Directed by Academy Award nominated Argentinian-Brazilian writer-director Hector Babenco and co-written by a longtime Luis Buñuel collaborator Jean Claude Carriere this is a breathtakingly beautiful, masterfully directed film, that features a story of two protestant missionary couples from a small town in U.S. that come to Amazonia with an intent to preach to the wild Indians of the area and an American pilot, wonderfully played by Tom Berenger, who feels atracted to the way of life of the Indians and joins and lives with them. Following the life of it´s protagonists in Amazonian forest, the film explores many subjects, such as: religious fanaticism and intolerance, ecology, destructive external influence on an unique Indian culture and, of cause, lust and greed. It´s slowly paced and has a duration of over 3 hours but it never became boring, at least for me. I was surprised to find that this film has an average rating of only 6.3 here on IMDB. It certainly deserves much more. 8/10
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IlyaMauter4 April 2003
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rosinaskinner-119 September 2002I'm watching it for the third time on TV. I'm glad there are no commercials [with a film of this length it helps to have no interruptions; the narrative is also much easier to follow].
It's true that it is not a feel-good movie; but it is profound, illuminating, and with humorous moments. It seems immensely true to human nature in the ways I know it--interpersonal, native & religious. Some characters are a bit too stereotyped, but how long would the movie be if they were drawn more slowly?
A comparison: I couldn't watch the movie "The Mission" three times. To me that seemed only painful.
The only nudity I had a problem with was Daryl Hannah's--it seemed a bit gratuitous.
Great acting in many quarters. The Indians were superb. I liked Tom Berenger better than in any other of his movies. I liked the use of the setting, the camera work, the editing, the soundtrack...
I want the DVD! -
arthur_tafero17 July 2019Tom Berenger does his second best work here (after Platoon). Kathy Bates is very good, as is Aidan Quinn and John Lithgow. The Shikste is good as well. The production values are first-rate and the script is well-crafted. Even the unwieldy length of the film (over three hours) is not that noticeable. It is a quite beautiful film in many ways, as well as tragic in some ways. Who are the real savages? The natives or the civilizers? Berenger's character is the most interesting of the lot. An American Indian who tries to get back in touch with his roots. The film is well-worth sitting through three hours. I particularly liked the scene where Kathy Bates goes off the deep end. This version of modern-day christians trying to civilize the Amazon people is pretty much a follow-up of The Mission, made six years before with Robert DiNero and Jeremy Irons. That film had better music, but this film has better character development. Both films are well worth your time, as I am sure my former brother in law, who was a missionary in Africa, has seen at least one, if not both, of these films.
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mrncat18 October 2000The length of this movie is possibly a detriment, however it is worth the time in most respects. One of the main issues explored is age-old in terms of how religion is brought to people that the civilized world sometimes arrogantly considers are "savages." Another issue is the finding of one's own identity. The main characters in the story, mostly missionaries from the United States, seem to each represent various perspectives and viewpoints that people can bring to living in another place and culture, in this story it is the Amazon and the Indians that live there. The acting was good -- not great great -- but good enough that you believed the character's various dilemnas. Adian Quinn did quite well in his role as he struggled with trying to understand the minds of the Indians and their concept of a god and blending this with his own Christian perspective. Tom Berenger's role was more complex and his acting was subdued. The other actors such as Darryl Hannah and John Lithgow had somewhat difficult parts that were handled competently. Kathy Bates, as always, added flavor as did Tom Waits.
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Critick23 August 2012I really really enjoyed this film. I had to watch it more than once to really understand the subtext of what was going on (its biggest weakness was its incoherence). I can't even begin to explain EVERYTHING going on in this movie. Watch it yourself.
Essentially the film revolves around 2 families of evangelical missionaries trying to "passivise" a tribe of Indians in the Amazon by converting them to Christianity. The Catholics had tried unsuccessfully to convert them and it had resulted in their deaths. The reason they have to be converted is their land is valuable and the people want them to leave it.
I felt that (Kathy Bates) as Hazel Quarrier was absolutely mind-blowing in her role as a fearful fundamentalist who suffers destructive self-hatred. Her agony and her unhappy marriage to her husband Martin Quarrier played by (Aidan Quinn). She feels that she is too ugly for him and that he is in love with another man's wife.
