1492: The Conquest of Paradise substantially misrepresents the events of Christopher Columbus, particularly his relationship with the natives, which tends to lean toward the high school textbook definition of the encounter. The film has a thin layer of protection in regards to its accuracy. It also has an undeveloped frame narrative that relies on the biography of Columbus written by Fernando. 1492 begins with the voice-over of Fernando who recalls his father saying “Nothing that results from human progress is achieved by unanimous consent,” which is not a quote that Columbus has ever said. It concludes with Fernando asking what Christopher remembers about his journey, and he begins to record how his father perceived his exploits. The beginning and the finale of the film essentially tells us that the film is not abiding by historical accuracy, but instead, history the way Christopher and Fernando choose to present it.
It seems the film explicitly wants to counter the negative stories associated with Columbus and instead, make him a hero that would be celebrated for years to come. Columbus shows that he understands what he is doing is remarkable, even stating that he is the ‘chosen one’. However, the framing of the film is inconsistent, even using voice over from Columbus himself. The screenwriter of the film, Rose Bosch, seems to have done her research but doesn’t effectively create a narrative that has a sense of perspective. Whether this is Columbus’s story or a retelling of his letters from his son Fernando remains ambiguous because many of the details and emotions associated with the film is something Fernando could not have easily expressed. This film came out on the exact day of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus setting foot in the new world, exacerbating the notion that this film is not one to be historically accurate, but rather a film that tries to push blame on rather one-dimensional antagonists and stereotypical ‘savages’ tropes.
1492: The Conquest of Paradise seems to be lazily written ignoring many of Christopher’s horrendous exploits and instead, replacing it with a savior-like story. Which in many ways coincides with the idea that this film could be interpreted to be the viewpoint of Columbus’s son trying to make a hero out of his father, but that is a weak argument.