MovieChat Forums > 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) Discussion > Good flick but too many potholes.....

Good flick but too many potholes.....

posted 4 years ago by grhqofb5 (346)
10 replies | jump to latest

So, I have to say I really enjoyed this film from an entertainment perspective. However it is quite obvious that there were numerous plot holes that would leave any viewer scratching his head:

(1) how did Columbus manage to cross a 3000 mi ocean without a compass or any other method to determine where he was going?

(2) when Columbus arrived at his destination, how was it that he was able to feed so many people at once? He had the crew and also a bunch of natives he had to feed, which must have been very difficult but this is never explained.

(3) there is a very Grand scene showing Columbus lifting, with the help of others, a large metal bell into a tower of some sort. However, there is no way to determine how the ladders got there. Also, he utilized the help of many different animals but it is not clear where the animals came from because they were not on the boats they came over with him.

(4) not only is it unclear how Columbus located the new world due to the lack of a compass, but it is also completely unclear how he managed to return to the exact place from which he left somewhere in portugal.

(5) Columbus and several of his men are seen riding horses. However horses were not indigenous to North America or the islands over there. Not explained where horses came from?

(6) there is also a scene where the structures that were built by Columbus and his men were intentionally burned by arson. However, is well known this area of the world had not mastered the concept of fire at that point in time. So how could they possibly have burned all that wood?

(7) there are multiple scenes showing Columbus and his men talking to the local tribesmen. However it is also obvious that no one over there knew how to speak English or Spanish. It is not explained how these native people already knew those languages upon Columbus and his men.

Thoughts?

[–] millsey72 (10244) 2 years ago

The term plot hole is so over used on these boards. This movie is an account on the real life of Christopher Columbus. How can there be plot holes in a historical non fiction story?

1) If you sail west from Spain, you will eventually land on some land whether it be America or one of the Carribean Islands

2) They ate fruit which was plentiful on those islands. Plus there were animals to kill and cook

3) The animals were already living on the island and helped with the metal bell

4) Back in those days, Portugal has sea directors on boats patrolling the seas up to 100 miles out. When they saw Columbus, they helped guide him to his proper destination

5) Columbus brought horses with him on his ships

6) The use of fire was already invented several hundred years prior. How do you think they cooked?

7) Columbus was not only a great sailor but he was also a master spanish language teacher. He was able to teach the native to speak Spanish in a very short period of time

[–] grhqofb5 (346) 2 years ago

Reply to your counterpoints:

(1) If you sail west from Spain, you will probably go west for at least a couple days. After that you’ll lose your bearings, and you will need a compass to know which way is west.

(2) If that was the case they should have shown some foraging parties or some farming operations to cure the plot hole

(3) There may have been animals over there, but they weren’t domesticated. It would’ve been impossible to domesticate a new species of animals while also having to do all that work at once. Seems like a big task to undertake

(4) If Portugal had sea directors over there 100 miles offshore, how is it that they had not discovered the new world yet? You’d think that one of them would’ve ventured another hundred miles west and run into the enormous land mass that’s now called America. Also how did they know where to stop if they hadn’t been there yet?

(5) It would have been impossible to bring horses on a ship for that long a period of time. They would’ve had to build stables and feed the horses on the boat, which would have depleted all of the provisions of the crew.

(6) there may have been fire in the New World, but they got it from lightning Or other natural sources. So it was not easy to maintain once it went out. Also, Columbus did not have immediate access to fire either because all of the existing fire sources would’ve gone out on the boat

(7) it is highly unlikely that Columbus alone would have been fluent in several different native dialects. He may have been a renaissance man, but he did not have time to sit down and teach class like a college professor to a bunch of guys who wanted to kill him

[–] millsey72 (10244) 2 years ago

1) I'm sure many sailors before Columbus lost their bearings but sooner or later, some sailor is gonna get it right and discover land.

2) Columbus introduced pigs to this new land, so they were able to eat a lot of pork

3) I think the natives had domesticated donkeys which were used to carry and pull heavy things.

4) The sea directors never ventured past the 100 mile mark. Besides its at least 1000 miles to the new land from Europe

5) Columbus had 3 ships sailing on this voyage. They introduced domesticated horses to this new land. In fact, the power of the horse was a major factor in the European dominance over the natives

6) It was widely known already you could start a fire by rubbing 2 rocks together.

7) Another theory is the natives living in the Americas were also from Spain originally, so they already spoke Spanish. Obviously these natives never went back to Spain, so no one in Europe knew of this discovery of new land.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

My thought is that you can’t be bothered to proofread your own topic headline; so why would I be bothered to read you?

[–] grhqofb5 (346) 2 years ago

Well I think i did a decent job of pointing out the various potholes encountered by the characters and writers here. If you don't want to throw in your two cents and get down to brass tax on this, that's your right and I could care less. The point is mute.

[–] Satan2016 (25525) 2 years ago

The compass is over a thousand years old, the stars are eternal, making fire is almost a million years old, natives had food. Your points are a sign of severe stupidity!

[–] grhqofb5 (346) 2 years ago

Irregardless, you're points are mute.

[–] Satan2016 (25525) 2 years ago

Alright, which of these trolls is the biggest idiot? I think it's two socks!

[–] millsey72 (10244) 2 years ago

You're calling yourself a troll?

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8707) a year ago

The point concerning navigation is addressed in the film when one of his fellow seamen brought up the very question that you raise, and he explained that he had a sextant and was able to navigate by the stars. They even show him using it to get his bearings.

As for the rest of your points, I'm not sure any of them are actual plotholes. Ladders can be built, horses we must assume WERE brought over on the ships even if we don't see them being loaded up, etc. Must the film explain everything to you?