Celluloid Conquistadors: Images of the Conquest of Mexico in Captain from Castile (1947)

The Spanish Conquest of Aztec Mexico (1519-21) forever transformed greater North America, Europe, and regions beyond. In spite of this significance, there is only one extant motion picture that has attempted to portray features of this epic event. Released in 1947 by Twentieth Century-Fox, Captain from Castile was based on a novel of the same title and offers images of the Conquest that are intertwined with fact and fiction. Drawing upon the novel and elements of the Conquest story itself, this study separates and examines the threads of fact and fantasy that form the fundamental fabric of this film's recounting of the Spanish Conquest. This analysis is enhanced by information found in unpublished documents from several collections of motion picture production materials. Ultimately, the images of the Spanish Conquest that emerge in Captain from Castile reveal some elements of genuine historicity but they more often reflect, in typical Hollywood fashion, the aspirations of a studio more concerned with achieving box office success than historical accuracy.