Very Cool!!!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

As someone who will watch pretty much anything that is filmed on location in Africa, I found this historical retelling of the 19th century Geographic Society's scramble for discovery (also related to the European "scramble for Africa) to be entertaining, condescending and compelling. The cinematography is excellent, there is no mistaking some of those locations. And once you realize this is all a glimpse of Africa from white English explorers who cannot communicate (or even understand) their surroundings, and thus are as confused and appalled as the viewer in some scenes, you can get over some of the more racist undertones...because they were racist back then. So, take this as a period piece of discovery and adventure in an age when people all over the world were discovering each other for the first time, and you will absolutely enjoy it.

This tale's uniquely distinctive feature is its vivid portrayal of the life and environment of the natives and other tribes inhabiting, or trading in, central Africa during the 19th century.The film was shot by Roger Deakins, who has been nominated thirteen times for an Academy Award for his cinematography, and amazingly has never won. He must be the greatest living exponent of his art. He also had unusual early experience of filming African landscapes.This treatment of the story of Burton and Speke, and their search for the source of the Nile river, has left several viewers, including me, avidly wanting to know more about their relationship, whether Speke committed suicide in 1864, and the fundamental reasons for their apparent falling out. On balance, Burton is presented here as the wronged party, but other factual accounts seem to me to tend to favour Speke, because of Burton's difficult and eccentric personality. His wife, Isabel, was exceptionally devoted, and she is played here by Fiona Shaw, who resembles her strongly in appearance.There is little doubt that Burton was the more remarkable human being of the two, but the question remains open, and it appears that the credit for actually first establishing the source of the Nile must go to Speke. It was ultimately firmly confirmed by Stanley.There is a conflict between Speke's obsessive Victorian imperialism, and Burton's equally obsessive but more academic interest in the world's varieties of communication and ethnicity. Speke names his lake Victoria, but Burton names his lake Tanganyika. A fine film, but the actual facts are worth checking, even if they resolve nothing.

In the Nineteenth Century, the British writer, geographer and explorer Captain Richard Francis Burton (Patrick Bergin) meets the Lieutenant John Hanning Speke (Iain Glen) during a dangerous journey in Africa and after being saved by Speke, they become friends. Soon they team-up to seek the source of the Nile River sponsored by the Royal Geographic Society. Meanwhile Burton meets his fan Isabel Arundell (Fiona Shaw) and they get married to each other. Burton and Speke travel for many months through Africa where they face brutal tribes, diseases, hunger and many other dangers together. Speke finds a lake that he believes it is the source of Nile River but Burton disagrees and believes they need more scientific research to be sure. When they separately return to London, the ambitious publisher Larry Oliphant (Richard E. Grant) stirs up a quarrel between the two friends and Speke travels alone to Africa trying to prove his findings. Will their friendship end? "Mountains of the Moon" is a fascinating adventure with a story of friendship based on a historic event, the journey of Captain Richard Francis Burton and Lieutenant John Hanning Speke to the African Great Lakes. The plot may be not accurate but the film is engaging and the landscapes are breathtaking. The viewer does not feel the 136 minutes running time. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Montanhas da Lua" ("Mountains of the Moon")

A fine adventure film from the 1990, in the epic movie tradition, based on Richard Burton's and John Speke's exploration of East Africa in the mid 19th century and their discovery of the source of the river Nile and the mountains of the title. The role of Burton was played by Patrick Bergin, an mustachioed Irish actor, who was cast in masculine roles and who seemed to become an important star in those days (he costarred with Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy), though he finally never achieved a big breakthrough. Speke was portrayed by Iain Glen, while the role of Burton's wife went to Fiona Shaw. In a great scene, they are captured and held hostage by an African chieftain, who is played as a spoiled, barbaric and cruel tyrant. Even if such portrayal was historically true, such scene would probably not be filmed today because of political correctness. Bob Rafelson directed. Filmed in England and in Kenya, the outdoor scenes are a big plus.