El Cid (1961)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers (WGA):

Fredric M. Frank (story)
Philip Yordan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 December 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

The GREATEST ROMANCE and ADVENTURE in a THOUSAND YEARS!

Plot:

Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz ("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour...

Plot Keywords:

Spain | Epic | Siege | Beautiful Woman | Horse Riding

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	El Cid
Sophia Loren	...	Jimena
Raf Vallone	...	Count Ordóñez
Geneviève Page	...	Princess Urraca (as Genevieve Page)
John Fraser	...	Prince Alfonso
Gary Raymond	...	Prince Sancho
Hurd Hatfield	...	Arias
Massimo Serato	...	Fanez
Frank Thring	...	Al Kadir
Michael Hordern	...	Don Diego
Andrew Cruickshank	...	Count Gormaz
Douglas Wilmer	...	Moutamin
Tullio Carminati	...	Priest
Ralph Truman	...	King Ferdinand
Christopher Rhodes	...	Don Martín

Runtime:

182 min

Country:

Italy | USA | UK

Language:

Latin | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 (2008) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh Beach, Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

It wasn't until viewing the finished film at the premiere that Dr. Miklós Rózsa discovered that roughly 20% of his score had been eliminated. He didn't do another score for producer Samuel Bronston.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When he is fighting another king's champion, the figure of Rodrigo, as he is being run into by his opponent's horse, is clearly a motionless stick-figured dummy with Rodrigo's armor on it.

Quotes:

Jimena: Why did you come?
El Cid: I tried not to come. I tried, I told my love it had no right to live. But my love won't die...
Jimena: Kill it.
El Cid: You kill it! Tell me you don't love me.
Jimena: [long pause] I cannot. Not yet. But I will make myself worthy of you Rodrigo, I will learn to hate you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Batman: A Death Worse Than Fate (#1.10)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

The Falcon and the Dove

"The Greatest Film Ever Made"

Although generally regarded as "good but not great", I consider "El Cid" to be the best film ever made.

The film always flies past for me, no matter how many times I've seen it and is virtually perfect. Each character is memorable and well-acted (with the possible exception of Sophia Loren's Chimene) - stand outs are Heston, Genevieve Page as Uraca, John Fraser as Alphonso, Gary Raymond as Sancho and Raf Vallone as Ordonez, but the all the supporting roles are performed with conviction.

Amongst the many other plus points are the exciting action scenes, in particular the combat for Caloharra, which, although the viewer is never in any doubt that Rodrigo will be victorious, is superbly performed and totally convincing. Also, Miklos Rosza's impressive score ranks amongst his very best.

"El Cid" has never been given the praise it deserves, often being over-shadowed by (the admittedly excellent) "Ben Hur". Perhaps this is down to personal taste as most critics and viewers would disagree, but I think "El Cid" is just marginally superior.