Rating: 
Summary: Get Your Facts Straight
Review: To the reviewer below: Columbus was indeed Italian. He was from Genoa to be exact. Born and bred. Also, the region of Spain your referring to is correctly spelled "Catalina."
Rating: 
Summary: "paradise and hell"
Review: A curiosity piece with a politically correct slant, "1492" is an epic drama well worth viewing. It is held together by the fabulous cinematography (on location in Spain and Costa Rica by Adrian Biddle), the splendid score by Vangelis, and the powerful screen presence of Gerard Depardieu; it could however, have used some subtitles, not for the dialogue of the island natives, but for Depardieu...his English is appalling, and at times hard to decipher. The "evils of civilization" are represented by the lust for gold, massive scenes of violence where impaling on swords and sharp sticks seems to be the "gore du jour", and the bigotted, and avaricious "Moxica", played by Michael Wincott, who always makes such a good villain. Others in the cast of note are Sigourney Weaver as a beautiful Isabel, and Armand Assante as Sanchez. This film gets one historical thing right; the people who opposed Columbus' voyage did so not because they thought the world was flat (a myth many still believe) but because they thought he was incorrect in his calculations of the earth's circumference, which he was...by an enormous amount. Lucky for Columbus, the New World was waiting to be discovered !
At about 2 ½ hours, it could have used some trimming, but it's nevertheless an intriguing film, and a must for history buffs and Depardieu fans.
"Paradise and hell both, can be earthly; we carry them with us wherever we go".
Rating:
Summary: Columbus: The First Italian Hero
Review: Celebrate Italian Heritage Month every October!
Columbus: The Truth
Who was Columbus?
Christopher Columbus was born Cristoforo Colombo in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He worked for his father, a wool weaver, until he was 22. Bored and frustrated with his life, he decided to follow his dreams of becoming a sailor. Columbus then began reading geography books, and for the next few years studied The Bible and logs from sea captains, gathering all the information he could about the world. After being dismissed by many and called crazy by friends and family members for wanting to prove that there was more land to be discovered and that land went "around" the world and didn't "flatten" to an end, he left Italy for Spain. Columbus prepared a proposal for the King and Queen of Spain stating that he wanted to seek out alternate trading routes in and out of Europe. In reality, he wanted to do so much more and when he got the needed financing for boats and a crew, he was ready to begin his journey.
What did Columbus do?
On October 12, 1492, the 90 crew members of Christopher Columbus's three-ship fleet (The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria) landed on the Bahama Islands, ending a ten week journey from Europe. The ships also sailed through Cuba and the Florida coast. The small population of inhabitants that Columbus's crew encountered were primarily brutal hunters, wandering across the underdeveloped land, living from hand to mouth and from day to day as modern bums. They had no written language, no agriculture and constantly went to war with other tribes. For this, Columbus called them "Indians." Columbus and his crew went ashore in their best clothes, feeling confident on a successful trip and had a huge celebration. They thanked God for allowing them to find the land of opportunity and for having the resources to someday cultivate this land into just that. They rightfully christened and claimed the land "The New World." Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world and for this, he should be celebrated as a great hero.
Why do some people think Columbus was bad?
Any account of Columbus being a "slave trader" or a "murderer" is greatly incorrect and very off base. While Columbus may have had some slaves, (this was common practice in the 15th century), it is unproven that he was a violent man, and to the contrary he was called very religious by many. Protesters of his discoveries and accomplishments are usually those who classify themselves as "Native-Americans," wrongfully equating their own ethnic group with the early tribes that roamed the land Columbus founded. In reality, there is no connection between the modern native Indian culture and the savage animalistic roamers that scattered The New World. To say these early inhabitants rightfully owned the land first would be like saying cave dwellers or even in earlier times, baboons had a claim to it. The same goes for Vikings or any other medieval societies that may have at some point roamed the land years before Columbus claimed it, paving the way for the later foundation of a civilized nation. The fact remains that whomever or whatever may have been on or near the land did nothing to establish any sort of way of life other than horrible tribal wars which abolished much of the surroundings along with other unknown events-possibly natural disasters. The New World was barely livable until Columbus and his men got there. We owe our current American way of life to the early discoveries of the Italian explorers and it isn't far fetched to say that Columbus can be credited for paving the way for today's successful foreign trade practices between European countries and other ports-ironically a second tier issue on his voyage of discovery in 1492 yet so relevant in this era. Ongoing European alliances remain strong among many Americans today and tracing American roots to a family country of origin has become typical in modern years for the purpose of celebrating ethnic backgrounds (this especially holds true for the Italian culture). However, it is a false sense of pride for Native Americans to say that they are owed the credit for the evolution of the Americas. While the "native culture" is a true ethnic group, such statements about the native claim to the New World again have zero resemblance or connection to the early uncultured tribes whom had no distinction with any established nation or civilization and therefore cannot even be proven to have been in existence.
