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{{Short description|1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted}}
{{Short description|1988 film by Michael Apted}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}{{Infobox film
{{for|the rap album|Guerillas in tha Mist}}
| name = Gorillas in the Mist
{{more footnotes needed|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = harambe kingdom in the Mist
| image = Gorillas In The Mist poster.jpg
| image = Gorillas In The Mist poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Michael Apted]]
| director = [[Michael Apted]]
| producer = [[Arne Glimcher]]<br />Terence A. Clegg
| screenplay = [[Anna Hamilton Phelan]]
| screenplay = [[Anna Hamilton Phelan]]
| story = Anna Hamilton Phelan<br />[[Tab Murphy]]
| story = {{Plainlist|
* Anna Hamilton Phelan
* [[Tab Murphy]]
}}
| based_on = {{Based on|''Gorillas in the Mist''|[[Dian Fossey]]}}
| based_on = {{Based on|''Gorillas in the Mist''|[[Dian Fossey]]}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Arne Glimcher]]
* Terence A. Clegg
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* [[Bryan Brown]]
* [[Bryan Brown]]
}}
}}<!--per poster-->
| music = [[Maurice Jarre]]
| cinematography = [[John Seale]]
| cinematography = [[John Seale]]
| editing = [[Stuart Baird]]
| editing = [[Stuart Baird]]
| music = [[Maurice Jarre]]
| studio = [[Universal Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]<br />The Guber/Peters Company
| studio = The Guber-Peters Company
| distributor = Universal Pictures (North America)<br/>Warner Bros. (International)
| released = {{Film date|1988|9|23}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
* [[Universal Pictures]] (North America)
* [[Warner Bros.]] (International)
}}
| released = {{Film date|1988|09|23}}
| runtime = 129 minutes
| runtime = 129 minutes
| country = United States
| country = United States
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $22 million<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |title=Gorillas in the Mist |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55762 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref>
| budget = $22 million
| gross = $61.1 million<ref name=mojo>{{Mojo title|gorillasinthemist|Gorillas in the Mist}}</ref>
| gross = $61.1 million<ref name=mojo>{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=0095243|title=Gorillas in the Mist|access-date=March 24, 2023}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Gorillas in the Mist''''' is a 1988 American [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Michael Apted]] and starring [[Sigourney Weaver]] as the [[natural history|naturalist]] [[Dian Fossey]]. It tells the story of her work in [[Rwanda]] with [[mountain gorilla]]s and was nominated for five [[Academy Awards]].


'''''Gorillas in the Mist'''''{{efn|Also known as '''''Gorillas in the Mist: The Adventure of Dian Fossey'''''.}} is a 1988 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] film directed by [[Michael Apted]] from a screenplay by [[Anna Hamilton Phelan]] and a story by Phelan and [[Tab Murphy]]. The film is based on a [[Gorillas in the Mist (book)|book of the same name]] by [[Dian Fossey]] and the article by [[Harold Hayes|Harold T. P. Hayes]]. It stars [[Sigourney Weaver]] as naturalist Dian Fossey and [[Bryan Brown]] as photographer [[Bob Campbell (photographer)|Bob Campbell]]. It tells the story of Fossey, who came to [[Africa]] to study the vanishing [[mountain gorilla]]s, and later fought to protect them.
== Plot ==
Occupational therapist [[Dian Fossey]] ([[Sigourney Weaver]]) is inspired by anthropologist [[Louis Leakey]] ([[Iain Cuthbertson]]) to devote her life to the study of primates. She writes ceaselessly to Leakey for a job cataloging and studying the rare [[mountain gorilla]]s of [[Africa]]. Following him to a lecture in Louisville, Kentucky in 1966, she convinces him of her conviction.


The film was theatrically released in the United States by [[Universal Pictures]] on September 23, 1988. At the [[61st Academy Awards]], it earned five nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Weaver and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium]]. The film won [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]] for Weaver and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] for Jarre at the [[46th Golden Globe Awards]], where it was also nominated for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]].
They travel to the [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Congo]], where Leakey and his foundation equip her to make contact with the gorillas, and introduce her to a local animal tracker, Sembagare (John Omirah Miluwi). Settling deep in the jungle, Fossey and Sembagare locate a troop of gorillas, but are displaced by the events of the [[Congo Crisis]] and forcibly evicted from their research site by Congolese soldiers, who accuse Fossey of being a foreign spy and agitator.


