'The Mission' tells western side
of colonization of primitive Brazil
"The Mission” has the
distinction of being "the im
portant" film to see this year,
much like "The Color Purple"
and "Amadeus" were in years
past.
The reasons for this are ob
vious. From the epic
photography in breathtaking
locations and the swelling
romantic score to the skilled
acting, polished editing and
"serious" subject matter.
Review by
Sean Axmaker
"The Mission" is a fine pic
ture in the classic tradition of
quality set by the films of
David Lean. Carol Reed and
their epic cohorts.
Scratch the glossy surface of
this richly hued tapestry,
however, and underneath is
found an "important idea" in
capital letters. Written by
Oscar-winning screenwriter
Robert Bolt and directed by
Roland ("The Killing Fields")
Joffe, "The Mission” is con
ceived with the broad
dramatic strokes of a well
meaning westerner telling the
story of South America’s col
onization from the viewpoint
of, well, a well-meaning
westerner.
Set in the lands in and
around Brazil in the 1750s,
the film retells the true story
of the Jesuits’ fight to retain
seven missions located in the
lands ceded to Portugal by
Spain in the Treaty of Madrid.
Portugal had not outlawed
slavery as Spain had (though
in practice both were involved
in the lucrative trade), and the
Jesuits hoped to save their
missions to protect the In
dians from exploitation.
Jeremy Irons stars as Father
Gabriel, who treks into the
lands above the Iguazu falls
(where an earlier priest had
been crucified by the natives)
and wins the hearts of the In
dians with a single woodwind
instrument. After returning to
the city of Cartagena, he is
charged with the salvation of
ex-slaver and mercenary
Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De
Niro), a man who loses the
will to live after killing his
brother in a street duel
brought on hv a fit of jealous
anger. Gabriel brings Men
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(i)urtnt photo
Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), center, achieves spiritual
conversion with the help of Father (iabriel (Jeremy Irons),
right, in a scene from “The Mission. "
doza with him and his
acolytes to found the Mission
of San Carlos, and soon Men
doza joins the Jesuit order.
Meanwhile the Papal Legate
Altamirano (Kay MacAnally)
had been sent to South
America to diplomatically
solve the situation brewing
between the colonial powers
and the Jesuits, not by fair ad
judication but by actually
removing the Jesuits from the
newly transferred lands, more
specifically the missions.
The focus of “The Mission"
is on the conflict between the
humanist actions of the Jesuits,
an order hated by the European
colonialists, and the political
and economic reality of col
onialism. namely the law of
supply and demand and the
need for a cheap work force.
The Jesuits not only brought
religion to the natives, they
brought organization, farming,
production skills and an en
vironment where they profited
from their own labor. The land
ed Europeans needed sub
missive slaves. Instead, the
Europeans were faced with ef
fective competitors who “didn’t
know their place.”
Yet good intentions aside, the
presentation of these conflicts
by Bolt and Joffe are placed in
exclusively western terms. The
relationship between the Jesuits
and the natives is presented as
paternal, with tin* Europeans as
kindly fathers to the childlike
Indians. Indeed, Mendoza’s in
tegration is shown primarily
through the simple metaphor of
a young pouting boy who. final
ly. smiles in acceptance of the
Turn to Mission, Page 12
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