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The main plot is that South American Indians are being enslaved by Portugal who try to dig out all the Indians they can find and sell them. However there are certain Jesuits who build Missions in order to convert the Indians into Christians and also to protect them therefore from the ... Read review
Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) directs this fuzzy effort at a David Lean-like epic ... more
without David Lean's sense of emotional proportion. Lean's most important screenwriting collaborator, Robert Bolt, in fact wroteThe Mission, which concerns a Jesuit m...
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Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) directs this fuzzy effort at a David Lean-like epic ... more
without David Lean's sense of emotional proportion. Lean's most important screenwriting collaborator, Robert Bolt, in fact wroteThe Mission, which concerns a Jesuit m...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Sweeping and visually resplendent, The Mission is a powerful action epic about a man of ... more
the sword (Robert DeNiro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons) who unite to shield a South American Indian tribe from brutal subjugation by 18th Century colonial e...
Drama - Director: Kevin Smith - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Everything about this film is superb... Disadvantages: None...
...as originally a man of the sword, who is converted to being a man of the cloth after he kills his brother (Aidan Quinn).
The main plot is that South American Indians are being enslaved by Portugal who try to dig out all the Indians they can find and sell them. However there are certain Jesuits who build Missions in order to convert the Indians into Christians and also to protect them therefore from the rampaging Portugese. Jeremy ... ...mission of their own in the remote jungles of South America, where they help the Indians build a small community with a church at its centre. Robert De Niro plays the former mercenary who had originally been helping in the capture of the Indians, Mendoza who, after killing his brother for sleeping with his woman aims to commit suicide. However Father Gabriel (Irons) comes along and gives him a chance to do a penance. Mendoza thus changes his ways ... more
If you haven't seen this film then you should get off your backside and watch it, as this is a marvel of a film in all aspects. If you're a Robert De Niro fan then you should definitely enjoy his performance here as originally a man of the sword, who is converted to being a man of the cloth after he kills his brother (Aidan Quinn).
The main plot is that South American Indians are being enslaved by Portugal who try to dig out all the Indians they can find and sell them. However there are certain Jesuits who build Missions in order to convert the Indians into Christians and also to protect them therefore from the rampaging Portugese. Jeremy Irons and a handful of other priests go and make a mission of their own in the remote jungles of South America, where they help the Indians build a small community with a church at its centre. Robert De Niro plays the former mercenary who had originally been helping in the capture of the Indians, Mendoza who, after killing his brother for sleeping with his woman aims to commit suicide. However Father Gabriel (Irons) comes along and gives him a chance to do a penance. Mendoza thus changes his ways and becomes a priest in the Mission.
However the Portugese are adament that these Jesuits should be made to stop what they're doing and let the Indians be sold. Thus there is this confrontation between these missions and the ravenous Portugese, which ends in a defensive struggle from the missions against the armies who have come to destroy the missions.
Powerful stuff. And the way that the film is portrayed thanks to the masterwork of the director - Roland Joffe, and the superb acting this film really does boast an extraordinary result.
Whenever I watch this film it reminds me of Legends of the Fall, which again is another emotional and immensely powerful film. I'd say this film is on par with the Legends of the Fall in terms of its incredible power to move you and with its emotional storyline and especially characters. So if you loved Legends of the Fall then you will definitely find this film to your utmost liking.
The film really does show off brilliantly some of the madness which goes on in the world and this is a subject which went on then in the mid 18th Century and is, I hear, still of some considerable relevance even to the present day.
If there was one film that would make the slave traders and the conspirators against the missions change their ways then this film would definitely be it. It portrays like nothing else the cruelty and pain which is unleashed on the Indians who are affected.
There are plenty of really moving moments like when Robert De Niro has finally completed his penance and arrives at where the Mission settlement is based. Also when the Indians find out that they must leave the mission, the fear and feeling of betrayal felt by the Indians is very strong. And, of course, the ending is really, really moving, but I won't give away what happens.
Roland Joffe (who also directing The Killing Fields) does an incredible job in this film and his work effort which he put into this film really does pay off. He portrays the darker and more brutal sides of the film really well and he pays close attention to each character. Also his portrayal of the Indians themselves is really good. He shows us what their interests are and what they are really like and so one really gets to know the Indian communtiy very well, and so it is an even greater loss when the community is in times of strife.
Another very moving moment is when, at the beginning Jeremy Irons plays them a tune on his oboe to try and win their approval so he can be accepted into their approval, and you see that these Indians have a real appreciation for music, and when one Indian snaps his instrument, another comes to try and fix it.
The cinematography is superb (thanks to Chris Menges), especially of the amazing and mighty falls with the towering cliffs on either side which one has to climb to get to the Indian communtiy. The beauty of the forest is really well portrayed here and you get an interesting insight into what its really like in the thick of the forests in South America.
Of course one has to add a note of appraisal to Ennio Morricone who wrote the superb score to the film and is partly why the film is so moving. Its definitely one of his greatest achievements as a composer. He did scores to some great films like: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly The Sicilian Clan Once Upon A Time in The West A Fistful of Dollars, and so many others. However his music here will definitely go down as in his top five best.
Look out for Liam Neeson in the film. I was quite surprised when I saw him in it, but he plays his part very well.
And for all its glory the film did win some oscars: It won an oscar for best cinematography (not surprising). It won BAFTAS for Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Ray McAnally), Best Editing and for Best Score by Morricone.
Overall it one 12 oscars and had 21 nominations. Quite an achievement. Winner of the Palme D'or in 1986.
