Christopher Columbus (1985)
Christopher Columbus is a television production by Alberto Lattuada from 1985. It is primarily about the life of the explorer Christopher Columbus . However, the meeting of people with different religions or worldviews is also treated in depth.
The popular version consists of two episodes.
action
First part
On August 13, 1476, after a shipwreck caused by a fire, the captain Christopher Columbus was washed ashore on the nearby Portuguese coast. The thirty-year-old Genoese , who went to sea from an early age, has lost everything, even his beloved book Marco Polo . Lying on the beach, he is picked up by traveling people and brought to a campfire. Where he can recover from the hardships suffered. He listens to the sound of a guitar , strengthens himself with a warm meal and, amused, lets a young girl prophesy the future out of his hand. With great seriousness the girl explains to him that he will reap hardship and fame.
Soon after, Columbus set off for Lisbon , where his brother Bartholomew worked as a nautical chart designer. The Turks had interrupted European trade with the East through conquests . That is why Portuguese seafarers had gradually begun to circumnavigate Africa in the last few decades, discovering new trade routes and trading partners. The mapped world is getting bigger and bigger. Columbus hires in Lisbon on a ship that goes on trade trips to England and Iceland . On one of these voyages, the sailors discover a dugout canoe with a dead body floating on the sea. Columbus believes that the man came from the west and was driven across the sea, because Marco Polo described people with this figure. In Iceland, Columbus learns of an ancient story. Erik the Viking came across a country in the west and called it wine country . Columbus believes, like most scholars of his time, that the earth is round and he now even believes that the ocean can be crossed by ship. Columbus successfully enters his brother's nautical chart business. He is learning Spanish , Latin and by self-study he tries to find out how big the ocean is.
During this time Columbus met Filipa, a girl from impoverished Portuguese nobility who grew up in the Konvent do Santos . Columbus wants to marry Felipa , who has no dowry , and therefore goes to her mother. He manages to convince the widow of himself. Columbus happily marries Felipa and moves with her to the island of Porto Santo , where her father was once governor. Columbus gives up his seamanship and manages lands on the island for his wife's noble family. In the study of Filipa's dead father, who was also a seafarer, Columbus finds countless maps and sea maps.
Years go by in which Columbus is born a son and in which he studies the winds and currents of the island, which also wash up bamboo . In around 1484 he traveled to Forte da Mina , on the gold coast of Africa , to take some measurements . But when he receives a letter from home, he immediately returns home. His wife is dying. He promises his dying wife that he will not abandon his plans to sail west to discover the unknown world he suspects. She also admonishes him to keep his plans a secret so that no one can steal his fame. Shortly after the death of his wife, he is called to the Portuguese king , who has learned of his plans. The king has Columbus explain his plan to him. He wants to implement his plan. Two nobles, not Columbus, are supposed to implement it. The betrayed Columbus then flees to Spain by ship, knowing that the Portuguese expedition would fail because he had withheld important details of his plan from the king.
He goes ashore in the Spanish port of Palos . There he saw victims of the Inquisition for the first time , mainly Jews who did not want to convert to Christianity. With his son he reached a monastery and met a recommended padre , with whom he befriended. Columbus tells the padre about his plans and he immediately helps with a letter of recommendation that should help Columbus to be heard at the Spanish court. Columbus leaves his son in the care of the padres and goes to the royal court in Seville . But he is not received there, because the king is busy with the war against the Moors. Only his pious wife, the Queen , takes some time for Columbus. However, she doubts the feasibility of the plans, because a ship must certainly sail a long way before it reaches the west. Columbus argues against it that there are many riches to be found in the West that will enable a new Spanish crusade, this time to liberate the Holy Land . But the time is not yet ripe and some church officials are against his plans and so he has to wait. Meanwhile, Columbus brother tries to convince the English king of the plans of discovery, which he does not succeed. During this time Columbus falls in love with Beatriz , a young peasant girl. Despite his close relationship with her, he did not marry her, fearing that noble patrons might turn away from him and his plans if they learned that he was married to a woman from poor backgrounds. Columbus undertakes as a simple soldier and is there like King Ferdinand conquered Málaga . Shortly afterwards, Beatrice Columbus gives birth to a son. Years go by again. His wife and young son live with him in poverty. For years Columbus had pursued his plans of discovery and made little money for his family. Now he is thinking about going to France to present his plans to the French king.
