| | | Special Edition 2 Disc Set
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Spanish, Subtitled
Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) was a violent soldier-for-hire in 1750s South America. Now he is a man of peace serving the Rain Forest Indians he once enslaved. But armies of Spain and Portugal threaten the lifestyle and safety of the native peoples. Now Rodrigo may have to pick up his sword and musket once again. From the producer of Chariots of Fire and the director of The Killing Fields comes a powerful epic co-starring Jeremy Irons and graced with dazzling Academy Award-winning cinematography, set to a memorable music score and scripted by the Oscar-winning screenwriter of A Man for All Seasons and Doctor Zhivago.
"A sweeping spectacle." Newsweek
Editor's Note
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 Joffé'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.
Plot Summary
In Roland Joffé's THE MISSION, a swordsman and a priest, both Jesuit missionaries, defy the colonial forces of Spain and Portugal to save an Indian tribe in 18th-century South America.
| Features | Theatrical Trailer | | Audio: English Dolby 5.1; French Dolby Stereo | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Director Commentary | | Making of The Mission - A Gripping Hour-Long Documentary Look At The Film's On-Location Shoot In Argentina And Colombia. | | Cast/Director/Writer Film Highlights | | Widescreen Version | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 5/13/2003 |
| Running Time: 125 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1986 | | Catalog ID: 23497 | | UPC: 00085392349722 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1987) |  | Chris Menges, Winner, Best Cinematography | | | Roland Joffe, Nominee, Best Director | | | Ennio Morricone, Nominee, Best Music, Original Score | | | Fernando Ghia, David Puttnam, Nominee, Best Picture | |
Golden Globe (1987) | | Ennio Morricone, Winner, Best Music, Original Score | | Robert Bolt, Winner, Best Screenplay--Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...Many dazzling sequences....Joffé is well in command of his emotional commitments..." 09/01/1986 p.285-6Variety
"...Spectacular scenery and an extraordinary high degree of production values....Director Joffe has come up with some stunning scenes..." 05/21/1986 Los Angeles Times
"...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..." 11/15/1986 p.C1 Total Film
"...Earnest in tone, melancholic in mood....If your tear ducts aren't tingling as its credits roll, check your soul..." 07/01/2003 p.130 Hollywood Reporter
"...Ennio Morricone's famous score sounds appropriately mystical and majestic..." 05/13/2003 p.26-63 |
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