Movie Guide: 1492 The Conquest of Paradise
The movie we will watch is a dramatization of the Spanish “discovery” of the New World by Christopher Columbus.
This film is based mostly on the diaries of Christopher Columbus. Your task is to watch and listen carefully to what occurs in the film and record your thoughts and interpretations. At various points in the film we will stop the movie and discuss what has happened. Please be prepared to answer and ask questions, as well as intelligently contribute to class discussions. Do your best to follow the dialogue between characters as they speak to each other as well as the narrator who describes scenes. Use the reverse side of this paper if needed.
This paper will not be collected for a grade, its purpose is for note-taking to make you better able to contribute to the class discussions .
1. In your opinion how well did Columbus handle conflicts he experienced with the natives and his own men from Spain?
How successful was he at solving problems he experienced? [Explain your answers using examples from the film]
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2. How would you describe the different attitudes of Spaniards toward the different types of natives that live in the
“Indies?” [Explain your answer using examples from the film]
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3. How would you describe the behavior of Moxica, the cruel long-haired Spaniard, and his opinions of the natives?
[Explain your answer using examples from the film]
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4. How would you describe the actions of the natives toward the Spanish after it became obvious to them that the Spanish wanted to take over the natives’ land? [Use examples from the film]
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5. Based on everything you have learning from watching and listening during the film how would you judge the overall actions of Columbus? [Explain your answer using examples from the film]
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