1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas and the effect this has on the indigenous people.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Rose Bosch (scenario) (as Roselyne Bosch)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Columbus
Armand Assante	...	Sanchez
Sigourney Weaver	...	Queen Isabel
Loren Dean	...	Older Fernando
Ángela Molina	...	Beatrix (as Angela Molina)
Fernando Rey	...	Marchena
Michael Wincott	...	Moxica
Tchéky Karyo	...	Pinzon (as Tcheky Karyo)
Kevin Dunn	...	Captain Mendez
Frank Langella	...	Santangel
Mark Margolis	...	Bobadilla
Kario Salem	...	Arojaz
Billy L. Sullivan	...	Fernando (aged 10) (as Billy Sullivan)
John Heffernan	...	Brother Buyl
Arnold Vosloo	...	Guevara

Storyline

Big budget account of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas. Released in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery. Shows the disastrous effects the Europeans had on the original inhabitants, and Columbus' struggle to civilize the New World.

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Plot Keywords:

15th century | new world | renaissance | year 1492 | spanish inquisition | 

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Taglines:

Centuries before the exploration of space, there was another voyage into the unknown.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for historical violence and brutality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gérard Depardieu wanted Sylvia Kristel to play the role of Queen Isabel, but the producers did not agree.

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Goofs

While hunting the white egret on the island, the shooter used an English made matchlock musket with a flared muzzle and a "fishtail" stock. This particular design wasn't in use until the early 17th century.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Fernando Columbus: Of all the words my father wrote - and there were many - I remember these the most: "Nothing that results from human progress is achieved with unanimous consent. And those who are enlightened before the others are condemned to persue that light in spite of others."

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Alternate Versions

Laserdisc version runs about six minutes longer and includes the following:

• Christopher Columbus sits down to talk to his wife
• One man is bit by a deadly snake and dies
• Chistopher Columbus and his joke around about food
• The burnings are shown in close up shots
• Gun shot blast to the helmet is more graphic
• A stabbing features more blood

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Connections

Version of Christophe Colomb (1916)

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Soundtracks

Fever Ride
Composed and Performed by Richard Horowitz
Courtesy of Virgin Records, Ltd.

User Reviews

On Creating Worlds

1492 casts a long shadow over my filmgoing life. It is one of the first films I remember seeing where I started thinking of all the activity that went into making a film. My young mind did not process a lot of the plot - and in retrospect I can partly blame the makers of this film - but I did notice shots, sounds, music. Perhaps the music more than anything.

So fast-forward a decade and a half at least... 1492 was massive in Europe when it came out. Ridley Scott, director of Alien, Legend and Blade Runner, was telling the story of Christopher Columbus, starring the venerable Gerard Depardieu, all to a score by Vangelis which flew off the shelves faster than any film score since, well, Blade Runner. What did they have to show for it.

We know the story, or we think we do: Columbus, an Italian immigrant, gets a grant from Queen Isabella of Spain to map a shorter route to India, sailing West. What he discovers is a whole new world, the Caribbean islands. But the "new world" experiment fails badly and before long utopia becomes a stage for jealousy, manipulation, superstition and even genocide.

It took several studios to co-finance this massive undertaking, based on a screenplay by journalist Rose Bosch. Supposedly, Scott immediately had his sights set on Depardieu, which paradoxically leads us to both the film's greatest asset and liability.

Depardieu exudes a very un-Hollywood brand of charisma: grounded, vulnerable, but also prone to hardness and anger. His Columbus is a tragic idealist, likable even when carried away by his own arrogance. It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. It is a pity then that his English was nowhere near good enough to carry the film.

For many years, I had been warned and had only seen the film dubbed in my native French (it did help that Depardieu dubbed himself, as did supporting actor Tcheky Karyo), but upon seeing the film "as intended" I was simply baffled. This, coupled with a script that leaves a few motivations unexplained and sometimes gets bogged down, severely undermines a film that is otherwise brimming with first-rate craftsmanship.

Despite the odd heavy-handed use of orange gradient filters recalling the younger Scott brother's feature-length Air Force commercial, the film is littered with unforgettable imagery. Vangelis' music, though even more effective listened to on its own, plunges you headfirst into another world, one of infinite possibilities.

The net result is a very imperfect film, but as an exercise in world-creation, an admitted Ridley Scott hobby, you'l be hard pressed to find its equal.

Details

Country:

UK France Spain

Language:

English Spanish Latin Arabic

Release Date:

9 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Columbus

Filming Locations:

Plaza de San Jorge, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,002,680, 12 October 1992

Gross USA:

$7,191,399

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,191,399

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Légende Films, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1