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FILM · 1986 · UK

The Mission

26 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

26 Interesting Facts About The Mission

Interesting Facts (22)

  1. #001

    Most of the actors playing the natives were indigenous South Americans who spoke very little English. They were given the freedom to say whatever lines they wanted. According to a widespread rumor, in a few scenes they curse the storm.

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  2. #002

    Robert De Niro was one of the few people who did not contract amoebic dysentery.

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  3. #003

    Because the Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar threatened to kill all Americans in Colombia in retaliation for the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) crackdown on drug traffickers, bodyguards had to be hired to protect Robert De Niro.

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  4. #004

    Robert De Niro would later say of this film: "I thought it was a really great, meaningful story… The idea of this man changing was very appealing to me. It was a great experience and I loved Roland Joffé. He's a very courageous, good director. Some people thought it was heavy, but I thought it was a great film. I'm biased and I don't usually say that, but I thought it was."

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  5. #005

    The film competed at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, where both the C. S. T. Award (Grand Prix Technique) and the prestigious top prize, the Palme d'Or, were given to director Roland Joffé.

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  6. #006

    It was selected by the Vatican in the "Religion" category of its list of 45 "great films." The film was also number one on the Church Times' list of the Top 50 Religious Films.

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  7. #007

    The elderly priest is sometimes traveling in the background. Father Daniel Berrigan, S. J., is a well-known Jesuit priest and professor, known along with his brother for his work in human rights and social justice. He has one line in the film: "No."

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  8. #008

    The film is based on historical events, but there is little evidence to support the story that the Jesuit missionaries directly disobeyed Cardinal Altamirano's orders and therefore did not stay to fight those who had converted to their religion. It appears the order was rescinded before the genocide the Portuguese wanted.

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  9. #009

    The character of Father Gabriel was generally based on the Jesuit and Paraguayan saint Roque González de Santa Cruz.

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  10. #010

    The film was released 236 years after the events surrounding the 1750 Treaty of Madrid (also known as the Spanish-Portuguese Treaty), by which Spain gave part of Paraguay to Portugal.

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  11. #011

    According to "Variety," the film was shot over 16 weeks, mostly in Colombia and with three weeks at Iguazu Falls. The film was also shot in Argentina.

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  12. #012

    The film's Cannes Film Festival presentation stated: "Mission deals with the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South America within the framework of the conflict between temporal and spiritual power. This film could not have been made without the heartfelt support of members of the Togorama, Burajon, Papayo and Pangala Indian communities in Colombia's Choco province, and especially of the small Guarani community in Iguazu, Argentina."

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  13. #013

    Producer David Puttnam was worried the film would become controversial and ordered the script rewritten in later stages. This was done without Tom Stoppard being listed in the credits.

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  14. #014

    In 2012, Variety, in collaboration with ASCAP and BMI, selected 40 active composers and asked them to rank the top 3 original film scores of all time. The overwhelming number one was Ennio Morricone's score for this film.

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  15. #015

    Ennio Morricone's score for this film ranks 23rd on AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list of the top 25 film scores of all time.

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  16. #016

    Co-producers David Puttnam and Fernando Ghia were said to hate each other. In promotional interviews for the film, Puttnam never mentioned Ghia, though years later, when interviewed by biographer Andrew Yule, he was harsh about him. Screenwriter Robert Bolt defended Ghia (and was also angry about changes made to his script at Puttnam's behest).

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  17. #017

    Many posters for the film carried a long promotional tagline: "Deep in the forests of South America, two men bring civilization to a native tribe. Now, after years of struggle together, they find themselves on opposite sides in a dramatic fight for the natives' independence. One man will trust in the power of prayer. One man will believe in the power of the sword."

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  18. #018

    The film's prologue states: "The historical events in this story are true and took place in 1750 in the border regions of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil."

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  19. #019

    Ricky Tomlinson was offered a significant role, but prior commitments to Brookside (1982) prevented him from accepting.

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  20. #020

    David Puttnam wanted Dirk Bogarde for the film, but Bogarde could not get away and felt he was too old to climb the waterfalls. Bogarde's manager and partner, Anthony Forwood, was also suffering from Parkinson's disease and cancer, and Bogarde could not leave him.

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  21. #021

    Allowing the Portuguese army to climb the cliff was the worst of the possible tactical errors: letting the enemy establish a "beach head" on a position that would normally be easily defended.

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  22. #022

    This is one of several period films Jeremy Irons appeared in early in his career. Others include Nijinsky (1980), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Wild Duck (1983) and Swann in Love (1984).

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #023

    According to the bonus materials on the DVD, the San Carlos Mission was rebuilt and constructed on indigenous land with local materials and labor. Great care was taken to reproduce the designs and construction of the period.

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Career & Awards (3)

  1. #024

    This is Ennio Morricone's favorite among his own film scores. Morricone expressed his disappointment that the film lost the 1987 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score to 'Round Midnight (1986), which also included jazz standards. As of 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requires that nominated original scores be at least 60% original; for sequels and franchise films that minimum rises to 80%.

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  2. #025

    The film was nominated for seven Oscars® in 1987, including Best Picture, but won only one: Best Cinematography, awarded to Chris Menges. He had won the same category two years earlier with The Killing Fields (1984), also directed by Roland Joffé. The film also received Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Music (Original Score), Directing, Film Editing, Costume Design and Art Direction.

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  3. #026

    This was the only Best Picture Oscar® nominee that year with no nomination in any acting category. All the other Best Picture nominees had a nominee in both supporting acting categories.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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