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IMDbPro

El Cid

  • 19611961
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 3h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
15K
YOUR RATING
El Cid (1961)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer3:27
1 Video
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
15K
YOUR RATING
    • Anthony Mann
    • Fredric M. Frank(story)
    • Philip Yordan(screenplay)
    • Ben Barzman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Sophia Loren
    • Raf Vallone
    • Anthony Mann
    • Fredric M. Frank(story)
    • Philip Yordan(screenplay)
    • Ben Barzman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Sophia Loren
    • Raf Vallone
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 123User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:27
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos130

    Charlton Heston, Anthony Mann, and Gene Lester at an event for El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, and Hurd Hatfield in El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, and Hurd Hatfield in El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)
    El Cid (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlton Heston
    Charlton Heston
    • El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
    Sophia Loren
    Sophia Loren
    • Jimena
    Raf Vallone
    Raf Vallone
    • Count Ordóñez
    Geneviève Page
    Geneviève Page
    • Princess Urraca
    • (as Genevieve Page)
    John Fraser
    John Fraser
    • Prince Alfonso
    Gary Raymond
    Gary Raymond
    • Prince Sancho
    Hurd Hatfield
    Hurd Hatfield
    • Arias
    Massimo Serato
    Massimo Serato
    • Fanez
    Frank Thring
    Frank Thring
    • Al Kadir
    Michael Hordern
    Michael Hordern
    • Don Diego
    Andrew Cruickshank
    Andrew Cruickshank
    • Count Gormaz
    Douglas Wilmer
    Douglas Wilmer
    • Moutamin
    Tullio Carminati
    Tullio Carminati
    • Priest
    Ralph Truman
    Ralph Truman
    • King Ferdinand
    Christopher Rhodes
    • Don Martín
    Carlo Giustini
    Carlo Giustini
    • Bermúdez
    Gérard Tichy
    Gérard Tichy
    • King Ramírez
    • (as Gerard Tichy)
    Fausto Tozzi
    Fausto Tozzi
    • Dolfos
      • Anthony Mann
      • Fredric M. Frank(story) (screenplay)
      • Philip Yordan(screenplay)
      • Ben Barzman(screenplay) (originally uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In some Muslim countries the entire climax is left out as it depicts the massacre of the Moors.
    • Goofs
      Alone and on horseback, Rodrigo confronts a group of mounted guards escorting the prince to a dungeon. In response to Rodrigo's demand for the release of the prisoner, the captain of the guard laughingly says, "There are thirteen of us, and you are alone!" In the ensuing fight, Rodrigo, with some help from the prince, un-horses sixteen guards, and two remaining mounted ones flee, for a total of eighteen.
    • Quotes

      Moutamin: [after El Cid claims Valencia for the King] What a noble subject, if only he had a noble King.

    • Alternate versions
      1993 reissue restores 16 minutes of "lost" footage.
    • Connections
      Edited into Wizards (1977)
    • Soundtracks
      The Falcon and the Dove
      (uncredited)

      Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

      Music by Miklós Rózsa

      Performed by Chorus

    User reviews123

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    One of the classic epic films of all time
    In 1961 Anthony Mann's epic tale of the Spanish hero "El Cid" burst across the wide screens of theatres. This was the kind of film that 70mm was made for. Charlton Heston is Rodrigo de Bivar, and Sophia Loren is his legendary love, Chimene. Their course of love will not be a smooth one. When he kills her father as a matter of honor, she vows vengeance and sets in motion the series of events which will forever change their lives. The Christian Spaniards are ruled by local kingdoms each vying for rule of the nation. When one king challenges El Cid's monarch, Heston volunteers to fight to the death to determine the fate of the city of Calahorra, and at the same time vindicate himself of the treason he was accused of by Loren's father. This fight for Calahorra is one of the most memorable action sequences ever committed to film. It opens with Miklos Rozsa's heraldic fanfare as the two knights take their places on the jousting field. The two kings watch from either side. The ensuing duel is brutal with a predictable, but decisive outcome. The lovers are eventually married, but only to be separated again as El Cid is called to protect Spain from the marauding Moors swarming across the Mediterranean from Africa. The Spanish Moors join with the Cid to take the city of Valencia where the enemy will attack. It is here that one of the great battle scenes takes place, actually filmed in the shadow of the walled city of Peniscola on the coast of Spain. The two armies charge eachother in a cacaphony of horses, shouts and Rozsa's rousing musical score. The sky is darkened by the thousands of flying arrows streaking across to the enemy. This is the kind of movie that they just don't make anymore. What a pity! The final sequence shows the eerie onslaught of the Spanish army lead by the fallen El Cid strapped to his steed and causing the Moors to flee in terror at his seeming resurrection. Rozsa's organ music swells as El Cid rides into the sunset along the deserted beach and into immortality. In the mid 90's after many years of not being available, "El Cid" was shown again in its 70mm splendor. It was then released on video. The superb Criterion laserdisc version contains the full Technirama letterboxed image and a restored mult-channel soundtrack in Dolby Digital. An excellent supplementary section has interviews with Charlton Heston and others. Heston says that "El Cid" would have been an even more enduring classic if William Wyler ("Ben-Hur") had directed it. However, Anthony Mann has nothing to be ashamed of. Aside from some wooden acting and some scenery chewing here and there, the richness of the story and the elaborate production design, paired with the fine performance of Heston and Miklos Rozsa's impassioned score, surely place "El Cid" in the Hall of Fame of great film epics.
    helpful•68
    28
    • cinemel
    • Mar 15, 1999

    FAQ2

    • Midwest Premiere Happened When & Where?
    • "El Cid"---Was It Filmed in Spain?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1961 (United States)
      • Italy
      • United States
      • Italian
      • Arabic
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Torrelobaton Castle, Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain
    • Production companies
      • Samuel Bronston Productions
      • Dear Film Produzione
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 3 hours 2 minutes

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