Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers (WGA):

Harold T.P. Hayes (article)
Dian Fossey (work)

Release Date:

23 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

In a land of beauty, wonder and danger, she would follow a dream, fall in love and risk her life to save the mountain gorillas from extinction.

Plot:

The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.

Plot Keywords:

Gorilla | Africa | Eco Terrorism | 1960s | Based On Article

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Dian Fossey
Bryan Brown	...	Bob Campbell
Julie Harris	...	Roz Carr
John Omirah Miluwi	...	Sembagare
Iain Cuthbertson	...	Dr. Louis Leakey
Constantin Alexandrov	...	Van Veeten
Waigwa Wachira	...	Mukara
Iain Glen	...	Brendan
David Lansbury	...	Larry
Maggie O'Neill	...	Kim
Konga Mbandu	...	Rushemba
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Howard Dowd
Gordon Masten	...	Photographer
Peter Nduati	...	Batwa chief
Helen Fraser	...	Mme. Van Vecten

Also Known As:

Gorillas in the Mist (USA) (short title)
Gorilles dans la brume (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
De dimhöljda bergens gorillor (Sweden) [sv]
Gorilas en la niebla (Spain) [es]
Gorilas na Bruma (Portugal) [pt]
Goriles stin omihli (Greece) [el]
Gorillák a ködben (Hungary) [hu]
Gorilla nella nebbia (Italy) [it]
Gorillas im Nebel (West Germany) [de]
Gorilot B'Arafell (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Gorily v mlze (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Goryle we mgle (Poland) [pl]
Nas Montanhas dos Gorilas (Brazil) [pt]
Nas Montanhas dos Gorilas - A Aventura de Dian Fossey (Brazil) [pt]
Sumuisten vuorten gorillat (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (1999) | UK:15 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Karisoke Research Centre, Virunga Conservation Area, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Company:

Guber-Peters Company, The

Trivia:

The gorilla suits used in movies up to this time had obvious anatomical differences from real gorillas; for instance, the wearer's real eyes were seen, forcing modification to the face. For this film director Michael Apted wanted to use real gorillas where possible, but some shots would have to use gorilla suits, so the difference would show. 'Rick Baker' met the challenge and created gorilla suits good enough that Apted could do what he wanted.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scenes where Dian drives from the town to the mountains in a land rover, the vehicle used is Series III Land Rover, which first went into production in 1972, in 1966 the Series II was the production Land Rover, and sported a wire grill, and inset headlights, as opposed to the III's plastic grill, and lights in wings, as in the film.

Quotes:

Sembagare: They think you are a witch.
Dian Fossey: They wouldn't be the first.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba (#7.19)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Sugar

THE ENVIRONMENTAL WARS

ON New Year's Day 1978, a researcher on patrol in Rwanda's Park of the Volcanoes found the mutilated body of a male gorilla in the forest undergrowth. It was a gruesome sight. The body had multiple stab wounds from spear thrusts, and had been grossly mutilated. Like the victim of some bizarre torso murderer, the young silverback gorilla's head and both its hands had been savagely hacked off and carried away.

That event made headlines all over the world, because the gorilla was called Digit, a name given by the dedicated American scientist, Dian Fossey. She had known Digit since birth, 10 years before.

This fact would be the inspiration for the film "Gorillas in the mist: the story of Dian Fossey.

(Source: "The Environmental Wars" by David Day, a Greenpeace member).