In the Agora: <i>End of the Spear</i> is beautiful, stirring

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January 31, 2006

End of the Spear is beautiful, stirring

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." --Jim Elliot

On January 8, 1956, missionaries Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Peter Fleming were killed by Waodani tribesmen (known at the time as Auca, the native word for "savage") as they sought to bring the Gospel to the natives of Ecuador. End of the Spear tells this story alternately through the eyes of Saint's son Steve and Mincayani, the man who killed Nate Saint.

The movie is beautifully filmed (shot on location in Panama), and the use of native Panamanians to portray the Waodani lends more authenticity to the portrayal. In telling half of the story from the Waodani point of view (specifically, Mincayani's life before and after he encountered the missionaries), the film avoids portraying the natives as one-dimensional, mindless savages. It also makes for a much more powerful story.

End of the Spear is faithful to the events it depicts. Much of the power of the film is derived directly from the power of the true story behind it. The violent Waodani tribe was transformed by the sacrifice made by the five young missionaries, and Steve Saint and Mincayani became friends in a remarkable example of forgiveness. The movie's climactic ending was deeply stirring, and moved me more than any other movie I've seen in years.

Though the film opened just a week and a half ago, it is already disappearing from movie theaters in my area. If you have the chance to see it, I highly recommend that you do so. I am planning to buy it the day it comes out on DVD.

Note: The film's PG-13 rating is for its intense, but minimally graphic scenes depicting the Waodani attacking the missionaries, and attacking and being attacked by neighboring tribes. I wouldn't recommend it for children younger than 8 or 9, but otherwise this is one of the most family-friendly PG-13 movies I've seen.

Posted by Eric Seymour at January 31, 2006 01:31 PM

Comments

That's one of my all-time favorite quotes!

If you enjoyed End of the Spear, watch "Beyond the Gates of Splendor" (available on DVD). It's more about the same story, but it goes beyond the book about the 5 missionaries and includes actual interviews with the Waodani as well as the wives and children of the five missionaries.

Posted by: lawyerchik1 at January 31, 2006 02:13 PM | permalink

Isn't it strange that Hollywood can make 50 movies about serial killers, but it took 16 years (since the movie Romero in 1989) for them to release a decent film about Christian martyrs?

Posted by: boinkie at January 31, 2006 03:17 PM | permalink

I happened to catch Steve Saint on Christian radio the other day. The further you get into the details of this story to more amazing it becomes. In listening to Steve, I think he would describe Mincayani as family rather than friend.

Posted by: Mike O at February 1, 2006 11:15 AM | permalink

"In listening to Steve, I think he would describe Mincayani as family rather than friend."

That's actually covered very well in "Beyond the Gates of Splendor." If you enjoyed "End of the Spear" and haven't seen "Beyond the Gates of Splendor", it's well worth the $3 or whatever to rent it at Blockbuster.

Posted by: lawyerchik1 at February 1, 2006 03:44 PM | permalink

January 31, 2006

End of the Spear is beautiful, stirring

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