Mountains of the Moon (1990)

The story of Captain Richard Francis Burton's and Lt. John Hanning Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile river in the name of Queen Victoria's British Empire. The film tells the... See full summary »

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writers:

William Harrison (novel), William Harrison (screenplay),

Stars:

Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen, Richard E. Grant

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Bergin	...	Richard Francis Burton
Iain Glen	...	John Hanning Speke
Richard E. Grant	...	Larry Oliphant
Fiona Shaw	...	Isabel Arundell (Mrs Burton as from 1861)
John Savident	...	Lord Murchison
James Villiers	...	Lord Oliphant
Adrian Rawlins	...	Edward
Peter Vaughan	...	Lord Houghton
Delroy Lindo	...	Mabruki
Bernard Hill	...	Dr. David Livingstone
Matthew Marsh	...	William
Richard Caldicot	...	Lord Russell
Christopher Fulford	...	Herne
Garry Cooper	...	Stroyan
Roshan Seth	...	Ben Amir

Storyline

The story of Captain Richard Francis Burton's and Lt. John Hanning Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile river in the name of Queen Victoria's British Empire. The film tells the story of their meeting, their friendship emerging amidst hardship, and then dissolving after their journey.

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Plot Keywords:

expedition | british | friendship | richard francis burton | queen victoria | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aux sources du Nil

Filming Locations:

Africa

Box Office

Gross:

$4,011,793 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, IndieProd Company Productions, Zephyr Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the end titles, Rod Woodruff is credited with playing a fencer but his role is missing from the end film.

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Goofs

In an scene set in 1854, Isabel is looking at a copy of "The Perfumed Garden" translated by Burton. Burton did not publish this translation until 1886.

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Quotes

Arab chief in Cairo: In this wilderness you will find only Allah's terrible whimsy.

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Connections

Spoofed in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Wagogo Soothing Song"
Recorded by David Fanshawe
From the album "Africa - Ceremonial & Folk Music"

User Reviews

Indiana Jones who?

This is an excellent film, and it's unfortunate that it wasn't more widely seen. I wish I would've caught it in the theater, as I'm sure it would be magnificent there.

In it, you're going to see some of the most painfully memorable scenes in cinema (that I refuse to give away), and an epic story that is most remarkably, wholly true.

I loved Raiders of the Lost Ark, and before "meeting" Sir Richard Francis Burton, thought characters of Indy's ilk were simply figments of Steven Spielberg's imagination. However, with study you will find that Burton's experience (and that well beyond this expedition) makes him one of the most enigmatic, interesting people to have ever walked the face of the earth. As they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

Slow, smart, challenging, beautiful. And highly recommended viewing.