this exquisitely photograph film portray the cultural clash between european ( in this case the european happen to be french ) and various native tribe in seventeenth century north america without romanticize either french culture or that of the native people . perhaps the most striking feature of this film from my perspective be utter arrogance of the european to come into a wild country presume the superiority of their way of life over that of the indigenous people . no character seem to understand that good than father laforgue and admirably portray by lothaire bluteau . the good father soldier on despite the evidence that his presence in the vast wilderness of north america would not make a whit of difference in his life or in the life of the people he have vow to introduce into paradise . the algonquin guide worry about their attachment to the demon laforgue and wonder whether they shouldn not just kill him . even laforgue young assistant and daniel and wonder how the presence of a french missionary make the the native people live any good . the iroquois and who suffer from a harsh depiction in the film and take a more economically base view of laforgue he and daniel be see by the iroquois a currency to be exchange for gun . an aside concern the iroquois . while the violence depict in the film be no doubt accurate and what the film do not reveal be that the iroquois likely become decidedly more hostile when the french begin to assist old enemy and such a the algonquin and in travel into hunt ground that have previously be iroquois territory . but back to laforgue and whose journey be the primary emphasis of the film . he have journey and apparently from a life of some privilege in france and leave behind a dot mother and ( perhaps ) a beautiful young woman . he have journey away from the pleasure of the flesh and linger on the sight of a couple make love in the communal tipi and later admit to daniel that he and laforgue and lust after the young alogonquin woman and annuka and with whom daniel have already strike up a sexual relationship . he get lose on the journey in the cathedral like forest and rejoices and be find by algonquin hunter and who express some bemusement that the black robe get lose in the first place . finally and he journey to the huron and a village beset by smallpox and where baptism have be sell to the native a a miracle cure as much a it have a key to salvation . by avoid the tendency of film depict native american life to romanticize and bruce beresford have capture more profoundly the daily harsh reality of life for the people inhabit the northeastern portion of north america at the arrival of the first trickling of european . neither way of life be ultimately depict a superior to the other represent each simply be . this be not a feel good film . instead it be a realistic and think provoke tale of a journey of a man and of culture and and of life itself . simply a brilliant film .