But suddenly everything changes: the Spaniards conquer Granada in 1492 . The reconquest of Spain is now complete. Again Columbus is allowed to audition at the royal court and this time he is heard. He was awarded three ships in the port of Palos for his expedition. For his services, Columbus demands the title of viceroy and the title of admiral for all countries he will discover, for himself for life and for all his descendants as well. He also asks for a tenth of all gold found in the area he is about to discover. King Ferdinand reluctantly agrees. In the port of Palos Columbus meets again captain Martin Pinzon , whom he met many years ago in Spain. Columbus tells him about his secret plan. He wants to travel from the Canary Islands , because at this latitude the winds constantly blow from northeast to southwest in summer. He had researched this on Porto Santo. Martin Pinzon then takes command of one of the three ships. His brother Vincente Pinzon takes on another command. Columbus, the commander of the fleet, takes command of the flagship, the Santa Maria . When hiring the team there is a first dispute between Martin Pinzon and Columbus. Against Pinzon's will, Columbus hires a convert of Jewish descent as an interpreter , because the goal of the expedition, Columbus explains days later, is the Christianization of the people in the West.
The long-planned expedition begins on August 3, 1492. The wind is favorable and the ships are sailing well. Every evening Columbus lets his sailors, the Our Father , the Salve Regina and the Creed speak, because he knows that they need a strong faith for the voyage. The longer the voyage, the more worries seafarers become. When there is no wind, the Pinzon brothers are also impatient. But Columbus doesn't give up and lets sail on with the next wind. He keeps two logbooks , one with the exact calculations and a second, in which he gives the distances covered, in order to reassure the teams. Still, his sailors are getting more and more nervous. A mutiny is imminent and Columbus therefore promises to sail only three more days and to turn back if necessary. The very next day Columbus discovered land birds in the sky and then, shortly before the deadline, land was sighted. On October 12, 1492, Columbus and some of his men set foot on the newly discovered land. They solemnly take possession of it for Spain. Columbus baptizes it San Salvador . The ceremony held is secretly watched by some indigenous people.
Second part
The natives leave their hiding place and face the Spaniards. This is how the first contact comes about, with which the trying interpreter is hardly of any help. The Spaniards immediately exchange worthless items, such as bells, for gold and then sail on to the next islands, where people also live. When they go ashore again, they are taught to smoke by the indigenous people . When Columbus returns to his ships, he finds that the pinta is missing. Pinzon deserted with the ship. On December 14th, Columbus took possession of Haiti and named the island Hispaniola ( Espanola ). Columbus meets the chief Guacanabo, a powerful ruler who holds a festival in his honor. But in the following night a disaster happens, the Santa Maria runs into a reef and can no longer be saved. The Spaniards escape to the nearby island and found a city there, which they call Navidad (Spanish for Christmas ). Columbus leaves 40 men behind and sets off with the rest of them back to Spain. Shortly after starting the journey home, they meet the Pinta. Pinzon had discovered gold in a river and had it forcibly digged by locals. He also stole some local women. On Columbus's orders, Pinzon releases the women and returns them to land. Supported by a strong wind, the Spaniards travel home. But in a storm the two ships are separated again.
The Nina makes it to the Portuguese coast. The Portuguese king summons Columbus to come to him. In conversation with him, the king announces that he will claim a share in the discoveries. He will come to an amicable understanding with Spain on this. Columbus can have his ship repaired in Lisbon. Days later Columbus lands in the city of Palos and meets his brother and wife as well as his younger son there again. The following night, Pinzon also returns home to Palos. However, he is disappointed that Columbus has already landed and therefore cannot reap his fame. Columbus is received in a festive manner by King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Columbus is now bringing his family together. His sons Diego and Fernando get along immediately. Now he also wants to marry his wife, which she refuses because he has not yet fulfilled the mission of his life.
