Mountains of the Moon (film)

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.

The film was directed by Bob Rafelson based on the 1982 novel Burton and Speke by William Harrison.

Music
The 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
The 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
Peter Travers described Mountains as "an epic of sweep and intimacy", and Siskel & Ebert gave it two thumbs up. 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." In Newsweek, critic Jack Kroll wrote, "The exploits of Sir Richard Francis Burton make Lawrence of Arabia look like a tourist." Mountains of the Moon holds a rating of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews.