1492: Conquest of Paradise

Name: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Adventure, Documentary, Drama, History
Released: 1992
Duration: 2 h 29 min
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver, Loren Dean, Angela Molina

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Adventure
Documentary

1992
Ridley Scott
149 mins
15

Summary

Historical drama starring Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante and Sigourney Weaver. Explorer Christopher Columbus is convinced that it is possible to sail west from the Canary Islands and reach the riches of the East. He gains the approval of Queen Isabel of Spain (recently victorious against the Moors in Granada) to undertake such an expedition, but comes across lands which he never knew existed.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Adrian Turner

Three big films were made to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World - a catastrophic Carry On, the dire Christopher Columbus: the Discovery and Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Despite a rather wobbly first hour, when it's hard to understand Gérard Depardieu's accent or make out Sigourney Weaver's scheming Spanish queen in the gloomy light, the picture gathers momentum with the voyage, captures in dazzling imagery the actual discovery, and then produces a horrific and masterly final segment as Columbus returns on a second voyage to preside over slaughter and the raising of a giant church bell. Those looking for an old-style adventure should look elsewhere, for this is a dark, bloody and brooding piece about colonial exploitation. Woefully underrated by many critics, it was shot in Spain and Costa Rica, looks like the millions it cost to make (and lost) and boasts an eerily atmospheric score by Vangelis.

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6.4/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameChristopher ColumbusGérard DepardieuSanchezArmand AssanteQueen IsabelSigourney WeaverOlder FernandoLoren DeanBeatrixAngela MolinaMarchenaFernando ReyMoxicaMichael WincottPinzonTcheky KaryoCaptain MendezKevin DunnSantangelFrank LangellaBobadillaMark MargolisArojazKario SalemFernando, age 10Billy L SullivanBrother BuylJohn HeffernanGuevaraArnold VoslooBartolomeSteven WaddingtonGiacomoFernando G CuervoAlonsoJose Luis FerrerUtapanBercelio MoyaDiegoJuan Diego Botto