Is anyone truly a "native" American?
Discussions and protests have occurred in recent years with regards to America's discovery. The majority of the popular vote overwhelmingly agree that America was discovered by Columbus and Italian-Americans especially hold true to their hearts that America was founded by an Italian and named after another. All previous generations come from somewhere and therefore, how can one really be just an American and not an American of some background? Americans might not have a Columbus Day if Christopher Columbus had not been born in Italy. Out of pride for their native son, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America on October 12, 1866. Since 1971, Columbus Day has been celebrated as a federal holiday on the second Monday in October. Perhaps someday it will be a legal national holiday like Christmas.
Why isn't the U.S. called "United States of Columbia"?
Years after Columbus died, sometime in the late 1500's in Germany, a clergyman-scholar named Martin Waldseemuller began work on a contemporary world map. He located logs of another Italian-born explorer, Amerigo Vespucci who died around the same time as Columbus. In the logs, Vespucci claimed that he had discovered The New World months before Columbus. For this, Waldseemuller (who later regretted his decision) hastily named these New World continents the "Americas" on his map and the name immediately stuck throughout Europe. Vespucci made many voyages in his short life and made many claims in his logs, but to many he is looked at more as a great sailor then for actual discoveries. Because the travels of Columbus are the most well documented to date, we look to Columbus as the first official discoverer of the land and therefore, we celebrate Columbus Day in America. Considering both men were Italian, there is no ill-will between Italian-Americans over the land being called America and quite fittingly in 1792, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia after Columbus and became the capital of the United States. Again, there is no accountability for Native Indians to dispute Vespucci's and Columbus's explorations, and if there was any relevance to the tales of Columbus as being fictitious or exaggerated than there would be no District of Columbia and America would have since be renamed by modern mapmakers as India.
The Columbus-Thanksgiving Connection...
By the 16th century (1621 to be exact) long after Columbus's life and death, another group of European explorers known as the Pilgrims-this time hailing from England-decided to set sail to North America on their boat, The Mayflower, for a religious mission. Their motives for the trip were to continue to build up the new territory that Columbus first founded. By this time, the much more sophisticated population of the Native American Indians in America were beginning to flourish. When the English Pilgrims settled in the territory now known as New England in Provincetown, Mass. they celebrated their arrival with the first Thanksgiving feast together with the Natives. It is this later date version of the Native Indians that are the true ancestors of the modern Natives and not those from Columbus's era. Contrary to some beliefs, the Pilgrims and the Indians co-existed together, building up the land and making it as livable as possible. For this, Natives and all ethnic groups in America should celebrate Thanksgiving together. In May 1941, President Roosevelt signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday of November as the national Thanksgiving holiday, which it has been ever since.
The Viking Myth...
The Vikings of Scandanavia (the Norway-Sweden area of Europe) may have roamed the land sometime around the year 800. The ancient artifacts and documents located from this era do not give us much to paint a picture with, so proof of their existence is widely argued. Grave sights however, were said to have been discovered containing bodies and weapons such as swords, shields and spears. It is speculated that the Vikings may have traveled the world like the much later European explorers, however they were obviously completely uncivilized (if real at all) and seemed to specialize more in brutal battles as opposed to any significant explorations. Any claims that the Vikings are responsible for discovering America or settling it are totally false. In the modern era, the only remembrance or association to any mythical Viking society is equated to the Minnesota-based football organization. Perhaps the forming of the Minnesota team is a fitting tie-in to the practice of watching football on Thanksgiving.
The Columbus Counterparts...
