1492: Conquest of Paradise, Gérard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver
French Title: Christophe Colomb
Synopsis of the DVD Movie: 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Gérard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver
Ridley Scott's 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE is an epic story of the visionary mariner who set a stifled Europe free and brought mixed blessings to the New World. This intelligent and learned film portrays Columbus without indulging in modern politics, cynicism, or undue romanticism.
DVD Movie Rating for: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
Rating for 1492: Conquest of Paradise: 5 out of 5 stars
Movie Plot of: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
Gérard Depardieu stars as Christopher Columbus in director Ridley Scott's epic film that chronicles the explorer's voyages and tribulations. Obsessed with his vision of pursuing a western route to Asia, in 1492, Columbus petitions Isabella (Sigourney Weaver), the Spanish queen, to fund his voyage, and with the help of her treasurer, Sanchez (Armand Assante), he finally succeeds in gaining her backing. Setting off in three ships, Columbus plies uncharted waters for weeks on end until his crew, exhausted and near starvation, threatens to mutiny. But the explorer rallies the men with an impassioned speech about the importance of the mission, and shortly thereafter they land in the New World. The crew establishes amicable relations with the native people, and Columbus leaves some of his men behind on his return to Spain, where he is greeted as a hero by the queen, eager to know what he has found. Upon his return to the New World, Columbus finds that a number of his crew have been killed, but insists on treating the Indians humanely, establishing a colonial government. Yet the colonists' relations with the Indians continue to worsen, and Columbus is recalled by Isabella. In a film that features Ridley Scott's typically breathtaking photography, the scene of Columbus's arrival at the fog-enshrouded New World is especially notable.
DVD Production Details of: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver
Director: Ridley Scott
DVD Release Date: May 14, 2002
1492: Conquest of Paradise Laserdisc information
1492 Christoph Colomb, Gaumont, Columbia Tristar, French Release, PAL, 160mins, 2 laserdiscs, Made by DADC (Austria), Stereo, Cinemascope, AAD, Digital Stereo
Cast of the movie: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
- Gérard Depardieu .... Christopher Columbus
- Armand Assante .... Sanchez
- Sigourney Weaver .... Queen Isabella
- Loren Dean .... Older Fernando
- Ángela Molina .... Beatrix
- Fernando Rey .... Marchena
- Michael Wincott .... Adrian de Moxica
- Tchéky Karyo .... Pinzon
- Kevin Dunn .... Capt. Mendez
- Frank Langella .... Santangel
- Mark Margolis .... Bobadilla
- Kario Salem .... Arojaz
- Billy L. Sullivan .... Fernando (aged 10)
- John Heffernan .... Brother Buyl
- Arnold Vosloo .... Guevara
- Steven Waddington .... Bartolome
- Fernando Guillén Cuervo .... Giacomo
- José Luis Ferrer .... Alonso
- Bercelio Moya .... Utapan
- Juan Diego Botto .... Diego
- Achero Mañas .... Ships Boy
- Fernando García Rimada .... King Ferdinand
- Albert Vidal .... Hernando de Talavera
- Isabel Prinz .... Dueña (as Clara Isabel Prinz)
- Ángela Rosal .... Pinzons Wife
- Jack Taylor .... Vicuna
- Maria Laura Montero .... Pinzon's daughter
- Silvia Montero .... Pinzon's daughter
Photo Gallery of the movie: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
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Reviews of the movie: 1492: Conquest of Paradise
This is indeed one of the movies on the top of my list... While some historical liberties are taken, in order to make it dramatically appealing (i.e., contrary to common belief, Columbus' ideas were not rejected out of ignorance, but because his academic audiences knew all too well that Asia could not be as close on the West as Columbus claimed it would be), the movie is, as a whole, quite an achievement... The scene when they discover land at the end of the first trip is, in my opinion, one of the greatest achievements in cinematography... Acting is fairly good across the board, and Gerard Depardieu plays a good Columbus, with a good resemblance, if one is to believe ancient portraits... Vangelis' soundtrack is one of the finest in the history of cinema... In one track, an indian voice is slowly overtaken by a western choir, a sad metaphor of events to come... By the way, note to the writer below, who wants to get his facts straight: indeed, the region the other writer was referring to is Catalonia (in Catalan), Cataluna/Cataluna in Castillian)... No, Columbus was probably not Catalan, although it has been one of his suggested regions of origin.
