The Mission [Blu-ray]

Director: Roland Joffé Roland Joffé

Overview

In director Roland Joffe's historical epic The Mission, Jeremy Irons stars as Gabriel, an 18th-century Jesuit priest sent to the jungles of Brazil to build a Guarani Indian mission. Upon his arrival, Gabriel meets the slave trader Mendoza (Robert De Niro), a cruel, bloodless man who kills as many of the Guaranis as he enslaves. His brother Felipe (Aidan Quinn) is another of his victims, killed in a duel over a woman. Because of Mendoza's aristocratic background, he cannot be tried for his crimes; however, the weight of his conscience inspires him to ask Gabriel for the opportunity to do penance at the mission. When Spain sells Brazil to Portugal, the two very different men must join together to defend the mission against aggressors.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2010
UPC:	0883929147144
Original Release:	1986
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	3,133

Special Features

Commentary by Director Roland Joffé; BBC Omnibus Documentary People on a Mission, Chronicling the Movie's South American Location Shootand Examining the Heartbreaking Lives of the Waunana Indians Who Portrayed the Film's Guanari Tribespeople; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jeremy Irons	Gabriel
Robert De Niro	Mendoza
Ray McAnally	Altamirano
Aidan Quinn	Felipe
Liam Neeson	Fielding
Ronald Pickup	Hontar
Charles Low	Cabeza,Cabeza
Cherie Lunghi	Carlotta
Bercelio Moya	Indian Boy,Chief's Lieutenant
Sigifredo Ismare	Witch Doctor
Asuncion Ontiveros	Indian Chief
Daniel Berrigan	Sebastian
Rolf Gray	Young Jesuit
Alvaro Guerrero	Jesuit
Tony Lawn	Fr. Provincial
Joe Daly	Nobleman
Carlos Duplat	Portuguese Commander
Rafael Camerano	Spanish Commander
Monirak Sisowath	Ibaye
Silvestre Chiripua	Indian
Luis Carlos Gonzalez	Boy Singer
Maria Teresa Ripoll	Carlotta's Maid
Philip Bosco	Actor
Susie Figgis	Actor
Juliet Taylor	Actor
Ennio Morricone	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Bolt

Robert Bolt	Screenwriter
Vic Armstrong	Stunts
Fernando Ghia	Producer
Peter Hutchinson	Special Effects
Clive Winter	Sound Mixer
David Puttnam	Producer,Executive Producer
Roland Joffé	Director
Alejandro Azzano	Executive Producer
Christopher Ackland	Sound Effects
Martin Evans	Sound Effects
Ian Fuller	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Although this 1986 Roland Joffé film won high praise, the acclaim was by no means universal. Not a few reviewers criticized it for depicting Christianized natives in 18th Century South America as little more than talking mannequins à la the old Tarzan movies. Many of these same reviewers also maintained that the script and scope of the film restricted the ability of Jeremy Irons (Father Gabriel) and Robert DeNiro (a reformed slave trader named Mendoza) to develop their celluloid alter egos beyond mere symbols of character types. However, almost every critic lauded the glorious cinematography of Chris Menges, who captured the naked beauty of a pristine wilderness -- and the raw brutality of a violent conflict between the noble and the ignoble. To its credit the film raises important questions for people of every age: Do educated, civilized and god-fearing people have a right, or even a duty, to enlighten the uninitiated? Or is it better to heed the words of poet Thomas Gray: "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise"? In the battle scene near the end, perceived heroes and villains alike fall before the fury of bullets and arrows, but it is the innocent native children caught in the crossfire who command the audience's attention. Joffé does quite well in this scene -- and leaves filmgoers with something of substance to think about.