I Dreamed of Africa

2000 film

Kim Basinger
Vincent Perez
Eva Marie Saint
Liam Aiken

CinematographyBernard LuticEdited byScott ThomasMusic byMaurice Jarre

Production
company

Columbia Pictures^[1]

Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing^[1]

Release date

May 5, 2000 (2000-05-05)

Running time

114 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$50 millionBox office$14,400,327

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.

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 or 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

^ ^a ^b "I Dreamed of Africa (2000)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
^ "Festival de Cannes: I Dreamed of Africa". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
^ "Cast and Credits: I Dreamed of Africa (2000)". Baseline. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
^ "Basinger, Kim: I Dreamed of Africa". Urban Cinefile. 17 Aug 2000. Retrieved 27 Sep 2009.
^ "I Dreamed of Africa". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
^ "I Dreamed of Africa". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 Sep 2009.