Jeremy Irons plays a Spanish Jesuit who goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region. Robert De Niro plays a slave hunter who is converted and joins the Jesuit in his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.Written by
mattbballman17
Deep in the jungles of South America two men bring civilization to a native tribe. Now, after years of struggle together, they find themselves on opposite sides in a dramatic fight for the natives' independence. One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword.
The movie uses the Spanish honorific "Don" as a translation of the English "Lord" or "Mister", and Cabeza is repeatedly addressed as "Don Cabeza". "Cabeza" is a surname, and "Don" is used only before a first name. The correct Spanish equivalent would be "Señor Cabeza". See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Altamirano:
Your Holiness, the little matter that brought me here to the furthest edge of your light on Earth is now settled. The Indians are once more free to be enslaved by the Spanish and Portuguese settlers. I don't think that's hitting the right note. Begin again... Your Holiness, I write to you in this year of Our Lord 1758 from the southern continent of the Americas, from the town of Asunción, in the Province of La Plata, two weeks march from the great mission of San Miguel. These ...
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Crazy Credits
At the film's very end, after the final credits, Altimarano gives the audience an ambiguous, almost accusing look, as if he were asking it, "Would you or would you not have done this?" See more »
A film as a coffee. Final taste is just important.Mixture of music, script, acting, images, crumbs of story, emotions as huge veil and memories as cinnamon pieces of a cake. It is a great film for the science of director to told a common tale. For the nuances of characters and profound message. For the connections with real facts from a past with color of present. For force of details and lost of Paradise. For the bleak evil and Christianity of goodness seed. For Robert de Niro in the skin of Dostoyevsky character and for Jeremy Irons as apostle for who people are instrument of God. For touching picture of faith as fight and for moral victories of every day. For exposure of pain and peace in a very subtle form, like a manifesto of revolution.
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A film as a coffee. Final taste is just important.Mixture of music, script, acting, images, crumbs of story, emotions as huge veil and memories as cinnamon pieces of a cake. It is a great film for the science of director to told a common tale. For the nuances of characters and profound message. For the connections with real facts from a past with color of present. For force of details and lost of Paradise. For the bleak evil and Christianity of goodness seed. For Robert de Niro in the skin of Dostoyevsky character and for Jeremy Irons as apostle for who people are instrument of God. For touching picture of faith as fight and for moral victories of every day. For exposure of pain and peace in a very subtle form, like a manifesto of revolution.