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Mountains of the Moon

Play trailer Poster for Mountains of the Moon R 1990 2h 15m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke are explorers determined to find the source of the Nile somewhere in Central Africa. Together, they run afoul of native peoples, inclement weather and no end of personal injury before reaching what could be the discovery they'd hoped for. When they get back to England, however, the two have a falling out. Speke insists he has discovered the Nile's source, while Burton thinks the evidence insufficient.

Critics Reviews

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Kurt Jacobsen Chicago Reader May 12, 2022
1/4
Rafelson concocts mediocre entertainment at a high cost. Go to Full Review Richard Combs Sight & Sound Jan 16, 2020
The narrative sprawls in the usual epic fashion -- though largely without the usual epic excitements. Go to Full Review Ed Gonzalez Apollo Guide Jul 25, 2001
78/100
Director Bob Rafelson, whose claim to fame is the impeccably nuanced Five Easy Pieces, manages to effectively play on the differences between Burton and Speke. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Dec 8, 2024
3.5/4
An excellent motion picture. Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Nov 1, 2022
A filmed epitaph, beautiful mausoleum, but without much energy beneath the marbel. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Bruce C. Steele OutWeek May 19, 2020
Who would have picked Bob Rafelson as the heir to David Lean? But there it is: an epic, historical adventure of the sort you thought they didn't make anymore. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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RONBO N @RT90308431 Oct 13, 2025 An absolutely enthralling epic. Brings the insight into a story that most people only scratch the surface of knowledge. See more Oct 1, 2021 This film is criminally underrated. It's a gem of a film. See more Sep 9, 2016 Incredible true story of explorer Sir Richard Burton's quest to find the original of the Nile River. Filled with colorful visual cinematography, vivid cultural panoramas and plot twists. There are several scenes in this movie you will NEVER forget! See more lanfranco c @Lanfrancobz May 29, 2016 Looking for the sources of the Nile See more Feb 15, 2016 This is an underrated epic. A true story on an important subject, that is today taken for granted in the modern 'Google Earth' era. This is a good depiction of Burton and Speke, and their 19th century story about locating the source of The Nile river in Africa. The unfortunate fate of their relationship is portrayed excellently, in this well-acted and written film, with terrific cinematography. I highly recommend it as a history lesson and great cinema. See more Oct 21, 2014 awesome historical pic See more Read all reviews
Mountains of the Moon

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Cast & Crew

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Bob Rafelson

Director

Patrick Bergin

Richard Francis Burton

Iain Glen

John Hanning Speke

Fiona Shaw

Isabel Arundell

Richard E. Grant

Larry Oliphant

Peter Vaughan

Lord Houghton

Movie Clips

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Mountains of the Moon

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Mountains of the Moon

Mountains of the Moon (1990) Mountains of the Moon (1990) Mountains of the Moon (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke are explorers determined to find the source of the Nile somewhere in Central Africa. Together, they run afoul of native peoples, inclement weather and no end of personal injury before reaching what could be the discovery they'd hoped for. When they get back to England, however, the two have a falling out. Speke insists he has discovered the Nile's source, while Burton thinks the evidence insufficient.
Director
Bob Rafelson
Producer
Daniel McInick
Screenwriter
William Harrison, Bob Rafelson
Production Co
IndieProd, Carolco Pictures Inc., Zephyr Films
Rating
R
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 23, 1990, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.4M
Runtime
2h 15m
Sound Mix
Surround
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