At Play in the Fields of the Lord



At Play in the Fields of the Lord is a 1965 novel by Peter Matthiessen. In 1991, Brazilian director Hector Babenco filmed an adaptation with a cast including Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Daryl Hannah, Kathy Bates, Aidan Quinn and Tom Waits.

Missionaries try to save the Indian, while mercenaries try to wipe them out.


 * Badass Native: Moon
 * Defector From Decadence: Moon
 * Downer Ending
 * Gag Penis: When Randy asks Andie how she knew Moon wanted her, she says "Don't be such a child."
 * A God Am I: Moon takes on the identity of Kisu.
 * Just for Pun: Nowhere/Now Here
 * Loin Cloth: In the film version. The Niaruna wear "bellybands" in the novel. When Moon gets an erection, the bellyband hurts.
 * An explanation might be required for the bellybands: In the Amazon, men bind their foreskins and tie the binding material around their waists.
 * Lost Tribe: Theorized to be a lost tribe of Sioux or a lost tribe of Jews.
 * Love Dodecahedron: Moon likes Andie. Randy likes Andie. Randy is married. So is Andie.
 * Mighty Whitey: Deconstructed, since Moon is a halfbreed Cheyenne. Further deconstructed since he accidentally starts an epidemic of the common cold, killing them all.
 * Mushroom Samba: Moon gets a lot of tropes.
 * Naked on Arrival: Moon, to the Niaruna.
 * National Geographic Nudity
 * Native American Mythology and all associated (or at least Sioux and Cheyenne) tropes.
 * A Nice Jewish Boy: Averted by Wolf, who is anything but nice.
 * No One Could Have Survived That: Moon
 * Nude Nature Dance: Played with, though the film version is definitely not fanservice, since it's Kathy Bates.
 * Rape as Drama: Moon sees Andie naked. But he can't have her since she's married, so he goes home and rapes his wife, Pindi.
 * Shaggy Dog Story: Moon wants to help the Niaruna, but in the end, he gives them the flu, which kills them.
 * Shotacon: When Randy's wife says "What if one of those things lays a hand on Billy?", Randy simply replies "He might like it."
 * The Amazon