El Cid

1961

3h 7m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

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Action

Drama

History

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Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz ("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour, still succeeds in taking the initiative and driving the Moors from Spain.

Directors

Anthony Mann

Writers

Ben Barzman(screenplay by)

Fredric M. Frank(story by)

Philip Yordan(screenplay by)

Stars

Charlton Heston

Sophia Loren

Raf Vallone

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Videos2

Trailer
Watch El Cid 1961 - Trailer 2.avi
Featurette
Watch Larry Cohen on EL CID

Photos51

Top cast

Charlton Heston

El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar

Jimena

Count Ordóñez

Princess Urraca

Prince Alfonso

Prince Sancho

Arias

Fanez

Al Kadir

Don Diego

Count Gormaz

Moutamin

Priest

King Ferdinand

Don Martín

Bermúdez

King Ramírez

Dolfos

Directors

Anthony Mann

Writers

Ben Barzman(screenplay by)

Fredric M. Frank(story by)

Philip Yordan(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

9/10

_**Ranks with the best sword & sandal epics**_ In the latter half of the 11th Century when Spain consisted of Christian kingdoms and Moorish strongholds, Castilian knight Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (Charlton Heston) becomes known as ‘El Cid,’ meaning “the lord,” after generously showing mercy to a couple of Emirs, who orchestrated an attack on a Spanish city. This gets him accused of treason, but he proves his nobility, courage and skill to King Ferdinand (Ralph Truman) and his successors (Gary Raymond, John Fraser & Geneviève Page). Sophia Loren plays his romantic interest while Herbert Lom is on hand as a Berber general hell-bent on Islamic world domination. Raf Vallone appears as Rodrigo’s cunning rival for Jimena’s affections “El Cid” (1961) is curiously obscure compared to other classic sword & sandal epics, like “The Ten Commandments” (1956), “Ben-Hur” (1959) and “Spartacus” (1960), but it’s just as great and on par with the more modern “Troy” (2004), not to mention superior to the overrated “Braveheart” (1995) and “Gladiator” (2000). Even if you disagree with me on those last two films, “El Cid” stands well with any of these epics. I knew enough about Rodrigo’s real-life story to know that the political intrigue gets convoluted and wondered if the movie could keep everything understandable and compelling for the course of three hours; and it does (unlike 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven”). Just before the drama overstays its welcome a quality action scene manifests, Like Rodrigo’s thrilling duel with Jimena’s father. I also appreciated the subtext of dealing with flawed people in leadership positions and overcoming resentment to have effective working relationships. For those who object to Heston being cast as a Spaniard, the Castilian aristocracy of the 11th Century was generally Visigothic in ethnic background, aka German. Despite the regular influx of people of color ever since, there are plenty of Blond Spaniards to this day, even redheads. (Remember, Spain is decidedly Europe and not Mexico). The film runs 3 hour, 2 minutes, and was shot in Spain with studio stuff done in Rome. GRADE: A

Wuchak03 Nov, 2021