Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
When the Mountains Tremble
TITLE DETAILS

When the Mountains Tremble

1983-09-30 · 83 min · ★ 9.0

Documentary · History · War

A documentary on the war between the Guatemalan military and the Mayan population, with first hand accounts by Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Pamela Yates, Newton Thomas Sigel
Production companies
Skylight Pictures
Countries
Guatemala, United States of America
Status
Released

Top Cast

Rigoberta MenchúRigoberta MenchúSelf
Eddie JonesEddie JonesAmbassador John Peurifoy
Shawn ElliottShawn ElliottPresident Jacobo Arbenz
Linda SeguraMaria Arbenz
Frank AlcarinServant
Bette CraigBetty Peurifoy
Shelly DesaiShelly DesaiCol. Castillo Armas
Ron RyanCol. Al Haney
John D. SwainCIA personnel
James SteelCIA personnel

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

For Sama
★ 8.2
For Sama2019Documentary · War

A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

City of Ghosts
★ 7.2
City of Ghosts2017Documentary · War

With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.

The Age of Stupid
★ 6.6
The Age of Stupid2009Documentary · History · War

Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

The Soviet Story
★ 7.3
The Soviet Story2008Documentary · History · War

“The Soviet Story” is a story of an Allied power, which helped the Nazis to fight Jews and which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale. Assisted by the West, this power triumphed on May 9th, 1945. Its crimes were made taboo, and the complete story of Europe’s most murderous regime has never been told. Until now...

2000 Meters to Andriivka
★ 8.1
2000 Meters to Andriivka2025Documentary · War

Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.

20 Days in Mariupol
★ 8.1
20 Days in Mariupol2023Documentary · War

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.

Why We Fight: Prelude to War
★ 6.4
Why We Fight: Prelude to War1942Documentary · War

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II. This film examines the differences between democratic and fascist states.

Father Soldier Son
★ 6.5
Father Soldier Son2020Documentary · War

When Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch is critically wounded in Afghanistan, it sets him and his sons on a journey of love, loss, redemption and legacy.

Another Day of Life
★ 7.4
Another Day of Life2018Documentary · History

In 1975, Ryszard Kapuściński, a veteran Polish journalist, embarked on a seemingly suicidal road trip into the heart of the Angola's civil war. There, he witnessed once again the dirty reality of war and discovered a sense of helplessness previously unknown to him. Angola changed him forever: it was a reporter who left Poland, but it was a writer who returned…

NAZA
★ 8.1
NAZA2026Documentary · War

Filmed at night from Tel Aviv rooftops, this investigative documentary examines the civilian casualties of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians.

They Shall Not Grow Old
★ 7.8
They Shall Not Grow Old2018Documentary · History · War

A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.

Virunga
★ 7.9
Virunga2014Documentary · War

Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the land. Among this ongoing power struggle, Virunga also happens to be the last natural habitat for the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The only thing standing in the way of the forces closing in around the gorillas: a handful of passionate park rangers and journalists fighting to secure the park’s borders and expose the corruption of its enemies. Filled with shocking footage, and anchored by the surprisingly deep and gentle characters of the gorillas themselves, Virunga is a galvanizing call to action around an ongoing political and environmental crisis in the Congo.

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
★ 6.3
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper2020Documentary · History

This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington State with a parachute and $200,000, never to be heard from again.

Cover-Up
★ 7.2
Cover-Up2025Documentary · History

He's devoted his career to uncovering stories the powerful want buried. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib, dig into the life's work of journalist Seymour Hersh.

LA 92
★ 7.8
LA 922017Documentary · History

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.

Last Days in Vietnam
★ 7.3
Last Days in Vietnam2014Documentary · War

During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront a moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate only U.S. citizens.

Reel Injun
★ 7.0
Reel Injun2010Documentary · History

The evolution of the depiction of the various Native American peoples in cinema, from the silent era to the present day: how their image on the screen has changed the way to understand their history and culture.

Red Army
★ 7.3
Red Army2015Documentary · History

A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy.

The Battle of Chile: Part I
★ 7.6
The Battle of Chile: Part I1975Documentary · History

The chronicle of the political tension in Chile in 1973 and of the violent counter revolution against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende.

Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie
★ 7.1
Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie1988Documentary · War

Marcel Ophuls' riveting film details the heinous legacy of the Gestapo head dubbed "The Butcher of Lyon." Responsible for over 4,000 deaths in occupied France during World War II, Barbie would escape—with U.S. help—to South America in 1951, where he lived until a global manhunt led to his 1983 arrest and subsequent trial.

Similar titles

Still Waters
Not rated
Still Waters2022Documentary

Through a series of extraordinarily honest and intimate conversations, filmmaker Aurora Brachman examines the intergenerational fallout of experiences her mother endured as a child. Together, they forge a path forward that offers them a new beginning.

