The
 Vincent
PEREZ
Archives

USA
2000
 114 minutes
 

Synopsis: Based on the book of the same name, I Dreamed of Africa is a fierce and passionate love story about the desire to discover adventure, lose one's inhibitions and meet the challenges of life, told against the magnificent backdrop of Africa's mythical beauty and unsolvable mystery.

The film is inspired by the true story of the indomitable Kuki Gallmann (played by Kim Basinger), a beautiful, inquisitive woman who had the courage to escape from her comfortable yet monotonous life in Italy to start anew in the wilds of Africa with her son Emanuele (Liam Aiken) and her new husband Paolo (Vincent Perez). 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.

* * * * *

Praise for Perez:

San Jose Mercury News:
"Perez, known mainly to art-house audiences, is more cosmopolitan and interesting than your average leading man."

Miami Herald:
"As Paolo, the German-Spanish Perez (Indochine, Swept from The Sea), is all smolder and naked charm."

Hartford Courant:
"Vincent Perez's darkly handsome Paolo, pulls Kuki from an idyllic life in Veneto to the rustic, even primitive hills of Kenya...There is not a trace of Italy in Basinger's playing of Kuki. Her acting contrasts glaringly with that of Perez, a Swiss-born Latin lover who has worked in France and Italy."

San Antonio Express-News:
"Perez (The Crow: City of Angels) isn't always within camera view. He does, however, convince as a part-time husband filled with wanderlust."

If magazine:
"Perez puts Paolo across with some ardor and the cinematography by Lutic is time-stoppingly beautiful."

Sacramento Bee:
"Paolo Gallman (A perfectly cast Vincent Perez)."

Boston Herald:
"Perez (Indochine, Queen Margot,), often the passionate romantic, makes some sense of a man who leaves this beautiful woman on so many nights to hunt boar."

Palo Alto Weekly:
"Perez is easy on the eyes and the ideal physical representation of an exotic lover."

Spliced Online:
"Vincent Perez - a very versatile actor and the film's best asset."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"I Dreamed of Africa boasts a heartfelt,
convincing performance by Basinger, her first since her Oscar-winning turn in L.A. Confidential and a charismatic Perez."

San Diego Union Tribune:
"The French actor Vincent Perez, as Paolo,
could get some of the impact juice from this film that Klaus Maria Brandauer did from Out of Africa."

San Francisco Chronicle:
"Perez is likable as the macho Paolo."

Box Office Magazine:
"Vincent Perez is so personable as Paolo, it's easy to understand how he earns forgiveness for his constant emotional sins, and the two young actors who portray Kuki's son Emanuele as first a boy (Liam Aiken) and then a youth (Garrett Strommen) have equal charm."

Rocky Mountains News:
"The charming Perez, most familiar from French movies, shows an engaging smile."

Toronto Star:
"Vincent Perez, who plays Basinger's safari-happy husband, is almost as gorgeous as she, which possibly explains why he is banished to the family jeep for such long stretches at a time."

Roughcut Reviews:
"Perez is well cast for the women that will come to
see this film, primarily in relation to his nomination as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People."

Thereelsite.com:
"French actor Perez captures the essence of European nobility."

Mrshowbiz.com:
"A terribly sexy Vincent Perez."

Girlson.com:
"The supporting players turn in fine performances - Perez is convincing as her roguish Italian husband."

*****

"This is like so many great stories and good fairy tales in that it takes characters to a strange new world, throws all sorts of obstacles at them and sees how they manage. Kuki and Paolo are two unique characters who want to restart their lives, leave behind everything comfortable and discover a new way, and they have the strength to follow their dream."

"Of course, I Dreamed of Africa is about love and adventure, but I see it as a film about cycles. There are so many endings and beginnings for Kuki. Africa is fueled by cycles. Animals die; trees die; people die. Everything is hopelessly brown. Then the torrential rains come and, quickly, it turns green, and there is new life."

"It is a very moody place, and you have to learn acceptance and humility if you are to survive there. You cannot change Africa, but it will change you."