Since the Portuguese have the strongest fleet in Europe, the Spaniards have to negotiate with them diplomatically who should own what. Columbus proposes a dividing line 100 miles west of the Azores . The western side is said to belong to Spain and the eastern to the Portuguese. The proposal was accepted by both sides and Columbus was able to set sail again on September 14, 1493. With him come many volunteers, soldiers, farmers, craftsmen, a doctor, several monks for the conversion of the Indians, as well as some hidalgos who are spread over seventeen ships. The crossing is without any problems. But then they discover that the Navidad settlement no longer exists. Everything is destroyed and the men left behind lie skeletonized in the sand. Columbus immediately founds a new city called Isabella . Columbus goes out with soldiers and confronts the chief Guacanabo. Guacanabo claims that the Spaniards looted the other end of the island, each robbing three women. The tribes affected then attacked the Spaniards in revenge. Columbus believes the chief and so the peaceful life can go on. When a hidalgo named Don Rodrigo causes trouble, Columbus has him arrested first. Shortly afterwards, Don Rodrigo disappears on one of the ships and sails back. In the summer of 1494 Columbus' brother arrives with some supply ships. Columbus temporarily appoints his brother as governor . He is also traveling back to Spain because he rightly fears that the royal court will now be integrated against him. Columbus arrives in time, the queen believes him and not the intriguers . Meanwhile, some Spaniards cause trouble. They rape and pillage. Bartholomew cannot assert himself against them and so it happens that the natives, under the leadership of Guacanabo, make an uprising. Columbus arrives just in time to crush the rebellion. Guacanabo and his warriors are enslaved and shipped to Spain for sale. But since Columbus hardly sends any gold to Spain, trust in him sinks. He and his brother are charged with plotting to drive the newly discovered lands into the hands of Spain's enemies. In the meantime Columbus tries to reach the western continent with a ship, but is surprised by a storm, causing the ship to leak heavily and he has to break off the journey. Columbus is arrested on his arrival, as is his brother shortly afterwards. Both are brought to Spain in chains. Christopher Columbus is housed in a monastery cell. There he meets his friend the Father and, to a great surprise, also Guacanabo, who has found asylum with the Father there. Guacanabo had become ill and was then unsuitable as a slave. Columbus has to wait days, finally he is received by the king and queen. He is pardoned because the arrest was not legal. But he is not supposed to return to Hispaniola. Over the next few years Columbus wrote many letters to the king, demanding his rights as viceroy and admiral back. When his son Diego is finally given the post of governor of Hispaniola by the king, Columbus is happy again. The king recognizes his rights, which one day will pass completely to his son Diego.
background
The television series was created in collaboration between Rai RadioTelevisione ( Italy ) with Antenne 2 Bavaria Atelier ( Bavaria ) and Lorimar . The cost of television production was 15 million dollars . Filming locations were Spain , Malta and the Dominican Republic . The ships Santa Maria , Niña and Pinta can be seen as replicas in this production.
The first broadcast of the mini-series took place on March 7, 1985 in Italy , in the USA it was first shown on May 19 of the same year. In Germany it broadcast Das Erste as a three-part Christmas series on December 25 ( Part 1. The Dreamer ), December 26 ( Part 2. The Discoverer ) and on December 29, 1985 ( Part 3. The Powerless ), in Austria the ORF first in March 1986. Further publications followed in Argentina , Brazil , Greece and the Netherlands .
The co-production received two Emmy nominations, including for historical costumes.
In 2006 the series was released on DVD in Germany. Some scenes that were cut out and not dubbed in the German TV version from 1985 have been left in the DVD release and given a German subtitle . This current version consists of two episodes.
media
- VHS : Christopher Columbus (NTSC) (English) - CBS Television
- DVD : Christopher Columbus - Koch Media
- DVD : Christopher Columbus (English and Dutch Subtitles) - Dutch Film Works
- LP the original Italian music from the mini-series by Riz Ortolani with additional songs by Plácido Domingo
- LP the German music of the mini-series by Ernst Brandner
Individual evidence
- ↑ This information was verified by means of the DVD publication. However, the DVD booklet has a total length of 295 minutes, which is obviously wrong.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Booklet by Oliver Bayan and Birgit Lansdorf of the DVD: Christopher Columbus. Koch Media GmbH 2006
- ↑ a b The Internet Movie Database - Start Dates for Christopher Columbus
- ^ The Internet Movie Database - Companies involved for Christopher Columbus
- ^ The Internet Movie Database - Awards for Christopher Columbus
Web links
- Christopher Columbus in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Christopher Columbus in the online film database