You've Got Beautiful Stairs, You Know...
★ 5.9
You've Got Beautiful Stairs, You Know...1986Documentary

Short directed by Agnès Varda in 1986 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the French Cinematheque, presenting a contrast between the famous stairs from the place along with classic film images also revolving around stairs.

Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth
★ 10.0
Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth2017Documentary · History

The story of Pocahontas has been passed down through the centuries. Her relationship with John Smith has been characterized as a romance that united two cultures and created lasting peace. However, the life of this American Indian princess was anything but a fairytale. Join us as we look beyond the fiction and reveal the real story of Pocahontas, a tale of kidnapping, conflict, starvation, ocean journeys, and the future of an entire civilization.

Let Them Wear Towels
★ 7.0
Let Them Wear Towels2013Documentary

During the 1977 World Series, Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke was denied access to the players' locker room. After a very public fight, the door was opened, but the debate about female journalists in the male sanctum of the clubhouse remained. Through interviews with pioneering female sports writers, Let Them Wear Towels captures the raw behavior, humorous retaliation, angry lawsuits and remarkable resolve that went into the struggle for equal access for women reporters.

Visions of Europe
★ 5.1
Visions of Europe2004Documentary

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

Stop-Loss
★ 6.1
Stop-Loss2008War

A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.

Let All Children Smile
Not rated
Let All Children Smile1957Documentary

The film's protagonists are the orphaned children taken into custody by the state and institutionalized at Children's House no. 6 from Bucharest. For Mészáros, the concern for the situation of children left orphaned during the Second World War is autobiographical: the director directly experienced the absence of parents in her own childhood.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
The Cola Road2013Documentary

A short documentary following the launch of the first trial to use Coca-Cola's crates and distribution know-how to deliver life-saving anti-diarrhea kits in Zambia.

Before Summer Ends
★ 6.5
Before Summer Ends2017Documentary

After five years studying in Paris, Arash has not adjusted to life there and has decided to return to Iran to live. Hoping to change his mind, his two friends Hossein and Ashkan convince him to take a last trip through France.

Headdress
Not rated
Headdress2017Documentary

For First Nations communities, the headdress bears significant meaning. It's a powerful symbol of hard-earned leadership and responsibility. As filmmaker JJ Neepin prepares to wear her grandfather's headdress for a photo shoot she reflects on lessons learned and the thoughtless ways in which the tradition has been misappropriated.

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
★ 6.9
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story2018Documentary

The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.

The Aviatrix
★ 10.0
The Aviatrix2015Documentary

In 1928, Lady Heath became the first person to fly solo from Cape Town to London. Eighty-five years later, Tracey Curtis-Taylor set out in a vintage biplane to fly that adventure again. Following Tracey as she retraces the journey, The Aviatrix is more than just a film about the rapture of flying – it’s a story about living life on your own terms and having the courage and determination to realise your greatest dreams.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry
★ 7.4
She's Beautiful When She's Angry2014Documentary

A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
This Time Next Year2014Documentary

A poetic documentation of the Long Beach Island, NJ community as they battle local politics, cope with personal tragedy, and band together after Hurricane Sandy.

Europa Europa
★ 7.2
Europa Europa1990History · War

A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.

Women with Eyes Open
★ 6.4
Women with Eyes Open1994Documentary

Portraits of contemporary African women from four West African nations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Benin.

Milikᵘ tshishutshelimunuau
★ 5.5
Milikᵘ tshishutshelimunuau2022Documentary

The journey of a young candidate running in the Pessamit community band council elections.

Come and Work
★ 5.9
Come and Work1979Documentary

The story of a Serer village in the groundnut basin of Senegal. Using the words of their ancestors passed on by oral folklore, the villagers trace the history of their village and their difficulties in working their land and living off their produce. Fad'jal is an extraordinary boundary defying film that interweaves ethnographic footage, intimate observation of everyday village life and fictionalised historical scenes. With it, Faye carefully encourages the viewers to reflect both on African history and storytelling, and on the intersection of fiction and documentary.

Sunstone
★ 4.5
Sunstone2018Documentary

The lighthouse, as a man-made object built to shed light into the dark unknown, encapsulates perfectly the desires of the Enlightenment project of modernity: the domination of nature through reason and intellect, the advancement of technology and trade on a global scale, the illuminatory transparency of European Christian morality – a beacon in the dark. This 'op-film' will be a disorienting and disoccidenting dérive from optical navigation to algorithms of locating – an essay against the grain of Western patterns of referencing and situating. From a film made with lenses and ensitive celluloid to the desktop locating engine, we will navigate from the material production of Fresnel lenses to the invention of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – the tool that announces the obsolescence of the lighthouse.

Adele and Everything After
Not rated
Adele and Everything After2017Documentary

The moving story of a lonely, isolated woman with a heart condition whose life is transformed by a service dog, and what happens when she has to let go of the loyal companion who changed her life.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.