Christopher Columbus (1949) starring Frederic March
Frederic March stars as the legendary explorer, Christopher Columbus. Navigating the Spanish court intrigues, mutinous crew, and then …
Father Perez: I see you’re a scholar, my son, as well as a traveler.
Christopher Columbus: Certainly a traveler, Father. I’ve sailed as far north as Iceland, as far south as Guinea, and eastward to the Golden Horn.
Father Perez: But that is to have reached the limits of the World.
Christopher Columbus: Of the known world? Yes, Father, but the actual world… not by a thousand leagues.
Father Perez: How can you say that – never having seen it?
Christopher Columbus: Have you ever seen Heaven or Hell?
Father Perez: We have sound reasons for believing they exist.
Christopher Columbus: I have sound reasons too.
Father Perez: What are they?
Christopher Columbus: The same as yours, Father, and revelations to which I can add cosmography and mathematics.
Product Description
In this classic 1949 production, Frederic March gives an outstanding performance as Christopher Columbus, the world’s most daring explorer! Surrounded by doubters, Columbus convinces Queen Isabella to provide him with ships and money necessary for his voyage past the earth’s known limits. Follow Columbus’ incredible journey as he battles mutiny, exhaustion, and desperation on his way to the ultimate discovery…the new world!
After 71 grueling days at sea, the crewmembers of the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria sight a tropical paradise which they christen San Salvador. The natives of the island eagerly trade their abundant raw materials with Columbus for his European goods.
Columbus is greeted as a national hero after returning to Spain with gold, spices, riches and tales of his amazing findings. However, he must continue to battle jealous enemies who are plotting his downfall.
Both classic movie fans and history buffs will enjoy the dramatic story of the steadfast man who changed the face of the world…Christopher Columbus!
Also stars Florence Eldridge, Francis L. Sullivan Nora Swinburne, and James Robertson Justice.
Christopher Columbus: [as he and Diego observe a native smoking tobacco] Doesn’t that prove how backward they are? You never see a civilized man do that.
Cast of characters
- Fredric March (Man on a Tightrope, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931) … Christopher Columbus
- Florence Eldridge (Mary of Scotland 1936) … Queen Isabella
- Francis L. Sullivan (Great Expectations 1946) … Francisco de Bobadilla
- Kathleen Ryan (Odd Man Out) … Beatriz Enriquez de Arana
- Derek Bond (Stranger from Venus) … Diego de Arana
- Nora Swinburne (Quo Vadis) … Joanna de Torres
- Abraham Sofaer (Twice Told Tales, A Matter of Life and Death) … Luis de Santangel
- Linden Travers … Beatriz de Peraza
- James Robertson Justice (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) … Martin Alonso Pinzon
- Dennis Vance … Francisco Pinzon
- Richard Aherne (Sahara) … Vicente Yañez Pinzon
- Felix Aylmer (The Mummy (1959)) … Father Perez
- Francis Lister … King Ferdinand
- Edward Rigby … Pedro
- Niall MacGinnis (Curse of the Demon, Lust for Life) … Juan de la Cosa
- Ralph Truman … Captain
- Ronald Adam … Talavera
- Guy Le Feuvre … Admiral
- Lyn Evans (Kind Hearts and Coronets) … Lope
- David Cole … Diego Columbus – Columbus’ Son
- Hugh Pryse … Almoner
- Stuart Lindsell … Prior