==Plot==
Fossey is resigned to returning to the United States, but Sembagare and her temporary host [[Rosamond Carr]] ([[Julie Harris (American actress)|Julie Harris]]) motivate her to stay in Africa. Fossey establishes new research efforts in the jungles of neighboring [[Rwanda]], where rampant [[poaching]] and [[corruption]] become apparent when she discovers several traps near her [[Karisoke Research Center|new base]] at Karisoke. Nevertheless, Fossey and her colleagues make headway with the gorillas, taking account of their communication and social groups. Her work impresses Leakey and gains international attention.
Occupational therapist [[Dian Fossey]] is inspired by anthropologist [[Louis Leakey]] to devote her life to the study of primates. She writes ceaselessly to Leakey for a job cataloging and studying the rare [[mountain gorilla]]s of [[Africa]]. Following him to a lecture in [[Louisville, Kentucky]] in 1966, she convinces him of her conviction.


They travel to the [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Congo]], where Leakey and his foundation equip her to make contact with the gorillas, and introduce her to a local animal tracker, Sembagare. Settling deep in the jungle, Fossey and Sembagare locate a troop of gorillas, but are displaced by the events of the [[Congo Crisis]] and forcibly evicted from their research site by Congolese soldiers, who accuse Fossey of being a foreign spy and agitator.
''[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]'', which funds her efforts, dispatches photographer [[Bob Campbell (photographer)|Bob Campbell]] ([[Bryan Brown]]) to highlight her research. Fossey, initially unreceptive, grows increasingly attached to Campbell after several photo sessions with the gorillas, and the two become lovers, in spite of Campbell's marriage. Campbell proposes to divorce his wife and marry Fossey but insists that she would have to spend time away from Karisoke and her gorillas, leading her to end their relationship. Fossey forms an emotional bond with a gorilla named Digit, and attempts to prevent the export of other gorillas by trader Van Vecten (Constantin Alexandrov).

Fossey is resigned to returning to the [[United States]], but Sembagare and her temporary host [[Rosamond Carr]] motivate her to stay in Africa. Fossey establishes new research efforts in the jungles of neighboring [[Rwanda]], where rampant [[poaching]] and [[corruption]] become apparent when she discovers several traps near her [[Karisoke Research Center|new base]] at Karisoke. Nevertheless, Fossey and her colleagues make headway with the gorillas, taking account of their communication and social groups. Her work impresses Leakey and gains international attention.

''[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]'', which funds her efforts, dispatches photographer [[Bob Campbell (photographer)|Bob Campbell]] to highlight her research. Fossey, initially unreceptive, grows increasingly attached to Campbell after several photo sessions with the gorillas, and the two become lovers, in spite of Campbell's marriage. Campbell proposes to divorce his wife and marry Fossey but insists that she would have to spend time away from Karisoke and her gorillas, leading her to end their relationship. Fossey forms an emotional bond with a gorilla named Digit, and attempts to prevent the export of other gorillas by trader Van Vecten.


Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, hands, and heads, Fossey complains to the [[Government of Rwanda|Rwandan government]] and is dismissed, but a government minister (Waigwa Wachira) promises to hire an anti-poaching squad. Fossey's frustrations reach a climax when Digit is beheaded by poachers. She leads numerous anti-poaching patrols, burns down the poachers' villages, and even stages a mock execution of one of the offenders, serving to alienate some of her research assistants and gaining her various enemies. Sembagare expresses concern at Fossey’s opposition to the emergent industry of gorilla tourism, but she nonchalantly dismisses his worries.
Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, hands, and heads, Fossey complains to the [[Government of Rwanda|Rwandan government]] and is dismissed, but a government minister (Waigwa Wachira) promises to hire an anti-poaching squad. Fossey's frustrations reach a climax when Digit is beheaded by poachers. She leads numerous anti-poaching patrols, burns down the poachers' villages, and even stages a mock execution of one of the offenders, serving to alienate some of her research assistants and gaining her various enemies. Sembagare expresses concern at Fossey’s opposition to the emergent industry of gorilla tourism, but she nonchalantly dismisses his worries.
Line 44: Line 54:
The epilogue text explains that Fossey’s actions helped save the gorillas from extinction, while her death remains a mystery.
The epilogue text explains that Fossey’s actions helped save the gorillas from extinction, while her death remains a mystery.


