Christopher Columbus remains a fascinating yet habitually underexplored figure of history, famously celebrated for his “discovery,” but also frequently whispered about as only the figurehead explorer of a larger group. He wanted to reach the Far East by sailing west, an innovative idea for its time. But instead of reaching the Indies, as he expected, he bumped into another continent, and changed the course of civilization. In the process, Columbus became a mythic figure and a powerful symbol of both exploration and exploitation — his voyage a metaphor for the process of discovery, but also inevitably linked to the widespread massacre of Native Americans that would follow.

An interesting documentary undertaking, The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus focuses on the explorer’s historic first voyage, re-created with replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. It tells the timeless story of Columbus’ Atlantic crossing, his fateful initial encounter with native people, his eventual passage through the Bahamas to Cuba and Hispaniola, and his dramatic return to Europe, bringing with him news of a beautiful land and gentle people.

As detailed and intriguing as some of the nautical plottings get (sailing into modern-day Cuba without benefit of radio, for instance), the most interesting aspects of this endeavor often have to do with recreated ship duties and routines, like the morning call to prayer. Also given a lot of narrative run is the role of Martin Alonso Pinzon, the captain of the Pinta who is sometimes noted as the “co-discoverer of America.” Pinzon, whose brothers also accompanied him on the trip (one was the commander of the Nina), is an interesting figure, and this movie shows the weight and value of his legacy today, with townsfolk engaging in a celebratory fandango in his honor.

Some of these digressions are a bit of a yawn, to be honest. But the manner in which the past is interwoven with the present is, for the most part, an exhilarating way to capture the tenseness and uncertainty of the trip, and how its effects reverberate still today. Though his journey changed the world, setting in motion a transformation of Europe and the Americas that dramatically impacted the rest of the globe, Columbus went to his grave without realizing that he had in fact discovered two new continents. The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus, though, shines a new light on a tale too often given only a small, cursory chapter in history school books.

Housed in a regular plastic Amray case, The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus is presented in anamorphic widescreen, and runs around one hour and 50 minutes. There are no supplemental features, save a separate, selectable screen touting other WGBH releases like Walking the Bible and Vikings: Journey to the New World. The audio-visual particulars of its presentation are fine, but more accompanying detail would certainly have been welcome. To purchase the title via Amazon, click here. B (Movie) D (Disc)

Dori Bernstein’s Show
Business: The Road to Broadway officially comes with no space between the
first two names of its appellation, but quite frankly I just can’t bring myself
to commit to that typo, which no doubt has something to do with Warner Bros. or
Universal having snapped up the properly partitioned title rights for some
comfortably shingled producer. To which I say whatever.

Colorful and engrossing, Bernstein’s documentary chronicles
the 2003-04 Broadway season, and the backstage drama leading up to the Tony
awards, by way of focusing on four very different high-profile debut
productions — Wicked, the box
office-bursting musical adaptation of the literary prequel to The Wizard of Oz; Taboo, the controversial collaboration between Rosie O’Donnell and
ambisexual, erstwhile pop icon Boy George; the quasi-operatic musical Caroline, or Change, a partnership
between Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, who’s currently pulling duty on the
in-development Shrek stage musical; and
Avenue Q, an irreverent puppet
musical that would go on to become the sleeper commercial hit of the season.

The director — who cites William Goldman’s The Season, from 1968, as her
inspiration for the project — deftly cuts between the productions, and doesn’t
shy away from tension and acrimony, as when Avenue
Q composer/lyricist Jeff Marx (above center) confesses to clashing violently with writer
Jeff Whitty (above left). Bernstein additionally inserts a critics’ roundtable into the
proceedings, with wonkish theater writers from coasts both east and west serving
up ample-sized portions of opinion on the productions as they make their way
through rehearsals, into previews and actually opening. She also chose her focus
wisely: Wicked racked up a leading 10
Tony nominations, Avenue Q scored six
and Taboo picked up four. A thrilling
document for theater aficionados as well as those just seeking out another piece
of vicarious, behind-the-scenes entertainment, Show Business locates the commonality of its subjects’ human
experience (frustration, perseverance) while also proving that there really is
no business quite like show business, something I knew even from my middle
school’s production of Annie Get Your Gun.

Housed in a regular Amray case, Show Business is presented in anamorphic widescreen, and comes with
both a Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Dolby stereo audio tracks.
Co-producer Alan Cumming — who also appears sparingly in the film — sits with
Bernstein and Avenue Q co-creator
Marx for an audio commentary track, and their rapport is warm and
inviting, if also a bit of a tip-off as to how things “end” (for those who may
not already know). A smattering of trailers, Tony Awards promotional spots and
around eight minutes of awards clips are also included, but far and away the
best supplemental feature is the hour’s-plus worth of deleted scenes, which include
Henry IV swordfight rehearsals with
Ethan Hawke and Michael
Hayden, a fascinating look at Wicked’s
set construction and much, much more. Another fun but surprising factoid: Marx can’t
actually read music, believe it or not. B+ (Movie) A- (Disc)