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The Mission is a 1986 British period drama film about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America.[4] Directed by Roland Joffé and written by Robert Bolt, the film stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi, and Liam Neeson.

The Mission
Original film poster
Directed by	Roland Joffé
Written by	Robert Bolt
Produced by	Fernando Ghia David Puttnam Máximo Berrondo
Starring	Robert De Niro Jeremy Irons
Cinematography	Chris Menges
Edited by	Jim Clark
Music by	Ennio Morricone[1]
Production company	Goldcrest Films
Distributed by	Columbia-Cannon-Warner Distributors
Release dates	16 May 1986 (1986-05-16) (Cannes) 31 October 1986 (1986-10-31) (United States)
Running time	125 minutes[2]
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English Latin Guaraní
Budget	£16.5 million[3]
Box office	$17.2 million

It won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. In April 2007, it was elected number one on the Church Times' Top 50 Religious Films list.[5] Furthermore, it is one of fifteen films listed in the category "Religion" on the Vatican film list.[6] The music, scored by Italian composer Ennio Morricone, ranked 1st on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Classic 100 Music in the Movies.

Plot

In the 1750s, Spanish Jesuit priest Father Gabriel enters the northeastern Argentina and eastern Paraguayan jungle to build a mission station and convert a Guaraní community to Christianity. The Guaraní are not initially receptive to Christianity or outsiders in general and, when Gabriel sends a priest to make contact with them, they tie the priest to a wooden cross and send him to his death over the Iguazu Falls. Father Gabriel himself then travels to the falls, climbs to the top and, in an attempt to make a connection with them through music, plays his oboe. One of the Guaraní warriors, seeing that the stranger and his music are European, breaks the oboe, throws it down into the water, and stalks off. Father Gabriel does not react, however, and the remaining Guaraní (who were captivated by the music) allow him to live and take him to their village.

Mercenary and slaver Rodrigo Mendoza makes his living kidnapping natives such as the Guaraní community and selling them to nearby plantations, including the plantation of the Spanish Governor Don Cabeza. After returning from another kidnapping trip, his assumed fiancée, Carlotta, confesses to Mendoza that she is actually in love with his younger half-brother Felipe. Mendoza later finds them in bed together and, in a fit of rage, kills Felipe in a duel. Although he is acquitted of the killing of Felipe, Mendoza spirals into depression. Father Gabriel visits and challenges Mendoza to undertake a suitable penance. Mendoza accompanies the Jesuits on their return journey, dragging a heavy bundle containing his armour and sword. After initially tense moments upon reaching the outskirts of the natives' territory, since they recognize their former persecutor, the natives soon come to forgive a tearful Mendoza and cut away his heavy bundle.

Father Gabriel's mission is depicted as a place of sanctuary and education for the Guaraní. Moved by the Guaraní's acceptance, Mendoza wishes to help at the mission and Father Gabriel gives him a Bible. In time, Mendoza takes vows and becomes a Jesuit under Father Gabriel and his colleague, Father John.

With the protection offered to Missions under Spanish law, the Jesuit missions have been safe. However, the Treaty of Madrid (1750) reapportioned South American land on which the Jesuit missions were located, transferring the area to the Portuguese, who allowed slavery. The Portuguese colonials seek to enslave the natives and, as the independent Jesuit missions might impede this, Papal emissary Cardinal Altamirano, a former Jesuit priest, is sent from the Vatican to survey the missions and decide which, if any, should be allowed to remain.

Under pressure from both Cabeza and Portuguese representative Hontar, Cardinal Altamirano is forced to choose between two evils. If he rules in favour of the colonists, the indigenous peoples will become enslaved; if he rules in favour of the missions, the entire Jesuit Order may be condemned by the Portuguese and the European Catholic Church could fracture. Altamirano visits the missions and is amazed at their industry and success, both in converting the Indians and, in some cases, economically. At Father Gabriel's mission of San Carlos, he tries to explain the reasons behind closing the missions and instructs the Guaraní that they must leave, because "it is God's will." The Guaraní question the validity of his claim and argue God's will was to settle and develop the mission. Father Gabriel and Mendoza, under threat of excommunication, state their intention to defend the mission alongside the Guaraní if the plantation owners and colonists attack. They are, however, divided on how to do this, and they debate how to respond to the impending military attack. Father Gabriel believes that violence is a direct crime against God. Mendoza, however, decides to break his vows by militarily defending the Mission. Against Father Gabriel's wishes, he teaches the natives the European art of war and, once more, takes up his sword.

