Magellan's Crossing (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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)

 

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Magellan's Crossing

Secrets of the Dead

PBS, 2021

 

*****

Magellan's Crossing

Secrets of the Dead

PBS, 2021

 

*****

Ferdinand Magellan

(1480-1521)

 

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Juan Sebastian Elcano

(1476-1526)

 

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Antonio Pigafetta

(1480-1531)

 

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Magellan's ship Victoria

The only ship which

completed the circumnavigation

 

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This full-scale replica of the Victoria

was built in 1992

 

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