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Whatever charges may have been fired at this film when it was first released in 1992, they were mainly voiced by people unable to appreciate the utterly hypnotic beauty and power of this epic. For 1492 does not seek to mollify adherents to transitory "values" but merely to tell an incredible story in the most artistic and compelling way possible. Ridley Scott is one of the few filmmakers who is also an accomplished painter with a vast knowledge of the history of art. This has invested all of his work with an unsurpassed visual splendor. Columbus thus afforded Scott a rich and vast palette, and unsurprisingly, 1492 is a film of shimmering beauty. The photography, art direction, and costuming are rendered in crisp, impeccably artful detail. However, 1492 is more than just pleasant to behold. Roselyn Bosch's screenplay is beautifully crafted, forming a plot line which takes Columbus from the ordered pageantry of the Spanish court to his attempt to colonize the "new world," only to have the settlers succumb to the feral temptations of the wilderness. Gerard Depardieu is perfectly cast as Columbus, a passionate and spiritual but ultimately misguided dreamer. Such is Depardieu's magnetic charisma and presence that despite a thick French accent, he makes a compelling and convincing protagonist. Armand Assante is also praiseworthy in his spiteful performance as Sanchez the Spanish royal treasurer while Sigourney Weaver brings an elegant class to her role as Queen Isabel. Another key element to the film's effectiveness is the movie's score. Although an offbeat choice for an historic drama, the selection of Vangelis lends a unique soundscape to lift the film even higher. Although incorporating a largely electronic sound, Vangelis' music also employs a full chorus, flute, Spanish guitar, and Indian chants, forming a powerful music counterpoint to the images on-screen. Although insufficiently appreciated at the time of its release, 1492: Conquest of Paradise remains a poetic yet exciting film, well worth experiencing, especially on wide-screen laserdisc. —Paul Andrew MacLean
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