When a joint Portuguese and Spanish force attacks, the mission is initially defended by Mendoza, John, and the Guaraní. Although they put up a good fight, they are no match for the military force. Father John is killed while luring the Portuguese commander into a trap. Mendoza is shot and fatally wounded after the soldiers destroy a trap, allowing them to enter the village. Upon seeing the church service at the mission village, the soldiers become reluctant to fire. When the soldiers enter the mission village, they encounter the singing of Father Gabriel and the Guaraní women and children who march in a religious procession. Father Gabriel leads, carrying a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. Ignoring this, the Spanish commander orders the attack; Father Gabriel, the rest of the priests and most of the Guaraní, including women and children, are systematically gunned down. After Father Gabriel is shot, a man picks up the Blessed Sacrament and continues leading the procession. Only a handful of children escape into the jungle.

In a final exchange between Cardinal Altamirano and Hontar, Hontar laments, saying what has happened was unfortunate but inevitable: "We must work in the world; the world is thus." Altamirano rejoins: "No, thus have we made the world. Thus have I made it." Days later, a canoe of young children return to the scene of the Mission massacre and salvage a few belongings. They set off up the river, going deeper into the jungle, with the thought that the events will remain in their memories. A final title declares that many priests have continued to fight for the rights of indigenous people into the present day. The text of John 1:5 is displayed: "The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness hath not overcome it."

Cast

Historical basis

The Mission is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. A significant subtext is the impending suppression of the Jesuits, of which Father Gabriel is warned by the film's narrator, Cardinal Altamirano, who was once himself a Jesuit. Altamirano, speaking in hindsight in 1758, corresponds to the actual Andalusian Jesuit Father Luis Altamirano, who was sent by Jesuit Superior General Ignacio Visconti to Paraguay in 1752 to transfer territory from Spain to Portugal. He oversaw the transfer of seven missions south and east of the Río Uruguay, that had been settled by Guaraní and Jesuits in the 17th century. As compensation, Spain promised each mission 4,000 pesos, or fewer than 1 peso for each of the approximately 30,000 Guaraní of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock, and buildings were estimated to be worth 7–16 million pesos. The film's climax is the Guaraní War of 1754–1756, during which historical Guaraní defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid. For the film, a re-creation was made of one of the seven missions, São Miguel das Missões.[8]

Father Gabriel's character is loosely based on the life of Paraguayan saint and Jesuit Roque González de Santa Cruz. The story is taken from the book The Lost Cities of Paraguay by Father C. J. McNaspy, S.J., who was also a consultant on the film.[9]

The waterfall setting of the film suggests the combination of these events with the story of older missions, founded between 1610–1630 on the Paranapanema River above the Guaíra Falls, from which Paulista slave raids forced Guaraní and Jesuits to flee in 1631. The battle at the end of the film evokes the eight-day Battle of Mbororé in 1641, a battle fought on land as well as in boats on rivers, in which the Jesuit-organised, firearm-equipped Guaraní forces stopped the Paulista raiders.[8]

Historical inaccuracies

The historical Altamirano was not a cardinal sent by the Pope, but an emissary sent by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Ignacio Visconti, to preserve the Jesuits in Europe in the face of attacks in Spain and Portugal.[10]

Historical critiques

Scholar James Schofield Saeger has many objections to the portrayal of the Guaraní in the movie. The film in his opinion is a "white European distortion of Native American reality." Indians are treated as "mission furniture." The film asserts that the Guaraní accepted Christianity immediately although in reality native religious beliefs persisted for several generations. The film also glosses over the frequent resistance by Guaraní to Jesuit authority as witnessed by several revolts and the refusal of many Guaraní to live in the missions.[11] The movie also portrays Jesuit-led armed resistance to Spanish attempts to force the missions to move in the 1750s. In reality the revolt was carried out only by the Guaraní after the Jesuits had turned over control of the missions to the colonial governments of Spain and Portugal. A Jesuit ordered that the missions be abandoned and also ordered the Guaraní to cease making weapons. The Guaraní defied him and embarked on an armed, but ultimately unsuccessful revolt. However, several Jesuits remained in the missions with the Guaraní during their suppression by the colonials and the Spanish and Portuguese accused them of inciting the Guaraní to resist.[12]