SPECIAL FEATURES: In the special features there is an hour long documentary about the making of The Mission, which I've seen and provides a useful insight into the on-sight location and the Indians cast in the movie. It is well worth watching, so if you're going to be buying the movie I recommend the Special Edition for this useful insight.
DETAILS: RATING - PG RUNNING TIME - 120mins approx.
TRIVIA: The majority of the crew became ill with amoebic dysentry whilst filimg. Robert De Niro was one of the few who did not catch the illness.
Amazon price for Special Edition: £6.99 (at the moment) HMV price for Special Edition: £6.99
Advantages: Great Film Disadvantages: going through a box of tissues
...America.
Robert De Nero plays the princible character, He plays a Spanish noblman who kills his brother and then seeks to redeem himself by living his life as a recluse. He ends up joining a mission and travels to the Rain forests of South America and lives with the local tribes teaching them christianity, When he goes back to spain he learns that the spanish are going to invade and take all the land. so Robert De Nero decides to go back and defend ...
fireman1 08.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Mission (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Execellent cinematography, superb soundtrack, two disc set. Disadvantages: Little, perhaps a few more character developments
...OVERVIEW ---
Set in the late 1700's in South America, The Mission is a powerful tale of a Jesuit priest and a slave driver coming together to protect the native tribes of the jungles there. Starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons who dominant the film, there is moving acting, using emotions rather than words to express the mood of the movie. The film sees Robert De Niro ending his part in capturing slaves for the Europeans plantations and joining ... ...their real inner selves and the goodness of some men.
The impact of the European culture shown in the film is massive and is comparable with the clash of cultures we sometimes see today. A very touching movie it shows the high and lows of human nature. Based on truth it uses the real facts to tell a real story extremely well. The end is very traumatic and would push some to tears. The famous and haunting soundtrack only adds further to the intensity ...
Puma1000 16.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Mission (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Beautiful cinematography and soundtrack, great cast Disadvantages: Little humour
...soundtrack (written by Ennio Morricone). The plot covers the establishment of a Jesuit mission amongst a local native Indian tribe, the Guaranis, in Paraguay in the 18th century. Jeremy Irons stars alongside Robert de Niro as the missionaries meeting the challenges of working with the local peoples, personal demons and the constant threat from the new colonial masters of the region, the Portuguese. The plot is a masterly vehicle for both leading ... ...current imperialism. Other stars dot the cast list - Aidan Quinn, Ray McAnally, Cherie Lungie and Liam Neeson. The film won the Palm D'Ore in Cannes in 1986, follwed by a host of other awards at the Golden Globes and Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Original Score).
This is 126 minutes of engrossing and intensely emotional viewing. ...
Rogerbyname 21.06.2007
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This review is on the 2006, trilogy, Mission Impossible 3 starring Tom Cruise, as IFM agent Ethan Hunt. Now I was a really big fan of the first mission impossible, and then kind of let down by the second one, however again like the first one I liked the final instalment, because it was so much different in terms of storyline, style, action scenes and so on.
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the set. The first of these being a brief interview with Roger Moore (Bond) and Herve Villechaize (Nick Nack) about the film. This is, as I mentioned, very brief.
The second is an on-set extra which again, lasts a few minutes. This is a silent film showing the karate school and the actor's and actresses going through the fight scene.
A very interesting extra, regarding the signature stunt for the film and who it was put together. This details how the car stunt (the one with the 360 degree flip) was put together.
007 Mission Control.
Again this comprises of several categories highlighting parts of the film, from 007 to the locations and gadgets. Again, having watched the film, this did not really interest me.
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Two men, one of the sword and one of the cloth, join together to brave missionaries of the Jesuit order and risk everything against the colonial forces of the two empires of Spain and Portugal to save the lives of an endangered Indian tribe in mid-18th Century South America.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date
02/06/2003, 07/08/2006
No of Discs
2
Catalogue No
D 011639, D 011639S
Barcode
7321900116398, 7321905116393
Screenwriter
Robert Bolt
Composer
Ennio Morricone
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Audio Commentary - Rolland Joffe - Director, Documentary - Omnibus: The Making-Of THE MISSION (60 min.), Additional Footage - 1. On Location in Argentina & Columbia, Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...THE MISSION is haunting spectacle, it is serious and passionate....It provides Jeremy Irons with a chance for his purest and most searing film performance..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C1, 15/11/1986)
"...Many dazzling sequences....Joffe is well in command of his emotional commitments..." (Sight and Sound, p.285-6, 01/09/1986)
"...Spectacular scenery and an extraordinary high degree of production values....Director Joffe has come up with some stunning scenes..." (Variety, 21/05/1986)
DVD Description
A visually stunning epic, THE MISSION recounts the true story of two men--a man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons)--both Jesuit missionaries who defied the colonial forces of mighty Spain and Portugal to save an Indian tribe from slavery in mid-18th-century South America. Mendoza (De Niro) is a slave trader and colonial imperialist who murdered his own brother (Aidan Quinn) and seeks penance for his sins by becomining a missionary at Father Gabriel's (Irons) mountaintop mission; Gabriel is a devout and idealistic man who extols nonviolence and peaceful interaction with the natives and colonialists. Despite their differences, the two men must unite to save the mission when Spain, Portugal, and the Catholic church begin negotiating their boundaries in the area--negotiations that will affect both the freedom of the natives and the well-being of the Jesuit missionaries who have set up safe havens for them. Director Roland Joffe's sweeping masterpiece is a haunting account of the unjust treatment of the Guarani Indians of South America and the men who fought desperately, in very different ways, to save them. The film features a mezmerizing musical score by Ennio Morricone that weaves a stunning combination of church choirs and native Indian panpipes into the lush images of the Brazilian rainforest.
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