The Mission (1986)

 The Mission 1986 - Post review
This movie was compelling & full of breathtaking scenery in Columbia which was based upon the Indian tribes in the upper regions high above cascading waterfalls, to be converted by Christianity. Robert De Niro & Jeremy Irons were the leading characters of this beautiful movie which encapsulated the heart in a spellbound though dramatic conclusion. I found that these actors put more emphasis on the culture of the tribes people and their way of life which was combined to give the audience a sense of warm embrace towards the suffering and cruelty acts which occurred between the late 1700's to the early 1800 year period. A MUST HAVE for any serious Movie Buff who wishes to transcend back in time to a civilization rich & full of culture. 5 Star rating applicable.***** March 6, 2008

 The reviewer's got it wrong!
Tom Keogh's editorial review got it wrong. This is a magnificent movie. The background is historically accurate. The music, much of which was written by South American composers during the 17th century, is flawlessly performed. The story is gripping, and one comes away with an accurate picture of what was going on at the time. It's one of the best movies I've seen in many years.

It seems that not many customer reviews agree with Tom Keogh. February 18, 2008

 Bravo for "The Mission"
I loved seeing this film again and now having it in my permanent collection. It puts light on a neglected subject - the exploitation and decimation of thousands of Indians in Latin America and the herosim of the Jesuits who tried to save them. I like the extra disk - especially the segment on how the casting of the Guarani was accomplished. De Niro and Irons are outstanding! February 15, 2008

 The Mission
This movie is one of the few movies that demostrates what God is asking from each of us. To love one another. Still today politics is so far more important..so they think it is.
This movie is touching, loving, and shows how much one person can help so many people. One of my favorites of all time. January 24, 2008

 The Mission, Spieth, Velez, Mortensen
This movie is accurate for showing the culture of the Jesuits, for example; their lack of material possessions. The Jesuits taught a great example of repentance in the way which Mendoza took upon himself the task of carrying a bag of armor up the mountain to be forgiven and receive the privilege of being a Jesuit.

Altamirano`s way of teaching was through love. He showed that the culture and ways of the Guarani was not important to receive the message which he carried. He wasn't willing to fight against the government because they were his brothers. He had such a love for his church that he was not going to break the laws of the Jesuits and fight. He was killed as a priest, showing his faithfulness to God.

This movie portrays the misuse of government power. Governments are to serve the people. The people of the Church have to follow the counsel of the Government. In some cases it`s appropriate for church to resist the government. A great conflict in many countries, as shown in this movie, was the governments lies, and misuse of power to obtain what they wanted; control over the church.

The movie developed very slowly. It took a while to build up the characters and theme to show the plot. The themes shown in this movie were: love of man, wars between church and government, and religious protection. The actors of this film did a great job of portraying the emotions of the Jesuits, Guarani, and government officials. When the Guarani child sings you can see: the fear in the Guarani's faces, anger of governmental officials, and peacemaking of the Jesuits. A striking scene is when the Guarani mothers were forced to abandon their children.

December 11, 2007

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