Film: Mountains of the Moon

Well well - it's been a while since a film was shown on telly that I hadn't seen! and wanted to. Tonight, the only one I hadn't seen was Mountains of the Moon. Now, this is one of those that it turned out I had actually seen - long enough ago that I didn't remember it at all. So that's ok.

I'm a sucker for films about exploration, and this is about Burton and Speke, who set off in search of the source of the Nile. A few familiar faces here - Burton is played by Patrick Bergin, his girlfriend (whom he marries when he gets back) is the ever-excellent Fiona Shaw, Richard E. Grant is a friend of Speke's, back in London. We also have John Savident. Bernard Hill shows up as Dr. Livingstone, a contemporary of Burton and Speke, who compares travel scars with Burton.

It's an enjoyable watch - more enjoyable, evidently, than it would have been to live through, what with all the setbacks they encounter: injuries, thefts, intrusive locals. Definitely one for those with an interest in exploration, mind. And it's sickening to see how things soured when they got back, and had a very public falling-out, over what seems to have been a misunderstanding. Hey-ho.. interesting to consider what it must have been like in those days, when people simply didn't know what was in the empty places on the maps, and there was such a race, with so many people seeking the same goals..

Tomorrow's not showing anything on Meetup that appeals - so I thought I might catch up with something that Up in the Cheap Seats watched yesterday. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is available for free on YouTube - and is, indeed, a musical.

Very excited about next Saturday though - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott..