The Missionary
| The Missionary | |
|---|---|
 American theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Loncraine |
| Written by | Michael Palin |
| Produced by | George Harrison Denis O'Brien Michael Palin Neville C. Thompson |
| Starring | Michael Palin Maggie Smith Trevor Howard Denholm Elliot |
| Cinematography | Peter Hannan |
| Edited by | Paul Green |
| Music by | Mike Moran |
| Distributed by | Handmade Films Ltd. (UK) Columbia Pictures (US) |
Release date | 2 November 1982 |
Running time | 90 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤2 million[1] |
| Box office | $7,241,180[2] |
The Missionary is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Richard Loncraine, produced by George Harrison, Denis O'Brian, Michael Palin (also the film's writer and co-producer) and Neville C. Thompson.
Plot
Palin stars as the Rev. Charles Fortescue a missionary returning from Africa after a ten year religious mission. He is to wed his sweetheart who refuses to be touched. Denholm Elliott as The Bishop of London gives him a new job to "minister" to the women of the night who frequent the East End. Maggie Smith plays Lady Ames who funds the new assignment, but only on the condition that Reverend Fortescue share her bed. Fortescue then has numerous escapades and sex-scapades as he blunders his way through the back street of the capital. Eventually his lifestyle results in him being defrocked by the Church on charges of immorality.
Cast
- Michael Palin as The Reverend Charles Fortescue
- Maggie Smith as Lady Isabel Ames
- Trevor Howard as Lord Henry Ames
- Denholm Elliott as The Bishop
- Michael Hordern as Slatterthwaite/Narrator
- Graham Crowden as The Reverend Fitzbanks
- David Suchet as Corbett
- Phoebe Nicholls as Deborah Fitzbanks
- Roland Culver as Lord Fermleigh
- Rosamund Greenwood as Lady Fermleigh
- Timothy Spall as Parswell
- Neil Innes as Singer in Gin Palace
See also
- Rev. Harold Davidson, the "Prostitutes' Padre" whose attempts to rescue young girls from vice got him defrocked by the Church of England in 1932.
References
- ^ Robert Sellers, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: The Inside Story of HandMade Films, Metro 2003, pp. 111-120
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=missionary.htm
External links
- The Missionary at the BFI's Screenonline
- The Missionary at AllMovie
- The Missionary at IMDb
- The Missionary at British Comedy Guide
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