Gross Ryder God made missionaries so that they could be 'at play in the fields of the lord', harvesting souls so that they (the missionaries) get confirmed entry into heaven on judgment day. No kidding here – check with any religious authority. The only problem is that just how many souls need to be saved or harvested per missionary? That apart, another problem was that what to do with the savages once they had been saved by having accepted the Lord Jesus as the savior? Here there were two choices – either they could 'serve' the missionaries and their political masters for the rest of their lives, but in case they were not suitable for that purpose, or the land they were living on was required, then the best solution was to kill them, because the perfect logic was that once their souls had been saved, they had no need for their bodies any longer. The important point to note is that they must be saved first and then only must they be killed, otherwise who knows where their souls might escape to, never to be harvested? Again I am not kidding, check the History of the 'conquest of paradise'. The Amazon forests are the last of the 'fields to be harvested', because they are difficult to access. Although systematic cutting of the forests is now well under progress, the speed at which it has been done earlier without machines was quite slow. The basic storyline is that the government hires half Native American pilot Lewis Moon to bomb the wooden settlement of the nearby Niruna tribe so that they run away and the land can be used by the government, as also gold has been found there. There are two missionary couples who want to 'save' the tribal people before they are made to run away by the government. When Moon takes his plane over the settlement, a highly charged and unafraid tribal leader shoots a futile arrow towards him. Shaken by this experience, and with the help of the local drug something snaps inside him and he refuses to drop the bombs over the settlement, dumps his job and goes to live with the Niruna who accept him as some kind of person who has 'power'. Meanwhile the missionaries reach there and try to befriend the Indians by giving them gifts. Moon tries to warn the Indians that they should have nothing to do with the missionaries, and that any kind of contact is going to be fatal for them.But fated it is already, as disease first consumes the son (Billy) of the sincere missionary Martin. Billy has become close friends with the natives, and when he dies, they are also heartbroken and try to figure out who killed him, rather than accept the civilized man's 'fact' that malaria was the cause. Through their religious visions they conclude that Billy was killed by the other missionary Leslie, who flees.Subsequently, disease hits the Indians as they are infected by flu carried by Moon, and they have no immunity against it. The religious leader of the Indians begins to suspect that Moon is a fraud, and Moon feels he is trapped between two extreme world views which cannot be reconciled because there is no common ground between them. One world view is that of civilization grounded in material science as well as organized religion of monotheism, the other world view is of raw nature in harmony and hidden entities as causes or controls, and Moon is in the No Man's Land between the two. The settlement is bombed and destroyed, the Indians flee into the forest, and Moon is confronted by the native religious leader who calls Moon a 'white man' before he dies.Moon is left 'all alone in the world with nothing but folly' (Carlos), the movie ends with him determined to live his life in the forest, all alone if need be. In a very strange way Moon reminds me of a real life character caught in the No Man's Land between organized religion and primordial personal religious experience that makes that individual all alone in the world confronting the monumental follies of man. Kierkegaard roamed the streets of Copenhagen all alone 'at play in the fields of the lord' and his harvest was that of volumes of creative writing that probed the true meaning of religion.

Chris Daniels I 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.

wbagot1 In a sense this movie is the anti "End of the Spear" story, except while End of the Spear is the true story of Christian missionaries and their families turning a tribe away from violence, this is a made up Hollywood depiction showing missionary families as Hollywood believes them to be: boastful, hypocritical, self-deceived, and ultimately inert.I prefer reality.If you want an uplifting story, this isn't it. If you want a story that weighs you down with an overbearing hit over the hammer message that intervention in foreign cultures will only cause harm, and takes over three hours to do so, then this is for you.

happipuppi13 I viewed this on cable 3 years ago when seeing that it was going to be shown the same night I saw the ad. I had heard of this film,briefly,but never knew what it was about. 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. John Lithgow (5 years before 3rd Rock From The Sun) reminds us why he was a movie actor first,before doing a series.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 to any child watching. If your concerns are that great,you should wait until your child is older to see this.If you want to be honest as you can,the best thing you can say is,"that's just how things are where those tribal people live". There's a great difference ladies & gentlemen between what's shown here and straight out child exploitation for devious purposes.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.In my own personal view,anyone who has a problem with "simple,non--sexual" nudity,has no right calling themselves "grown-up".Once again,if you view this with your children,be fully ready to explain things they may not understand. Otherwise,let them grow up a little and then maybe you can all watch this masterpiece together.(END)