The Mission (1986) on Netflix

PG19862h 5mAdventure Drama History

Father Gabriel, a Jesuit priest, gains the trust of the Guaraní above Iguazu Falls and builds a mission among them. Captain Rodrigo Mendoza, a mercenary and slave trader, does penance there.

Netflix3.7/5
IMDb7.4/1070,412 votes
Rotten Tomatoes66%

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Plot summary

In the 1750s, Father Gabriel, a Jesuit priest, travels into the South American wilderness above Iguazu Falls to bring Christianity to the Guaraní. Another priest who went ahead of him is killed at the falls. Father Gabriel plays his oboe there, and the Guaraní who hear the music lead him to their village. Captain Rodrigo Mendoza, a mercenary and slave trader, is a guest of the Spanish governor Don Cabeza. Father Gabriel challenges him to do penance, and Mendoza accompanies the Jesuits to the mission.

Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Mission (1986)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

Bodyguards had to be hired to protect Robert De Niro because the Medellín Cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, had threatened to kill any Americans found in Colombia, in retaliation for the Drug Enforcement Administration's cracking down on drug traffickers.
In the 1970s producer Fernando Ghia had the idea for a film about the Jesuits in South America set around Iguazu Falls, inspired by Fritz Hochwälder's play The Holy Experiment. He commissioned a script from Robert Bolt, paid for by Paramount, finished in 1976 as Guarani, but Paramount declined to make it.
Goldcrest Films invested £15,130,000 in the film and received £12,250,000 in returns, a £2,880,000 loss that contributed to the dissolution of Goldcrest.
The film premiered in competition at the 39th Cannes Film Festival, winning the Palme d'Or, and at the 59th Academy Awards it was nominated for seven awards including Best Picture and Best Director, winning for Best Cinematography.
As compensation for the land, Spain promised each mission 4,000 pesos, fewer than 1 peso for each of the approximately 30,000 Guaraní of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock and buildings were estimated to be worth 7 to 16 million pesos.
The film has been cited as one of the greatest religious films of all time, appearing in the Vatican film list's Religion section and being number one on the Church Times's Top 50 Religious Films list.