3
Columbus
Movies

Christopher Columbus and the Great Age of Discovery
HIST 351  ~  Fall 2010

Christopher Columbus
(1949) Frederic March plays Columbus.

Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
(1992) George Corraface plays Columbus.

1492: Conquest of Paradise
(1992) Gerard Deprardieu plays Columbus.

You will be viewing three films depicting the career of Columbus. Two of the films were made to cash in on the 500th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage to the Americas. Your assignment is to compare the three movies with each other and with the authentic history of Columbus. You are to evaluate how successfully each movie portrays the events associated with Columbus and also discuss those places where the movies distort, ignore, or add to the historical record.

Be sure to pay attention to the following questions when viewing the three films:

1) How did each actor present the character and personality of Columbus and how did it compare to the historical Columbus? Was the casting good or not?

2) How did each film portray Ferdinand and Isabella? How do they match the historical monarchs and how satisfactory was the casting?

3) What does each movie say about the state of geographical and scientific knowledge in the Age of Discovery?  Compare it with the actual state of that era's knowledge.

4) How does each movie handle the following topics?

a. Columbus's early career and his attempts to get financial support from Spain, Portugal and any other countries.

b. The narrative of the first voyage, such as, who did what, interactions with the Pinzon brothers, attitudes of the crew, and the events of the first landfall.

c. Depictions of the Native Americans and the relations between the Spaniards and the aboriginal peoples.

d. Columbus's career as governor and his later explorations and problems.

5) Keep on the look out for any places where a film

a. includes some particularly authentic details, or,

b. includes some particularly anachronistic or inaccurate details.

Your essay should address the following question:

Compare and contrast the three Columbus films with each other and with the actual history of Columbus. Be sure to address the various topics listed in your viewing guide.

Please keep your essay within 6-12 type-written pages. Please see the instructor for further instructions if you have any problems with submitting your essay in type-written form.