Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers:

Harold T.P. Hayes (article), Dian Fossey (work)

Stars:

Sigourney Weaver, Bryan Brown, Julie Harris

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sigourney Weaver	...	Dian Fossey
Bryan Brown	...	Bob Campbell
Julie Harris	...	Roz Carr
John Omirah Miluwi	...	Sembagare
Iain Cuthbertson	...	Dr. Louis Leakey
Constantin Alexandrov	...	Claude Van Veeten
Waigwa Wachira	...	Mukara
Iain Glen	...	Brendan
David Lansbury	...	Larry
Maggie O'Neill	...	Kim
Konga Mbandu	...	Rushemba
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Howard Dowd
Gordon Masten	...	Photographer
Peter Nduati	...	Batwa chief
Helen Fraser	...	Mme. Van Vecten

Storyline

Sigourney Weaver stars as Dian Fossey, in this true story about Fossey's study of gorillas, and her efforts to stop the decimation of the endangered apes.

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Plot Keywords:

gorilla | africa | based on true story | mountain | nature | 

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Taglines:

She left everything she knew and entered a world few have ever seen. To save a wonderous creature from the cruelty of men, she went further than anyone dared. Some say she went too far.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

The gorilla suits used in movies up to this time had obvious anatomical differences from real gorillas; for instance, the wearer's real eyes were seen, forcing modification to the face. For this film director Michael Apted wanted to use real gorillas where possible, but some shots would have to use gorilla suits, so the difference would show. Rick Baker met the challenge and created gorilla suits good enough that Apted could do what he wanted.

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Goofs

In the scenes where Dian drives from the town to the mountains in a land rover, the vehicle used is Series III Land Rover, which first went into production in 1972, in 1966 the Series II was the production Land Rover, and sported a wire grill, and inset headlights, as opposed to the III's plastic grill, and lights in wings, as in the film.

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Quotes

Rushemba: Mukara was here this afternoon. He is very angry with you. He says you are telling people there's typhoid on the mountain. The government needs money from the tourists. They get very mad if you scare these people away. Mukara also said last week you shot a tourist in the meadow.
Dian Fossey: Now, that is not true. I shot way over their heads.
Dian Fossey: They are not going to turn this mountain... into a goddamn zoo!

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Connections

Referenced in An Idiot Abroad: Meet a Gorilla (2011)

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Soundtracks

September in the Rain
Written by Harry Warren & Al Dubin
Performed by Peggy Lee
Courtesy of Ray Avery's Jazz Archives

User Reviews

great compelling biopic

Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver) brow beats Dr. Louis Leakey into letting go into the jungle to research mountain gorillas. She's joined by a local guide Sembagare and a National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell (Bryan Brown).

It's a well biopic from director Michael Apted of an amazing woman and an amazing life. The performances are first class. Sigourney Weaver is able to project a certain self confidence in the character.

The other thing I want to mention is the realism of the gorilla suits. It is hard to tell the difference between the real thing and the suits. It's of the utmost importance because we wouldn't want to be hampered by 'Planet of Apes' retreads.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gorillas in the Mist

Filming Locations:

Zaire

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$366,925, 25 September 1988

Gross USA:

$24,720,479

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$61,149,479

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1