I didn't really like Aidan Quinn in this role. I felt there would have been better choices for casting. He doesn't really convey his shaken faith or his sorrow when his son unexpectedly dies from Blackwater Fever. It just wasn't buying it. He did have some good scenes but none of them really felt like they belonged in the film. The tone didn't match very well.
The Huben's played respectively by (John Lithgow) and (Daryl Hannah). I was surprised at well Daryl Hannah acted. I think she was more subtle than Aidan Quinn was. John Lithgow was okay. Normally I am a huge fan of his. I have seen him on Broadway a few times and I have really liked nearly everything he's done. I wasn't a huge fan of this performance - he seemed to be phoning it in. Then there are times when he just was like its too hot and I don't give a $hizz.
Then there is (Tom Berenger) who I think was the real star of the film. He was Luis Moon the half-Indian who goes the village of the natives to try to repel the invasion. His journey there was the most interesting sub-plot of the film and was not given enough screen time. But that leads me to the biggest problem with the film.
The screen play is littered with half-formed subplots, unnecessary characters, and incoherence. The screen play doesn't seem to know what it wants to do or be. Is it a love story? Is it a story about exploitation? Its is a story about relationships and loss? We don't know most of the time because it bounces around so much.
The multi-thread approach works as long as all the threads come together at the climax. But it doesn't all quite happen. But I still enjoy it despite its flaws. The cinematography was amazing. The best part for me was the soundtrack. It was perfect. -
bornilon22 August 1999In "At Play in the Fields of the Lord", the remarkable Hector Babenco (Pixote, Kiss of the Spider Woman) paints a portrait of disillusion and despair on a canvas of sun-dappled green.
This is no mere tract on the consequences of cultural imperialism, but an examination of the myriad ways in which human folly, ignorance and arrogance (with an assist from the heedless juggernaut of Nature) conspire to overcome idealism, innocence, and the fragile constructs of civilization. This is not a "feel-good" flick, but it is a powerful and affecting one.
The actors involved--including Tom Berenger, Aidann Quinn, John Lithgow and Daryl Hannah (!)--all give intelligent and well-modulated performances. And, once again, the astonishing Kathy Bates blows everyone else away with her wrenching turn as Quinn's reluctant (and ultimately devastated) wife.
The film is long, dark and stubbornly pessimistic-- but also visually lush and emotionally cathartic; ultimately, the viewer will find it unforgettable. -
macpherr4 January 2000This is a thought provoking story of missionaries in the Amazon jungle trying to "civilize" a wild tribe before the local authorities exterminate them, either pacify them by making them Christians or we will kill them. I found it to be very, very believable. There should be no missionaries going abroad such as Hazel, who refused to learn Portuguese because she thought it was a "Catholic language". Where she came up with that concept is really beyond me. What is wrong with being Catholic? Denominationalism does not add anything to Christianity, it just divides people. The raw reality of the movie annoyed me when I first watched it, but since we have the tape and have watched it a few times, I came to the realization that the reason it annoyed me was because it depicted the attitude of superiority that many missionaries and those who call themselves Christians carry. I somehow think that in the midst of their attitude of judgmentalism, stubborness, and their inability to listen to the truth they have missed Christianity in its entirety. They have become too legalistic and keep finding reasons to excuse their own poor behavior, not to say their lack of compassion and love. "Leslie Huben" John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun) is indeed an outstanding actor. He is so different in this part than he is in 3rd Rock part. I thought that Leslie used all his Bible knowledge to judge others, except himself. He thought he was indeed better than everybody else.
Tom Berenger (Platoon) "Lewis Moon" is a very confused Cheyenne. He was the product of a Christian Mission and was being used as an example by being the first Cheyenne to go to college. He later rebeled against this and eventually became a mercenary. His one goal was to find real wild Indians. Once he found the Niaruna, they thought he was a god and adopted him. He accidently gave the tribe Influenza at the same time he was trying to unite the various tribes in the area to drive the white man away.
The other Protestants, thinking themselves better than the Catholics, "the Opposition", were trying to make the Indians "rice Christians" by infecting them with a taste for beads and machetes to get them to listen to the Gospel. I fail to see how making people materialistic will transform their hearts.
