Hero or brutal tyrant? The controversy over 16th-Century explorer Magellan
BBC••entertainment
Key Points:
- The new film "Magellan" by Filipino director Lav Diaz portrays the 16th-century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan’s arduous voyage to the "spice islands," highlighting both his ambitions and the brutal realities of his expedition, including mutinies, executions, and his eventual death in the Philippines.
- The film challenges traditional heroic narratives by incorporating perspectives of Indigenous peoples and Magellan’s slave Enrique of Malacca, emphasizing colonial violence and the complexities of Magellan’s legacy, such as accusations of tyranny, imperialism, and forced conversions.
- Historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto and others have criticized Magellan’s voyage as reckless and exploitative, noting the high death toll and moral controversies, while the film also questions the accepted story of Mag
