The Mission (1986) is composed by Ennio Morricone and uses music as an integral part of the narrative. At the opening, the soundtrack swoops in with a beautiful, epic orchestral melody that mixes the sounds of the entire film score, from tribal drums to the liturgical choir. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the first sequence, the music played by Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) is very beautiful. Unlike the oboe used for Disney's Peter and the Wolf character Sonia the Duck, whose oboe theme had almost a nasal timbre to emulate a duck's quack, Father Gabriel's tone was soft and mellow. The Guarani are intrigued by his way of playing. They are offensive at first, but become more curious and lower their guard as they inspect the oboe and its music. In the second sequence, Vita Nostra plays as the priests enter the village. This song is surprisingly good, especially the version on the Spotify playlist. As noted in the guide, the drums and flutes resemble a "tribal" sound, and when the sound opens up as the rest of the symphony comes into play, it's very reminiscent of something out of The Prince of Egypt. Both are about a tribe trying to preserve their culture and overcome an oppressive slave society. When Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) refuses to kill the pig, it's an important moment for character development because the audience has seen him kill his brother, but now he's choosing not to kill an animal, so it shows that he's trying. live a more ethical life. The Ave Maria theme is interesting in contrast to the Vita Nostra song due to its Christian origin, while the Vita Nostra theme has a tribal sound. These represent the two societies in the film and how they interact with each other. The third sequence continues to mix the themes together as the Jesuits help the Guarani. It maintains a balance between the tribal sounds of Nostra Vita and the liturgical sounds of the Ave Maria choir, which is similar to how many Guarani have converted to Christianity but are still practicing their tribal culture. Father Gabriel shows the scars on the Guarani's back to demonstrate how he was treated when he was a slave on a plantation instead of working for the community's plantation. When the Chief questions Father Gabriel, he is essentially asking what gives ethical and legal authority to the emissary, which is basically the struggle of the Protestant movement of the time. The fourth sequence is very sad and powerful as all the Guarani and the priests trying to protect them are murdered. It's interesting to see the difference between how Father Gabriel and Mendoza fight the Catholics, with Father Gabriel being a pacifist and walking with the Guarani away from the burning village while being shot without reacting. Meanwhile, Mendoza leads the Guarani warriors in the fight against the armies, managing to kill some oppressors and (temporarily) save other members of the tribe. In any case, it's a losing battle. Both men die and the Guarani who are not killed are presumably taken as slaves. The film does not advocate either pacifism or struggle as if they were better or more effective than the other because both meet the same fate, but shows the differences in thought to open a debate. In an article by Sciannameo, it is made clear that Morricone was fond of this project and very attentive to his musical choices. I mentioned above that the use of the tribal Vita Nostra and the liturgical Ave Maria serve as a musical metaphor for the relationship between the two forces. In the article Sciannameo discusses the use of the Guaranà boy singing the Ave.