Just watched a fascinating movie on BRAVO: "At Play in
the Fields of the Lord," which reminded me of my worst
prejudices against the activities of missionaries among primitive
peoples. The movie was directed by the outstanding Brazilian
director Hector Babenco and the cast included Tom Berenger, Aidan
Quinn (who more than ever reminded me uncannily of Montgomery
Clift both in appearance and style), Kathy Bates as his ignorant
and obnoxious wife, John Lithgow as the heavy who led the ill-fated
mission deep into the Amazon, and last, but not least, the
beauteous Daryl Hanna as Lithgow's restless wife. According to my
trusty movie guide, the film was based on a novel of the same
name by Peter Mathiesson. The one fault I found with the movie
was that it observed the old National Geographic rule: aboriginal
nudity is okay but not that of civilized folk like Daryl Hannah.
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