Mountains of the Moon
by Bob Rafelson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Fiona Shaw, Iain Glen, John Savident, Patrick Bergin, Richard E. GrantDirector: Bob Rafelson
Brand: Lions Gate
Cinematographer: Roger Deakins
Writer: Bob Rafelson
Producer: Andrew G. Vajna
Producer: Chris Curling
Producer: Daniel Melnick
Producer: Mario Kassar
Writer: William Harrison
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Mountains of the Moon
Movie Review: Mountains of the Moon for the Misbegotten
Summary: 5 Stars
MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON is a twenty-year-old film that is beginning to find an audience via DVD release and word of mouth. Until now it has been a well-kept secret, having disappeared after a too brief run at the box office in competition with such blockbusters as The Godfather Part III, Dances with Wolves, The Hunt for red October, Ghost, GoodFellas, Ghost, Pretty Woman and a host of others in that prime year. But as a cinematic achievement it was not like the O'Neill 'Misbegotten', just Forgotten. Perhaps now time has erased the problem of initial anonymity and we are impressed with this epic story based on the novel by William Harrison that explores the life and psyche of Sir Richard Burton, who with Dr David Livingstone (Bernard Hill), was one of the greatest British explorers of the 19th century.
The time is 1864 and Sir Richard Burton (Patrick Bergin, in a multifaceted magnificent performance that was Oscar worthy) gathers financial backing to set out on an expedition to search for the source of the Nile River somewhere in East Africa. He is joined by the somewhat cocky but brilliant John Hanning Speke (Iain Glen): Burton seeks to understand the many cultural aspects of the tribes he will encounter while Speke brings guns and dreams on conquering the heathen natives that may block their discovery. They set off to East Africa and being their trek on foot across the impossibly difficult terrain, encountering every hardship imaginable including hostile tribes who are part of the current slavery business. Burton brings along one Sidi Bombay (Paul Onsongo) who speaks all the languages of the various tribes and knows the terrain. Burton and Speke grow in their friendship and admiration for each other, saving each other's lives during attacks, and caring for each other's subsequent wounds. At one point Burton encounters a runaway slave Mabruki (Delroy Lindo) and honors his ancestry and knowledge of Africa: when Mabruki is later captured by a tribe and is yoke of slavery is restored, Burton is enraged and rather than seeing his friend suffer he performs the euthanasia that Mabruki requests. Burton comes down with bilateral lower extremity cellulitis and requires incision and drainage and Speke stays by his side during recovery: at this point in time it is suggested that Burton and Speke had a loving physical relationship, a theme that history books reinforce. Eventually Burton sends Speke to proceed on the quest to find the source of the Nile, Speke discovers Lake Victoria and though Burton is uncertain as to the end of the expedition (believing that their are several lakes that feed the Nile) they return to England victorious.
Once in England Burton marries a rather feisty feminist Isabel Arundell (Fiona Shaw) and together they face the fact that the Royal Academy is touting Speke as the discoverer of the Nile Source. Through a series of lies and ill-advised plans Speke is lauded and Burton is to debate Speke before the Royal Academy. But Speke's love for Burton as well as his knowledge that the discovery is not his alone drives Speke to suicide. And the subsequent order of events is shared with the audience in written form as the film ends.
There are so many superlative actors in this huge film that space does not allow mention of them all. The various tribes in Africa are resplendent in their costumes and customs and cinematographer Roger Deakins captures every aspect of the locations in both Africa and in England beautifully. The musical score by Michael Small is equally fine and Bob Rafelson's direction is tight and focused and yet lets us appreciate the vastness of the African countryside as well as the intimate moments between the actors. This is a magnificent epic film and while it may not be absolutely true to history it does give us a sense of that British obsession with conquering the unknown. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 10
Summary of Mountains of the Moon
MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON - DVD MovieHow did Bob Rafelson, the director of small-scale American studies such as Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens, find himself helming an old-fashioned adventure story such as Mountains of the Moon? Whatever the reasons, Rafelson invested this 1990 epic with passion and professionalism. The hero is one of the greatest British explorers of the 19th century, Sir Richard Burton (played by Patrick Bergin), a fascinating figure and a man out of time: a modern in the Victorian era. Mountains of the Moon is primarily concerned with Burton's trek into East Africa to discover the source of the Nile, accompanied by fellow adventurer John Hanning Speke (Iain Glen). Rafelson is at least as interested in the tricky psychological jockeying between the two men, as he is in the grueling conventions of the adventure movie, but he delivers well on both counts. The brawny Bergin is sensational in a role that should have made him a star, but didn't (though he had a shot, menacing Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy); the film disappeared quickly. Perhaps audiences were put off by the lack of marquee names and confused by the title, which refers to a piece of African landscape. Providing solid support are Fiona Shaw (another should-have-been star), Richard E. Grant, and Delroy Lindo, as an African warrior. A very satisfying excursion into the National Geographic pith-helmet genre. --Robert Horton
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