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Mountains of the Moon

  • 1990
  • R
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
4.8K
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
99+ Photos
Period DramaAdventureDramaHistoryMystery

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.

  • Director
    • Bob Rafelson
  • Writers
    • William Harrison
    • Bob Rafelson
  • Stars
    • Patrick Bergin
    • Iain Glen
    • Richard E. Grant
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    4.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bob Rafelson
    • Writers
      • William Harrison
      • Bob Rafelson
    • Stars
      • Patrick Bergin
      • Iain Glen
      • Richard E. Grant
    • 61User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Videos2

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

    Photos107

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    + 99
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    Top Cast54

    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
    • Director
      • Bob Rafelson
    • Writers
      • William Harrison
      • Bob Rafelson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews61

    7.14.7K
    1
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Mountains of the Moon' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

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    Period Drama
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    Drama
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    History
    Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      The spear through Burton's face was an actual event, although the scar as depicted was wrong. The spear split his palate, causing a serious internal fracture of the jaw. It also came close to severing his tongue and it knocked out a half-dozen teeth, as well. The fact that he could survive such an extreme injury was near miraculous.
    • 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 with Ebert & Roeper: 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"

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    Details

    • Release date
      • February 23, 1990 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Burton and Speke
    • Filming locations
      • Stratfield Saye, Hampshire, England, UK(the Stratfield Saye estate, the home of Lord Houghton, where Richard Burton meets Isabel Arundell at a party)
    • Production companies
      • Carolco Pictures
      • IndieProd Company Productions
      • Zephyr Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $19,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,011,793
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $66,683
      • Feb 25, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,011,793
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 2h 16m(136 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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