"Andy Huben" Daryl Hannah is one my favorite characters in the movie. She is sincere in her beliefs and has more compassion than all of them together. The other character that has redeeming values is "Martin Quarrier" Aidan Quinn (Practical Magic), who was more of an anthropologist than a missionary and eventually lost his life trying to help the Indians.
The missionary with a largest heart and mission was the little boy, Billy, who accepted the Indians for what they were and had no bias at all. We all have much to learn from the little children.
I recommend this movie to everybody because it depicts many topics really well. I especially recommend it for Christians and even more so for the fundamentalists because it is a slap in their face by showing them how stupid they can be. And by the way, what does God and Christ have anything to do with that!!!!??? I was just wondering!
Favorite Quotes: Moon: "Do you have faith in the Lord? Did you earn your faith or were you stuffed with it like a big turkey?"; "If the Lord made the Indians the way they are why are you trying to change them." Martin Quarrier: "I am calling you coward!" Moon: "You will get tired of it after awhile." -
rwmacevoy23 December 2007I purchased the video of this film after it passed through the theatres so fast I was unable to see it. I had read and reread Peter Matthiessen's award winning book and still gift it to friends and family. The film remained true to the novel. No film can truly portray in three or even in five hours all the complexities that a good writer can express. This film did however do an exceptional job for the time it had.
Some have said this film is anti Protestant, or just anti missionary. That is just too simplistic and misleading a label for this story. There is far more to digest than those labels could ever suggest. Here is the deliberate forced movement or destruction of a tribe to gain gold mining opportunities. This is happening with local government officials looking the other way ignoring current federal obligations to the native population. There is a built in irony that Moon (Tom Berenger) is part Cheyenne Indian. The current South Dakota reservations came about by our government reneging on deals in order to get access to gold in the Black Hills. The result was an ecological and cultural disaster for the Sioux nation.
This film was as about the symbiosis of culture and environment. Missionaries in Micronesia told the islanders in Yap that taboos on fishing were just superstition. An island bio-system that could once support 10,000 people can now not even support 1, 000. Missionaries tell South American tribes that their occasional drug inspired journeys are pure evil. There are ways these ancient cultural traditions can be kept without any threat to Christian doctrine. Instead, especially for western protestant missionaries, conversion is often more about cultural than religious conversion. This results in the ultimate economic and ecological destruction that follows.
Everyone should see this film, and better yet read the incredible book that inspired it. -
esuzie27 April 2004While the movie brings the jungle to life, the book, written by Peter Matthiessen, brings so much more to the character development in a way that the movie couldn't. The casting for most characters seems right on (especially Tom Waits), but Aidan Quinn seemed an odd choice. I thought he was fantistic in the movie, but the pairing with Kathy Bates brought a different dynamic that took away a bit from their relationship. The movie is worth watching, but the book brings even more to think about while you are reading it and after you are finished. The movie is more eye candy. It's not a poor adaptation. It would have been very difficult to visually illustrate all the character thoughts and motivation.
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The Christian missionary may mean well, but you know what they say about good intentions, and the pathway is clear for certain members of the missionary team who will not only lose their mind but their spirituality when they venture into the Amazon to try to convert the natives. Great things are expected from Hollywood epics, and this one is a mixed bag filled with some excellence but a lot of confusion as far as the theme is concerned and as to what the message really is. There are some incredible performances, of course outstanding photography and a great musical score that is very moving. But fantastic technical elements don't always mean a great film as what's on the page doesn't always seem right on the screen, and mistakes in editing can often lead to a confusing, pondering and disappointing result when the released product makes its way to the public.
The casting is perplexing to say the least when it comes to the particular couples paired together, with Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates as one and John Lithgow and Daryl Hannah as the other. It's obvious as far as temperament that Quinn and Hannah should be together and that Lithgow and Bates seemed a more likely couple. How they each ended up together is certainly a mystery, and I'm not referring to their looks but their own individual personality traits. Yet as the plot develops and the long established traditions and spirituality of the tribe begins to affect the others, they all face mental breakdowns that are horrifying to observe.
