Director Ridley Scott brings Columbus to life in this impressive film which, when released in 1992, coincided with the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of new lands surrounding two unknown continents. For this reason alone, the film deserves to be treasured by viewers all over the world. The subject of Conquest Of Paradise, of course is Christopher Columbus, played wonderfully by French actor Gerard Depardieu (Green Card, Cyrano De Bergerac). Depardieu brings a lot to the role, and creates a realistic portrayal of Columbus. I can't see how any other actor, could bring more to the role, than Depardieu did. In terms of casting, Depardieu's a perfect fit for this role, he resembles Columbus, has a nice smile and sort of a middle age appearance to him, with his long shaggy hair. The rest of the cast shines, and engages the audience. Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver and Michael Wincott are among some of the film's cast members, and the performances they give are solid. The film succeeds on four of its noteworthy merits. The first one would be Scott's directing, and his reputation for incorporating vivid & gorgeous images into all his films, the second one would be its historical accuracy, the third one would be its score, composed by Vangelis, who can create gorgeous paintings like Scott can, but only to the music he makes. Finally the fourth one would be the casting of Depardieu, who can add spice to basically any film that he stars in. 1492 is an experience for the mind,body and soul. Unfortunately, most people don't think the way I do about this picture. When this film was released most critics were too analytical about it, and the film didn't draw in big crowds. Now, how films like this get lost amongst the trees, is really mysterious. I think this film's a classic, and maybe others will once this film gets its deserved exposure. The film is full of defining Columbus scenes, it's like traveling back in time, if you haven't seen this film, please do so.
Review of 1492: Conquest of Paradise
