Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this page1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Director: Ridley Scott
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Christopher Columbus: hero, or villain paving the way for genocide? Scott straddles the quincentenary controversy, painting him as a rebellious sort who finds reality at variance with his dreams. The film covers 20 years, from his early efforts to raise backing to his ensuing triumphs and, ultimately, the disillusionment of seeing Eden turning into Hell. It was a shrewd move to cast Depardieu in the role: few actors could so skilfully reconcile the necessary qualities of enthusiasm, vulnerability and arrogance. As Queen Isabel, Weaver proves a good foil, while spectacular visuals convey the brutality and grandeur of the age. But in attempting to explore the man, Roselyne Bosch's script also embraces the myth, most obviously in some initial exchanges laden with significance. Vangelis' thunderous, intrusive score doesn't help; even more tedious is foppish villain Wincott, fashion victim and confirmed sadist.Author:
Cast & crew
Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Ridley Scott, Alain Goldman
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver, Loren Dean, Angela Molina, Fernando Rey, Michael Wincott, Tchéky Karyo, Kevin Dunn, Frank Langella, Mark Margolis full cast
Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers
Duration: 155 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now