Mountains of the Moon is a 1990 American biographical film depicting the 1857–1858 journey of Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke in their expedition to Central Africa, which culminated in Speke's discovery of the source of the Nile River and led to a bitter rivalry between the two men. The film stars Patrick Bergin as Burton and Iain Glen as Speke. Delroy Lindo appears as an African whom the explorers meet.
| Mountains of the Moon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bob Rafelson |
| Screenplay by | William Harrison Bob Rafelson |
| Based on | Burton and Speke by William Harrison |
| Produced by | Daniel Melnick Mario Kassar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Edited by | Thom Noble |
| Music by | Michael Small |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Tri-Star Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million[1] |
| Box office | $4 million[2] |
The film was directed by Bob Rafelson based on the 1982 novel Burton and Speke by William Harrison.
Cast
edit- Patrick Bergin as Richard Francis Burton
- Iain Glen as John Hanning Speke
- Richard E. Grant as Laurence Oliphant
- Fiona Shaw as Isabel Arundell
- John Savident as Lord Murchison
- James Villiers as Lord Oliphant
- Adrian Rawlins as Edward
- Peter Vaughan as Lord Houghton
- Delroy Lindo as Mabruki
- Paul Onsongo as Sidi Bombay
- Bheki Tonto Ngema as King Ngola
- Martin Okello as Veldu
- Bernard Hill as David Livingstone
- Matthew Marsh as William
- Richard Caldicot as Lord John Russell
- Christopher Fulford as Herne
- Garry Cooper as Stroyan
- Roshan Seth as Ben Amir
- Anna Massey as Mrs. Arundell
- Omar Sharif as Sultan (unbilled)
- Kenneth W Caravan Speke Estate Farmhand (unbilled)
Music
editThe original music was composed by Michael Small, who incorporated genuine traditional African music into a traditional orchestral palette. The soundtrack album was released on Polydor Records, but is long out of print. There are two major themes, one for Burton and the other for Africa. There is also a love theme for Burton's relationship to his wife Isabel Burton (portrayed in the movie by Fiona Shaw).
Availability
editThe film was released in a pan and scan VHS edition from a widescreen laserdisc and is currently available as both a pan and scan and widescreen DVD.
Imprint Films released the film on Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio along with special features on February 28, 2024.
Reception
editPeter Travers described Mountains as "an epic of sweep and intimacy",[3] and Siskel & Ebert gave it two thumbs up.[4] Ebert wrote, "It's the kind of movie that sends you away from the screen filled with curiosity to know more about this man Burton."[5] In Newsweek, critic Jack Kroll wrote, "The exploits of Sir Richard Francis Burton make Lawrence of Arabia look like a tourist."[6] Mountains of the Moon holds a rating of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews.[7]
References
edit- ^ "AFI|Catalog". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Mountains of the Moon (1990) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ Travers, Peter (23 February 1990). "Mountains of the Moon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Siskel & Ebert - Mountains of the Moon/Where the Heart is (1990)". YouTube. Retrieved 18 September 2014.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ Ebert, Roger (23 March 1990). "Mountains of the Moon". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ Jack Kroll, "In the heart of darkness," Newsweek, February 26, 1990
- ^ "Mountains of the Moon". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Edward Rice, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography, Da Capo Press (June 5, 2001)
- Mary S. Lovell, A Rage to Live: A Biography of Richard and Isabel Burton, Norton & Company (1998)