Another issue is that the film also focuses on the presence of the American born native Tom Berenger who plunges into the desert out of an abandoned plane (we never hear the crash) and is immediately adopted by the deeply hidden Amazon tribe because of how his own traditions and heritage seem to ooze off of them. Quinn and Bates' son bonds with the young natives, gets sick, which brings out the traditions facing death and a whaling of grief from the natives, something his rather cold mother can't seem to accept. The tragedy destroys her further, with father Quinn already in the process of losing his sanity is taken further into the depths of his own personal hell. The extremism of fellow missionary Lithgow further shows the hypocrisy of this particular branch of missionaries, damning the natives and breaking certain biblical laws at the same time, all in the service of their beliefs which doesn't do justice to the service of God.
The film is long and ponderous, and it seems as others have stated that certain books, plays or subject matters cannot be filmed correctly. There are also moments that seem to be unintentionally funny, and the performances (particularly Bates who is a cross between Constance Ford in "A Summer Place" and Estelle Parsons in "Bonnie and Clyde" and Lithgow, channeling Walter Huston in "Rain") tend to be melodramatic and frantic. I would highly recommend watching "The Mission" for a clearer view of the conflicts of the subject matter, but once you have seen this, it will be impossible to forget. Director Hector Babenco had the right idea, but unfortunately, the result of the completed film takes this into many messy directions. My take on this is that God exists in the middle of the jungle and those who reside there already have the spirituality they need, and that further attempts at saving them can only destroy the misguided and misdirected saviors. -
bkoganbing5 September 2007The time is during the Depression Thirties and some new Protestant missionaries are coming to an area way up in the Amazon headwaters where only 20 years earlier, a former American president named Theodore Roosevelt nearly lost his life exploring some of this very area. With a positive attitude born of faith and a certain smugness because the previous Christian missionaries there, the Roman Catholics have given the place up, the group goes into the jungle. The trip changes all of them and not for the better.
One of the catalysts of change is Tom Berenger who plays a half American Indian pilot/adventurer living in one of the last settlements containing some of civilizations amenities. The Brazilian government wants him to drop some bombs on a tribe called the Niruna who are sitting on some valuable land. Gold is reported there and to a country like Brazil which was still in a frontier stage just like America was in the previous century it can mean jobs and prosperity. Not for the Niruna who are hunters and gatherers from the stone age.
Of course if the missionaries can covert the Niruna and persuade them to go than annihilation won't be necessary. It's why the government is so accommodating to the Protestants. The evangelical team consists of married couples John Lithgow and Darryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates.
Missionaries have played a double edged role when dealing with the non-Christian world. No doubt they are the most insidious of culture destroyers, yet in many cases they've put themselves on the line to prevent some of the worst depravities that civilization brings.
John Lithgow and Aidan Quinn offer two contrasting examples. Lithgow just hasn't a clue as to what's happening here. He just sees a group of converts aching for Christianity. When the natives don't live up to his expectations, he takes it rather personally.
Aidan Quinn is filled with same missionary zeal and he suffers the cruelest loss in the film when his and Bates's child dies of blackwater fever. Yet when the time comes Quinn steps up to the plate and he and Berenger form an unlikely alliance on behalf of the Niruna.
You have to be made of stone to not be emotionally moved by the death of the child. In fact he turns out to be the best missionary tool they have. With his childhood innocence he bonds with the native kids in a way the grownups are incapable of. Too much of civilization's baggage to unload. Maybe the missionaries should have remembered all those gospel verses about little children. They seem to fit here.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is one powerful film. Shot on location in the Amazon headwaters by acclaimed Brazilian director Hector Babenco, it's got a powerful message for today's world, poised on the brink of religious war.
Babenco did the film Pixote a decade earlier which was a view of Brazil from a different angle. This time with gorgeous color photography and some professional actors in his ranks, he's created a masterpiece that ought to be required viewing for policy makers in all parts of the globe -
Elewis119518 April 2008I don't really have a problem if a reviewer, that is, a Siskle or Ebert type wants to give this a bad rating. That's what they are paid for - to find fault in movies.
But everyone I know loved this film, well, maybe loved isn't the best word. It was at times painful, but it was very beautiful and very vivid and one of my favorite films.
