The Mission (Morricone)

In The Mission, Morricone opts to forgo orchestral scoring in favor of a few strings, percussion, and woodwind instruments to create an atmosphere more concurrent with the native setting. Brass is used a couple times along with the antagonistic slaveowner. One of the instruments, which appears to be a recorder, ties in with the Jesuits because we see one of them playing it near the beginning of the film in order to win the hearts of the natives. Moreso than in past films, the ambient noises bleed through and often take the place of underscoring. These noises add to the mood better pure than underscoring might. For example, the rushing noise of the river as Rodrigo and some others filch gunpowder from the sleeping Portuguese soldiers is heard well over the faint, low string underscoring. The tension of the scene is obvious, because if the whole camp wakes up, Rodrigo and company will surely be shot to death. The music and ambience changes little even as they silence and stab to death a soldier who wakes up. Despite the continuous mood of the music here, we can clearly tell that the mood has become even more grave, without any stinger or crescendo to help us figure it out.

Morricone repeats "Ave María" throughout the movie, sung at least three times by the natives, always in an effort to convince the colonizers that they're worth protecting. The first time a young native boy sings it in front of the Catholic in charge in Asunción and he is very impressed. The cold-hearted landowners, however, say that even a parrot can be taught to sing. When the Catholic superior visits the Guaraní mission for the first time, he is thoroughly impressed as the whole native population sings Ave María beautifully for him outside their church. However, he sides with the powerful landowners because he thinks it will save the Jesuit order. The natives sing it diagetically once more during their final mass, outdoors, in sharp contrast to the slaughter surrounding them. Only once the soldiers begin shooting the women and children does the singing stop, but the procession continues regardless.