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At Play in the Fields of the Lord

Play trailer Poster for At Play in the Fields of the Lord R 1991 3h 7m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In the early 1960s, missionary Martin Quarrier (Aidan Quinn) arrives in Brazil with his wife, Hazel (Kathy Bates), and their son, Billy (Niilo Kivirinta), to convert the Niaruna people. Martin's efforts to help the natives go against the advice of Rev. Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) and upset Hazel, who fears the tribe. Meanwhile, white-educated Native American Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger), sent to convince the Niaruna to move away to make room for gold mining, is adopted by the tribe as a god.

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times These messages are buried in the very fabric of the film, in the way it was shot, in its use of locations, and we are not told them, we absorb them. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant Well over three hours in length, and at best a masterpiece manque, At Play in the Fields of the Lord obviously will not enjoy a 20-week run. For all of its flaws, however, the passion and devotion of Hector Babenco's film comes through. Jun 4, 2018 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 4/5 Feb 23, 2008 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 1/5 Jun 19, 2005 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice A thought-provoking film about cultural conflict, power, progress, and the dire consequences of messianic thinking. Jul 12, 2003 Full Review Jeffrey Westhoff Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) Some books should remain books. Rated: 2/5 Aug 30, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Richard W Absolutely fantastic ,great cast ,great acting ,good storyline,awesome sets ,cinematography was perfect ,a true epic ,worth 5 stars in my book Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/01/25 Full Review Steve D The strong cast can't do anything with this terrible material. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member When will this be available on Blu Ray and VOD? Saw this in the theatres when it first came out, and I loved the book. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member paradise parade, This was an excellent film that explored varying western approaches and haphazard attempts to deal with pre-civilized tribes. It was fascinating watching self-possessed evangelical missionaries embark in an insane endeavour to convert natives only to go wildly insane themselves. This juxtaposed by one man's equally insane attempt to assimilate. The vivid splendour of the landscape and the film lures us into a dark nightmare. Beautifully shot. A naked Kathy Bates in a delirious jungle dance. Darryl Hannah in the buff. Stoic Catholic priests who gave up the cause long ago. Utopian primitivism. Excellent soundtrack. Tom Waits. 9.9/10. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Though lavishly mounted & well casted, 'Fields' is simply overlong and unfocused. By trying to have two main stories (a Native American who returns to his roots & a group of missionaries' endeavours to convert locals), the film never fully fleshes either out and brings the pacing down, as well as misuse its large runtime. A shame too, as the performances are all around good (special points to Berenger & Quinn), helped by the gorgeous jungle visuals and moving score. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Intense movie that dares to question the ethics and morals of mission work. The scenery is also beautiful. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
At Play in the Fields of the Lord

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Cast & Crew

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Hector Babenco

Director

Tom Berenger

Lewis Moon

Aidan Quinn

Martin Quarrier

Kathy Bates

Hazel Quarrier

John Lithgow

Leslie Huben

Daryl Hannah

Andy Huben
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At Play in the Fields of the Lord

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In the early 1960s, missionary Martin Quarrier (Aidan Quinn) arrives in Brazil with his wife, Hazel (Kathy Bates), and their son, Billy (Niilo Kivirinta), to convert the Niaruna people. Martin's efforts to help the natives go against the advice of Rev. Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) and upset Hazel, who fears the tribe. Meanwhile, white-educated Native American Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger), sent to convince the Niaruna to move away to make room for gold mining, is adopted by the tribe as a god.
Director
Hector Babenco
Producer
Saul Zaentz
Screenwriter
Jean-Claude Carrière, Hector Babenco
Rating
R
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 20, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.3M
Runtime
3h 7m
Sound Mix
Surround