The Mission (1986) – Filming Locations
Adventure / Drama / Action / History · Directed by Roland Joffé · Starring Robert De Niro, Cherie Lunghi
When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.
Where was The Mission filmed?
- Iguazu Falls, Argentina, Misiones Province – Opening sequence where Father Gabriel plays oboe on a rock surrounded by the thundering waterfall. The spectacular natural wonder serves as the film's iconic opening, establishing the remote beauty and danger of the Jesuit mission territory in South America
- Misiones Province, Argentina, Misiones – The abandoned Jesuit mission compound where Father Gabriel establishes his mission among the Guaraní people. An actual 17th-century Jesuit mission ruin provided the authentic setting for the heart of the narrative, lending historical credibility to the story of missionary work
- Rome, Italy, Rome – Cardinal scenes and diplomatic negotiations regarding the mission's fate, filmed within Vatican environs. The Vatican and Roman locations provide the contrasting European power center where ecclesiastical and political decisions about the South American mission are made
- Mantua, Italy, Mantua – European court and palace scenes representing 18th-century Portuguese nobility. Historic Italian Renaissance locations were used to depict the Portuguese royal court and nobility involved in colonial affairs
- Machu Picchu region, Peru, Cusco Region – Mountain terrain and high-altitude sequences depicting the treacherous landscape of colonial South America. The dramatic Andean highlands provide authentic geography for the perilous journey and isolation of the Jesuit mission territory