Celebrity hairstylist Kim Robinson on how the film Out of Africa changed his life
- The stylist says the 1985 romantic drama, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, gave him his first understanding of how women feel
- He has worked with Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh, and says the movie changed his perception
Out of Africa (1985) tells the semi-autobiographical story of Karen Blixen, a wealthy Danish woman in the early 20th century who travels to Kenya to marry a Swedish nobleman, and deals with her involvement in colonial wars and her romantic hopes and disappointments.
Directed and produced by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, the film was a commercial success, picking up seven Oscars. Celebrity hairstylist Kim Robinson, whose clients including film stars such as Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, explains how the movie changed his life.
I first saw Out of Africa in 1985, when I was 28 and going through a period full of hope and drama. I saw it in a cinema in Hong Kong with no expectations, but I was an emotional wreck by the end.
What I loved the most was the incredible musical score that added drama to several scenes, including the first flight taken by Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. I was touched when (Streep’s character, Karen Blixen) told stories at the fireside and when she was given a standing ovation in a private men’s club.
At the time, I was involved in the film and entertainment industry, creating period hairstyles, and was very aware of the fashion of the time Out of Africa was set.
The film’s hairstyling looked very believable – it wasn’t costumey; it looked like how people would have been during that era. Women at that time wouldn’t have been going to a hairstylist – they’d have been doing it themselves.
Movies such as Out of Africa highlight the strength of women and I am a big believer in empowering women through beauty. This film changed my perception of women and their struggles. It changed my life because, growing up in Australia and Hong Kong in the male-dominated society of that era, I never had a full understanding of how women feel, but Streep’s character showed how women have to struggle against the domination of men.
The movie is still relevant, perhaps more so today than 35 years ago. Today the women’s movement is much stronger, so the movie makes even more sense.
I have been lucky to have travelled many times to Africa on photo shoots. I have often felt that somehow I am part of the movie while working there, and channel my inspirations from the film.
I’ve seen Out of Africa more than 100 times – too many to mention, and as recently as last week. I still love it as much as I did the first time.
