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Mountains of the Moon

  • 19901990
  • RR
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Mountains of the Moon (1990)
The legendary true-story of Capt. Richard Francis Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke's tumultuous expedition to find the source of the Nile river.
Play trailer1:39
2 Videos
35 Photos
AdventureDramaHistory
The legendary true-story of Capt. Richard Francis Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke's tumultuous expedition to find the source of the Nile river.The legendary true-story of Capt. Richard Francis Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke's tumultuous expedition to find the source of the Nile river.The legendary true-story of Capt. Richard Francis Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke's tumultuous expedition to find the source of the Nile river.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
    • Bob Rafelson
    • William Harrison(novel "Burton and Speke")
    • Bob Rafelson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Patrick Bergin
    • Iain Glen
    • Richard E. Grant
    • Bob Rafelson
    • William Harrison(novel "Burton and Speke")
    • Bob Rafelson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Patrick Bergin
    • Iain Glen
    • Richard E. Grant
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 49User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:39
    Watch Official Trailer
    Mountains of the Moon
    Clip 1:40
    Watch Mountains of the Moon

    Photos35

    Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin and Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin and Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Delroy Lindo in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin and Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Richard E. Grant and Iain Glen in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Patrick Bergin and Fiona Shaw in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Fiona Shaw in Mountains of the Moon (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Patrick Bergin
    Patrick Bergin
    • Richard Burton
    Iain Glen
    Iain Glen
    • John Hanning Speke
    Richard E. Grant
    Richard E. Grant
    • Oliphant
    Fiona Shaw
    Fiona Shaw
    • Isabel
    John Savident
    John Savident
    • Lord Murchison
    James Villiers
    James Villiers
    • Lord Oliphant
    Adrian Rawlins
    Adrian Rawlins
    • Edward
    Peter Vaughan
    Peter Vaughan
    • Lord Houghton
    Delroy Lindo
    Delroy Lindo
    • Mabruki
    Bernard Hill
    Bernard Hill
    • Dr. Livingstone
    Matthew Marsh
    Matthew Marsh
    • William
    Richard Caldicot
    Richard Caldicot
    • Lord Russell
    Christopher Fulford
    Christopher Fulford
    • Herne
    Garry Cooper
    Garry Cooper
    • Stroyan
    Roshan Seth
    Roshan Seth
    • Ben Amir
    Jimmy Gardner
    • Jarvis
    Doreen Mantle
    Doreen Mantle
    • Mrs. Speke
    Anna Massey
    Anna Massey
    • Mrs. Arundell
      • Bob Rafelson
      • William Harrison(novel "Burton and Speke") (screenplay)
      • Bob Rafelson(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Two actors from the movie, Roger Rees and Omar Sharif, died on the exact same day: 10 July, 2015.
    • 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. While Burton's translation was published in 1886, the original was written between 1410 and 1434. (Burton's unexpurgated translation, to be called "The Scented Garden", was still only in manuscript form when he died. Isabel burned it, believing that would help save his soul from damnation.)
    • Quotes

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

    • Crazy credits
      This motion picture's opening title card reads: "East African Coast 1854".
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Mountains of the Moon/Where the Heart Is/Revenge/Hard to Kill/Madhouse (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Kawamba Dance
      Recorded by David Fanshawe

      From the album "Africa - Witchcraft & Ritual Music"

    User reviews49

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Too bad no-one seems to know this nice movie.
    I have to admit that, before it was shown on television a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the movie. When I see how many people wrote a review or voted for this movie on IMDb, I guess I'm not the only one. It's clear to me that this is a movie that has never had any attention. Not from the public, the cinema's nor the festivals. Even journalist didn't pay much attention to it. Does that mean this movie isn't worth seeing? Certainly not, although the subject probably isn't very attractive to the mainstream audience.

    The movie tells the story of Burton and Speke, two friends and explorers who tried to find the source of the Nile in the middle of the nineteenth century. Burton was more of an anthropologist who wanted to learn more about the indigenous tribes which they encountered on their journeys, while Speke was more interested in the discovery of the source itself. Once they were back home they become enemies, because Speke tells everybody who wants to hear it that he alone discovered the source of the Nile, namely Lake Victoria.

    There are different things that I liked about this movie. The acting was very good, the costumes were nice, but what I really liked were the images from the African landscapes, the animals, the people... Seeing the images from England just made me look forward to the next scenes in Africa. It never felt right to see these two explorers in England, you're always left with the feeling that they belong in Africa. I guess that is where the strength of this movie lies ... It makes you feel exactly the way these men felt. I reward this little masterpiece with an 8/10.
    helpful•25
    3
    • philip_vanderveken
    • Oct 8, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 23, 1990 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Kenya
    • Production companies
      • Carolco Pictures
      • IndieProd Company Productions
      • Zephyr Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 16 minutes
      • Color

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