== Cast ==
==Cast==
{{Div col}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Sigourney Weaver]] as [[Dian Fossey]]
* [[Sigourney Weaver]] as [[Dian Fossey]]
Line 61: Line 71:
* Peter Nduati as Batwa chief
* Peter Nduati as Batwa chief
* [[Helen Fraser (actress)|Helen Fraser]] as Mme. Van Vecten
* [[Helen Fraser (actress)|Helen Fraser]] as Mme. Van Vecten
* John Alexander as Mime Artist
* John Alexander as Digit
* [[Peter Elliott (British actor)|Peter Elliott]] as Mime Artist
* [[Peter Elliott (British actor)|Peter Elliott]] as Simba
* Denise Cheshire as Mime Artist
* Denise Cheshire as Mime Artist
* Antonio Hoyos as Mime Artist
* Antonio Hoyos as Mime Artist
Line 69: Line 79:
{{Div col end}}
{{Div col end}}


== Production ==
==Reception==
===Box office===
The screenplay was adapted by [[Anna Hamilton Phelan]] from articles by [[Alex Shoumatoff]] and [[Harold T. P. Hayes]] and a story by Phelan and [[Tab Murphy]]. The original music score was composed by [[Maurice Jarre]]. The movie was directed by [[Michael Apted]] and the cinematography was by [[John Seale]].

== Soundtrack ==
* [[Peggy Lee]] – "[[September in the Rain]]" (written by [[Harry Warren]] & [[Al Dubin]])
* Peggy Lee – "[[It's a Good Day]]" (written by Peggy Lee & [[Dave Barbour]])
* Peggy Lee – "[[Sugar (Maceo Pinkard song)|Sugar]]" (written by [[Maceo Pinkard]] & [[Sidney D. Mitchell]] & [[Edna Alexander (composer)|Edna Alexander]])

== Release ==
=== Critical reception ===
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising both Weaver's performance and the technical accomplishments of the movie while some were frustrated by the lack of depth in Fossey's on-screen characterization.

"At last, [Weaver] may have found a part cut to her scale."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hinson|first=Hal|title=Gorillas in the Mist|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/gorillasinthemistpg13hinson_a0c8cc.htm|access-date=13 June 2011|date=23 September 1988}}</ref> wrote Hal Hinson of ''[[The Washington Post]]''. "It's a great role for her to pour herself into, and she doesn't skimp." However, he had his misgivings about the restrictions placed on Fossey's character: "The chief problem with ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is that it banalizes its heroine; it turns her into one of us. And by all accounts Fossey was anything but ordinary." He also accused the filmmakers of toning down Fossey's unstable mental state: "Fossey was more than merely eccentric...The movie hints at these aspects of her character but tries to soften them;...the filmmakers have done more than sanitize Fossey's life, they've deprived it of any meaning." Hinson concluded that "''Gorillas in the Mist'' isn't a terrible film, but it is a frustrating one."

While [[Roger Ebert]] was also happy with the casting of Weaver as Fossey ("It is impossible to imagine a more appropriate choice for the role"),<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Gorillas in the Mist|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880923/REVIEWS/809230303|website=Roger Ebert |publisher=Roger Ebert|date=September 23, 1988|access-date=13 June 2011}}</ref> he felt the character was too distanced from the audience and that her development and motives were unclear. "''Gorillas in the Mist'' tells us what Dian Fossey accomplished and what happened to her, but it doesn't tell us who she was, and at the end that's what we want to know." However, Ebert was impressed by the scenes with the gorillas and the way live footage of gorillas was seamlessly blended with gorilla costumes: "Everything looked equally real to me, and the delicacy with which director Michael Apted developed the relationships between woman and beast was deeply absorbing. There were moments when I felt a touch of awe. Those moments, which are genuine, make the movie worth seeing."

