The Mission -- DVD Review
The DVD edition of the movie The Mission is now available. Released in 1986, the movie stars Jeremy Irons as the Jesuit priest Fr. Gabriel and Robert De Niro as mercenary and slaver Rodrigo Mendoza. It received an Oscar for its cinematography and its Oscar nominated score is hauntingly beautiful.
I saw it more than 20 years ago with members of my church -- I was serving then as associate minister of Harbor Christian Church in Newport Beach. I saw that because the distributors reached out to churches to get people in the theater. How successful they were, I can't remember, but it was a movie that moved me then and moved me when watching it this past week.
The story focuses on Jesuit missions in Paraguay and Brazil. Set in the 18th century the missions are flourishing, but the Jesuits are under duress in Europe. The Church, being pressured by the governments in Europe, must decide whether to secularize the missions and turn the lands over to the local barons. Part of this effort, at least in the movie, is driven by a transfer of authority over the region from the Spanish to the Portuguese. Although the Spanish claim not to have slaves (the movie demonstrates they allow it), the Portuguese did allow for slavery. In the movie the Jesuits are the protectors of the indigenous people against the inroads of the plantation owners.
While all of this is going on, a Jesuit attempt, led by Fr. Gabriel, is underway to establish a mission among the Guarani in the Brazilian jungles above the Iguazu falls. The mission, which had started out disastrously, succeeds, in large part due to the gentle spirit of Fr. Gabriel. In the course of time, Rodrigo Mendoza kills his brother in a fit of jealous rage and in his remorse goes to the church. Fr. Gabriel decides that his penance will be to assist in the mission -- which he does. Here we see a beautiful picture of redemption and forgiveness, as the one who had been a slaver befriends and defends the very ones he had sought to enslave.
The movie concludes with the take over of the missions and the displacement and enslavement of the indigenous peoples, only the Guarani decide to resist. Fr. Rodrigo -- he joins the Jesuits -- chooses to stand with the largely defenseless tribe that has made its home at the mission. He's joined by others among the Jesuits.
Fr. Gabriel, though he stays with the mission, refuses to join the resistance -- at least not in the form that Fr. Rodrigo takes up. For him, there can only be nonviolence.
In a most moving scene, while the Portuguese massacre the Guarani -- killing the Jesuits as well, Fr. Gabriel gathers the remaining members of the tribe, mostly women and children and says mass, even as the Catholic aligned soldiers seek to burn down the mission and kill its people. They do this, essentially with the blessing of the church. As Fr. Gabriel ends the mass, with the church burning, he picks up the host and heads toward the soldiers, followed by the congregation. Rodrigo is laying on the ground dying of his wounds, watching as the soldiers seek to shoot the priest -- at first he walks through unscathed, though people are falling all around him. Finally, he is shot and falls dead. But another of his congregation and picks up the host, carrying it toward the assailants.
The mission is destroyed, all but a few of the people, mostly children, are killed. The Portuguese have their victory -- and the Cardinal who has had to make this decision is burdened by his own betrayal of Jesus and the church itself. After the massacre, the Cardinal is talking with the Plantation owners, who seek to justify the massacre. One of the men, Sr. Hontar says to the Cardinal: "We must work in the world, your eminence. The world is thus." The Cardinal responds: "No Sr. Hontar. Thus have we made the world . . . thus have I made it."
It is a powerful movie, a reminder of what has happened when church and state become too closely aligned. Political pressures push the church to back actions that not only threaten the church but destroy the soul of God's people. It is also a reminder of the irony of the Christian mission's movement, that at times brought that which is good, but at others only brought destruction -- both of body and of spirit. The movie is also a reminder that my own faith tradition -- I may not be Catholic, but Protestants have been implicated in such things -- has embraced evil at times in its history.
If you've not seen this movie, see it soon. If you saw it years ago, it is worth seeing again. The film was deservedly nominated for a number of awards. Its cast is excellent. It's message profound, especially if you are a Christian.
I saw it more than 20 years ago with members of my church -- I was serving then as associate minister of Harbor Christian Church in Newport Beach. I saw that because the distributors reached out to churches to get people in the theater. How successful they were, I can't remember, but it was a movie that moved me then and moved me when watching it this past week.
The story focuses on Jesuit missions in Paraguay and Brazil. Set in the 18th century the missions are flourishing, but the Jesuits are under duress in Europe. The Church, being pressured by the governments in Europe, must decide whether to secularize the missions and turn the lands over to the local barons. Part of this effort, at least in the movie, is driven by a transfer of authority over the region from the Spanish to the Portuguese. Although the Spanish claim not to have slaves (the movie demonstrates they allow it), the Portuguese did allow for slavery. In the movie the Jesuits are the protectors of the indigenous people against the inroads of the plantation owners.
While all of this is going on, a Jesuit attempt, led by Fr. Gabriel, is underway to establish a mission among the Guarani in the Brazilian jungles above the Iguazu falls. The mission, which had started out disastrously, succeeds, in large part due to the gentle spirit of Fr. Gabriel. In the course of time, Rodrigo Mendoza kills his brother in a fit of jealous rage and in his remorse goes to the church. Fr. Gabriel decides that his penance will be to assist in the mission -- which he does. Here we see a beautiful picture of redemption and forgiveness, as the one who had been a slaver befriends and defends the very ones he had sought to enslave.
The movie concludes with the take over of the missions and the displacement and enslavement of the indigenous peoples, only the Guarani decide to resist. Fr. Rodrigo -- he joins the Jesuits -- chooses to stand with the largely defenseless tribe that has made its home at the mission. He's joined by others among the Jesuits.
Fr. Gabriel, though he stays with the mission, refuses to join the resistance -- at least not in the form that Fr. Rodrigo takes up. For him, there can only be nonviolence.
In a most moving scene, while the Portuguese massacre the Guarani -- killing the Jesuits as well, Fr. Gabriel gathers the remaining members of the tribe, mostly women and children and says mass, even as the Catholic aligned soldiers seek to burn down the mission and kill its people. They do this, essentially with the blessing of the church. As Fr. Gabriel ends the mass, with the church burning, he picks up the host and heads toward the soldiers, followed by the congregation. Rodrigo is laying on the ground dying of his wounds, watching as the soldiers seek to shoot the priest -- at first he walks through unscathed, though people are falling all around him. Finally, he is shot and falls dead. But another of his congregation and picks up the host, carrying it toward the assailants.
The mission is destroyed, all but a few of the people, mostly children, are killed. The Portuguese have their victory -- and the Cardinal who has had to make this decision is burdened by his own betrayal of Jesus and the church itself. After the massacre, the Cardinal is talking with the Plantation owners, who seek to justify the massacre. One of the men, Sr. Hontar says to the Cardinal: "We must work in the world, your eminence. The world is thus." The Cardinal responds: "No Sr. Hontar. Thus have we made the world . . . thus have I made it."
It is a powerful movie, a reminder of what has happened when church and state become too closely aligned. Political pressures push the church to back actions that not only threaten the church but destroy the soul of God's people. It is also a reminder of the irony of the Christian mission's movement, that at times brought that which is good, but at others only brought destruction -- both of body and of spirit. The movie is also a reminder that my own faith tradition -- I may not be Catholic, but Protestants have been implicated in such things -- has embraced evil at times in its history.
If you've not seen this movie, see it soon. If you saw it years ago, it is worth seeing again. The film was deservedly nominated for a number of awards. Its cast is excellent. It's message profound, especially if you are a Christian.
Comments
Thanks for the rec!
-Chuck
(ps.. since there a lot of annon's, and I post a lot on here, I will try not to be lazy and sign my posts!)