Everything in this movie is beautiful. Too beautiful to ignore the fact that the narrative is told from the white imperialist perspective. Africa and Africans are romanticized into the background of the protagonist's love story. However, it is not difficult to pin point the hidden imperialist agenda. Karen Blixen-Finecke represents a sympathetic missionary-style imperialist who eagerly tries to enlighten her African labor through Western education. Denys Finch Hatton is a pretentious environmentalist imperialist, who, on the one hand, tries to preserve the primitive Africanese in Africa (his criticism of Karen's project of building schools), on the other hand, exploits Africa for its economic resources. His two goals are not contradictory: in order to continue exploiting Africa, it has to remain primitive, both its people and its land. African people have no voice of their own in this movie. They are portrayed through the eyes of Karen and Denys. Their ultimate otherness provides an exotic catalyst for the romantic love story to develop. In turn, the innocuous story line of love helps justify the very disturbing and dark side of Western imperialism.
Review of Out of Africa