Marco Polo - One of the first explorers to sail from Europe to Asia in the 1200's. Polo explored China specifically for 17 years, building relations with the Khan of Mongol and creating an empire of business between China and parts of Europe, earning him international acclaim as a political, historical and financial genius. An inspirational idol to Columbus, Vespucci and Cabot.
Amerigo Vespucci - A master ship builder, sailor, writer and artist, born around the same time as Columbus, Vespucci sailed to The New World at least three times and navigated many other missions, most of which are highly unknown. His logs often concentrated on scientific analysis on the sun and the moon as well as religion and culture. It is believed he spent much of his time throughout South America and it is doubtful that he crossed North America prior to Columbus. Of course, his most famous distinction is his first name.
John Cabot - Born Giovanni Caboto sometime in the 1450's, Cabot moved to England from Italy in 1484 and began to take an interest in navigation and set his sights on discovering "new land" just like Columbus. However, Cabot did not make his first journey to The New World until 1497, long after Columbus's first trip. He is credited with discovering a shorter distance between Europe and America although his voyage actually took longer because the winds were not as favorable during his travels. His shortcut routes, however were used as the basis for later map creations.
The above report is a compilation of several internet essays written by highly acclaimed researchers of American history and is as fact-based and precise as possible. As with any historical document, certain details may be disputed.
Rating:
Summary: A tale well told
Review: Don Adrian de Moxica so skillfully portrayed by Michael Wincott. It was, in my opinion, the strongest performance in the entire movie, but unfortunately lasted a mere 35 minutes before... well I won't say in case you have not seen the movie yet.
Aside from Wincott's stunning performance was that of Armande Assante who did an excellent job portraying Sanchez, council to Queen Isabel (Sigouney Weaver).
The soundtrack in strong and moving. Vangelis' music fits perfecly with the gorgeous scenery throughout the entire film. Lots of atmosphere.
Throughout his life, Colon kept the truth of his pedigree carefully hidden, and his birth remains a mystery even to this day. Claimed by Italians as the son of a weaver from the port city of Genoa, he has also been declared a Spaniard mascarading as an Italian. To learn more you must see "Columbus: Secrets from the Grave" - DVD from the Discovery Channel store. Follow Colons' direct descendant - Anunciada Colon De Carvajal - on a personal quest to discover her famous ancestor's true origin.
Rating:
Summary: Really great film deserves better DVD treatment than this!
Review: I actually own this unofficial DVD release of Ridley Scott's historical masterpiece, 1492: Conquest Of Paradise. The movie itself is a great film, with all you could ask for from any above average historical movie. Depardieu is very convincing as Columbus if you can get by him being French and all. He does a beautiful job with the part, bringing Columbus to life and it totally makes for an excellent character study, his character fascinates the viewer. The score by Vangelis is top notch, and it fits in well with the film. The music actually enhances many of the films key scenes effectiveness. It makes those scenes seem more meaningful because of Vangelis score. Now onto Ridley Scott, this is some of his best work. Now let me discuss this DVD, which was originally on the market overseas (in Korea or Hong Kong). This DVD is bad, the picture quality, why bearable to a degree, is awful and is below the quality of even laserdisc. The transfer is not nearly as bad as the audio presentation. The audio is horrible, and sounds muffled at times. If you can't wait for a possible SE release soon by Paramount, don't go with this, just wait for them to release it. Yes, this DVD is that bad. Buy the Widescreen VHS version instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, badly delivered
Review: I agree with Amazon's Editorial Review in that it was foolhardy to cast Gerard Depardieu as Colombus as the origin of Colombus is reputed to either be Italian or Catalan (Spanish), but certainly not French. Gerard's accent and struggle with English made for a pitiful hero. He often had to recite his most dramatic lines robotically, without feeling, as he didn't have a clue what he was saying. I also cannot understand why Sigourney Weaver would be cast as Queen Isabella (other than for box-office guarantees). Overexposed film stars tend to detract from the historical characters they are asked to portray. What I see is not la Reina Isabella but Sigourney dressed up as la Reina Isabella. The performances in this well-intentioned film are often overdone and the violence gratuitous. The script is very weak, and there are huge gaps in the story being told which left a great deal unexplained, e.g. how the native Indian who befriended Colombus learned English so rapidly. On the plus side, Armand Assante makes a gorgeous villain, the music was hauntingly beautiful and the cinematography excellent. But the film is at least 30 minutes too long.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect film from genius filmmaker Ridley Scott!
