The Mission

In 1750 the Treaty of Madrid ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay from Spain to Portugal. This was an attempt to end decades of conflict in the region by establishing detailed territorial boundaries between Portuguese Brazil and Spanish colonial territories in the south and west. This treaty was met with significant resistance from the Jesuits who were being asked to abandon their missions among the Guarani tribes who had made their homes there and were being forcibly relocated by the treaty. This led to a war with the Guarani in 1756. This tumultuous time serves as the basis for the 1986 film The Mission, a film that is heralded as one of the greatest religious films of all time. As with most historical films a great deal is fictionalized for the sake of the narrative including how easily the Guarani people embraced Christianity. None of that affects the raw emotions that permeate this film, however, nor the subject at hand.

The film opens with the Guarani people throwing a priest over the Iguazu Falls to his death. Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), who sent the man there in the first place to convert the natives to Christianity, travels to the falls himself and sits down in the jungle and plays his oboe. The music attracts the natives, one of whom breaks the oboe in half. Father Gabriel doesn’t react to this and the remaining Guarani, captivated by the music, take him to their village. 

Meanwhile, Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) is a mercenary and a slave trader. Recently he has begun ascending higher into the jungle to capture the Guarani and sell them to the Spanish. His fiancée Carlotta admits she is no longer in love with him but with his half-brother Felipe. When Mendoza catches the two sleeping with each other he kills Felipe in a duel, an act that overwhelms him with feelings of guilt. Father Gabriel visits him and challenges him to undergo penance. He is forced to accompany the Jesuits to their mission dragging with him his armor and sword. The Guarani recognize him as their persecutor but are softened when they see how tearful and penitent he is before them. The mission has become a sanctuary for the Guarani people and, moved by their acceptance of him, Mendoza wishes to help. In time he takes vows and becomes a Jesuit himself.

For a time Spanish Law protects the mission but the Treaty of Madrid draws up new boarder lines apportioning the land the mission is on to the Portuguese. The Portuguese view the natives as nothing more than animals, fit only for slavery. The Jesuits oppose this view and a Papal emissary Cardinal Altamirano (Ray McAnally), a jesuit himself, is sent to survey the missions and decide if any should be allowed to remain. Altamirano finds himself forced to decide between two evils: siding with the colonists will lead to the Guarani being enslaved and siding with the missions will see the Jesuit Order condemned by the Portuguese, threatening the fracture of the Catholic Church. He recommends closing the missions and moving the people because it is “God’s Will.” The Guarani see this more as God abandoning them and refuse to leave. Mendoza and Gabriel want to stand their ground, under threat of excommunication, but disagree on the methods. Gabriel believes violence is a crime against God but Mendoza believes in fighting back, breaking his vows and militarily defending the mission against a joint Portuguese and Spanish force.

The Mission covers a period in history that rarely gets discussed and does so through two very different points of view. Early on this is a strength to the film, painting a rich tapestry of cultures and clashes. Mendoza straddles both sides, beginning the film firmly on the side of the colonists who fear the natives and want to enslave them rather than convert them. Through his penance he switches sides and becomes one of the Jesuits, there to defend the natives and bring them to God. Where the film wavers is in the final act when the Spanish and Portuguese launch their attack. Unfortunately this part of the movie becomes too chaotic and suffers from some poorly choreographed battle scenes juxtaposed with Father Gabriel’s final religious services. This is somewhat redeemed, however, when the mission is set ablaze and the Guarani people, Father Gabriel included, walk out peacefully in solidarity as the Spanish and Portuguese open fire on them, killing them mercilessly. Mendoza has been shot and lays on the ground unable to do anything but watch as it happens. This moment is harrowing to watch and, when Gabriel is finally struck down it becomes downright horrific. Cardinal Altamirano posits earlier that these people may have been better off had the Jesuits left them alone and not tried to convert them and he is right. Father Gabriel states that “If might is right then love has no place in this world.” He will walk peacefully to his death for those beliefs.

This is a beautiful looking film and no scene is without interest. The location work, filmed in Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Paraguay is first rate and the scenery is gorgeous. It adds a level of mysticism, especially in the jungle scenes. Even the imagery in the opening scene of a crucified missionary floating down the river and over the falls is beautiful, yet horrible at the same time. The juxtaposing of the beautiful and the ugly is a theme that can be seen throughout. The film has visuals to spare but it lacks a strong narrative structure. We see and understand Mendoza’s emotional and personal journey but it’s not clearly defined. Short cuts were taken that make the characters less interesting all around. We learn next to nothing about Father Gabriel or Mendoza beyond the surface details and that makes them less interesting as characters.

This is a part of history that doesn’t get enough coverage during history classes. For that reason alone it is worth seeking out The Mission as a jumping in point for the real life massacre of the Guarani people. But it should be taken as all historical dramas are, purely as an introduction to the history and an invitation to seek out more information on the true historical facts. This film does that well, getting the conversation started on the evils of colonialism and slavery and illustrating just how brutal and bloody those battles were. It should also be a conversation starter on the controversial practice of converting indigenous natives to Christianity. In most cases the natives are best left alone and not drawn into the world of the church no matter how good intended those Jesuits were. The Mission ends with that message without specifically taking sides on the issue. It has a lot to say and invites even more discussion on these sensitive topics but stops short of preaching a point of view beyond the obvious one.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam

Best Director: Roland Joffé

Best Art Direction: Stuart Craig and Jack Stephens

Best Cinematography: Chris Menges (won)

Best Costume Design: Enrico Sabbatini

Best Film Editing: Jim Clark

Best Original Score: Ennio Morricone

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Release Date: October 13, 1986

Running Time: 125 Minutes

Rated PG

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson

Directed By: Roland Joffé