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The Mission (1986 film)
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Wikipedia article
'The Mission' is a 1986 British period drama film about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America. Directed by Roland Joff and written by Robert Bolt, the film stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi, and Liam Neeson.
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. Furthermore, it is one of fifteen films listed in the category "Religion" on the Vatican film list. 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 Guaran community to Christianity. The Guaran 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 Guaran 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 Guaran (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 Guaran community and selling them to nearby plantations, including the plantation of the Spanish Governor Don Cabeza. After returning from another kidnapping trip, his assumed fiance, 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 Guaran. Moved by the Guaran'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 Guaran that they must leave, because "it is God's will." The Guaran 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 Guaran 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 Guaran. 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 Guaran 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 Guaran, 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 Ro Uruguay, that had been settled by Guaran 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 Guaran of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock, and buildings were estimated to be worth 716 million pesos. The film's climax is the Guaran War of 17541756, during which historical Guaran 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, So Miguel das Misses.James Schofield Saeger (1995) "The Mission and Historical Missions: Film and the Writing of History." 'The Americas', Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 393415.
Father Gabriel's character is loosely based on the life of Paraguayan saint and Jesuit Roque Gonzlez 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.
The waterfall setting of the film suggests the combination of these events with the story of older missions, founded between 16101630 on the Paranapanema River above the Guara Falls, from which Paulista slave raids forced Guaran and Jesuits to flee in 1631. The battle at the end of the film evokes the eight-day Battle of Mboror in 1641, a battle fought on land as well as in boats on rivers, in which the Jesuit-organised, firearm-equipped Guaran forces stopped the Paulista raiders.
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.Historical critiques
Scholar James Schofield Saeger has many objections to the portrayal of the Guaran 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 Guaran accepted Christianity immediately although in reality native religious beliefs persisted for several generations. The film also glosses over the frequent resistance by Guaran to Jesuit authority as witnessed by several revolts and the refusal of many Guaran to live in the missions. 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 Guaran 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 Guaran to cease making weapons. The Guaran defied him and embarked on an armed, but ultimately unsuccessful revolt. However, several Jesuits remained in the missions with the Guaran during their suppression by the colonials and the Spanish and Portuguese accused them of inciting the Guaran to resist.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.
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 'Guaran' 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 "Guaran" themes. The soundtrack was recorded at CTS Lansdowne Studios in London.
Other themes throughout the movie include the 'Penance', 'Conquest', and 'Ave Maria Guaran' themes. In the latter, a large choir of indigenous people sing a rendition of the "Ave Maria".
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.
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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Awards and honours
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="7"| Academy Awards
| Best Picture
| Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam
|
|-
| Best Director
| Roland Joff
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Stuart Craig and Jack Stephens
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Enrico Sabbatini
|
|-
| Best Film Editing
| Jim Clark
|
|-
| Best Original Score
| Ennio Morricone
|
|-
| American Cinema Editors Awards
| Best Edited Feature Film
| Jim Clark
|
|-
| American Society of Cinematographers Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| Association of Polish Filmmakers Critics Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| Roland Joff
|
|-
| rowspan="11"| British Academy Film Awards
| Best Film
| Fernando Ghia, David Puttnam and Roland Joff
|
|-
| Best Direction
| Roland Joff
|
|-
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role
| Ray McAnally
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Original
| Robert Bolt
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Enrico Sabbatini
|
|-
| Best Editing
| Jim Clark
|
|-
| Best Original Score
| Ennio Morricone
|
|-
| Best Production Design
| Stuart Craig
|
|-
| Best Sound
| Ian Fuller, Bill Rowe and Clive Winter
|
|-
| Best Special Visual Effects
| Peter Hutchinson
|
|-
| British Society of Cinematographers
| Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Cannes Film Festival
| Palme d'Or
| rowspan="4"| Roland Joff
|
|-
| Technical Grand Prize
|
|-
| Csar Awards
| Best Foreign Film
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| David di Donatello Awards
| Best Foreign Film
|
|-
| Best Foreign Actor
| Jeremy Irons
|
|-
| Best Foreign Producer
| Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Evening Standard British Film Awards
| Best Actor
| Ray McAnally
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| Robert Bolt
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| Golden Globe Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Drama
|
|-
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
| Jeremy Irons
|
|-
| Best Director Motion Picture
| Roland Joff
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Motion Picture
| Robert Bolt
|
|-
| Best Original Score Motion Picture
| Ennio Morricone
|
|-
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Cinematography
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| Best Music Score
| Ennio Morricone
|
|-
| Nastro d'Argento
| Best Foreign Actor
| Robert De Niro
|
|-
| National Board of Review Awards
| colspan="2"| Top Ten Films
|
|-
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Cinematographer
| Chris Menges
|
|-
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
|
|}
American Film Institute
* 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores #23See also
*Iguazu Falls
References
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