CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS - THE DISCOVERY

John Glen directed this throwback to the costume dramas of the 1930s and 1940s. George Corraface plays Christopher Columbus, he has a dream to set sail to find a new passage way to India, but he needs the backing of the Spanish government to do it. First, he must undergo a grilling by Tomas de Torquemada. After passing muster with Torquemada, he gets the blessing of Queen Isabella (Rachel Ward) and King Ferdinand (Tom Selleck). Columbus then sets sail in a series of picture-postcard travelogue shots as he sails the ocean blue and discovers a new world of wonders particularly the Indian chief's well-endowed daughter. As a soap to revisionists, a rat is seen scampering down the plank as Columbus' vessel lands on "undiscovered" turf.