Jesuit missionaries build a beautiful mission on the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, and they teach the Guarani Indians church music and modern agricultural techniques. They also have to fight off slave traders. One such trader, played by Robert De Niro, has a religious conversion and decides to join the Jesuits. All goes idyllically until officials arrive from Europe announcing that Spain has yielded its land to Portugal, which still practices slavery on Indians. When the Guarani threaten to resist, the church orders the mission shut down. De Niro the priest has yet another conversion and trades in his collar for a rifle to fight off the European soldiers. This is a gorgeous film with breathtaking cinematography. The Guarani Indians are played by the Waunani natives of Colombia. The Special Edition DVD has a commentary by director Roland Joffe and a very good one-hour documentary on the making of the film. -Review by the Native American Films Organization