Sigourney Weaver stars as Dian Fossey, in this true story about Fossey's study of gorillas, and her efforts to stop the decimation of the endangered apes.
Written by
Ray Hamel
Plot Synopsis:
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A Kentucky woman, Dian Fossey is inspired by anthropologist Louis Leakey to devote her life to the study of primates. Travelling into deepest Africa, Fossey becomes fascinated with the lives and habits of the rare mountain gorillas of the Rwandan jungle. Studying them at close quarters, Fossey develops a means of communicating with the gorillas, and in doing so becomes obsessed with the apes' well-being. She becomes so preoccupied with her vocation that she loses the opportunity of a romance with the National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell.

Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, hands, and heads, Fossey complains to the Rwandan government, which dismisses her, claiming that poaching is the only means by which some of the Rwandan natives can themselves survive. She rejects this, and dedicates herself to saving the African Mountain gorilla from illegal poaching and likely extinction. To this end she forms and leads numerous anti-poaching patrols, and even burns down the poachers' villages and stages a mock execution of one of the offenders. Fossey is mysteriously murdered on December 26, 1985, in the bedroom of her cabin.

Sembagare (John Omirah Miluwi), is based on Rosamund Carr's former house boy Sembagare Munyamboneza who set up the Imbabazi orphanage with her in 1994 after the Rwandan Genocide.
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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.
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Jessica Lange turned down the lead role due to her pregnancy.
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As later stated by one of the costumers, the baby gorillas who interacted with humans were not gorillas but chimpanzees who were made up in black-face and given peaked fur hats to more closely resemble gorillas. This is because the use of actual baby gorillas would have put the filmmakers in serious danger from the adult gorillas. It was also noted that, for a number of reasons, the crew kept its distance from the gorillas when not filming them. One day, when preparing to shoot a scene, the actors and crew were hanging around and paying little attention to a stuntman who casually climbed into his gorilla suit. The suit was extremely realistic, even featuring internal forearm extenders. In the upcoming scene the gorilla to charge, which required the stunt man to run on all fours using the ungainly arm extenders. Being dressed and ready, the stuntman then performed a practice charge. No one had paid any notice to the fellow until that exact moment. When he did the practice charge, he scared the cast and crew, causing a number of them to flee, as they thought that an actual gorilla was going after them. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down and recognize the humor of the situation.
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The rap group Da Lench Mob named their 1992 debut album, "Guerillas in tha Mist."
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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.
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When Dian offers a Snickers bar to a young boy in exchange for information, it is obvious by the way the wrapper tears that it has a plastic wrapper. In 1966 Snickers bars were wrapped in paper.
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When Fossey's plane lands in Africa, the tires screech when they touch the runway. However, it's a grassy runway, so this is impossible.
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After Dr. Leakey has instructed Dian Fossey about the jeep, a man in a beige suit beckons him to the plane. In the next shot with Leakey near to him, he is suddenly wearing sunglasses, but in subsequent shots after they've run to the plane and turn around one last time, the sunglasses are gone again.
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Diane did not try to convince Leakey to send her to Africa, nor did she volunteer to remove her appendix, quite the opposite: In 1966, Leakey contacted Fossey and urged her to study gorillas in the wild as an experiment. At first Fossey was reluctant citing her lack of experience, but eventually agreed upon further coercion. To test her enthusiasm Leakey asked Fossey to have her appendix removed in the pretense of health measures which she then did.
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Simba's newborn son is very dark with lush fur, and quite active. Newborn gorillas are usually pale with sparse hair, and are quite helpless and unable to move around much. The baby gorilla shown is at least a few months old.
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The scene in which Diane orchestrated the mock hanging of a poacher and another where she burned poachers' huts are fictitious.
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