I was surprised when I looked for this on Netflix and it wasn't available. With all the junk on DVD, this is a beautifly filled, intense movie with a real story. I don't know why it doesn't have more recognition. -
thinker169123 September 2009Far from the boundaries of the modern world, live a primitive people who have existed naturally for thousands of years undisturbed. However, beginning with the European invasion of the 15th century and continuing unabated to the present, their culture, their tribal beliefs and even their very existence have come under siege. From a healthy population of thousands, they have been wantonly slaughtered and decimated to a handful of survivors. This film is one of a few which has the courage to illuminate the culprits of destruction. The Movie is called " At Play in the Fields of the Lord. " The story is that of Martin and Hazel Quarrier (Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates) and their son Billy (Niilo Kivirinta) who were convinced by Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) and his wife Andy (Daryl Hannah) to move to South America and run a missionary outpost in the Brazlian jungle. Although it's Mr. Huben who's the fervent evangelical and enthusiastic force behind the mission, Martin desires to emulate him despite his inner doubts and misgivings. Into this mix is Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger) a modern Cheyenne originally hired to destroy the indigenous tribesmen, changes his mind and embraces their jungle life. Although warned by Commandante Guzman (Jose Dumont) and resident Catholic priest, Father Xantes (Nelson Xavier) not to expect success, the missionaries insist on forcing the natives to accept religious imposition despite the cost to the established tribes. The notion of change is contrary to the established peoples, but insisted on by the invading missionaries and their soul seeking agenda. Added to their destructive presence are the foreign businesses seeking wealth at the cost of the forest. The movie is a revelation of what is transpiring even now. The destruction of an entire Eco-system, the Rain Forest and the disappearing tribes are at the heart of this movie. Questioning his faith, Martin re-evaluates his decision when his son is stricken and his wife goes insane. The scenery of the pristine jungle and the tribes as well as the top notch acting of the cast is a plus for this incredible film. In the addition, its a prime candidate to become a Classic, despite it's length. ****
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A late adaptation of author-naturalist Peter Mathiessen's 1965 novel about missionaries in South America (Aidan Quinn and John Lithgow), their wives (Kathy Bates and Darryl Hannah, respectively) and their chance encounter with an American Indian (Tom Berenger) who is trying to exorcise the ghosts of his life on the reservation by joining a stone age tribe that the missionaries are trying to convert. This is a remarkable cast for a movie with such intense, personal themes, and each of the actors delivers an excellent performance. Berenger was perhaps an odd choice to play an American Indian, but he does the best that he can with the role.
Mathiessen is one of the great writers of the late twentieth century--an American answer to Graham Greene or Joseph Conrad, perhaps--whose literary canvas is literally almost the entire world. This is an appropriately challenging and demanding interpretation of his always challenging and demanding (though under-appreciated) work. -
filmbay6 July 2008Savagery accelerates. It took European immigrants several centuries to "pacify" - convert, slaughter and segregate - the native populations of North America, but Brazilians have accomplished the same feat in less than 50 years. It is estimated that by the end of the century not a single native in the state of Amazonia will be living under traditional conditions. The issue is almost academic: Thanks to European-introduced diseases, forced relocations and outright genocide, relatively few natives will be around to live under any conditions.
That's the subject of At Play in the Fields of the Lord, adapted from Peter Matthiessen's prescient 1965 novel, and it's an extraordinary one, but Brazilian director Hector Babenco's three-hour, $36-million morality play trivializes it with caricatured performances and crowd-pleasing comedy. Babenco, best known for Pixote and The Kiss of the Spider Woman, has said that Matthiessen's novel was "critical and intense" when dealing with two white missionary couples, the Hubens and the Quarriers, but that the Indians, a fictitious composite tribe called the Niaruna, were "cartoonish." Hence, Babenco has evened the score: in his film, the natives are presented with intensity and the missionaries are cartoons.
Although put into production before Dances With Wolves and Black Robe were released, At Play combines their story lines. The Dances With Wolves scenario is played out by the half-Cheyenne mercenary Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger); hired to bomb the Niaruna, he instead parachutes into their compound and becomes one of their near-naked, idyllically happy number.
Meanwhile, the missionary couples enact a Protestant version of Black Robe. Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) is a ridiculously rigid martinet who dismisses the Catholic Church as "the opposition" and even tries to wrest a statue of the Virgin Mary from the arms of a native convert. His wife Andy (Darryl Hannah) has no personality - she appears to be present to give voyeurs in the audience something nice to look at. But toward the end of the epic, she goes skinny-dipping and then - still starkers as the day she was born - sticks her tongue into the mouth of the now thoroughly native Lewis Moon, who has conveniently popped up to ogle her long-limbed nudity. (In the concupiescent camp sweepstakes, the scene rivals The Blue Lagoon.) The embrace has dire consequences. It gives Moon a minor case of the flu, which he in turn passes along to the Niaruna, who have no immunity to the disease. Talk about kiss of the Spider Woman.
