1986 Directed by Roland Joffé
When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portugese aggressors.
A misszió, A Missão
CEO: "Alright I got De Niro ready to go for a new movie, what do you got?"
Roland: "Honestly nothing much... I have this medicore story with a pretty beautiful location in mind."
CEO: "Hmmmm... that doesn't sound good, we will find something else for De Ni..."
Roland slams a CD player on the table.
CEO: "What... the..."
Roland hits play on the player and the score starts playing.
CEO: "Holy mother of God."
Roland: "That's right. So why don't you start taking me serious bitch."
CEO: "This score is beautiful! Here is De Niros number, this film doesn't have to be good, just make sure this shit is in it!"
I didn’t really feel any particular way about this film as a whole.
First of all, I legitimately think this is the greatest movie score of all time. Not only that, Gabriel’s Oboe might be the single most beautiful piece of music to ever grace this planet. I’ve played it at multiple weddings and hope to have it played at mine. I adore Ennio Morricone, and this score seems to capture the romantic side of him, it’s a bit of a bummer it wasn’t for a better movie.
Other than that, the movie looked beautiful, but never did much to grab my attention. I really respect these actors and their dedication, it seemed like everyone went through a lot to get this movie made.
Robert De Niro has never looked more beautiful in my opinion. He’s surprisingly dreamy here, especially given how gritty the setting is. That is all.
I’ll give this movie a lot of credit for its visual style, which is impeccable. You can tell that each shot had a lot of thought put into it which is really impressive and immersive. I just didn’t care about any of these characters at all and wish that I could become interested in the story like everyone else seems to. I guess these kind of war movies that are historical never really hook me in or fascinate me in the slightest. I really don’t have much to say about this except that it’s so inherently not my thing. Despite highly exceeding in its technical presence and style, The Mission failed to engage me with its character development and plot.
A battle of good and evil intentions, neither doing much for the natives who were unfortunate enough to be "discovered" by the Spanish. A tale of the Church that lost itself and, against its own ideals, acts as a center of ego and control rather than love and care. The idea of missionizing the natives just because the church believes itself to be the pinnacle of morality is demonstrative of a larger issue at hand, even when their help is at first appreciated and genuine.
The technical elements are nothing short of astounding. Lauding Ennio Morricone at this point feels redundant but there's a reason his praises are so universally sung, as the outstandingly beautiful score complements and is complemented…
Film reviews in 22 sentences (or less)
Today: The Mission
„On the edge of the world, in the middle of a jungle, they find their revelation“
Hi everybody, this movie is one of its kind. Director Roland Joffé will be remembered for two works, first one is „The Killing Fields“ and the other, is this one here „The Mission“. Recently Martin Scorsese presented us his version of a historical movie, with the missionary topic, „The Silence“. But still this picture here, remains as the finest work of this subgenre, at least for me. The film is very quiet, but delivers a deep impact. Thru the authenticity, by casting only narratives for the narratives roles, Joffé creates a beautiful and natural…
This has been one of my all time favs over the years! It sadly is based on true events! Even though I have seen it many times the grand finale still brings buckets full of tears down my cheeks!
The cinematography is as gorgeous as it is exotic! The waterfalls are spectacular! A magnificent score helps this film soar to a level of perfection!
Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons give superb performances in this powerful and deeply moving film!
A little bit "Mosquito Coast", a little bit "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", a whole lot Scorsese's "Silence", which interestingly was made exactly 30 years later and both films feature Liam Neeson in a supporting role! Trivia aside though, this is a stunning picture, transportive and humbling. Like most theological stories we've seen on film, it depicts the durability of faith against massive adversity, the survival of spirit in a world controlled by the whims of sophisticated savages, yet also the transience of purity in said corrupted civilization of ours. It communicates these themes through relatable storytelling means, with two actors of distinct gravitas (Jeremy Irons, all wisdom and forbearance, and Robert De Niro, all passion and volatility), soundtracked by…
‘80s establishment taste remains a complete disaster. What a shapeless, spineless, artless blob of a movie.
Some stray thoughts.
1. Ennio Morricone composed the music to three De Niro films in the 80s. Three period-piece De Niro films. Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, The Untouchables. All are gifted the safety net of Ennio's presence. These films can sometimes linger languidly at times but he's always buoying the drama, keeping it all afloat.
2. The Mission won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, which had me looking at winners and gawking at the gap between Close Encounters winning in 1977, and American Beauty in 1999, where every winner was a period piece film. Twenty-two years, not a single contemporary-set winner. I don't know what this says about Oscar voters or just where the industry…
This is one of those films where the scale of it is that massive and it’s that beautiful, you just can’t describe it. It’s the same with the score, well actually, all I need to say are the words “Ennio Morricone” and you should know what to expect.
