Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-3. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Georges Wague on the left as Christopher Columbus in La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916). Caption: After many sailings, Columbus' boat is attacked by pirates and he narrowly escapes. Fishermen bring him to the port of Lisbon, where friendly merchants bring him to his brother Bartholomew, a cartographist, who houses him and gives him work.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-4. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Georges Wague on the right as Christopher Columbus in La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916). Columbus meets for the first time his future wife Felipa de Perestrello (Nadette Darson) and her mother.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-5. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Georges Wague as Columbus on the right and Nadette Darson as Felipa in the middle in La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916).
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-6. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Georges Wague on the right as Christopher Columbus and Nadette Darson as Felipa in the middle in La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916).
The most expensive film made in Spain until then
La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb, known under many different titles, including Vida de Cristóbal Colón y su descubrimiento de América, Christophe Colomb and the English title The Life of Christopher Columbus, is a remarkable international co-production, made in the middle of the First World War.
In 1916, the Spanish company Argos Films of José Carreras, together with the French company Films Cinématographiques, embarked on what was claimed to be the most expensive film made in Spain until then. According to advertisements at the time, the film exceeded a cost of one million pesetas and drew on the participation of more than 5,000 extras. It was a full-length feature film of 102 minutes.
The French director, Gerard Bourgeois was a renowned filmmaker and student of Victorin Jasset. He had worked at Eclair and Pathé on films dealing with social issues. The film’s French producer, Charles Drossner, arrived in Barcelona with a photographer, Edouard Renaul, and a cast of highly popular actors that featured Georges Wague (Christopher Columbus), Léontine Massart (Queen Isabella), Marcel Verdier (King Ferdinand), and others. In addition, the film counted on regular faces from the Barcelona cinema, such as Francesc Tressols and Enric López. Catalan participation included the fine work of the photographers Ramón de Baños and Josep M. Maristany, art director Adrià Gual, the sets of Salvador Alarma and props of Ramón Borrell, as well as the production tasks taken on by Llorenç Mata, one of the founders of the studio Barcinógrafo.
Depicted in a prologue and five episodes are different periods of Columbus's life, from his childhood and his financial relationship with the Castilian Kings, to the opposition and even indignities he suffered from enemies and those prejudiced against the idea of a New World, until his death. Filming took six months and was complicated. Nobody had any experience with this kind of large-scale co-production. Scenes were shot in Barcelona, Granada and other Spanish cities, making use of the real settings where the narrated events were supposed to have taken place.
The film was made in two parts, released in France as La Vie de Christophe Colomb and La Découverte de l'Amérique. In France, the second part of the film was only first released in 1919, while the first already had been shown in 1916. In Spain, the premiere, which was held at the Salón Cataluña in Barcelona with an orchestra of 15 musicians on 26 May 1917, was hailed as one of the great events in Spanish cinema. The Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona printed 30 mini cards with film stills in two series for Chocolate Mundial. In this post, eight of these cards of the first series are included.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-9. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Scene from La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916), starring Georges Wague as Columbus. Caption: Months after his greatest deception [his rejection by King Juan II of Portugal], Columbus' wife Felipa dies, and he flees Portugal for Spain, with his young son Diego. Here he is welcomed at the Monastery of Rabida by Father Perez (Donnelly), to whom he tells all about his dreams, fears, and misery. Father Perez, enthusiastic about his plans, introduces him to the Castilian Court.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-10. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Scene from La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916), starring Georges Wague as Columbus.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-11. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Scene from La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916), starring Georges Wague. Plot: The jealous commander of the island, Pedro Margarit, incites hatred against the explorers by the local inhabitants, which eventually ruins Columbus.
Spanish collector card by Empresa Cinematografica Barcelona for Chocolate Mundial, no. A-12. Photo: Argos P.C. / Films Cinematographiques. Scene from La vida de Cristóbal Colón / La vie de Christophe Colomb (Gérard Bourgeois, 1916), starring Georges Wague (Columbus) and Léontine Massart (Queen Isabella). Caption: Soon after the conquering of Granada, Columbus meets the Catholic Royal Couple. While Ferdinand of Aragon is a practical man and doesn't care about theory or ideals, Queen Isabella is inclined to help Columbus' visions, feeling her generosity may also offer new stars to her crown. This card shows the actors at the Alhambra in Granada.
Sources: Universitat de Barcelona, Cine-Ressources (French), Europeana and IMDb. For the full film, see European Film Gateway.
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