The other couple, Martin (Aidan Quinn) and Hazel Quarrier (Kathy Bates) , have other problems. She is a puritanical hysteric - "Everything here is dirty," she screeches of a town on the border of the wilderness, as if a would-be missionary would expect anything else - who is anxious that her child, Billy (Niilo Kivirinta), retain his Midwestern mores. Her husband, however, is a somewhat sensitive true believer (like the priest in Black Robe) who is anxious to help the natives without harming them. This is the single complex character in the film, so it's no surprise that Quinn gives the single multidimensional performance.
Babenco's attitudes toward Hazel Quarrier, as a character, and toward Kathy Bates, as an actress, are inexcusable - Bates' weight and Hazel's hysteria are callously used for comic relief, even after Hazel undergoes a nervous breakdown brought on by grief. Compared to what Babenco does with her, director Rob Reiner treated Bates as a sacred object in Misery.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is not without rewards. The aerial Amazon vistas, shrouded in mist, are startlingly beautiful; the daily life of the Niaruna is depicted with a glossy, picturesque clarity that brings to mind National Geographic; and the sequences in which the boy Billy goes native are sweetly humorous. But the tribe remains an enigma - we understand far more about the 17th-century native cultures in Black Robe than we do about these contemporary people. With the exception of the inappropriately Christological conclusion (I am being deliberately vague), we are never encouraged to understand the missionaries, only to laugh at, detest and feel superior to them. Surely it's not that simple. Endeavouring to bring salvation, they brought only suffering; there should be a tragic human drama there. Endeavouring to bring insight, At Play in the Fields of the Lord brings only obfuscation; there should have been a great movie there. Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor. -
Tai Fang3 September 2004I fell into this movie, broadcast by Belgian 2, in the scene where the evangelists travel up the river. The cast immediately caught the attention: what are all these actors, who usually don't play adventure type characters, doing in the Amazon?! Then Berenger is shown in a kind of nudity I thought US/Hollywood culture forbade. This absence of hypocrisy combined with quality actors made me sit straight. I had already missed a lot, but there was plenty of great and convincing story telling left. People struggle, try over and over to keep on going when things go wrong. Cultures try to interact but fail in different ways. Several of the main characters die of unexpected but reasonable events. And everything is so well set, framed and timed that it keeps watchable. The scene where Bates, dressed as a native exorcist, dances on her grief over a horrible loss was beautiful. There's MAYBE one scene just a bit artificial, where Hannah has pulled up a leg to hide some of her nudity for The Camera: it contrasts with her subsequent confrontation with Moon where she doesn't show any embarrassment.
The supporting acting by natives (mostly people who had only just adapted 'civilization' and who could still remember village life) is surprisingly good. The native language that was created sounds really well, not like any language I've ever heard, and it is spoken consistently as far as I can hear. The final shot is impressive, and the accompanying music sublimely subtle. I really must see the first 30 minutes some time! -
Years ago, I had heard of this film, but never knew what it was about, until I finally viewed this on cable on night. (I finally gained a copy of it for myself and got to revisit it more often.)
When seeing that it was going to be shown the same night I saw the commercial, I watched it that evening (yes, it was 3 hours and 9 minutes but film length never matters to me, whatever I may watch).
After watching from start to finish I can honestly say, bravo! Bravo for it's fine acting, it's scenery and it's truthful depiction of life as the Native's know it.
Every actor, including the young extras, does a superb job. Cathy Bates' performance was the stuff Oscar wins are made from. She seems incredibly prudent but forceful in trying to bring religion to the tribes people. (It's more like she can't stand their lack of clothing.)
John Lithgow (5 years before 3rd Rock From The Sun) reminds us why he was a movie actor first, before doing a series. This is as far from that as you can get. He really plays it straight here and convincingly & brilliantly so.
In terms of the Christian Missionaries they portray, the film is not saying that "all" missionaries are like this, some actually do good works. This particular group, while having good intentions...really went to South America unprepared.
