Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

1492: Conquest of Paradise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 15, 2017

The thought of making a movie about Christopher Columbus in 2017 is absurd, with any possible production sure to be swiftly blasted by condemnation from various concerned parties. However, back in 1992, there was a race to put as many Christopher Columbus features on screen as possible, offered during a pre-social media era when those acutely aware of the famous explorer’s true achievements had no place to protest. Four tales of Columbus’s journey across the world were delivered for the 500th anniversary of his “discovery” of America, with one, “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery,” a bloated, moronic bomb from Alexander and Ilya Salkind, while director Ridley Scott was gifted a premiere creative opportunity with “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” endeavoring to craft a more realistic take on the story, but still paying tribute to the spirit of exploring and the savagery of man.

In Spain, Christopher Columbus (Gerard Depardieu) is struggling to make his mark on the world, developing an informed opinion that the world is not flat, but round, and riches beyond imagination are ready to be collected outside charted realms. Living during an age of religious terrorism, Christopher pushes his argument all the way to royalty, with Queen Isabella (Sigourney Weaver) granting the man a chance to prove himself. Setting sail across the ocean on the Santa Maria, Christopher faces hardships with his doubting crew, but his challenges are only beginning after arriving in the Bahamas, with the local indigenous culture resistant to the idea of Spanish conquerors, testing Christopher’s vision for coexistence as the invaders turn violent to secure their interests in gold, spices, and slave labor.

In his follow-up to “Thelma and Louise,” Scott takes the challenge of visually detailing Columbus’s world with the utmost seriousness. Joined by ace cinematographer Adrian Biddle, Scott creates an impossibly beautiful picture with “Conquest of Paradise,” putting significant effort into the bigness of the production, which imagines a tumultuous Spain for the first act, following Christopher’s mission to secure funding for his plan of exploring, watching others burned alive for their Godless hubris. Sets and costuming are equally gorgeous and detailed, delivering a you-are- there experience that’s found in the best Scott productions, conjuring an opulent but claustrophobic world that inspired Christopher to consider possibilities beyond the horizon, promising Spain glory and religious submission in exchange for a shot at achieving his dream.

The screenplay Rose Bosch isn’t rooted in cheap heroics and expected mythmaking, but it’s sympathetic to Christopher’s cause. The writing presents an intelligent man who understood the importance of the voyage, trying to persuade those in charge to see the potential of exploration, from a personal viewpoint and a political one. The early going of “Conquest of Paradise” is most effective, learning more about Christopher’s ambition and sacrifices, including the decision to leave his family behind while he goes off to possible doom. Depardieu isn’t the best choice to portray Christopher (he’s as French as a Frenchman gets, portraying a Spaniard in an American production), wrestling with line readings throughout, but his inner fires warm the screen, showcasing a passion for the character’s shortcomings and lust for adventures, and he plays wonderfully against a bizarre cast, including Frank Langella, Armand Assante, Fernando Rey, Tcheky Karyo, and Sigourney Weaver, who makes for a bright, commanding Queen Isabella, adding some needed femininity to a male-dominated story.

“Conquest of Paradise” follows a familiar arc of euphoria and misery, tracking Christopher’s efforts to establish a Spanish society in the middle of an indigenous population, who are understandably wary of the strangers and their hostile ways. Peace is established via mutual curiosity, but this tentative patience is soon demolished by violence, with additional voyages from Spain and fresh men armed with Catholicism turning the area into Hell on Earth, exploding with conflict and treachery. One could argue that the screenplay’s take on Christopher’s powerlessness is a cop-out, refusing to condemn a man who sailed far to bring submission to the masses, but Scott doesn’t completely erase blame, setting aside sympathies for the explorer’s mistakes up to a point of no return, then shaking back to the reality of genocide. “Conquest of Paradise” takes baby steps when challenging history trends of the day, but the work is there. Compared to “The Discovery,” Scott’s feature is practically a documentary, though it remains far from a definitive document on the horrors of Columbus’s objective.

1492: Conquest of Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"1492: Conquest of Paradise" has not been refreshed for this Blu-ray release, boasting a tired AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation. While not disastrous, the viewing experience isn't where it should be, as the feature is primarily a cinematographic achievement, showcasing amazing lighting and depth. Delineation suffers the most, delivering troublesome black levels that frequently solidify, losing frame information. Some mild ghosting is detected. Sequences lit by firelight also look too red. Filtering is present, along with faint vertical lines that periodically appear. The picture is best served in the brightness of day, which brings out the best of Scott's vision, offering depth of field and passable colors, including greenery and costuming, and native cultures add their own special hues. Source is without major points of damage, but speckling is present.

1492: Conquest of Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is capable, delivering a modest but effective listening experience. Theatrical engagements for "1492: Conquest of Paradise" offered a more robust track, but the Blu-ray's frontal position isn't unappealing, preserving dialogue exchanges and managing accents, which is vital to keeping up with the feature. Scoring is sharp and engaging, handled with pleasing instrumentation and support, bringing out the movie's sense of grandeur. Atmospherics are active, doing well with crowd sequences and jungle environments, and sound effects are secure, capturing violent exchanges.

1492: Conquest of Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson.

• Deleted Scenes (8:30, HD) include an extended public execution sequence with strangled and burned victims, a snake encounter in the jungle that ends in a horrible death, more time with Christopher's wife, a dinner scene with Christopher detailing his demand for a stronger work ethic in the new world, and additional, very brief shots of extreme violence, likely trimmed to secure the picture's PG-13 rating.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

1492: Conquest of Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Conquest of Paradise" is not a picture that improves as it goes. At 150 minutes in length, Scott overstays his welcome, filling the work with repetitive scenes of cruelty and confrontation, emphasizing just how misguided Christopher's ambitions became. The screenplay gets caught up in history but never feels accurate, dissolving into a melodrama at times, while Christopher himself gets off lightly in the end, with Scott softening the blow by preserving the man's soaring spirit in the face of condemnation, imprisonment, and competition. The movie could do with a significant amount of editorial tightening, even losing most of Depardieu's iffy line readings, reducing the endeavor to an outstandingly ornamented silent production that grasps the enormity of Christopher's vision. Scott is game to go where the production needs to, and there are incredible images to hold attention, but as the story unfolds, there's plenty of superfluous dramatic detours and showy performances, losing focus on Christopher's growing nightmare, effectively crippling the effort. The world certainly didn't need four Christopher Columbus features in 1992, but it's safe to say that, while deeply flawed, "1492: Conquest of Paradise" is the best one. That's damning with faint praise, I know, but in a race to the bottom, Ridley Scott's work at least offers a few moments of epic filmmaking to savor.