Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery is a 1992 American historical adventure film directed by John Glen. It was the last project developed by the father and son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind (best known for the Superman films that star Christopher Reeve in the title role). The film follows events after the fall of the Emirate of Granada (an Arab principality which was located in the south of Spain), and leads up to the voyage of Columbus to the New World in 1492. Its behind-the-scenes history involved an elaborate series of financial mishaps , which later brought about an emotional falling-out between Alexander and Ilya; as a frustrated Alexander would later lament in a November 1993 interview with the "Los Angeles Times", "I know, after this, that I'll never make movies again." The film was released for the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage. The premiere took place at almost exactly the same time as "", which has often led to confusion between the two films. Plot. The titular Genoese navigator overcomes intrigue in the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and gains financing for his expedition to the West Indies , which eventually leads to the European discovery of the Americas. Production. Timothy Dalton and Isabella Rossellini, originally chosen to star in the picture, backed out when director George Pan Cosmatos was replaced by John Glen shortly before shooting began. Dalton later filed a lawsuit against the producers for breach of contract and fraud, stating that they did not provide a bank guarantee for his $2.5 million salary. Glen had previously directed Dalton in both of his appearances as James Bond: "The Living Daylights" and "Licence to Kill". Reception. The film was not a commercial success, debuting at No. 4  and grossing $8 million against its $45 million budget. The film received mostly negative reviews, with a rotten 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews, with the website's critical consensus reading "Ironically, for a biopic about a voyage many associate with people accepting that the world is round, "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" falls completely flat." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C" on scale of A+ to F. Awards. Tom Selleck won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. Marlon Brando was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actor and the  film received another four Golden Raspberry Award nominations including; Worst Picture, Worst Director – John Glen, Worst New Star – Georges Corraface and Worst Screenplay – Mario Puzo. At the 1992 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, it received a nomination for Worst Picture. Home media. The film was released on VHS and LaserDisc formats from Warner Home Video in 1993. It has not been released on DVD in North America, but is available in other format regions on DVD.