The Mission (film)
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| The Mission | |
|---|---|
 originl movie poster |
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| Directed by | Roland Joffé |
| Produced by | Fernando Ghia David Puttnam |
| Written by | Robert Bolt |
| Starring | Robert De Niro Jeremy Irons Ray McAnally Aidan Quinn Cherie Lunghi Liam Neeson |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | 29 September 1986 (Spain) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17,218,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mission is a 1986 film starring Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi and Liam Neeson. It was written by Robert Bolt and directed by Roland Joffé. The music was scored by the renowned Italian composer Ennio Morricone, and is considered by some to be among his best film scores, being listed at #23 on AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.
Contents |
[edit] Story
The movie is set during the Jesuit Reductions and tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel, who goes into the South American jungle to build a mission and convert a community of Guaraní Indians to Christianity.
He is later joined by a reformed Portugese mercenary, Rodrigo Mendoza, who sees the Jesuit mission as a sanctuary and a place of forgiveness for his murder of his brother.
Mendoza and Gabriel try to defend the community against the cruelty of Portuguese colonials, who are trying to enslave the Guaraní after the effects of the Treaty of Madrid come into play. The mission, which was once under Spanish protection, has been handed over to the Portugese while the Vatican (represented by Papal emissary Alta Mirano) has ordered the Jesuits to withdraw from the territory above the falls.
Eventually a combined Spanish and Portugese force attacks the mission and, failing to see the simple life of the Guarani as anything but threatening (contrary to Father Gabriel and Mendoza), kill many of them as well as all the priests. Mendoza, who dies trying to save Guarani children on a bridge, finally recieves the redemption he had been searching for.
Even though the main character is Spanish and the slave traders Portuguese, the film is thought to be loosely based on the life of Father António Vieira[citation needed], a Portuguese priest who aided the Brazilian people in their fight against Dutch invaders. De Niro's character has been compared by the author John Gimlette to the Irish priest Thadeus Ennis.
[edit] Awards
[edit] Golden Globes
nominated for:
[edit] Academy Awards
won:
nominated for:
- Academy Award for Best Picture, 1986
- Academy Award for Costume Design, 1986
- Academy Award for Directing, 1986
- Academy Award for Film Editing, 1986
- Academy Award for Original Music Score, 1986
[edit] Others
[edit] See also
- São Miguel das Missões (called the "San Miguel Mission" in the film)
- Guaraní
- Jesuit
- Iguazu Falls
