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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305261506
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305261504
Label: Geneon [Pioneer]
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Geneon [Pioneer]
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 16, 1999
Running Time: 140 minutes
Sales Rank: 19580
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Theatrical Release Date: February 23, 1990
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
How 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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - No wonder it bombed...
Informative, educational. An interesting story that is pretty much the way it happened. A look into the world that laid the cornerstone for ours. Good actors that nobody ever heard of. No wonder it bombed. Borrow $2 from somebody and get it used from Amazon.
Rating: - mountains of the moon
I have always had an interest in Sir Richard Burton's life. Though the movie only covers a small portion of his life, I appreciate its accurate portrayal. The movie gives a gritty and realistic story of the search for the source of the Nile river.
Rating: - Daring adventure, good story, not for the squeamish
This film makes me want to read the historical novel that it was based on. Two explorers travel through dangerous 19th century Africa, enduring hardship, torture, attacks, and more in their quest to find the source of the Nile. Fantastic landscapes abound, and the two main actors give strong performances, showing the very different sensibilities of two seekers--one who appreciates the cultures and one who is more interested in hunting.
Good supporting work from such experienced actors as ... Read More
Rating: - Mountains of the Moon
The realization of a lifelong dream for director Bob Rafelson ("Five Easy Pieces"), the majestic and visually breathtaking "Mountains" is strong on both adventure and human drama, as Burton and Speke bond on their perilous, arduous journey, then become estranged once back in England. Bergin is perfectly cast as rugged Irishman Burton; rough-hewn and out-of-place, he is a "modern" stuck in Victorian England. Glen is equally credible as the upper-crust Speke, the very personification of Old English ... Read More
Rating: - Mountains of the Moon
Truly enjoyed the DVD. Excellent quality, good price, and fast turnaround from Amazon. Having read accounts of the various "search for the source of the Nile" expeditions, including Speke's diary of the final expedition to Lake Victoria, I can see that some poetic license was taken with the movie. Still, most of the trail of this epic adventure is factual and I'm surprised that the movie wasn't received more enthusiastically in the U.S. Possibly because it didn't star Bob Redford or Brad Pitt. ... Read More
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