Hinson also agreed that "whenever the cameras turn on the gorillas — who are the film's true stars — you feel you're witnessing something truly great."

The film holds an 85% fresh rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 20 critics' reviews, with an average review of 6.8/10.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gorillas_in_the_mist|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref>

=== Box-office ===
''Gorillas in the Mist'' started an exclusive run on 15 screens on September 23, 1988 and grossed $366,925.<ref name=mojo/> It expanded to 558 screens the following weekend and was the number one film for the weekend with a gross of $3,451,230.<ref name=mojo/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title='Gorillas' Goes Ape; 'Delancey' Keen; 'Hotel' A Disney Heartbreaker|page=3|date=October 5, 1988|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|author-link=Todd McCarthy}}</ref> The film went on to gross $24,720,479 in the United States and Canada and $36,429,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $61,149,479.<ref name=mojo/>
''Gorillas in the Mist'' started an exclusive run on 15 screens on September 23, 1988 and grossed $366,925.<ref name=mojo/> It expanded to 558 screens the following weekend and was the number one film for the weekend with a gross of $3,451,230.<ref name=mojo/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title='Gorillas' Goes Ape; 'Delancey' Keen; 'Hotel' A Disney Heartbreaker|page=3|date=October 5, 1988|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|author-link=Todd McCarthy}}</ref> The film went on to gross $24,720,479 in the United States and Canada and $36,429,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $61,149,479.<ref name=mojo/>


=== Awards and honors ===
===Critical response===
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising both Weaver's performance and the technical accomplishments of the movie while some were frustrated by the lack of depth in Fossey's on-screen characterization. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|84|6.7|19|ref=yes|access-date=March 24, 2023}}
''Gorillas in the Mist'' was nominated for five [[Academy Awards]] at the [[61st Academy Awards]] in 1988 (ultimately winning none).<ref name="Oscars1989">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989 |title=The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 16, 2011|website=Oscars}}</ref>


[[Hal Hinson]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' declared, "At last, [Weaver] may have found a part cut to her scale", adding "it's a great role for her to pour herself into, and she doesn't skimp."<ref name=WaPo>{{cite news|last=Hinson|first=Hal|author-link=Hal Hinson|title=Gorillas in the Mist|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/gorillasinthemistpg13hinson_a0c8cc.htm|access-date=13 June 2011|date=23 September 1988}}</ref> However, he had his misgivings about the restrictions placed on Fossey's character: "The chief problem with ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is that it banalizes its heroine; it turns her into one of us. And by all accounts Fossey was anything but ordinary."<ref name="WaPo" /> He also accused the filmmakers of toning down Fossey's unstable mental state: "Fossey was more than merely eccentric...The movie hints at these aspects of her character but tries to soften them;...the filmmakers have done more than sanitize Fossey's life, they've deprived it of any meaning." Hinson concluded that "''Gorillas in the Mist'' isn't a terrible film, but it is a frustrating one."<ref name=WaPo/>
The film won two awards at the [[46th Golden Globe Awards]] in 1989: Maurice Jarre for Best Original Score and Sigourney Weaver for Best Actress. The film was nominated for Best Film.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}


