The Missionary

The Missionary
American theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Loncraine
Produced by	George Harrison Denis O'Brien Michael Palin Neville C. Thompson
Written by	Michael Palin
Starring	Michael Palin Maggie Smith Trevor Howard Denholm Elliot
Music by	Mike Moran
Cinematography	Peter Hannan
Editing by	Paul Green
Distributed by	Handmade Films Ltd. (UK) Columbia Pictures (US)
Release dates	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

External links

• The Missionary at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• The Missionary at allmovie
• The Missionary at the Internet Movie Database
• The Missionary at the British Comedy Guide