Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jean-Pierre Marielle | ... | Bartolomé de las Casas | |
Jean-Louis Trintignant | ... | Ginèse de Sepúlveda | |
Jean Carmet | ... | Le Légat du Pape | |
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Jean-Michel Dupuis | ... | Le Colon |
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Claude Laugier | ... | Frère Ambrosiano |
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Pascal Elso | ... | Frère Emiliano |
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Franck Laigneau | ... | Le jeune moine au claquoir |
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Michel Charrel | ... | Le deuxième colon |
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Dominique Noé | ... | Un assesseur du légat |
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Jean Nehr | ... | Assistant de Las Casas |
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Didier Bourguignon | ... | Le scribe |
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Mogan Mehlem | ... | Représentant du Roi |
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Raymond Aulme | ... | Un dominicain |
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Jean-Paul Egalon | ... | Le soldat |
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Emmanuel-Georges Delajoie | ... | L'ouvrier africain |
Spain conquered the seas, found a new world and different realities than the one known in Europe. But a question needed to be answered with what they found in those new territories: do the Indians have souls? The Church, bound to protect and convert the natives and the conquerors who treated them like slaves and thought they were only merchandising, expose their arguments and reasonings at what would be known as the Vallidolid controversy. Between them, there's a cardinal hearing both parts and trying to get reasonable answers from this critical question. Written by Rodrigo Amaro
Do the Indians of the new world have a soul? This is the point of the debate which opposes, in 1550 in Valadolid, capital of Spain, the canon philosopher Sepulveda and the famous dominican Las Casas, eager defensor of the Indians. Were they redeem by the Christ's blood or are they born to be slaves? In front of a Papal Lagate, a representant of Charles Quint and an assembly, the two opponents are facing. To confirm or infirm their declarations, the Papal Legate has several natives to come: they're going to observe if the natives are capable of human feelings. Eager debate, deep, odd, premonitory. For centuries, the destiny of millions of human beings will depend on the taken decision, but not necessarily of those we're thinking...
A GREAT! TV movie, with a tremendous casting of french actors: shrewdness, subtlety, very good understanding of the political and historycal events, a movie to watch, absolutely!!
(see (The Supper (1992)), on imdb: same style of movie)