Mountains of the Moon (film)

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Mountains of the Moon is a 1990 film depicting the journey of Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke in their expedition to central Africa which culminated in the discovery of the source of the Nile River. The expedition led to a bitter rivalry between the two men. The film stars Patrick Bergin as Burton and Iain Glen as Speke.

The film was directed by Bob Rafelson, for whom this was something of a dream project. It was based on the novel Burton and Speke by William Harrison. The narrative concentrates on the relationship between the two very different men.

The film should not be regarded as a particularly accurate portrayal of the events within. Burton, one of the foremost linguists of his day, only ever speaks to Africans he meets through an interpreter and speaks with an Irish accent despite being English (owing to the fact that Bergin is Irish in real life).

[edit] 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 Isabell Arundell.