There was a movie made about 15-20 years ago, about moving an
excursion ship overland across South America in the 1800's.  What's
the name of the movie?

Hello Johnq2,

I am confident that the movie you have in mind is the 1982 film
Fitzcarraldo featuring Klaus Kinski as Fitzcarraldo.

Plot:

?Kinski plays the title role of an obsessed opera lover who wants to
build an opera in the jungle. To accomplish this he first has to make
a fortune in the rubber business, and his cunning plan involves
hauling an enormous river boat across a small mountain with aid from
the local indians.?

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083946/plotsummary

Main details
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083946/maindetails


?Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (Klaus Kinski), known as Fitzcarraldo to the
native Peruvians, is an avid opera lover and rubber baron who dreams
of building an opera house in the Peruvian jungle. To accomplish this,
he plans to reach an isolated patch of rubber trees and make his
fortune. But these trees are not directly accessible by river because
of dangerous rapids, so Fitzcarraldo runs his ship as close as
possible via an alternate river and then enlists the aid of the native
Peruvians to drag his ship over a mountain to the desired area.!?

Purchase the a DVD copy at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001ODHV/ref=ed_oe_dvd/002-7333086-5294445


You may purchase a VHS copy of this movie at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00001ODHU/qid=1096748329/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7333086-5294445?v=glance&s=video


Search terms used:
Fitzcarraldo


Thank you for your question and I hope this response has provided you
with the information you were seeking.

Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga