Christopher Columbus (1949 film)

Christopher Columbus is a 1949 British biographical film starring Fredric March as Christopher Columbus and Florence Eldridge as Queen Isabella. It is loosely based on the novel Christopher Columbus by Rafael Sabatini with much of the screenplay rewritten by Sydney and Muriel Box.

The film was part of a deliberate attempt by the Rank Organisation to break into the American market, following the path blazed with films like Henry V 1944 and Caesar and Cleopatra 1945. John Woolf, head of international distribution for Rank, said in 1946 thatBefore we smacked Henry V and Caesar and Cleopatra into the American Markets, we were getting a poor showing in the United States. Although the most optimistic figures have been put out in London about the achievements of Henry and Caesar, in fact they have had to fight hard to make their way. The important thing to remember is this that these big films enabled us to break through the highly controlled theatre circuits in America. We are using them as a spearhead to get a showing of British films. ........

Source: Wikipedia