Magellan’s Crossing is a documentary film which
premiered on US television (PBS) in 2021.
It is an episode of the long-running series Secrets of
the Dead (season 19 episode 01).
The topic of this film is the first circumnavigation
of the globe (1519-1522).
The title refers to the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan who enters into the service of the Spanish king, because the king of
Portugal does not want to support his project: to circumnavigate the globe and to
find a sea route to the spice islands in Asia by sailing west.
Magellan is appointed as the commander of the naval expedition
which begins in September 1519 with five ships and a crew of more than 200
sailors, but he does not live long enough to complete the voyage.
He is killed in the Philippines in April 1521 when he
allows himself and his crew to get involved in a local conflict while his fleet
is anchored there.
After his death, the fleet continues the voyage under
the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, but the route to the spice islands and
back to Spain is long and difficult. Most of the crew will not live to see the
end of the trip.
During the first part of the voyage, when they were crossing
the Atlantic Ocean, and when Magellan was in charge, the fleet was reduced to
three ships. One ship was lost due to bad weather. One ship deserted the
expedition and returned to Spain. Only three ships reach the Philippines.
While the fleet is anchored there, one ship is damaged
and then burned. Only two ships reach the spice islands.
When it is time to depart from the spice islands, the
two ships do not take the same direction:
The captain of one ship wants to go back the same way
they came. He wants to sail towards the east. This ship disappears without a
trace.
The captain of the other ship (Juan Sebastian Elcano) wants
to continue the circumnavigation. He wants to sail towards the west. This ship reaches
Spain in September 1522 with a crew of only 18 sailors.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Writer and director: Hannes Schuler
** Narrator: Jay O. Sanders
** Run time: 55 minutes
THE CAST
Several persons are interviewed in the film. Here are
the names of the participants:
** Xabier Agote – Albaola Basque Maritime Heritage Society,
San Sebastian, Spain
** Borja Aguinagalde – director, Archivo Historico de
Euskadi, Bilbao, Spain
** Frank Berger – Historical Museum, Frankfurt,
Germany
** Amin Faaroek – Prime Minister, Sultanate of Tidore,
Indonesia
** Andrew Lambert – professor of naval history, King’s
College, London
** Xabier Alberdi
Lonbide – director, Maritimo Vasco San Sebastian, Spain
** José Maria Moreno
Madrid – Centro Universitario de Historia, Lisbon, Portugal
Several historical scenes are reconstructed by modern
actors. Some scenes are set on land, while other scenes take place on water. Apparently, the filmmakers have access to a full-scale replica of a ship which
Magellan and his crew used 500 years ago.
A VOYAGE IN SIX STAGES
In this film, we follow the circumnavigation from the
beginning in 1519 to the end in 1522. The long voyage can be divided into six
stages:
Stage 1
Departure from Spain with five ships. Across the
Atlantic Ocean. From Europe (Spain) to the eastern coast of South America
(Chile).
During this stage, the fleet is reduced to three
ships. One ship is lost due to bad weather. One ship deserts the expedition and
returns to Spain.
Stage 2
Sailing through the long and narrow strait which is now
named after Magellan.
Stage 3
Across the Pacific Ocean. From the Strait of Magellan
to the Philippines where Magellan is killed when he allows himself and his crew
to get involved in a local conflict.
During this stage, one ship is damaged and then
burned. The fleet is now reduced to two ships.
Stage 4
From the Philippines to the spice islands (the island
of Tidore which is today a part of Indonesia)
Stage 5
Departure from the spice islands. One ship going east disappears
without a trace. One ship going west survives and will eventually return to Spain.
Across the Indian Ocean. From Indonesia to the southern tip of Africa.
Stage 6
From the southern tip of Africa to Europe. Following
the western coast of Africa all the way to Spain.
THE PURPOSE
What is the purpose of the naval expedition? As the
film explains, the primary purpose of a naval expedition is to make money and
to increase the power of the state which pays for the expedition.
In other words: the primary motives are economic power
and strategic control.
Making scientific discoveries is a secondary purpose
of an expedition. If a scientific discovery is made, it will be considered if
it can be used to make money or to increase the power of the state which is behind
the expedition.
In the sixteenth century, Spain and Portugal are both
in the process of building a global empire. They are not friends and allies.
They are bitter rivals and they are jealous of each other.
When Magellan tries to sell his idea to the king of
Portugal, he is turned down. This is why he contacts the Spanish king who decides
to support him.
Magellan does not betray Portugal. He enters into the
service of the Spanish king, because the king of Portugal has turned him down.
In the sixteenth century, spices from Asia are in high
demand in Europe. Just one shipload of spices is worth a lot of money. This is
why Spain and Portugal are prepared to finance naval expeditions to Asia. They
want to find and import Asian spices to Europe.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
What do reviewers say about this film? On IMDb it has
a rating of 73 percent, which corresponds to 3.7 stars on Amazon.
There is a user review on IMDb. This review offers a
rating of 90 percent, which corresponds to 4.5 stars on Amazon. This rating is
much higher than the average rating on the website.
CONCLUSION
The first circumnavigation of the globe is an important
and interesting topic. It is a story which deserves to be told, and in this
film, it is done very well.
The combination of talking heads and reconstructed historical
scenes makes a good variation. It is a great way to tell the story and to cover
the topic.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product.
I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent)
PS # 1. A shorter version of this film premiered on
German television (ZDF) in April 2020. Here are the details:
** Magellans Reise um
die Erde
** Run time: 43 minutes
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German
** Available on the ZDF website
PS # 2. Antonio Pigafetta (1491-1531) is one of the 18
sailors who survived the circumnavigation. He kept a daily record of the
voyage. His journal is an important source for modern scholars.
PS # 3. Here is a timeline of the voyage:
1519
20 September – five ships depart from Seville, Spain
13 December – arrival at Rio de Janeiro
27 December – departure from Rio de Janeiro
1520
21 October – three ships enter the strait of Magellan
28 November – three ships exit the strait of Magellan
1521
6 March – three ships pass the island of Guam
16 March – three ships reach the Philippines
27 April – Magellan is killed
8 November – two ships reach the spice islands
21 December – two ships depart from the spice islands –
one ship going east disappears without a trace – one ship going west survives
and will eventually reach Spain
1522
25 January – one ship passes the island of Timor
22 May – one ship passes the Cape of Good Hope
6 September – one ship reaches San Lucar de Barrameda,
Spain
8 September – one ship reaches Seville – the
circumnavigation is completed
REFERENCES
** The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600 by David Arnold
(1983) (2002)
** Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying
Circumnavigation of the World by Laurence Bergreen (2003) (2019)
** The First Circumnavigators: Unsung Heroes of the
Age of Discovery by Harry Kelsey (2016)
** Seapower States: Maritime Culture, Continental
Empires, and the Conflict That Made the Modern World by Andrew Lambert (2018)
(2019)
** Juan Sebastian Elcano: You First Encircled Me by
Bradley Thomas Angle (2019)
** Straits: Beyond the Myth of Magellan by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (2022)
*****
Magellan's Crossing
Secrets of the Dead
PBS, 2021
*****
Magellan's Crossing
Secrets of the Dead
PBS, 2021
*****
Ferdinand Magellan
(1480-1521)
*****
Juan Sebastian Elcano
(1476-1526)
*****
Antonio Pigafetta
(1480-1531)
*****
Magellan's ship Victoria
The only ship which
completed the circumnavigation
*****
This full-scale replica of the Victoria
was built in 1992
*****
