screenshots / The Mission / 1986 Goldcrest Films

"The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness hath not overcome it."

A man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons) unite to protect a South American Indian tribe from brutal subjugation by 18th-century colonial empires.

The film is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 which resulted in the Guaraní War of 1756, also called the War of the Seven Reductions.

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Roland Joffé), winning for Best Cinematography (Chris Menges).

The cast included Aidan Quinn who later starred as the title character in Crusoe (1989), based on the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Actor Bercelio Moya (credited as Indian Boy) later appeared in the role of Utapan in 1492: The Conquest of Paradise (1992).

Many of the Guaraní people were portrayed by indigenous South Americans who spoke little or no English.

Filming locations in South America include Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.