Prepared with what they wanted to present but not prepared somehow, to deal with the realities of living in this environment and what they can offer in return for these people, aside from Religion and knowing God.
They also encounter a great many things they also were grossly unprpared to deal with or face.
Some folks, I know, have trouble or are uncomfortable with the nudity shown in the film. In this day and age it takes a smart,responsible parent to explain the reasons for this being in the film.
If you want to be honest as you can, the best thing you can say is, "that's just how things are / were, where those tribal people live". Which is factual.
The scenes depict how the young boy in the movie wants to fit in with the other boys (as we all want to fit in with others here at home) in his new jungle home. Since this is their custom there, the boy does this to be "one of them" and not be felt an outcast. The scenes of "simple, non-sexual" nudity, are not shocking and are pertinent to the story told here.
If watched as a family, adults should be ready to explain things younger ones may not understand. That way you can all watch this masterpiece together.
These matters aside , it's a great look at how missionaries would go to countries like these and feel they were saving these people from being 'pagans' and sinners and bringing them closer to God.
What it seems more like is trying to make them more like people in modern civilization, like we here in America know. It also seems during the course of the film, they, the missionaries, pay a price for their lack of understanding...that they didn't need to save them in the first place.
Ten stars from me, I watch this film at least once a year, I feel it never gets old. . (END) -
Rodrigo_Amaro10 February 2012Led by the director of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and starring an amazing cast, this epic of three hours goes to show something that some of us might have seen in another film. Better and shorter than "At Play in the Fields of the Lord", the awarded "The Mission" (1986) presented the conflict between Portuguese and Spanish explorers in the 18th Century for the control of lands in the Brazil-Paraguay areas and in the middle of all that there was the Catholic Church trying to convert the Indians who lived there, trying to save their innocent souls from hell. And there was also the ones who saw in these natives a way to explore their hard work, and many of these natives were killed simply because they refused to be part of this; they had their lifestyle and didn't need to contribute for the so-called progress brought by the white man.
Babenco takes this premise and brings into the 20th Century; so, instead of European nations taking over the land there's corrupt businessmen who want to kill the natives to take their gold and the rubber that's present on the land. Their salvation is on the hands of American missionaries (John Lithgow, Daryl Hannah, Kathy Bates and Aidan Quinn) who are teaching the Catholicism to them; and a former mercenary (Tom Berenger) who is Half-Indian, and he decides to join the natives after being accepted by them as being a god that came out of the sky (after an incident where he jumped from his plane using a parachute).
And do you think those missionaries learned the lesson about letting the Indians preserve their own culture instead of "planting" new concepts on their heads? Of course not!
What makes this epic different from Roland Joffe's classic is not only the period both stories occur but also that in this film we have time to hear what the Indians have to say about the white man, that aspect was left out in 1986 film which caused some controversial to the film. Here, the tribe that was supposed to be destroyed by Berenger's character is completely opposed to relations with the missionaries, believing they bring diseases to their community (and they're right). However, if giving voice to the Indians was a good aspect that diverged from "The Mission" this film couldn't touch its greatness in terms of quality of the performances and the story, that goes overlong, with too much time to present to us how different the cultures are, that sort of thing made for the audience to relate with the missionary couple (Bates and Quinn) and their son (Niilo Kivirinta) trying to get used to the jungle. Joffé's film is a great History lesson; this one is a pure adventure.
There's a sense that the film tries to please its audience so much but it doesn't work all so well with some spectacular sequences, the good music by Zbigniew Preisner and the stellar cast. The latter only having good performances from Tom Waits and the always excellent Nelson Xavier who plays a priest who understands better than anyone what happens in this danger zone. The famous stars from this, well, they act too much and you can't trust them while playing those characters. There's times when you see their faces and you'll go "Oh, it's that guy from that other movie!" They simply don't disappear into the character.
I enjoyed this film because of its story and its message of learn to respect other cultures that aren't evolved like ours. Not to mention that even in its three hours the movie never gets boring, never gets uninteresting and actually goes quite fast.
