“The Mission”,

Watch “The Mission”, (will provide a link if needed) and write a response paper.

1. The primary sources for this week and The Mission both discuss the destruction of the Americas after the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese during the early years of colonialism. What were the major rifts between the priests and the imperial administrators and settlers?
2. The film employed indigenous actors (the Onanís of Colombia) in the film, but what roles do the indigenous peoples actually play in the film?
3. In other words, for the most part this film focuses on elite struggles. How would the film have been different if told from the prospective of the Guaraní?
4. The Mission portrays Guaraní life in the missions as idyllic, but we know this is a distortion of history. Why did the filmmakers represent life in the mission as peaceful?
5. Overall, how would you rate this film as an historical source?