An analysis of the film The Mission and it’s depiction of historical Power struggles in Latin American Colonies.

Sofia Meraz

09/26/16

Prof.Guzman         

LATAM

Faith, Capitol and Power

An analysis of the film The Mission and it’s depiction of historical Power struggles in Latin American Colonies.

The Mission (winner of the1986 Golden Palm for Best film award at the Cannes Film Festival) owes its success not only to Robert de Niro’s great acting but also for its portrayal of the complex power dynamics between crown and clergy over The New World. The adamant conviction that Indigenous people had to be converted stripped of their beliefs and made “civilized” by European teaching and culture. Most importantly how religious conversion played a major role in allowing Colonial powers to use force should they be refused, and thus allowed to further pursue their political and economic goals.

The film touches into the complex and sometimes conflicting levels of dominance between the colonial power and the colonized. Focusing mainly on the power of the church, in this case the Jesuit order, and the Indigenous population of the Guarani in South America. The opening scene being a very powerful depiction of the Guarani killing the Jesuit missionary by crucifying him to and pushing him down the waterfall. This establishes the relationship of conflict and turmoil between the church and the Guarani, and it leaves the audience with a hostile image of the indigenous tribe.

The Guarani are later humanized and depicted in a very different light after they encounter another Jesuit Missionary. Gabriel whom approaches the in peace and seeks to create a healing bond with the Guarani. This new relationship shifts the power dynamic and perspective of the tribe, from hostile to individuals trying to keep their identity. The church also changes to a new light as they strive to work with the Guarani to establish their mission and eventually advocate for their freedom when the missions face potential closure due to the new Portuguese rule.         

The film culminates in a series of powerful scene in which the Jesuits attempt to defend the Guarani from the combined militia of Spain and Portugal after the Jesuit church decides to not intervene in the enslavement of the Guarani. Opting to stand against the takeover of the mission and the impending enslavement of the Guarani. The graphic final battle that is almost a massacre of Guarani fighters, women and children (including the Jesuit missionaries that tried defending it) further humanizes the Guarani as well as switches the perspective of the audience to realize that the true subhuman hostiles are the colonizers. Being driven by their greed for power they have made the new world truly savage.

What is so impacting about this film is that the audience can see that there is a rift within the colonizing powers. The missionaries standing with the Guarani and defending their right to freedom against the orders of Cardinal Altamiran, whose decision to abandon the Mission is decided with the means of protecting the church’s standing rather than the well being of the Indigenous population.  The Claim that this decision of two evils was Gods will further highlights the hypocrisy of the church in matters that affected its standing within the hierarchal ladder.

To further understand the hunger for property by colonial powers we must delve further into the initial objective of exploration and eventual colonization. According to Patricia Seed’s Exploration and Conquest, voyages for explorations were very expensive and had to be either self financed or requested from private investors that expected an eventual profit. Thus after Columbus’s discovery of the new world, so was created a new market with new resources to be exploited.

The discovery gold and other precious resources led many colonizing powers to initiate permanent settlements and exploit both the land and the native labor available (Seed 75). In order to maintain the Indigenous population subjugated and cooperative colonizers would employ faith conversion. Seed has a very negative stance on conversion and the role of the clergy in colonization. Which she calls a “perverted” definition of “saving” individuals by providing them with no true alternative between conversion or enslavement. This is a very prevalent theme in the film. A similar situation arises when The Cardinal decides its best for the mission to dissolve regardless of their progress and have the Guarani leave their home and essentially who they are to avoid conflict with Portuguese colonizers. Instructing the Guarani to follow suit, as it is “gods will” fully embodies Seed’s perspective of the Hobson choice that conversion represents.

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