1492: Conquest of Paradise

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) is Ridley Scott's historical epic, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus, played by Gérard Depardieu, chases an idea that the courts of Europe find ridiculous: reach the Indies by sailing west instead of east.

Queen Isabella, played by Sigourney Weaver, finally backs him with gold and three caravels. What follows is the open ocean, a near-mutiny, and a coastline drawn on no map. Yet the discovery curdles fast. Behind Columbus come fever, greed and the brutal handling of the people already living there. Armand Assante and Michael Wincott round out the cast.

Scott released the film for the 500th anniversary of the voyage, and his real subject is the price of conquest rather than the glory of it. Vangelis wrote the score, which outlived the movie and became a classic on its own. Stream 1492: Conquest of Paradise online on iFILM.