Coming to a Theater Near You: A Complex Christopher Columbus
By Rachael Hansen and John Marlow, with comments by Rosanny Bello, Daniel Spangler, Zachary Rubin, Nicholas Alakel, and Alexander Vernak
[1] The traditional image of Christopher Columbus is a hero that fits neatly into the American myth of discovery. In the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise we see that image presented in a slightly new light. The scene discussed below displays Columbus's potential for great accomplishments along with his tendency to leave things unfinished. Ridley Scott brings the traditional Columbus figure to the screen, while simultaneously complicating the traditional, purely positive view of Columbus.
[2] The film medium has empowered filmmakers with the ability to distribute a version of history to the masses. With this capability, however, comes the weighty responsibility of determining how to depict history. We will investigate a key scene in 1492 and discuss the methods Ridley Scott uses to retell Columbus's colonization of the New World.
[3] To take a truly objective look at this film's depiction of the Columbus myth, we must ask ourselves "Does he truly live up to the heroic status we have given him?" Despite knowledge of the documented atrocities that were committed under Columbus, the traditional Columbus myth continues to be taught in schools and remembered through media recreations. Typically, we view him as an embodiment of the American dream: a man of vision who chased his dreams with tenacity and confidence. The truth of his exploits, however, are much more complex. In 1492, a scene showing the raising of a massive bell in the new colony, serves a dual purpose: to glorify Columbus' accomplishments and symbolically expose the folly of his conquests (Tape I - 1:32:30).
The Mainstream Reading (sub-titles pay homage to Chris Robe's scene analysis)
[4] The way that Scott represents Columbus during this scene contributes to the film's propagation of the popular Columbus myth. The scene begins with Columbus leading a collection of Spaniards, Indians, and animals working in unison under his direction, to push the wagon that is transporting the bell. The low camera angle focuses on the legs of the workers pushing hard against the ground. Through this shot, the director communicates the enormous effort necessary to complete this endeavor. At first, the camera pans back to show Columbus waving a stick like a baton. Similar to an orchestra director, this image shows him as a leader. Next, Columbus is pushing with the rest of his men, proving that he is neither too arrogant, nor unafraid to work on the same level as his men. This shows Columbus as a man's man, not deterred by a difficult task. Overall, Columbus's dual role of worker and leader supports the traditional heroic depiction of Columbus: a diligent, self-sacrificing leader, leading by example. (comment by Alexander Vernak)
[5] Due to the symbolic value of a bell, the choice to dedicate a scene to raising a bell was a deliberate decision by Scott. In the 1400's, a bell was used as a telephone is today, for communication. Ringing a bell would alert people to meetings, church services, or warnings. A bell would carry messages to all within earshot. In this way, the bell in the film brings communication and order to the colony. Scott credits Columbus with this accomplishment, making him the one responsible for bringing order to the uncivilized and savage New World.
[6] Among American viewers, a bell is associated with liberty and freedom. As a symbol of our own revolution and sovereignty, the bell in this scene represents Columbus as the purveyor of positive autonomy to the Indians and the New World. This scene plays upon a viewer's tendency to view the bell as a patriotic emblem, thus associating Columbus's colonization in a positive and favorable light, connected to our freedom. (comment by Zachary Rubin)
[7] It is important to note the failed initial attempt to raise the bell. The failed attempt allows Columbus to shine as a leader and display the determination that brought him across the ocean. It is during this moment that Columbus says, "We all must work," in a plea to the defiant Moxica to use his horse to help raise the bell. By equally participating in work, Columbus is portrayed as a fair and admirable leader. Also buried in this momentary exchange with Moxica are hints of Columbus's desire for democracy and equality among all men. The allusions to Columbus's righteousness and admirable leadership in this scene support the positive depiction of Columbus as a heroic figure.
[8] In the attempt to raise the bell, European technology and influence is depicted as the element that makes this task achievable. Horses and oxen are harnessed to help move the wagon, while principles of physics and technology are also employed. Without pulley systems or horses, the bell would not have been raised, thus crediting the Spanish and European influence in achieving the goal. This is supported by several shots that focus on the ropes and pulleys, further emphasizing Spanish ingenuity and contributions.
[9] The scene concludes with the successful raising of the bell. The camera focuses on Columbus who turns his back to the bell and begins to walk away from the structure. As he walks away, other men greet him with looks of gratitude and appreciation. By walking out of the scene, Columbus denies himself the opportunity to celebrate and revel in personal glorification. This modest portrayal of Columbus illustrates him as humble and selfless, contributing to a favorable image. (see comment by Nicholas Alakel)
The "Cracked" Reading
[10] The credo "there is always more than one side to a story" certainly applies to this scene in 1492. Documented historical facts have begun to cast a negative shadow over Columbus's positive accomplishments. A contrasting view of this scene reflects this alternate depiction of the Columbus myth.
[11] Rather than a hopeful symbol of religion and freedom, the massive iron bell is like an intrusion into the New World (comment by Rosanny Bello). Its loud ring pollutes the natural environment, much like the Spanish presence. Once the bell is raised, Scott uses a variety of inventive camera-angles to show the bell ringing. A view from above looks down on two Friars pulling the rope to ring the bell. Their bodies are intertwined and writhing together, with little separation or distinction. Camera angles, ropes, and writhing bodies combine to suggest images of a hanging. The Friars represent Christianity, while the blending of their bodies represents loss of personal identity and individuation (of the Indians). Altogether, this shot suggests the mass Indian murders that occurred in the world in the name of the Spanish spread of Christianity (comment by Daniel Spangler).