Review: Pros: Cinematography is stylish and very absorbing. Directing by Ridley Scott is very intelligent and polished. Good performances from all cast members. Film score by Vangelis is heavenly and gives the film a boost. Gerard Depardieu brings Christopher Columbus to life. Set designs and costumes are just purely vinatge. About what you'd expect from a film like this set in the 15th century. Cons: Basically a movie almost free from flaws. Depardieu's french accent sounds fine here, but he has trouble pronouncing some of his English words. Though, it's annoying he still does a great job with the role. Vangelis score sometimes is overwhelming during the film, but it suits the film quite well. The film is slow in spots, but what do you expect from a movie based in the 15th century. Life was slow back than, no planes, no cars, just ships. Overall: Besides Gladiator, and Blade Runner, 1492 remains one of Ridley Scott's best looking and most well made films to date. 1492 is a voyage into Christopher Columbus life and times and it really pulls everything off in a fantastic, visually stunning fashion. 1492 is a classic movie, a must own for any Ridley Scott fanatic, and for all historical movie fans.
Rating:
Summary: great cinema!
Review: Ridley Scott directed this incredible motion picture about the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Not only is the film about his voyages but it also works quite well as a character study about Columbus. The Columbus depicted here is full of kindess,passion and warmth. He also can be a little selfish,arrogant and at times sarcastic during this film. Gerard Depardieu plays Columbus and he does a great job portraying him. I don't have a problem with him being from France. Afterall Columbus was European and so is Depardieu. The supporting cast is zestful with some excellent performances. Armand Assante was good playing Sanchez. So was Michael Wincott who played the evil Moxica. Also the score for this film was done by New-Age musician Vangelis. And his score is remarkable. Both the movie and the soundtrack go hand in hand. But this film is an acquired taste. Some might be turned off by it's subject matter. And some might be lured in by it. If Columbus interests you and you like films that look and sound good. This is the one you've been waiting for. The rest is common sense.
Rating: 
Summary: Bon Voyage?
Review: Ridley Scott's 1992 film on the controversial explorer and his irreversible impact on the native peoples of the Americas. Scott struggles to keep this film afloat with his usual mastery of scene selection and cinematocraphy but the film sinks under the weight of a poor screenplay and bad acting.
Not too much mystery on this story as the film covers Cristopher Columbus' explorations for the Spanish crown starting in 1492. The film follows Columbus as he tries to find a passage to India but comes upon the hitherto unknown American continent. The film shows him as a friendly figure whose attempts to make peace with the natives is frustrated by the greedy machinations of stereotypical gold-thirsty Spanish nobles.
This is one of Scott's least memorable films. Gerard Depardieu was miscast as the explorer and his broken English didn't help. The plot is rather contrived and tries to simplify complex cultural and socio-political developments into a good vs. bad story with our fallen hero in the middle. Rent if you must but this is one Riddley Scott film I wouldn't recommend buying.
Rating:
Summary: Don Adrian de Moxica
Review: The main reason I purchased this DVD was the character of Don Adrian de Moxica so skillfully portrayed by Michael Wincott. It was in my opinion the strongest performance in the entire movie, but unfortunately lasted a mere 35 minutes before....well I won't say in case you have not seen the movie yet. Aside from Wincott's stunning performance was that of Armande Assante who did an excellent job portraying Sanchez, council to Queen Isabel (Sigouney Weaver). Sadly the only reason I gave this movie four stars instead of five was the character of Columbus. I like Gerard Depardieu quite a bit but could not get past the French accent on the Italian explorer. Perhaps a better choice could have been made. The soundtrack in strong and moving. Vangelis' music fits perfecly with the gorgeous scenery through out the entire film. Lots of atmosphere. For reasons unknown, Paramount has opted to hold back the release of this film on DVD. Maybe because Christopher Columbus is deemed so 'Politically Incorrect' these days. Lesser films than this have gotten Paramount's royal treatment. I ended up purchasing a fairly decent release from Hong Kong. Unfortunatley it is full screen and I am unable to veiw the movie in all it's intended splendor, but it will have to do for now.
|
