Film:
The Missionary
 Year: 1982
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Country: UK Genre: Comedy |
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Director:
Richard Loncraine |
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Starring:
Michael
Palin, Maggie Smith, Trevor Howard, Denholm Elliott, Michael
Hordern |
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No trailer Available |
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The Missionary Synopsis - The Missionary is set in the early 1900's, and centres around the character of Rev. Charles Fortesque. After spending some years as an Anglican missionary in Africa, he returns to England, where, against his wishes, he is given the task ministering to the spiritual welfare and needs of London's prostitutes in a slum mission. As he gets to know the women better he gradually allows himself to administer to more than their spiritual needs. In order to fund the mission he approaches the wealthy Lady Ames, who makes it clear to him that there for the money he will have to minister to her as well. |
| Review of The Missionary - Another superb film coming out of the Handmade Films stable (Life Of Brian, Withnail etc). The Missionary is much more Palin in his Ripping Yarns stylee than his Monty Python stylee. It holds together rather well despite its rather ridiculous conceit (that the prostitutes are prostitutes because they enjoy it!). The cast is superb - Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Trevor Howard, Michael Hordern and Michael Palin himself, and thankfully the excellent script holds up well with the superb acting. Its humour is not played for belly laughs and works much better for a more subtle approach. Part of the cast (Smith, Palin and Elliott) were reunited again shortly after for the higher profile movie "A Private Function" where Palin and Smiths undeniable an unconventional on-screen chemistry was again in evidence. |
| The reasons I recommend The Missionary are: 1. A fantastic ensemble cast. 2. A fantastic amusing script. |
