Pictures[1]
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing[1]
Release date	May 5, 2000 (2000-05-05)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$50 million
Box office	$14,400,327

Synopsis

In Italy 1972, Kuki Gallmann (Kim Basinger), a divorced Italian socialite, changes her life after surviving a car crash. She marries Paolo (Vincent Perez), a man she does not know well, and moves with him and her young son to Kenya, where they start a ranch. She faces many problems, both physical and emotional, that will test her.

Cast

• Kim Basinger as Kuki Gallmann
• Vincent Perez as Paolo Gallmann
• Eva Marie Saint as Franca
• Daniel Craig as Declan Fielding
• Liam Aiken and Garrett Strommen - Emanuele (age 7 and age 17)
• Lance Reddick as Simon
• Connie Chiume as Wanjiku
• Shannon Esra as Siri

Soundtrack

This includes "Voi che sapete", sung by Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo-soprano), with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, István Kertész conducting, from Act 2 of the opera Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.^[3] This was one of the last films scored by acclaimed composer Maurice Jarre.

Reception

The film was not received well despite praise for Kim Basinger's performance.^[4] It has a 10% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "The straightforward retelling of Kuki Gallman's life in Africa neither moves nor entertains the viewer."^[5] Basinger earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress (also for Bless the Child).

It was also a huge financial flop; its budget was $50 million, and the worldwide gross was less than $15 million.^[6]

References

1. "I Dreamed of Africa (2000)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
2. "Festival de Cannes: I Dreamed of Africa". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
3. "Cast and Credits: I Dreamed of Africa (2000)". Baseline. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
4. "Basinger, Kim: I Dreamed of Africa". Urban Cinefile. 17 Aug 2000. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 27 Sep 2009.
5. "I Dreamed of Africa". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
6. "I Dreamed of Africa". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 27 Sep 2009.

External links

• I Dreamed of Africa at IMDb
• I Dreamed of Africa at the TCM Movie Database
• I Dreamed of Africa at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• I Dreamed of Africa at Box Office Mojo
• I Dreamed of Africa at Rotten Tomatoes