1492: Conquest of Paradise

In 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World was marked with a deluge of movies, documentaries and T.V. dramas. Not only is this the best of those commemorative re-tellings, it is also a lesson in how... Full review

Ridley Scott's masterpiece, 1492: A Conquest of Paradise, is a visually compelling film and well acted. Those who gave low viewer ratings in the viewer comments obviously do not see the beauty of epic films. Epics are supposed to be... Full review

I first saw this movie in 1992 after hearing that I had missed something special from a friend who did see it in the theater. As one always interested in history since childhood, I looked into the history portrayed in... Full review

As an avid historical buff I definitely consider this film a must see.Unlike other film which are simply based on history, Conquest was more realistic than others. In most aspects anyway. I will discuss to some degree where I feel... Full review

Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver / Director: Ridley ScottThe movie 1492-Conquest of Paradise is a historical documentation. Gerard Depardieu personifies Christopher Columbus and Sigourney Weaver Queen Isabella. The plot is not very difficult to describe. Of course because it has... Full review

I think this movie got a score it doesn't deserve. First of all the story is about an adventurer who discovered America and who was rejected the honour for his efforts, it is all in the movie. It shows how... Full review

What a beautiful movie! 2+ hours of visual enjoyment, even if it doesn't tell you anything new about Columbus. Add to it the musical theme "Conquest of the Paradise" that has no equals in austerity and power! I gave it... Full review

The flaw is Gerard Depardieu's English: too often does it undermine an otherwise magnificent movie. Why would I go through the effort? Because I speak perfect French and when you watch this film dubbed (and the dubbing is perfect, since... Full review

Simply an amazing look into the life of Christopher Columbus. We discover who he was, what made him tick, we see what he accomplished and how it really backfired on him. This film shows us largely what Columbus had to... Full review

This is a great film, I really enjoyed watching it. We watched a small amount at school, and I just had to go out and borrow the video to watch it all. Gérard did a great job of playing Christopher... Full review

In Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise , the heroic navigator Christopher Columbus (Gerard Depardieu) sails off in search of gold, spices, exotic cities. Wincott has an arresting face - it looks like a dashing skull - but that hardly compensates for the movie's failure to sketch in the relationship between the Indians and their European conquerors. ... Full Review

Despite travelogue-quality footage replete with beautiful scenery of Caribbean islands and a massive cast, this film tends to plod along with too predictable a plot and a mis-cast Columbus. Depardieu -- a very capable French actor speaking English and playing an Italian -- becomes perhaps the movie's bright spot (even if at his own expense) as he laughably struggles with line after line. ... Full Review

Luckily, it's only my job to tell you how successful 1492 is as a movie not as a political statement. In short, 1492 is long. ... Full Review

R idley Scott's sumptuous but vacuous account of the Genoese mariner who didn't discover America, "1492: Conquest of Paradise," stars Gerard Depardieu, who as pretty much everyone knows is French. You can see how we might have problems stifling our fun at the movie's expense when a goodly supply of such priceless badness is put on display. ... Full Review

Still, in its own way and up to a certain point, "1492" is a satisfactory film. Columbus is also a good deal more convincing as a human being. ... Full Review

One of my all-time favorites is Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf and Peter Sluglett. Maalouf is a Lebanese writer living in Paris. It's historical fiction, so I didn't feel I was being too frivolous! ... Full Article

Westlife's Queen of My Heart features in the massed pipe and drums concert Music by Irish pop band Westlife and Bladerunner composer Vangelis is to feature at this year's Edinburgh Tattoo. ... Full Article

Last year the quincentennial of the discovery of America lent itself to one of the biggest movie busts of all time: the release of two expensive, atrocious epics, each chronicling the voyage to the New World. ... Full Article

The list of medical precautions for anyone planning to visit the Costa Rican set of 1492: Conquest of Paradise is more than a little unsettling. ''The following vaccinations are STRONGLY recommended: typhoid, hepatitis, tetanus, polio, malaria, cholera,'' advises a memo... ... Full Article

If you believe everything you read in the history books, 1485 wasnt the best year for an Italian Renaissance man to pitch his tent in Spain. ... Full Article