Problematic, flawed and not much full or rich in its content, "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" even with all these troubles, manages to be a visually beautiful film that deserves some recognition. Watch it more for its entertainment purposes than for its political and artistic contexts. 9/10 -
smatysia25 August 2011This film is really the story of individual religion and one man's loss of faith. True, there is a lot of other stuff going on, too. You've got your contact with the indigenous people, and the inevitable parable of disease, as if such peoples never suffered from epidemics before. You've got the Protestant/Catholic deal going on. Even more subplots than this. But at its core it is about the Aiden Quinn character and his conflict with himself. As usual for Hollywood (yes, I know that Babenco is Brazilian)the film basically mocks religion, and portrays characters of faith as, well, not the best people.
The photography of the awe-inspiring Amazon region is outstanding. All of the principal actors were quite good. I suppose that Tom Berenger's character is only part Indian, which is the excuse for his pale eyes. I remember Chuck Conners playing Geronimo with blazing blue eyes in the Fifties...
Anyway, if you have 3 hours to spare, there are worse ways to spend it. -
guisreis14 November 2021Awesome movie, Babenco's masterpiece with international star such as Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn, and Brazilian great actors such as José Dumont and Stênio Garcia, filmed in Amazon Forest. The film is long but every part worth and engages. All characters are deeply developped and layered, cinematography is gorgeous, script is excellent, and the story is very important. It is a film to enjoy and, afterwards, keep thinking about it. Who is right, who is wrong? What is to be loyal and faithful? Can people become better? Culture, religion, land, everything is presented as complex as they are. The movie is powerful, beautiful and rich of elements and details. It is one of the best films I have watched and I honestly do not understand how I could take 30 years to watch it!
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mikequinlan6118 September 2013If you read the bad reviews here, evidently backed up by a groundswell of poor ratings, you will see that the complaints about this film are basically limited to a certain distress over a less than glowing portrayal of evangelical missionaries (oh my!) and shock at the full frontal nudity of little boys (not to mention Tom Berenger). If you find this sort of thing troubling, then you should skip this powerful, well made, brilliantly acted and directed film about cultural terrorism.
Berenger, Quinn, Hannah, Lithgow and Kathy Bates (another OMG nude scene) are riveting and little is spared in presenting this highly charged condemnation of arrogance and meddling in the name of religion.
Open your mind and dig it! Great film. -
StrayFeral15 September 2015This is not your typical adventure movie. This is a marvelous drama about culture clash - the clash of civilization and nature. I will not spent time to describe everything here, because words are really not enough. Despite not being popular, this movie is among my favorites and a must-see I could say. Very very good story, amazing views, especially the aerial ones, wonderful music and great acting.
Speaking of acting, everybody love Tom Berenger and Daryl Hannah, but I must give credit also to Aidan Quinn and especially Kathy Bates, whose acting in this movie I like the most.
I am not aware who are the people playing the native tribes, but they deserve a great credit for good acting too.
This movie is greatly underrated, so do not consider IMDb or another score and just go and see it. -
cd-1107 March 2008I think this movie is one of the most incredibly un-noticed movies I've ever seen. It has some awesomely spectacular cinematic scenes, a great 'play' and dialogue script. Emotionally driven and wonderfully shot, taking you into the minds of the ensemble of characters, yet leaving you hanging on the edge of insanity. Tom Berenger is a perfect cast as Lewis Moon. All the principle cast; John Lithgow as Leslie Huben, puts in the usual stellar performance one would expect from Lithgow. Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates just are the roles they portray as Martin Quarrier and Hazel Quarrier, Tom Waits as Wolf is just another piece of master casting and even Daryl Hannah as Andy Huben is convincing in this particular role, who knows, perhaps she can act. Essentially it is just an all round marvelous piece of stimulating and provocative entertainment film making. Why this movie is not well known and why it is so hard to get hold of is beyond me.
From One Movie Maker to another; Congratulations Hector Babenco and Jean-Claude Carriere and their brilliant cast ensemble. -
Pink-1016 February 1999This film is a must see for who wants to see the Amazon the way it is...
The people of this land has its own culture. We could observe, we could study, but never change it. They are people like us, but they don't think like us. The film is quite realistic in showing the way of life of the Amazon's man. -
Freethinker_Atheist3 February 2022One of the best movies to show the madness that religion is, but especially the evil that evangelization is. Catholics and Protestants combat each other for the right to destroy the culture of indigenous people, while the Protestants are, by far, the worst. As of 2022, the Brazilian Taliban-like Christian fundamentalist "government" of Jair Bolsonaro is trying all it can to achieve just that.