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:

new world | renaissance | year 1492 | caribbean | indian | 

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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

Details

Country:

France Spain

Language:

Spanish Latin English

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)

Gross USA:

$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 (Eastman)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Francis Ford Coppola, Roland Joffé and Oliver Stone were all approached to direct before Ridley Scott took up the offer.

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Goofs

The Spaniards all refer to each other by their Spanish names. Other than a few brief references to "Don Cristobal," however, Christopher Columbus is always referred to as such. This is actually the English form of his name, which no one in Europe would have addressed him by. In his native Genoa, his name was Cristoforo Colombo. The Spanish would have addressed him as Cristobal Colon.

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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 True Adventures of Christopher Columbus (1992)

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Soundtracks

Conquest of Paradise
(uncredited)
Written by Vangelis
Composed and arranged by Vangelis
Featuring The English Chamber Choir, Guy Protheroe
Produced by Vangelis, Frederick Rousseau
Recorded and mixed by Philippe Colonna
Courtesy of East West

User Reviews

The New Land

1992 marked the 500th anniversary of the 'discovery' of the Americas.

It meant there were a plethora of documentaries and articles on Columbus. Some were critical that he discovered a continent that already had 1 million people living there.

Others suggested that the Americas might had been discovered by others before. Also Columbus found the wrong place as he thought it was India.

Ultimately many of the original inhabitants of the continent suffered from his discovery.

1492 from Ridley Scott tries to makes sense of these contradictions. It is a gloriously flawed film that has great art direction, production and music.

A multinational cast with Depardieu speaking his lines with a heavy French accent but bringing presence. Scott scored with his supporting cast of villains, all of them hiss-able as vipers on the head of Medusa. You know early on things are going to turn ugly for the native in the new world.

Scott likes his history, he admires Islamic history and you see it early on when it comes to the Reconquista. When Moorish structures are destroyed and lost forever, it shows that the Spanish aristocrats were not appreciative of the arts and noble causes.

They only care about the monarchy, church and gold.

Columbus is painted as a romantic adventurer, misguided even naive.

Depardieu cannot quiet hold the film together, frankly his English is not good enough. It is still a bold attempt at filmmaking but we lack the real, more complex and a more greedy Columbus.