Director Bob Rafelson is best known for his three films starring Jack Nicholson, especially Five Easy Pieces (1970). His career slumped after The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) met with box office and critical indifference. But after the commercial success of the crime thriller Black Widow (1986), Rafelson was able to obtain financing for one of his pet projects: a film about mid-19th century British adventurers Sir Richard Burton and John Henning Speke.
Burton (Patrick Bergin) was already famous for his exploits before he had met Speke. Burton had disguised himself as an Arab in order to enter Mecca, and the resulting journal had made him a celebrity. Burton and Speke (Iain Glen) led two expeditions into Africa to find the source of the Nile.
They encounter much hardship along the way. Burton has a spear chucked through his jaw. He later contracts malaria, which swells his legs until he is unable to walk. Speke becomes nearly blind, and has a devastating experience with a beetle that craws into his ear. The expedition leaders are held captive by a African tribe led by dangerously impulsive chieftain Ngola (Bheki Tonto Ngema).
But important discoveries are made concerning the source of the Nile, which is the world's longest river. Returning to England after the second expedition, Speke and Burton have a falling out. They disagree over the Nile's source: Speke says it is Lake Victoria, which he named after the Queen. Burton believes that more than one lake is the source.
As it turned out, both were partly right. Lake Victoria was the primary source, but Lake Albert and others also supplied the Nile. Speke is portrayed as well-intentioned, but a dupe of publisher Oliphant (Richard E. Grant). Burton is portrayed as a great man, although stubborn and overly fond of drink. Burton has a strong willed but non-exploring wife, Isabel (Fiona Shaw). She becomes his most staunch defender.
Although both Burton and Speke were born in England, Speke had a more English lineage. Burton had become nearly disreputable for his uncensored anthropologic studies of the sexual practices of exotic cultures. For these reasons, Speke was favored by the Royal Geographic Society, which funded a third expedition by Speke without Burton.
Mountains of the Moon has been criticized for its historical inaccuracies. Speke is implied to be a closet homosexual with a crush on Burton. Burton's racism is not depicted, as it would make his character much less sympathetic. Oliphant is a fictional character. The romance between Isabel and Burton is played up. Burton has a strange scene where he kills a man to end his enslaved suffering at the hands of tormentors. But despite the dramatic excesses, the basic story is still compelling and credible.
The title refers to the mythological origins of the Nile. Perhaps the misleading title (as well as the lesser known leads) was partly responsible for the film's relative failure. It only grossed about four million dollars in the U.S., and received no award nominations. Its obscurity is unfortunate, though. The film may be inconsistent, since the scenes filmed in Africa are better than those set in England. However, the cinematography, story and script are worthy of an epic. (67/100)
In the 1850's, two British officers, Capt. Richard Burton (Patrick Bergen) and Lt. John Speke (Iain Glen) set out on a spectacular adventure to discov...More at eCOST.com
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