Mountains of the Moon

Product Description

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 discover the source of the Nile. They are warned that great dangers await them, but against all odds they push on deeper and deeper into the magnificent, untamed African wilderness, where no western man had ever gone. As the difficult journey takes its toll, Burton and Speke forge a strong bond. A bond that one will eventually betray. But history will be the judge as the two intrepid explorers venture into realms perilous to both body and soul in their quest for the secret of the Nile.

System Requirements:

Running Time 140 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Mountains of the Moon.......2007-07-13

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 values. "Mountains" is consistently fascinating and richly detailed, a must for modern-day explorers at heart.

Mountains of the Moon.......2007-05-13

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.

History well told..........2007-03-31

As other reviewers' have stated, this film about Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke, and their explorations in search of the source of the Nile, their troubled relationship and their ultimate estrangement, ending tragically in Speke's controversial death, (suicide or a mere hunting accident) has been certainly underrated.

As both men lived extraordinary lives, a film can only touch on the "highpoints" and turn the story into something akin to a Hollywood tested "entertainment piece", however, this particular historical narrative requires no embellishments, because their lives and experiences have become the stuff of legend.

One of the numerous reasons Mountains of the Moon is such a great film is its historical accuracy, beginning with Burton and Speke's first meeting and the subsequent tragedy on expedition in the African territory now known as Somalia. On a mere Survey expedition, late at night their camp was attacked, ending with a spear through Burton's cheek and jaw and Speke being taken prisoner, tortured and his legs broken. Because the natives ran scared over a superstition, (not conveyed in the film) the two managed to escape. Because Captain Burton headed this particular expedition, its failure would haunt his career for many years.

The director and producer(s) aimed for the epic grandeur of a David Lean film such as Laurance of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago and, when one listens to the beautiful sound track and the breathtaking cinematography of the African landscape will see that they achieved their outcome, as the film's quality is absolutely superb.

Having grown into a Burton admirer and completes, studying and gathering everything known about this unusual and fringe genius, Mountains of the Moon is a worthy addition because of its quality production and its genuine attempt at historical accuracy on the lives of these (R) romantic individuals, the last truly earthbound explorers (Aside from the Australian and European Explores of Antarctica) who have been forgotten in the chaos of triviality in the 21st century.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see this film, do so, as it is a well produced piece created by people who care about history and the value of a story well told.

A little more care, Amazon.......2006-06-17

Wonderful movie - but certainly NOT close captioned as advertised . Disappointing if you expect so .

Finding the source of the Nile.......2005-12-25

The story of Richard Burton's and J.H. Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile. With great hardship (disease, injury, warring tribes), they make their way; on the last leg Burton is held captive by a tribe of natives, and Speke goes on alone. He discovers Lake Victoria and travels back to England two weeks ahead of Burton with the news. Speke doesn't have a great deal of proof that the lake is the source; indeed, Burton doesn't believe it. He and Burton are to debate their opposing points of view before the Royal Geographical Society when Speke dies in a hunting accident. It took another 12 years to prove Speke's assertion.

The real-life Richard Burton squeezed into one lifetime more adventure and scholarship than a half-dozen men could ever hope to collectively attain, and the movie captures that feeling perfectly. Emphasis is on the violence and difficulty of the expedition and little on the ensuing controversy, so the movie skews toward being an adventure story only. One wishes for more in-depth character development, but the movie is an excellent one all the same. [Burton was an incredibly fascinating person and I recommend people reading any of the many recent biographies on the man.]

Average customer rating:

an old-fashioned adventure
How dare a white man say he discovered Africa?
Wasn't worth the hype
Patience well rewarded
Orientalist Extraordinaire

Mountains of the Moon
Starring: Patrick Bergin , Iain Glen , Richard E. Grant , Fiona Shaw , and John Savident
Director: Bob Rafelson
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305261504
Release Date: 1999-03-16

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:

an old-fashioned adventure.......2006-12-26

This is one of the better adventure movies produced in Hollywood. Based accurately on the true story of Burton and Speke's search for the headwaters of the Nile, actors Patrick Bergin and Iain Glenn seem to forge a strong bond while enduring some awful hardships during their journey. It's up to the viewer to judge what occurs when these two valient explorers return to the UK, but all in all, this is a great movie that anyone interested in action-adventure-history will appreciate //

