Christopher Columbus (1985– )

After his proposal to sail west to the East Indies is rejected by Portugal, Columbus overcomes court intrigue in Spain to gain support for his expedition.

Stars:

Gabriel Byrne, Rossano Brazzi, Oliver Reed

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gabriel Byrne	...	Cristoforo Colombo (4 episodes, 1985)

Storyline

The epic mini-series tells the story of the legendary Italian-born explorer Diego de Geona Taino, later known as Christopher Columbus, from his birth in c.1450 Genoa, Italy, to his young adult years as an expert sailor and navigator who, with money funded from the monarchy of Spain, sailed to the unknown West to find Asia in 1492, and instead found a 'New World' of the modern day West Indies to South America, and then follows his later years in his 50's as a tired, ailing man whose dreams of exploration and discovery to which he passed onto his son, and other followers, just before his death in 1506.

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Plot Keywords:

spain | explorer | navigator | discovery | new world | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Italy USA France West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cristoforo Colombo

Filming Locations:

Dominican Republic

Company Credits

Production Co:

Antenne-2, Bavaria Atelier, Lorimar Telepictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 360 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though Raf Vallone can speak English, his voice is dubbed by another in the English language release.

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Connections

Version of Cristóvão Colombo (1957)

User Reviews

One of the best!

I first caught this in about 1988, and the next time it was on I taped it. Far, far better than either of the two 1992 'Columbus' movies, this one pays great attention to the details of his life, struggles to feed his young family and to gain backing for his dream. It then goes on to show his successes and his failures. Great acting, great costuming, great everything. For some reason I found myself especially pleased by the constant referral of his name in Italian: Christoforo Columbo. Faye Dunaway is subdued and authoritative as Isabella, and even wears the proper armor when accepting the surrender of the leader of the Moors.

If this is ever on DVD, don't miss it!