Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
When the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus arrives in the New World (the island of Guanahani), there's a mist revealing the sought-after island. Columbus is on one of the three ships and he closes his eyes and opens them and revels in the discovery. Since Gerard Depardieu is playing the infamous/famous Columbus, you only get a whisper of satisfaction from him. He walks on the land by the shores, and falls on his knees with a dour expression. Compare that to Kevin Costner's sense of joy of returning to England in 1991's "Robin Hood," and you might wonder why Columbus is so restrained at this groundbreaking discovery.
Scene after scene of "1492" indicates a beautifully mounted production that director Ridley Scott might have been born to direct. Every shot is really divine including the ships and their long masts at sea with a golden glow and amazing sunsets and sunrises (coupled with colorful flags). The jungles of this New World reveal something untouched by foreigners and the atmosphere practically drips off the screen. And every scene has Depardieu looking more and more like a sad sack of a man, not the ambitious navigator and explorer who dared to question the Catholic theologians and search for land in Asia. When he gets upset and tosses scrolls on the ground, Depardieu manages a little emotion. When he speaks to Queen Isabella (Sigourney Weaver), he's at a standstill and emotionally bereft (of course, maybe he is supposed to be since he's talking to the Queen). However, with regards to the singular emotion of anger, Columbus can spear the natives who attack him and his crew without question (this violent episode occurred when he returned to the Caribbean and finds the murdered crew members who stayed behind.) Anger is his singular emotion but his ambition, his craving for uncharted new lands and making new discoveries, is hampered by making the crew aboard the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria ships restless and almost provoking a mutiny. Yet again, Depardieu is unaffected, indifferent and you would think he would show some level of exhaustion being at sea for nine weeks, not to mention his arduous return journey. Compare this to the apocalyptic "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" where we witnessed a conqueror who is more mad than anyone, yet we also saw the passion and zeal at work. Columbus is depicted as someone who has been burning the midnight oil doing a social studies homework assignment.
"1492" has beautiful locales and is quite the picturesque Illustrated Comics version of Columbus. I especially love the hoisting of the bell at the top of a tower, complemented by Vangelis's legendary musical score. As history, the film actually tries to show certain realities but hardly enough to merit a 2 1/2 hour running time. There are some revelations here about Columbus' wanting to convert Guanahani natives to Christianity, indicated by his voyage diary entries. This apathetic man is also depicted as noble and willing to help the indigenous people of this Caribbean island. Eventually, violence erupts during the the colonization and the film wants to put the blame on the murderous Adrián de Moxica (Michael Wincott, in a performance that mimics his Guy of Gisborne in 1991's "Robin Hood") who thinks nothing of chopping a native's hand off. Moxica feels the natives are stealing or hiding the gold and riches from the island (he is shown here to commit suicide than be hanged, when in fact he was hanged). Many historians believe Columbus to have committed genocide and lay the trappings of colonialism going forward, with some aid from his crews no doubt. No matter what one believes, this Columbus is just a papier mache version of the real thing.