How dare a white man say he discovered Africa?.......2003-05-07

Is what Sir Richard Francis Burton (Patric Begin) tells his wife Isabell (Fiona Shaw ) after she rushes in to their London home exclaiming: " Newspapers! Mr. Speke again! "

At which point one of the most intelligent and best written love scenes ensues---in one of the most intelligent and best written films of all time---as Isabell demands that the hitherto heroic Burton--who has given in to drink and despair, publically confront his former friend, John Speke (Ian Glen) who is damning him in the press, and fight to vindicate his good name.

Irony of Ironies! In the Victorian age, Burton, for all his dashing bravery was considered less 'respectable' than Speke. Burton had been the first European to enter Mecca, disguised as an Arab (he was fluent in 23 languages), a swordsman who published manuals on the use of the saber in combat, and translated The Kama Sutra and The Arabian Nights into English. He had a reputation for wildness in an age of conformity.

Speke, of the other hand, was a British officer, a member of a prominent family, and a discreet homosexual.

The irony continues. This is perhaps the best foreign film that ever bombed at the American box office. Why?

1. The heterosexual ends happily, the homosexual does not. Furthermore another homosexual, Larry (Richard Grant) plays the part of 'Iago' lying and separating the two friends into bitter rivals. Worse still, unlike, say, "Kiss of the Spider Woman " Speke, does not get his sexual fantasies fulfilled. That part of his love for Burton goes unrequited.

2. Africans in the 19th century are not represented as 'Noble Savages ' living in egalitarian harmony with each other. Rousseau would have been disappointed.

3. Outside the aforementioned outburst "How dare a white man.say he discovered Africa! Africans discovered Africa! " There is no apology for British colonialism. In fact, it's rather unimportant to the main focus of the film.

4. There were no STARS, that brought in an audience, only great actors.

( One shudders at the thought of a Hollywood remake with Tom Hanks and Tim Burton in the leads and Whoopi Goldberg delivering an impassioned speech at The Royal Geographical Society. )

This film is a glorious, true life, adventure story about the discovery of the source of the Nile. Yes, it is an "epic" , wonderfully photographed. David Lean would have loved it.

Especially since the plot is driven by the characters, not the outside world, exotic as the surroundings may be. There is a tone of melancholia, a bittersweetness that prevails throughout. It is a tragedy about the friendship of Speke and Burton. The first gay as a breeze, the second a raving heterosexual but both, (without any excuses to audiences trained to expect that only 'ordinary folks' are believable ) presented for what they were: Heroes.

Indeed if the word 'hero' did not apply to Speke and Burton, it would have no meaning. I lost track of how many time they saved each other's lives. A brilliant, subtle and touching film.

Wasn't worth the hype.......2002-03-09

A great movie if you like to see grime and only grime. For me, it is a disjointed movie. The story wasn't melded enough. The characters did not connect with each other enough to create the drama. The sex scenes are so bad that they look like afterthoughts. Poor editing. I see why ordinary mortals like me would not go ga-ga over this.

Patience well rewarded.......2002-02-11

I came to this film knowing almost nothing about Burton, Speke, or the search for the Nile; in fact I only picked it up because I heard Roger Rees was in it (he's great as always, by the way, but he only has a two-minute part at the end). However, I came away entranced and fascinated by the subject, and more especially, by the characters. Although the film is a little slow moving for ignorant types like myself, it merely requires patience for the first 20 minutes or so, before the powerful storytelling and acting overcomes any pacing problems. Patrick Bergin creates a truly memorable character, and Fiona Shaw is wonderfully...Victorian, only not. A character of true intelligence and humour, yet undeniably a product of her time. My favourite though, is Iain Glen as John Hanning Speke, who did the whole tortured/ambitious/second-fiddle-and-hating-it/sexually frustrated part very convincingly. His relationship with Burton is intense enough to unify the film as it sprawls accross two completely different continents (how civilized Africa seems next to London) and keep us caring right up to the final frames (and the belated but welcome appearance of R. Rees)!

