''Dawn of America'' (Spanish: ''Alba de América'') is a 1951 Spanish

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by Juan de Orduña and starring

Antonio Vilar Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

, María Martín and José Suárez. The film depicts the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in the late fifteenth century.

Production

The film was made by the largest Spanish studio CIFESA. The production was conceived as a response to the 1949 British film '' Christopher Columbus''. The British film had attempted a realist depiction of Columbus (portraying him as only partly successful, and his achievements being in spite of the Spanish monarchy). The Spanish response portrayed Columbus as a single-minded adventurer whose discovery led to the greater glory of the Spanish monarchy and the Catholic Church. It was also designed as part of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the Catholic Monarchs. The film's patriotic theme was strongly backed by the

Spanish State Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

. The film was made on a comparatively large budget of ten million pesetas, part of which was supplied by the government. The film did not make a profit, partly due to its large budget and because the plot was not melodramatic enough for audience tastes. The film originally lost out on the prestigious National Interest prize to '' Furrows'' but José María García Escudero, who had made the decision, was removed and the prize was awarded to ''Dawn of America''.Bentley p.117

Plot

The film narrates the adventures of Christopher Columbus (Antonio Vilar) from his stay in the Convent of La Rábida to his meeting with the Catholic Monarchs and his feat in crossing the Atlantic and reaching the shores of America, ushering in a new era in the history of mankind.

Cast

as Cristóbal Colón * María Martín as Beatriz * José Suárez as Rey Fernando el Católico * Virgilio Teixeira as Pedro de Arana * Manuel Luna as Isaac * Eduardo Fajardo as Gastón * Jesús Tordesillas as Fray Juan Pérez * Ana María Custodio as Madre de Beatriz *

José Marco Davó José Marco Davó (1895–1974) was a Spanish film actor.Pitts p.307 Selected filmography * ''Es mi hombre'' (1934) * ''Don Quintín el amargao'' (1935) - Nicasio * ''La última falla'' (1940) * '' Whirlwind'' (1941) - Portero * '' Dawn of Amer ...

as Martín Alonso Pinzón * Ernesto Vilches as Cabrero * Alberto Romea as Cardenal Mendoza * Nicolás D. Perchicot as Fray Antonio de Marchena * Fernando Sancho as Pedro Salcedo * Francisco Pierrá as Miembro de la junta * Arturo Marín as Pedro Vázquez de la Frontera * Antonio Casas as Juan de la Cosa * Faustino Bretaño as Mensajero que se arrodilla * José Jaspe as Marinero * Vicente Soler as Conde de Quintanilla * Carlos Díaz de Mendoza as Miembro de la junta * Alfonso Candel * Joaquín Pujol * Miguel Pastor as Pregonero * Félix Dafauce as Villamarín * Francisco Hernández * José Sepúlveda as Cristóbal Sarniento * Francisco Arenzana as Francisco Arias * Ramón Elías * Rafael Arcos as Mensajero del Rey * Francisco Bernal as Posadero * Luis Torrecilla * Jacinto San Emeterio as Gonzalo de Córdoba * Domingo Rivas as Duque de Medina * Gary Land * Antonio Almorós as Vicente Yáñez Pinzón * Benito Cobeña * Manrique Gil * Pablo Álvarez Rubio * Teófilo Palou as Secretario de la Corona * Rafael Calvo Revilla as Secretario de la Corona * Manuel Aguilera as Secretario de la Corona * César Guzman * Luis Rivera * Carmen Capdepont * José María Labernié * Francisco Maroto * Luis Fernandez *

José Riesgo José Riesgo (8 September 1919 – 16 May 2002) was a Spanish actor. After fighting in the Spanish Civil War for the Spanish Republican Army, he began acting in 1943. He played Julián in ''Barrio Sésamo Barrio Sésamo (Sesame Neighborhood ...

as Miembro del consejo * María Luisa D. de Velasco * Rafael Cortés * Amparo Rivelles as Reina Isabel la Católica

References

Bibliography

* Bentley, Bernard. ''A Companion to Spanish Cinema''. Boydell & Brewer 2008.

External links

* {{Authority control 1951 films Spanish adventure drama films Spanish historical adventure films 1950s adventure drama films 1950s historical adventure films 1950s Spanish-language films Films directed by Juan de Orduña Seafaring films Films set in the 1490s Fiction set in 1492 Cultural depictions of Christopher Columbus Cifesa films Films scored by Juan Quintero Muñoz Cultural depictions of Isabella I of Castile Cultural depictions of Spanish kings 1951 drama films Spanish black-and-white films 1950s Spanish films