The Mission

SYNOPSIS

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but accorded a mixed critical reception, this is a studied, elegant and, ultimately, very moving historical drama set in 18th-century South America. There's no denying the longueurs in Robert Bolt's script, a certain flabbiness in Roland Joffé's direction and a distinctly detached turn from a curiously cast Robert De Niro. However, Jeremy Irons more than makes amends with a performance of great sincerity as the head of a Jesuit mission under threat from the greed of Iberian slavers and the whim of Ray McAnally's cardinal. Chris Menges's Oscar-winning photography is glorious and Ennio Morricone's haunting score sends shivers down the spine.