Orientalist Extraordinaire.......2002-01-19

Sir Richard Burton was the most interesting traveler/explorer of the Victorian era. You might not come away from this film with that impression. The film focuses on just one event in Burtons event filled life and that is the films one flaw, though its a pretty big flaw its not fatal. The African part of the film is very exciting. Burton and Speke mount an expeditionary force and with a large amount of exploring goods and native carriers get raided on the beach one night(excellent battle scene)before they even begin. After regrouping they again set out to find one of the nineteenth centuries geographical prizes, the source of the Nile(mountians of the moon). Who saw it first and who could best map exactly where it was takes up the second half of the movie. That aftermath section which shows the debate of the former friends become enemies as it played out in the geographical society journals of the day is not the most riveting cinema mainly because Speke is just not that interesting a figure and so no real contest for Burton and since there is never any doubt who will win as a drama it has no teeth(what were you thinking Rafelson?). The real drama in the Burton story is the one between his very groundbreaking and often illicit work(he translated and introduced the Kama Sutra to Victorian England) and ultra conservative Victorian England.Still any film about Burton is worthwhile. A better movie would have been exclusively about Burton and his very unusual character. He was at least as unusual as Lawrence of Arabia and perhaps even more complex. He combined great learning(languages, religions, weapons, erotica...)with a great amount of first hand experience in a number of rarely trodden lands. He was the first non Muslim visitor to the holy city of Mecca(he arrived in Arab disguise).
Bergin plays Burton as if he were just slightly unconventional which is fine for a Hollywood film but the truth is this guy was a real cultural chameleon. Perhaps one day another director will try his hand at this material. Until then this is not a great but a good introduction which may lead you to want to know more. I liked the scenes which show the interior of Burtons house especially as he was a collector of tribal artifacts, knives, spears, texts. And his wife is played by a lovely actress who plays Isabel Burton as if she were just a very liberal minded Victorian. In actuality Isabel burned many of Richards manuscripts after his death forever earning her the wrath of the Orientalist community. You won't get accuracy or depth of vision here but you will get an eyefull of Africa which is beautifully filmed, those grand vistas and some grand moments make the trip worth your while.

Average customer rating:

Some clarifications and a few interesting facts (warning: contains spoilers)
A feast for the senses, an adventure for the spirit. Let yourself be enlightened.
Mystical Kung Poo with side order Nonsense!
If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had
Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning

Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain
Starring: Adam Cheng , Norman Chu , Hark-On Fung , Sammo Hung Kam-Bo , and Damian Lau
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305261385
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Amazon.com

Tsui Hark was supposedly inspired by the then-groundbreaking effects of the first Star Wars trilogy when he made Zu, a fantasy action film starring Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Brigitte Lin, and Adam Cheung. In a somewhat confused story line, a young soldier (played by Biao) stumbles onto a magic temple after escaping an all-out civil war battle between various armies. There he meets a magic swordsman (Cheung) and his disciples, who enlist him to help fight against the evil Blood Monster. They also run across a group of swordswomen and an ice goddess (played by Lin) who appear primarily to sprinkle in some romance and humor. The 1983 special effects look dated, but they were once revolutionary, this film forming the very first special-effects house in Hong Kong. And the playful spirit behind the effects hasn't faded. Demons (which look suspiciously like the Sand People in Star Wars) fly about in an impressive aerial ballet, and in another scene, an evil demon is bounced between pillars like a pinball. One of Tsui's earliest films, Zu is a good introduction to the fast and furious style of one of Hong Kong's most visionary directors. --Shannon Gee

Customer Reviews:

Some clarifications and a few interesting facts (warning: contains spoilers).......2006-11-24

ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (XIN SHUSHAN JIANXIA, featuring Bridgette Lin)is a film dating back to the 1980's and is NOT to be mixed up with the much more recent LEGEND OF ZU (SHUSHAN ZHUAN, in which Zhang Ziyi appears), which appeared a couple years back, even though both are directed by Tsui Hark and both are supposed to be (I want to emphasize: SUPPOSED to be) based on a long fantasy novel entitled SHUSHAN JIANXIA (SWORDFIGHTERS OF MT SHU) by Chinese author Huanzhu Louzhu (also named Li Shoumin; 1902 ~ 1961). Many of the reviewers here seem to get mixed up between the two movies. By the way, the novel's not yet translated into English, sorry -- even though I'm perfectly confident it's more than a match for Tolkien's trilogy in terms of content. :p (Certainly the novel has exerted a tremendous influence on later Chinese swordplay fiction, such as the work of Jin Yong or Louis Cha.)