Even though the performances were brilliant and De Niro is still my favourite actor to this day, I just couldn’t get fully invested into the story. The fact that it was a true story helped but I was confused for a lot of it and I just couldn’t connect to some of it. Which is a shame because I was really hoping to be blown away by this.
Film Reboot Club
Yep. The boys definitely went on a mission.
"The Mission" has beautiful cinematography by Chris Menges and a breathtaking score by the late Ennio Morricone. The film seems to be the inspiration for other adventure films like "The Lost City of Z" and "Silence. Unfortunately, "The Mission" doesn't have any of the thrills compared to such other films.
The only thing that it has going for is the wonderful acting by veterans like Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, and Ray McAnally. The character motivations were hard to get though and I have feeling that this would've been more captivating by using the second act instead of the first.
Otherwise, this was okay. This was my bible study.
The Mission is a historical epic set in the jungles of South America. Directed by Roland Joffe and starring two of the most prolific actors of the eighties in Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, this is a slow burning film full of beauty.
The story of a Jesuit missionary and his quest to convert the native population of a South American jungle to Christianity, this is a movie whose cinematography rightly won an Academy Award. From the stunning views from the Iguazu Falls to the picturesque jungle locations, this has a vista few could match. The story may well be an amalgam of several different events rolled into one cohesive adventure but the protagonists throw everything into a compelling…
Watched mostly for Morricone's score. Tough (for me) to watch with the dispassionate remove from history that the film assumes of its audience. The Guarani are minimally characterized and don't exist much as individuals with agency. There isn't even one named Indigenous character.
CEO: "Alright I got De Niro ready to go for a new movie, what do you got?"
Roland: "Honestly nothing much... I have this medicore story with a pretty beautiful location in mind."
CEO: "Hmmmm... that doesn't sound good, we will find something else for De Ni..."
Roland slams a CD player on the table.
CEO: "What... the..."
Roland hits play on the player and the score starts playing.
CEO: "Holy mother of God."
Roland: "That's right. So why don't you start taking me serious bitch."
CEO: "This score is beautiful! Here is De Niros number, this film doesn't have to be good, just make sure this shit is in it!"
"You promised your life to God. And God is love!"
Is there a time when fighting is the most loving thing you can do? And if there is, was the historical moment depicted in this movie such a time?
The Mission tells the story of a man who fights and kills out of greed, jealousy, and anger, who becomes a man who refuses to fight and kill at all, and then eventually becomes a man who is willing to fight and kill out of friendship, loyalty, and love. For the Guarani, there was clearly no good choice--either die fighting an impossible battle, or submit to gradual enslavement and genocide. For the priests, the options are equally unappealing, but Rodrigo and…
In a sense it's rather conventional... But, oh boy, the locations, the performance of Robert De Niro, the finale... The feeeeeels...
It's fun to revisit a movie I haven't watched for many years and find that it is much, much better than I remembered. The Mission continues expanding to become bigger and bigger—from an individual redemption story to a story of the struggles and complexities of global domination. Through all of these shifts in horizon, it always remains focused on the core question: Given faith in God, what is required of us and what do we choose to require of ourselves? Each character works through these issues, charting a path informed by integrity or necessity, or both.
In the end, we're left to wonder about the choices that have been made. Was there a difference between fighting and not fighting, given…
el hippismo no se creo en los sesenta, lo crearon los curas jesituas del siglo XVIII.
esta de niro.
la musica es excelente, la tengo junada de un disco que tengo por ahi
Greg Newman 394 films
All the films watched by Edgar Wright since the start of Lockdown (March 2020) as shared with Total Film magazine.…
Gordon 1,690 films
Just a list of some pretty cool movie posters on the LB database. I haven't seen most of these movies.…
NeverTooEarlyMP 4,925 films
Every film that has ever been nominated for an Academy Award in any category. Enjoy!
Jens Åge Jakobsen 5,163 films
Does it take you an hour to pick a movie? Do you love all types of movies? Are you ready…
Jayce Fryman 18,682 films
This list collects every film from the Starting List that became They Shoot Pictures Don't They's 1000 Greatest Films. This…
Artyficial 5,029 films
This list is the Letterboxd version of The Oxford History of World Cinema.
The book celebrates and chronicles over one…
Jake Ziegler 563 films
A comprehensive list of every film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Bee Dampsy 1,222 films
This is a list of period films organized by the year or decade they were set in. Within each year…
Steven Sheehan 92 films
Does what is says on the tin. Minimum one film a week, probably won't see more than two - it…
KJKnow 1,815 films
Every feature film on the program at the New Beverly Cinema since Quentin Tarantino took over as programmer. Feel free…
Connor Denney 97 films
This is a complete list of the winners of the Palme d'Or, the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival.…
