they say god has left them, has deserted them. has he?
thank you bob for the recommendation!! i wish i had watched this while i was actively writing a story set in this time period and setting... but all's well that ends well
this has a great premise and a really bad execution. the interesting story here is about mendoza and his relationship to god and father gabriel (there was something fishy going on between them... 🤨🏳️🌈), but the focus of the film wildly veers from mendoza through almost the entire second act — which is weird, right? the MOST interesting story here is about the native americans that every character claims to be trying to protect... but they're props at worst and prototypical noble savages at best — when they get to speak! i think coming at this from a specifically native american perspective would have made a much more interesting experience overall and actually captured what they were going for.
and about that mission! i was expecting this to at least somewhat critically engage with the intersection between religion and imperialism, even if it comes away pro-church in the end, but wow if this doesn't just completely paint these men as martyrs. like yes okay conversion is marginally better than actual slavery but the film seems completely unaware of and/or unwilling to address the real consequences of these missionary efforts on native american culture (and destruction thereof). these pious little jesuits are not innocent of this destruction!! not even liam neeson!!
all that to say that this is not a poorly made or bad film at all... i just wish it had been more. going to a white person's house [photo of jeremy irons whipping out his oboe in the middle of the amazon]
they say god has left them, has deserted them. has he?
thank you bob for the recommendation!! i wish i had watched this while i was actively writing a story set in this time period and setting... but all's well that ends well
this has a great premise and a really bad execution. the interesting story here is about mendoza and his relationship to god and father gabriel (there was something fishy going on between them... 🤨🏳️🌈), but the focus of the film wildly veers from mendoza through almost the entire second act — which is weird, right? the MOST interesting story here is about the native americans that every character claims to be trying to protect... but they're props at worst and prototypical noble savages at best — when they get to speak! i think coming at this from a specifically native american perspective would have made a much more interesting experience overall and actually captured what they were going for.
and about that mission! i was expecting this to at least somewhat critically engage with the intersection between religion and imperialism, even if it comes away pro-church in the end, but wow if this doesn't just completely paint these men as martyrs. like yes okay conversion is marginally better than actual slavery but the film seems completely unaware of and/or unwilling to address the real consequences of these missionary efforts on native american culture (and destruction thereof). these pious little jesuits are not innocent of this destruction!! not even liam neeson!!
all that to say that this is not a poorly made or bad film at all... i just wish it had been more. going to a white person's house [photo of jeremy irons whipping out his oboe in the middle of the amazon]