Filming locations

The film was mostly filmed in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The tunnels of Fort Amherst in Kent were used as part of the monastery where Mendoza (Robert De Niro) sequestered himself after murdering his brother.[13]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for The Mission was written by Ennio Morricone. Beginning with a liturgical piece ("On Earth as It Is in Heaven") which becomes the 'Spanish' theme, it moves quickly to the 'Guaraní' theme, which is written in a heavily native style and uses several indigenous instruments. Later, Morricone defines The Mission theme as a duet between the 'Spanish' and "Guaraní" themes. The soundtrack was recorded at CTS Lansdowne Studios in London.^{[citation needed]}

Other themes throughout the movie include the 'Penance', 'Conquest', and 'Ave Maria Guaraní' themes. In the latter, a large choir of indigenous people sing a rendition of the "Ave Maria".^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $17.2 million at the US and international box office against a budget of £16.5 million, which at the time was the US equivalent of $25.4 million, making this film a commercial flop.

Goldcrest Films invested £15,130,000 in the film and received £12,250,000 in returns, netting Goldcrest a £2,880,000 loss.[14]

Critical

The Mission received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 67% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The Mission is a well-meaning epic given delicate heft by its sumptuous visuals and a standout score by Ennio Morricone, but its staid presentation never stirs an emotional investment in its characters."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]

Awards and honours

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Academy Awards[17]	Best Picture	Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam	Nominated
	Best Director	Roland Joffé	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Stuart Craig and Jack Stephens	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Chris Menges	Won
	Best Costume Design	Enrico Sabbatini	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Jim Clark	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Ennio Morricone	Nominated
American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Feature Film	Jim Clark	Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Awards[18]	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases	Chris Menges	Nominated
Association of Polish Filmmakers Critics Awards	Best Foreign Film	Roland Joffé	Won
British Academy Film Awards[19]	Best Film	Fernando Ghia, David Puttnam and Roland Joffé	Nominated
	Best Direction	Roland Joffé	Nominated
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Ray McAnally	Won
	Best Screenplay – Original	Robert Bolt	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Chris Menges	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Enrico Sabbatini	Nominated
	Best Editing	Jim Clark	Won
	Best Original Score	Ennio Morricone	Won
	Best Production Design	Stuart Craig	Nominated
	Best Sound	Ian Fuller, Bill Rowe and Clive Winter	Nominated
	Best Special Visual Effects	Peter Hutchinson	Nominated
British Society of Cinematographers[20]	Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film	Chris Menges	Nominated
Cannes Film Festival[21]	Palme d'Or	Roland Joffé	Won
	Technical Grand Prize		Won
César Awards	Best Foreign Film		Nominated
David di Donatello Awards[22]	Best Foreign Film		Nominated
	Best Foreign Actor	Jeremy Irons	Nominated
	Best Foreign Producer	Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam	Won
Evening Standard British Film Awards	Best Actor	Ray McAnally (also or No Surrender)	Won
	Best Screenplay	Robert Bolt	Won
Golden Globe Awards[23]	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Nominated
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Jeremy Irons	Nominated
	Best Director – Motion Picture	Roland Joffé	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Robert Bolt	Won
	Best Original Score – Motion Picture	Ennio Morricone	Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards[24]	Best Film		Won[lower-alpha 1]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards[25]	Best Cinematography	Chris Menges	Won
	Best Music Score	Ennio Morricone	Runner-up
Nastro d'Argento	Best Foreign Actor	Robert De Niro	Nominated
National Board of Review Awards[26]	Top Ten Films		10th Place
New York Film Critics Circle Awards[27]	Best Cinematographer	Chris Menges	3rd Place
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards	Best Foreign Film		3rd Place

American Film Institute

• 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – #23[28]

See also

• Iguazu Falls

References

External links

• The Mission at IMDb
• The Mission at Box Office Mojo
• The Mission at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Mission at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list

На других языках

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- [en] The Mission (1986 film)

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[ru] Миссия (фильм, 1986)

«Ми́ссия» (англ. The Mission) — британская драма, снятая в 1986 году Роланом Жоффе, об испанских иезуитах, пытавшихся в XVIII веке защитить индейцев-гуарани от порабощения португальцами.

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