1492: Conquest of Paradise is a 1992 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Roselyne Bosch. It stars Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, and Sigourney Weaver, and portrays the travels to the New World by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and the effect this had on Indigenous peoples.
The film was released to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. It debuted less than two months after John Glen's film Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, often leading to confusion between the two. The film received mixed to negative reviews, with particular criticism aimed at its historical inaccuracy and dramatic quality, and was a box-office bomb in the United States.
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Plot
Aware that the world—covered mostly in apparently flat ocean—actually has a ball-shaped surface, Christopher Columbus lobbies for a trip westward to Asia, but lacks a crew and ship. The Catholic theologians at the University of Salamanca heavily disapprove of Columbus's plan, not being keen on ideas that go against the writings of Ptolemaeus. Columbus is approached by Martín Pinzón, a shipowner from Palos, who introduces him to the banker Santángel, to whom Queen Isabella I owes money. Columbus meets with the queen, who grants him his journey in exchange for his promise to bring back sufficient amounts of riches in gold.