While [[Roger Ebert]] was also happy with the casting of Weaver as Fossey ("It is impossible to imagine a more appropriate choice for the role"), he felt the character was too distanced from the audience and that her development and motives were unclear.<ref name=Ebert>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=September 23, 1988 |title=Gorillas in the Mist |website=RogerEbert.com |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gorillas-in-the-mist-1988 |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref> He wrote that the film "tells us what Dian Fossey accomplished and what happened to her, but it doesn't tell us who she was, and at the end that's what we want to know."<ref name=Ebert/> However, Ebert was impressed by the scenes with the gorillas and the way live footage of gorillas was seamlessly blended with gorilla costumes by [[Rick Baker (makeup artist)|Rick Baker]]: "Everything looked equally real to me, and the delicacy with which director Michael Apted developed the relationships between woman and beast was deeply absorbing. There were moments when I felt a touch of awe. Those moments, which are genuine, make the movie worth seeing."<ref name=Ebert/> Hinson also agreed that "whenever the cameras turn on the gorillas — who are the film's true stars — you feel you're witnessing something truly great."<ref name=WaPo/>
The film won a [[Genesis Awards|Genesis Award]] for Best Feature Film.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}


===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
Line 106: Line 98:
! Result
! Result
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars1989">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989 |title=The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 16, 2011|website=Oscars}}</ref>
|rowspan=5| [[61st Academy Awards]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|[[Sigourney Weaver]]
| [[Sigourney Weaver]]
|{{nominated}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
|[[Anna Hamilton Phelan]] (screenplay/story) and<br />[[Tab Murphy]] (story)
| [[Anna Hamilton Phelan]] and [[Tab Murphy]]
|{{nominated}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
|[[Stuart Baird]]
| [[Stuart Baird]]
|{{nominated}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
|[[Maurice Jarre]]
| [[Maurice Jarre]]
|{{nominated}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
|[[Andy Nelson (sound engineer)|Andy Nelson]],<br />[[Brian Saunders (sound engineer)|Brian Saunders]] and<br />[[Peter Handford]]
| [[Andy Nelson (sound engineer)|Andy Nelson]], [[Brian Saunders (sound engineer)|Brian Saunders]], and [[Peter Handford]]
|{{nominated}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
| [[43rd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=1990 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1990}}}}</ref>
|rowspan=3| 46th Golden Globes
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
|Best Original Score
|[[Maurice Jarre]]
| [[John Seale]]
|{{won}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1988|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97|title=Chicago Film Critics Awards – 1988–97|publisher=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]]|accessdate=21 July 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422075211/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97|archivedate=22 April 2016}}</ref>
|Best Actress
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|[[Sigourney Weaver]]
| Sigourney Weaver
|{{won}}
| {{nom}}

|-
|-
| [[Genesis Awards]]
|Best Film
| colspan="2"| Best Feature Film
|Film
|{{nominated}}
| {{won}}

|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[46th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/gorillas-mist-adventure-dian-fossey |title=Gorillas in the Mist: The Adventure of Dian Fossey – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1989}}}}</ref>
|[[Genesis Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
|Best Feature Film
| {{nom}}
|Film
|-
|{{won}}
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]

| Sigourney Weaver
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Jodie Foster]] for ''[[The Accused (1988 film)|The Accused]]'' and [[Shirley MacLaine]] for ''[[Madame Sousatzka]]''.}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score – Motion Picture]]
| Maurice Jarre
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors#Golden Reel Awards|Golden Reel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Foreign Language Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Jupiter Award (film award)#12th Jupiter Award / 1990|Jupiter Awards]]
| Best International Actress
| Sigourney Weaver
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1988|National Board of Review Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1988/ |title=1988 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|9th Place}}
|-
| [[41st Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551|title=Awards Winners|work=wga.org|publisher=Writers Guild of America|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551|archive-date=2012-12-05|access-date=2010-06-06}}</ref>
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| Anna Hamilton Phelan and Tab Murphy
| {{nom}}
|}
|}


==Notes==
The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
{{Notelist}}
* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]]:
** [[Dian Fossey]] – Nominated Hero<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees |access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref>
* 2006: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/cheers300.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers Nominees |access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref>


== References ==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


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* {{IMDb title|id=0095243|title=Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0095243|title=Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=76772|title=Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=76772|title=Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{Allmovie title|20394|Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{AllMovie title|20394|Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{Mojo title|gorillasinthemist|Gorillas in the Mist}}
* {{Mojo title|gorillasinthemist|Gorillas in the Mist}}


