The Mission

The first thing I noticed about the music in The Mission was its use for setting the time and place. The very first sounds we hear are "native" sounds that are played on either an alto or a bass flute. The sounds are very short and staccato which gave them the exotic, native motif. This helped the audience to understand that the music was based in a remote location most likely in a jungle.

The music throughout the move was very romantic sounding which was possibly used to make the setting seem tranquil. The score also had a lot of sequencing. This was especially noticeable when Rodrigo was trying to climb up the mountain while pulling the armor behind him as his penance. The sequencing was effective because it helped to move the scene forward without distracting from the action. The repetitive notes also helped to emphasize the repetitive actions that were being taken by Rodrigo as he climbed up the mountain and then fell back down a little.

In several emotional scenes, the music seemed to do the talking. When the church was built the was almost no speaking for the montage scene but the music was very uplifting and it was sung in a different language that made it even more effective because it seemed to be sung by the people in the scenes. The song was very triumphant and happy and the effect of the music was more powerful than words could have been.

Overall, the music was very effective when setting the location of the movie and it often helped to enhance the onscreen action. There were times when I felt like the romantic, fully orchestrated music was not relevant to the scene, but my opinion of the music's relevance changed as the film progressed. It was only in the first few scenes that I didn't understand why the music was so concert like and romantic because by the end I came to expect it sense the music represented the innocence and peaceful atmosphere of the mission.