[12] Columbus's confidence at the scene's conclusion can also be viewed in a contrasting manner: one of naiveté and mistaken arrogance. By abandoning the task before it is completed, Columbus is wrongly confident that he has provided a solid foundation. Raising the bell marks the last positive thing that was achieved before colonization began to deteriorate. Failure to oversee the completion of this task parallels Columbus's failure to complete his dreams of discovery. While Columbus initiated exploration to the New World, he did not follow through and discover the mainland.
[13] This scene provides contradictory depictions of Columbus. The traditional mythic story dominates the scene. A closer look, however, exposes elements of a deeper, less known, truth about Columbus and his exploits. The overall theme of the scene works with the rest of the film to provide a portrayal of Columbus as a fair, humanitarian hero, and a strong leader. This scene supports how the film credits Columbus with bringing positive elements of modernization to the New World in the promise to make civilization better than savagery. Consequently, this sanitized portrayal of Columbus aligns with our typical historical view of Columbus. A more in-depth study of this scene, however, exposes subtle hints that suggest there is more to learn about the Spanish colonization.
Comments
[1] In another contrast to the bell as representative of the New World or, generally, a new beginning in the Hansen and Marlow "mainstream" reading, the bell also represents an inevitable end in the "cracked" reading. This scene is the first we see of the initial development of the first city, and it is after this scene that the city begins to crumble -- through the people, then by the destruction by the hurricane. The bringing of the bell, then, symbolizes an end to the natural order in which the natives lived, an end to the lives of so many natives, and all this brought by Columbus to the New World.
[2] On the idea of the bell representing an end, I thought about the quote "And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee" from John Donne's Meditation 17. Donne was speaking about how no man stands alone, and if one person dies, he or she brings down the rest, as if we all share the death of that one. In relating that to the film, the natives were being killed off by the Spaniards, and it was with the added violence towards the natives that there came a downfall to the city and Columbus's plans. In a way, it was like the death of one civilization was felt on another. Columbus was, in fact, bringing his own end, "preparing his own cross" as Sanchez says.
[1] The scene begins with a shot of the people and animals struggling to push the bell to its destination. The people are putting forth great effort, but the issues in their minds are most likely far from the original reasons for bringing the massive bell from Spain to the New World. They are most likely simply concentrated on the physical task, getting the bell raised so that they can stop working. I don't think that many of these common people would have thought to bring the bell originally as individuals. If the thought did cross their minds, it would have been culturally initiated, that is, if they hadn't been used to seeing Spanish buildings, theirs probably would look very different.
[2] The scene then goes on to show the ringing of the bell. Once a tremendous amount of effort is used to raise the bell, it takes only a relatively small amount of energy to ring it, specifically two monks. However, the effect the ringing creates is overbearing. Everyone in the area is now exposed to the souless, mindless, physically created sound. Through this technology multitudes of people have been affected, by the will of a few. Nature's sounds have been overpowered by man's. What I am trying to get at is that a few people can pull ideas and practices out of the existing culture, incorporate them for their own display of power, and convince others to help them. Technology, like the bell, rules itself unless put into check. A few people can use technological superiority to accomplish perceived goals, when these goals may only be culturally created by people who lived before them. As the principles and goals of the culture are spread with more technology, they gain lives of their own, and live on, pushed forward by the minority elite (the bell/Spain), but the ring and after-effects are spread and forced upon all.
In making an evident connection between the bell and Christopher Columbus on screen, director Ridley Scott makes a smart yet disheartening decision in order to satisfy his audience. With the film's release coinciding with the 500th anniversary of his discovery of America, the viewers who saw this film most likely would have been upset to see a film primarily illustrating the utter violence and genocide that occurred during Columbus's conquests within the Caribbean. Consequently, what did Scott choose to do? He partially idealized Columbus, who was a very flawed protagonist, in order to appease his audience and limit the potentially disparaging public backlash from a more negative depiction of one of America's most revered icons. Thus, the bell scene is a perfect example of Scott's decision to satisfy the American public. Like Rosanny, the original poster, stated, the bell represents the American Revolution, Philadelphia, Freedom, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. For Scott to utilize the bell to help portray Columbus in a better light for the American viewer made sense from a cinematic standpoint. However, while film is an artistic medium and Scott has the right to portray the Columbus that he believes is appropriate, it is disheartening to see the director manipulate the American viewer through such vivid imagery rather than accurately portray Columbus, an ambitious man whose inherent flaws led to his demise.
As Hansen and Marlow state in this section on the propagation of the popular conceptualization of Columbus, Scott portrays Columbus as “a diligent, self-sacrificing leader, leading by example.†He is able to bring together all of those in the new world in order to accomplish a unified goal. Here Scott portrays Columbus as the extraordinary everyman. His ability to be among the people and yet be such a charismatic character truly creates the feeling of superiority around his character. This is seen even more clearly when he forces Moxica to give him his horse to engage in the effort to lift the bell. Though Moxica clearly thinks himself superior to the toiling Columbus, he is eventually proven to be his subordinate in the New World. This part of the scene does even more to articulate just how “righteous†Columbus is. By establishing him as this humble yet authoritative leader, when the other character that has some authority is arrogant and idle when work must be done, the propagation of the myth of Columbus’s heroic status is very clear in this film.
The bell scene, though it demonstrates Columbus's humility, is also representative of the ostentatiousness and extravagance of the Spaniards. It struck me as particularly odd that the raising of such an ornate bell would be a priority to the newly settled Spaniards. The great amount of time and effort they took raising the bell demonstrates their misplaced priorities and dependence on the material aspects of life.