{{Michael Apted}}
{{Michael Apted}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:American biographical drama films]]
[[Category:American biographical drama films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about scientists]]
[[Category:Biographical films about scientists]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Films about animal rights]]
[[Category:Films about animal rights]]
[[Category:Films directed by Michael Apted]]
[[Category:Films directed by Michael Apted]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films set in Africa]]
[[Category:Films set in Africa]]
[[Category:Films about apes]]
[[Category:Films about gorillas]]
[[Category:Films set in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Films set in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
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[[Category:Films shot in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Films shot in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Films shot in Toronto]]
[[Category:Films shot in Toronto]]
[[Category:Films set in 1966]]
[[Category:Films set in 1985]]
[[Category:Films set in 1985]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Tab Murphy]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Tab Murphy]]
[[Category:1988 drama films]]
[[Category:1988 drama films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:English-language adventure drama films]]

Latest revision as of 17:22, 2 November 2024

Gorillas in the Mist
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Apted
Screenplay byAnna Hamilton Phelan
Story by
Based onGorillas in the Mist
by Dian Fossey
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byStuart Baird
Music byMaurice Jarre
Production
company
The Guber-Peters Company
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 23, 1988 (1988-09-23)
Running time
129 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million[1]
Box office$61.1 million[2]

Gorillas in the Mist[a] is a 1988 American biographical drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Anna Hamilton Phelan and a story by Phelan and Tab Murphy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Dian Fossey and the article by Harold T. P. Hayes. It stars Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey and Bryan Brown as photographer Bob Campbell. It tells the story of Fossey, who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.

The film was theatrically released in the United States by Universal Pictures on September 23, 1988. At the 61st Academy Awards, it earned five nominations, including Best Actress for Weaver and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The film won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Weaver and Best Original Score for Jarre at the 46th Golden Globe Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Plot

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Occupational therapist Dian Fossey is inspired by anthropologist Louis Leakey to devote her life to the study of primates. She writes ceaselessly to Leakey for a job cataloging and studying the rare mountain gorillas of Africa. Following him to a lecture in Louisville, Kentucky in 1966, she convinces him of her conviction.

They travel to the Congo, where Leakey and his foundation equip her to make contact with the gorillas, and introduce her to a local animal tracker, Sembagare. Settling deep in the jungle, Fossey and Sembagare locate a troop of gorillas, but are displaced by the events of the Congo Crisis and forcibly evicted from their research site by Congolese soldiers, who accuse Fossey of being a foreign spy and agitator.

Fossey is resigned to returning to the United States, but Sembagare and her temporary host Rosamond Carr motivate her to stay in Africa. Fossey establishes new research efforts in the jungles of neighboring Rwanda, where rampant poaching and corruption become apparent when she discovers several traps near her new base at Karisoke. Nevertheless, Fossey and her colleagues make headway with the gorillas, taking account of their communication and social groups. Her work impresses Leakey and gains international attention.

National Geographic, which funds her efforts, dispatches photographer Bob Campbell to highlight her research. Fossey, initially unreceptive, grows increasingly attached to Campbell after several photo sessions with the gorillas, and the two become lovers, in spite of Campbell's marriage. Campbell proposes to divorce his wife and marry Fossey but insists that she would have to spend time away from Karisoke and her gorillas, leading her to end their relationship. Fossey forms an emotional bond with a gorilla named Digit, and attempts to prevent the export of other gorillas by trader Van Vecten.

Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, hands, and heads, Fossey complains to the Rwandan government and is dismissed, but a government minister (Waigwa Wachira) promises to hire an anti-poaching squad. Fossey's frustrations reach a climax when Digit is beheaded by poachers. She leads numerous anti-poaching patrols, burns down the poachers' villages, and even stages a mock execution of one of the offenders, serving to alienate some of her research assistants and gaining her various enemies. Sembagare expresses concern at Fossey’s opposition to the emergent industry of gorilla tourism, but she nonchalantly dismisses his worries.

On December 27, 1985, Dian Fossey is murdered in the bedroom of her cabin by an unseen assailant. At a funeral attended by Sembagare, Carr, and others, she is buried in the same cemetery where Digit and other gorillas had been laid to rest. Sembagare symbolically links the graves of Fossey and Digit with stones as a sign that their souls rest in peace together before leaving.

