The Mission

This film is the finest expressions of the neglect or opposition of the spiritual in favour of political expediency I have ever seen.

The other comments for this film eloquently, or at least enthusiastically, extoll it's virtues and I can only rephrase what they have said...

Suffice to say that the Mission remains one of my favourite films. I saw it many years ago and my only regret is that I did not see it in the cinema. Regardless, the impression it made upon me has been indelible. As an artist, I only hope that I can create something that touches or moves my audience in such a way.

A wonderful film that, ever so briefly, absolves Hollywood of its sins.

In 1750, Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. The Jesuits had converted many of the Guaranis. The Guaranis above the waterfalls still reject the church sending a crucified priest over the falls. Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) climbs up the falls and converts the tribe with his music. He confronts slaver Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) who is now hunting above the falls. Mendoza returns to town to find his fiancée and his brother Felipe (Aidan Quinn) are now in love. In a jealous rage, he kills his brother. He is despondent and Gabriel offers him work with the Guaranis as penance. Together with Gabriel and other brothers like Fielding (Liam Neeson), they make the mission thrive. Papal emissary Cardinal Altamirano (Ray McAnally) arrives to decide if the church will continue to protect the missions from the slave running Portugese now that the land has been transfer from Spanish protection.

The location is magnificent. The actors are terrific. And the music score from Ennio Morricone is both epic and haunting. This is an amazing historical drama. The story ends in a heart wrenching battle. Director Roland Joffé pulls together one of the best movie of the year.

While at college I was given the assignment of producing a 30 minute talk on the 'Guarana Republic' which is off course the subject matter of this movie. Hailing from the Protestant part of Europe I had never even heard about this aspect of Jesuit missionary work before, but as I researched the matter I became fascinated. So when I heard that a movie had been made about this topic I went to see it as soon as possible. Knowing how the film industry tended to treat historical events I was somewhat suspicious, but I was pleasantly surprised. This movie instantly became one of my all time favourites. I think the subject matter is handled sensitively and sensibly and the cinematography is stunning. What also impressed me was the clever way in which this story, which in reality spanned several generations, was compressed into a period of about ten years without becoming unbelievable. Even in a two hour movie there is a limit on what one can touch on, but I think that a good balance between dialogue, adventure, action, and character development, was struck. Even so if the movie would have lasted another hour I would still have been happy (perhaps even happier).

The Mission is amoung the top ten or twenty films ever made. At this point it is my favourite film. It is an eloquent essay in faith and redemption. The two most moving scenes are the one in which the Brother enters the Jungle above the waterfall, from which the Indians have cast the previous Brother that went up to them, and knowing that the Indians are all about him unseen in the jungle with their poison tipped arrows, he sits down in a clearing and plays the hauntingly beautiful "Gabriel's obo" tune on his own obo. The Indian's are mesmirised and emerge and befriend him. The Brother thinks: "If I had an orchestra, I could have subdued the whole continent." The other scene is where the former Slave driver, who repents after killing his brother, whom he loved above all else, goes with the Brothers up to the settlement of the Indians whom he was taking away to slavery on sugar plantations. The former slave driver has been forgiven his sins but he nevertheless feels the need to do a private penance of dragging the battle armour of his previous life with him through the jungle. When the brothers come upon the Indians, the slave driver fully expects them to kill him for his deeds but instead they cut away the bundle of armour he is dragging and welcome him to them. This echoing of divine Love by the Indians enables the former slave driver to believe in his redemption and to be born again at one with God. The mission is a film that you won't forget. See it today. (Watch out for Liam Neeson in it too by the way.)

I would have to say that this movie is one of the most "real" and beautiful movies that I have ever seen!! One's own life is drawn upon by watching this film.... It is hard to watch all of this movie without wanting to break down and cry... being as young as I am, I find it difficult to understand some of the things in life that happen, and why so many people and groups are treated without respect and dignity. This film helped me to understand that all god's creatures are unique and special and are EQUAL!!! The music is so strong it makes the movie so much better to watch. I think this movie would be NOTHING without the powerful music that is played throughout it... I am glad that I had the opportunity to see this film in a high level Spanish class because it taught me, about me!! What a wonderful movie!!