NEITHER movie is true to the original novel (which in my estimate would require at least five long films, serious). The films aren't even condensed versions of the novel. With both movies Tsui Hark has committed the unpardonable sin of whipping together a story with elements and characters selected almost at random from the novel, possibly even adding his own stuff, and naming the resultant hodge-podge after the novel itself. To give a couple examples of how Tsui Hark's movie departs from the novel, in the novel becoming a blood monster is a strictly voluntary matter; you must go through special training :p and can't become one merely by being 'infected' by a blood monster, as happens in the movie. (I don't remember the blood monster forming a coccoon of skulls around itself in the original novel, either.) Also, in the original story the green and violet twin swords were lost treasures discovered by accident by two GIRLS, NOT guarded by a female immortal who then handed them to two BOYS, as in the (earlier) film. And that's just two examples, mate.

So does that automatically make ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN a bad film? Yes and no. Yes, because it's nothing short of sacrilege to mar a work of literature in this way. No, because the film actually does have a lot of cool and spectacular effects, such as fighting with swords of lightning ;) and the visually impressive and lovely interior of the palace/fort of the 'Ice Queen' (though I doubt these appear in the novel at all), and the film's own plot is not too bad, either (I personally would have much preferred that the 'Ice Queen' could eventually cure the hero who turned into a blood monster, though). Tsui Hark has a very annoying knack, however, for rushing the story so much that all you have to do is blink and you'll miss out on a huge chunk of what's going on. Can't you have at least a few slower and calmer moments, for Heaven's sake? (This gets even worse in LEGEND OF ZU, so much so the plot is in danger of being utterly lost to the viewer.) Also, sometimes the acting just doesn't feel emotionally appropriate. When you learn that your beloved martial arts teacher is in danger of turning into a blood monster and no one can do anything to help, what would you feel? How would you act? The one playing the role of the teacher's disciple in the film acted like a stupid idiot at the point of learning that hard truth. Really. Tsui Hark really should have known better, for goodness' sake. Also, would you not feel at least some sorrow when learning of your teacher's death, even though he has turned into an evil creature? In the film, the idiot apparently didn't. Yeah, he died, now let's move on. Sure, right.

My overall assessment: superb graphics, passable plot, atrocious handling of human emotions. And that's not taking into consideration the violence done to the original novel.

A feast for the senses, an adventure for the spirit. Let yourself be enlightened........2006-10-13

The original Hong Kong version really is an incredible piece of work. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However it does require that you view it with a certain frame of mind. Most importantly you have to understand that it is not a character drama. There is little range of depth to any of the characters. They exist only to serve their various roles in the story. Think of it as if it were a legend passed down through the ages (like classic Greek mythology). In such legends you always hear the story told through a series of actions and outcomes. You're never given any insight into what drives the characters and we never see more than one side of them. They just represent these sort of unchanging idealized personas. The stories that come from this are fascinating nevertheless. So in this way The Legend of Zu is literally told in the style of a legend.

That said the story is actually quite awesome. The basic premise is again very, very similar to classic Greek mythology: There is a mythical mountain range in China called Zu. Its highest peak, shrouded in mists, reaches up into the heavens. This place is populated by immortal beings who, in their scattered temples, have devoted themselves to various schools of thought. Across centuries they've honed their skills in the martial arts and have attuned their spirits to the forces of the universe. It is their task to maintain order and balance in the universe so that man can live in harmony with nature. Their actions influence the fates of the mortals below. Trouble arises when an unstoppable entity of pure evil calling itself Insomnia threatens to overthrow the most powerful school in the heavens, the Omei clan, and throw the world into an eternity of discord.

The story is steeped heavily in Chinese lore so some parts are a bit esoteric, granted, but for the most part it's easy to follow if you can just keep up with it. There is a user on imdb who wrote "The most soulful, spiritual film I've ever seen," and I think I might have to agree with him. One of the more interesting aspects of the mythology is that just as the warrior has a spirit, so too does his or her weapon. As the warrior achieves mastery with the weapon their two souls act as one; until finally their sword is no longer a physical object but rather an extension of the warrior's own spirit, capable of unleashing devastating effects and allowing the possessor to fly. The weapons are all so unique in form and function that it makes the battle scenes quite unlike anything you've ever seen before in a martial arts film.

The visuals and CGI effects, while perhaps not up to the level of say Lord of the Rings, are utterly stunning to behold. Every frame is like a painting straight from the mind of a creative genius. Matched to the superlative audio the film is quite a treat for the senses. All of this carried along by an engaging, complex, epic narrative and we have ourselves a little gem of a film! But like I said - you have to be willing and able to both divorce yourself from western conventions and to appreciate the sensibilities and beliefs of a different culture. Step out of yourselves for an hour and fourty minutes and just allow yourselves to enjoy this fun, lighthearted spiritual journey into the world of Chinese legend!

Mystical Kung Poo with side order Nonsense!.......2006-07-05

Despite this movie being about 1. magic, 2. kung fu, 3. general weirdness and cheap funny props, 4. lots of flying in colorful outfits, 5. a spattering of cutie Chinese girls who also know magic- all of which attributes people who love kung fu think should/MUST be a really great combo- it was actually so boring to me (a diehard kung fu fan) and hard to follow that i didnt' want to watch anymore of it half way thru.

It looked like a high-budget Chinese kung fu fantasy film from the 70's. Oh wait, it was.

There was NOT a lot of fighting/kung fu, but there was a lot of flying around in funny colorful costumes and strange,convoluted dialogue.

I got the impression they filmmakers were trying for something really epic, an -alien- Chinese mythology that didn't quite have the neatly-packaged-story nature of familiar, Western mythologies. In short, it make no sense and didtn' try to explain itself (nor should it)! It was a good try tho and if I were Chinese and kind of weird and living in the 70s i'd think the movie is like Chinese star wars.
--
One more thing:
They used saran wrap enshrouded with packing tape to depict large broken blocks of ice. I mention this to attest to the early Tsui Hark's innovative set design and creative props. It was a neat although distracting way to cut costs. Also worthy of mention in this regard is the fake, incongruent, drawn cartoon lightning interleaved with fancy acrobatics and disjointed dialogue.

If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had.......2004-08-07

This MOVIE is way ahead of its time. The special effects, or fireworks as some reviewers put it were well in advance of anything I've seen in Matrix, X-men, Hulk, Spiderman and the like. If your looking for a storyline, plot and all that pick up a book instead of watching a MOVIE. For action packed, VISUAL ectsasy this is one of the greats. CGI is the wave of the future for movies my friends. Hell, the CGI Smigel from LOTR almost got an Oscar didn't he?

Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning.......2004-07-19

This movie's plot is a bit hard to follow (or pay attention to ) but the action and effects are absolutely incredible! I bought this movie because I absolutely loved Storm Riders and was hoping this would be as good if not better. You are better off renting it if possible.

Average customer rating:

Mountains of the Moon [Region 2]
Starring: Patrick Bergin , Iain Glen , Richard E. Grant , Fiona Shaw , and John Savident
Director: Bob Rafelson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AGVPQ

{16 MOVIE SET} River Niger / Final Comedown / Mean Johnny Barrows / Lady Cocoa / Harlem Rides the Range / Moon Over Harlem / Big Timers / Dirty Gertie From Harlem, Usa / Bloody Brood / Fast and the Furious (1954) / Mutiny in the Big House / Swamp Women / Boys Reformatory / Dark Mountain / Hurricane Express / Fire Alarm

Average customer rating:

{16 MOVIE SET} River Niger / Final Comedown / Mean Johnny Barrows / Lady Cocoa / Harlem Rides the Range / Moon Over Harlem / Big Timers / Dirty Gertie From Harlem, Usa / Bloody Brood / Fast and the Furious (1954) / Mutiny in the Big House / Swamp Women / Boys Reformatory / Dark Mountain / Hurricane Express / Fire Alarm

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000EA8TKY

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