Reverend Fortescue Quotes in The Missionary (1982)

Reverend Fortescue: Deborah, do you know what is meant by "fallen women"?

Deborah Fitzbanks: Women who have hurt their knees.

Reverend Fortescue: Isabel?

Lady Isabel Ames: Charles! What are you doing here?

Reverend Fortescue: I've come to stop you.

Lady Isabel Ames: How dare you? How dare you interfere with my plans?

Reverend Fortescue: You mustn't kill him.

Lady Isabel Ames: Why not? What business is it of yours, interfering priest?

Reverend Fortescue: You could hang for it.

Lady Isabel Ames: No one's going to hang. It's a simple shooting accident.

Reverend Fortescue: Isabel, this is England in 1906. People don't go around killing each other just because they don't get on!

Lady Isabel Ames: No, they just endure don't they? Stiff upper lip, that's the British way. I'm sure it wasn't like that in Africa.

Reverend Fortescue: Africa's primitive!

Lady Isabel Ames: Oh, yes. God save us from being primitive.

Reverend Fortescue: There's not so much wrong with the British way, for your class especially.

Lady Isabel Ames: My class? This is not my class, Charles.

Reverend Fortescue: You know what I mean.

Lady Isabel Ames: You don't know what *I* mean.

[Adopts a changed accent and demeanor]

Lady Isabel Ames: You alone, sir? Want some company? Clean and cheap?

[She returns to normal, Fortescue is speechless]

Lady Isabel Ames: Yes. I've disguised it well, haven't I? I had to. The honest tart never gets anywhere. No, they're not my bloody class, thank God!

[Isabel has been injured]

Reverend Fortescue: I'm sorry. Dear, God, I'm so sorry.

Lady Isabel Ames: You were only trying to do the decent thing.

[Fortescue begins to drape his coat around her]

Lady Isabel Ames: No, don't Charles.

[He continues anyway]

Lady Isabel Ames: That's the trouble with you. You're far too decent.

Deborah Fitzbanks: Everyone was asking after you. They're all terribly excited about the wedding.

Reverend Fortescue: Wedding?

Deborah Fitzbanks: OUR wedding!

Reverend Fortescue: Oh, yes... Yes.

Reverend Fortescue: I shall be looking after women... Women who are in... moral trouble.

Deborah Fitzbanks: Liars?

Reverend Fortescue: I'm going to remain a missionary.

Deborah Fitzbanks: But I thought...

Reverend Fortescue: A missionary IN ENGLAND!

Deborah Fitzbanks: But everyone's ENGLISH in England.

Reverend Fortescue: The locals had never seen a bicycle before. They used to call me "The Man on the Starving Horse."

Reverend Fortescue: Vicki...

Violet: Violet.

Reverend Fortescue: Er, Violet. Would you and Ruby...

Rosie: Rosie.

Reverend Fortescue: Rosie. Go and clean upstairs, and get some help from the three girls in my bed.

[Attempting to talk her out of a dangerous plan]

Reverend Fortescue: Isabel, I...

Lady Isabel Ames: Please, don't. I don't want to be understood.

[pauses]

Lady Isabel Ames: Not now.

Reverend Fortescue: What are you going to do? What are you going to gain from this?

[Isabel begins to say something, tearfully sighs, and walks out the door]

Lady Isabel Ames: I got it all wrong, didn't I?

Reverend Fortescue: What do you mean?

Lady Isabel Ames: I tried to convert the missionary.