The epilogue text explains that Fossey’s actions helped save the gorillas from extinction, while her death remains a mystery.

Cast

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Reception

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Box office

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Gorillas in the Mist started an exclusive run on 15 screens on September 23, 1988 and grossed $366,925.[2] It expanded to 558 screens the following weekend and was the number one film for the weekend with a gross of $3,451,230.[2][3] The film went on to gross $24,720,479 in the United States and Canada and $36,429,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $61,149,479.[2]

Critical response

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The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising both Weaver's performance and the technical accomplishments of the movie while some were frustrated by the lack of depth in Fossey's on-screen characterization. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[4]

Hal Hinson of The Washington Post declared, "At last, [Weaver] may have found a part cut to her scale", adding "it's a great role for her to pour herself into, and she doesn't skimp."[5] However, he had his misgivings about the restrictions placed on Fossey's character: "The chief problem with Gorillas in the Mist is that it banalizes its heroine; it turns her into one of us. And by all accounts Fossey was anything but ordinary."[5] He also accused the filmmakers of toning down Fossey's unstable mental state: "Fossey was more than merely eccentric...The movie hints at these aspects of her character but tries to soften them;...the filmmakers have done more than sanitize Fossey's life, they've deprived it of any meaning." Hinson concluded that "Gorillas in the Mist isn't a terrible film, but it is a frustrating one."[5]

While Roger Ebert was also happy with the casting of Weaver as Fossey ("It is impossible to imagine a more appropriate choice for the role"), he felt the character was too distanced from the audience and that her development and motives were unclear.[6] He wrote that the film "tells us what Dian Fossey accomplished and what happened to her, but it doesn't tell us who she was, and at the end that's what we want to know."[6] However, Ebert was impressed by the scenes with the gorillas and the way live footage of gorillas was seamlessly blended with gorilla costumes by Rick Baker: "Everything looked equally real to me, and the delicacy with which director Michael Apted developed the relationships between woman and beast was deeply absorbing. There were moments when I felt a touch of awe. Those moments, which are genuine, make the movie worth seeing."[6] Hinson also agreed that "whenever the cameras turn on the gorillas — who are the film's true stars — you feel you're witnessing something truly great."[5]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Academy Awards[7] Best Actress Sigourney Weaver Nominated
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium Anna Hamilton Phelan and Tab Murphy Nominated
Best Film Editing Stuart Baird Nominated
Best Original Score Maurice Jarre Nominated
Best Sound Andy Nelson, Brian Saunders, and Peter Handford Nominated
British Academy Film Awards[8] Best Cinematography John Seale Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[9] Best Actress Sigourney Weaver Nominated
Genesis Awards Best Feature Film Won
Golden Globe Awards[10] Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Sigourney Weaver Won[b]
Best Original Score – Motion Picture Maurice Jarre Won
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature Won
Jupiter Awards Best International Actress Sigourney Weaver Won
National Board of Review Awards[11] Top Ten Films 9th Place
Writers Guild of America Awards[12] Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium Anna Hamilton Phelan and Tab Murphy Nominated

Notes

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  1. ^ Also known as Gorillas in the Mist: The Adventure of Dian Fossey.
  2. ^ Tied with Jodie Foster for The Accused and Shirley MacLaine for Madame Sousatzka.

References

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  1. ^ "Gorillas in the Mist". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Gorillas in the Mist". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  3. ^ McCarthy, Todd (October 5, 1988). "'Gorillas' Goes Ape; 'Delancey' Keen; 'Hotel' A Disney Heartbreaker". Variety. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Gorillas in the Mist". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 24, 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ a b c d Hinson, Hal (September 23, 1988). "Gorillas in the Mist". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Ebert, Roger (September 23, 1988). "Gorillas in the Mist". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". Oscars. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  8. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990". BAFTA. 1990. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  9. ^ "Chicago Film Critics Awards – 1988–97". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  10. ^ "Gorillas in the Mist: The Adventure of Dian Fossey – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "1988 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
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