Mission

THE MISSION is a history drama about the expulsion of the Jesuits' missions in South America in the middle of the XVIII century. By what I've learned the plot's background is accurate to history and all we see in this movie truly happened in real life, unfortunately! The search for slavery work was continuous at the time by Portuguese colonists and the Spanish in spite of slavery not being directly allowed by their crown they also used the indigenous slaves. The Spaniards which had been creating Indian reductions since the middle of the XVI century, as a form to convert and control those indigenous people, were followed by the Portuguese, and both built Jesuit reductions in their territories. But after the 1750 treatment the Jesuits would be expulsed because they refused to leave their missions where their lived together with the indians, in peace. And the indians themselves they didn't want to abandon the reductions too because they knew that in the main jungle they would be an easy target to slave traders (known as "bandeirantes" in Portuguese colony).

So it's just the main plot's topic of this movie which then focus on the personal story of father Gabriel (played by Jeremy Irons), a Jesuit missionary, and Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert de Niro) a former slave trader which was converted to the Christian faith (and to the Jesuits) after kill his brother (because of a woman). The movie has good moments, especially in the last hour, and it describes very well the feeling of injustice and desperation those native people felt by the furious anger of the greedy imperialist armies! There're a few scenes, which focus the sad and empty native children' eyes, that worth more than a thousand words!

I enjoyed this movie and the plot's main topic which portrays a sad period of our history (unfortunately empires were always built under massacres and the subjugation of other people, and I know Portuguese empire was no exception!).

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.

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.

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.

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.)