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‘1492’ sails onto screen unfurling grand historic taleB Lou GaulCalkins \,-k \ihiLVr± Film Cr.'taWith its stunning cinematography and throbbing Vangelis score, “1492 Conquest of Para dise’4 comes across more Uke a new-age Windham Hill music vi deo than a big screen epic about the discovery of the new worldSmee the PG 13 picture is so pleasing to the senses, most viewers will forgive director Ridley Scott for pruning the dramatic aspects and pouring on the eye popping visuals Every penny of the $45 million budget shows on the screen, though one wishes that the British filmmaker had sliced out at least 30 mmutes and provided a few more insights into Christopher Columbus, touching ly played by French superstar Gerard DepaidieuCertainly the recent protests by American Indian activists, who have called Columbus a despot, slave trader, murderer and dis ease carrier and plan to disrupt celebrations planned this weekend to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the navigator’s discovery of America, have taint ed all projects associated with the explorer.John Glen’s thoroughly dreadful “Christopher Columbus The Discovery,” which sailed into theaters briefly m August and will best be remembered for paying Marlon Brando and Tom Sel-leck $5 and $3 million, respectively, for cameo performances, deserved to sink in a sea of bad reviews and dismal box office returnsBut “1492” is another story entirelyThe highly respected Scott, whose credits include “Blade Runner,” “Alien and “Thelma Louise, takes a very serious approach to the Columbus story and attempts to present a bal aneed view of the now-controver-sial explorerUnlike Glen, who wasted all of his money on superstars and had nothing left for production values, Scott pursued highly re spected, reasonably priced talents — including Sigourney Weaver as Queen Isabel, Armand Assante as Sanchez, the queen’s conniving advisor, and Fernando Rey as de Marchena, the monk who aids Columbus — to give “Conquest of Paradise” a touch of classTheir shming work certainlylends strong support to Depardieu, who creates Columbus as a larger-than-life tragic figure whose narrow-minded quest to discover new worlds kept him from seeing the broader political implications of his deed “1492” really deals with the corruption of paradise rather than the conquest of it, and Depardieu mirrors the emotional pam Columbus suffers as greed, lechery and slavery turn his dream of a braveThe highly respected director Ridley Scott, whose credits include “Blade Runner,” “Alien” and “Thelma Louise,” takes a very serious approach to the Columbus story and attempts to present a balanced view of the now-controver-sial explorer.new word into a nightmare environmentSince Scott assumes that most viewers are familiar with Columbus’ initial victory and eventualtragedy, the director providesonly thumbnail sketches of the characters who lead to the explorer’s downfall. The director also merely hints at Columbus' unmamed-with-ehildren status, something that damaged him among the deeply religious Spanish nobility, and never really clarifies the motivations of the powerful people who conspired to discredit the explorer.The script also falls into somesilly traps, particularly during a closing scene when Columbus announces: “Riches don't make a man rich They only make himbusier That sounds like something that would come out of the mouth of a born-again insider-trader rather than a man who accomplished the mcredible feat of defying all odds to realize his seemingly impossible dream.Postscript: The ratings imposed by the MPAA continue to be extremely confusing. Michael Mann's “The Last of the Mohicans” was recently rated R due to some violent content, but Scott's “1492” only received a PG-13 tag despite some extremely intense scenes, including a public strangling and the severing of a hand m full camera view. Not only does “1492” seem as violent as “Mohicans, it also contains extended nude scenes during the new-world segment. Go figure.1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISEGrade: B-Stamng Gerard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver, Armand Assante, Fernando Rey, Tckeky Karyo and Frank Langella, music by Vange-hs, written by Roselyne Bosch; produced by Ridley Scott and Alain Goldman; directed by Scott Running Time 150 minutes Pa rental Guide PG-13 rating (some intense violence, strong sexual innuendo, nudity)Lou Gaul is film critic for Calkins NewspapersGerard Depardieu (standing) stars in “1492: Conquest of Para dise.”
Newspaper Details
Doylestown Intelligencer
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, US
Fri, Oct 09, 1992
Page 24
Full Page
Clipped by
Jon C.
NJ, USA 18 Jan 2020
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