Die Mission

My favorite movie, ever. It works on so many levels: as a story about the dissolution of the Jesuit order in portuguese South America (and the subsequent enslavement of the natives), as an account of one man's ill-fated but necessary conversion, as a series of complex ideological battles, and, lastly, as a tale of innocence, of Eden. All this, in addition to spectacular performances, brilliant direction, a fabulous script and one of the most breathtaking soundtracks ever recorded. It simply gets better with each successive viewing.

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 had the good fortune to see The Mission on the big screen in 1986 when it was first released. I went into the theater knowing only the title, the two lead actors, and that it had something to do with South America. Two hours later I was a puddle of tears, both from the subject matter and from the knowledge that I had just witnessed a cinematic masterpiece. It is perhaps the most intelligently spiritual film I've ever seen. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout, the settings are stunning, the acting is top-notch across the board, the musical score is breathtaking, and the screenplay is brilliantly eloquent. Roland Joffé did a fantastic job directing The Killing Fields, but this one is even better. I just watched it again on DVD, and nearly 25 years later, the film has not aged or lost any of its power. Still one of the greatest and most underrated films of all time.

After hearing a quick clip from the soundtrack recently I decided to have another look at 'The Mission' which I hadn't seen for more than ten years. Interesting viewing in these days when epics abound: Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Troy etc.

The first thing that struck me was the intelligence of the script which often seems an afterthought in today's big budget jobs. Robert Bolt weaves an intriguing web of characters; mercenary, slavetrader, starcrossed lover, papal emissary and man of faith. The passion of Robert de Niro's Mendoza beautifully contrasts the quiet firm conviction of Jeremy Irons' Gabriel. And the moral dilemma facing the Catholic Church, whether to abandon influence abroad for the sake of power at home, is ably brought to life in the tortured mind of Ray McAnally's Altamirano. This man sent from Rome by the Pope himself has the power of life and death over the Guarani Indians and the Jesuit priests who have dedicated their lives to Christian service in the deepest regions of the South American rainforest.

The film isn't perfect by any means: I would have liked better representation of at least one Guarani character but the integrity of Joffe's direction and Chris Menges' spectacular camera-work make this one film you have to see. And there's that lovely soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.

We may be more sophisticated these days in terms of technology, sound engineering and special effects but the lesson from 'The Mission' for today's directors has to be: it's the story, stupid.

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!!