The Castilian (1963)

The young leader of the Spanish kingdom of Castile tries to get the various warring kingdoms of Spain to unite and join forces against the invading Moors.

Director:

Javier Setó

Writers:

Anonymous (poem), Paulino Rodrigo (story) (as Paulino Rodrigo Díaz)

Stars:

Espartaco Santoni, Frankie Avalon, Cesar Romero

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Espartaco Santoni	...	Fernán González
Frankie Avalon	...	Jerifán
Cesar Romero	...	Jerónimo (as César Romero)
Tere Velázquez	...	Sancha
Tomás Blanco	...	Don Nuño
Rafael Durán	...	Gonzalo Díaz
Germán Cobos	...	Abderramán
Alida Valli	...	Reina Teresa
Fernando Rey	...	Ramiro II, rey de León
Broderick Crawford	...	Don Sancho
Julio Peña	...	Iago
George Rigaud	...	Millán (as Jorge Rigaud)
Ángel del Pozo	...	Don García
Luis Induni	...	Capitán
Beni Deus	...	Íñigo (as Beny Deus)

Storyline

The young leader of the Spanish kingdom of Castile tries to get the various warring kingdoms of Spain to unite and join forces against the invading Moors.

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Taglines:

TRUE...Actually Shot in the Medieval Locations Where the Actual Story Took Place!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

6 September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Castilian

Filming Locations:

Arlanza River, Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

M.D. Producciones Cinematográficas, Cinemagic Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Panacolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This Spanish co-production was one of a small group of films shot in the new short lived Panacolor process.

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Connections

Referenced in Le viager (1972)

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Soundtracks

El valle de las espadas
Music by José Buenagú
Lyrics by Paulino Rodrigo (as P. Rodrigo Díaz) and Javier Setó
Performed by Frankie Avalon

User Reviews

Historical film about the notorious count Fernan Gonzalez , creator of the county Castile ,Spain's origin

This Spanish historical film is based on epic events and real characters , thus it appears : Fernan Gonzalez (923-970) , King Sancho of Navarra , King Ramiro II of Leon and Abderraman III . Movie concerns about count of Castile Fernan Gonzalez (Espartaco Santoni) who helped by his general (Cesar Romero) arranged themselves to unify and make Castile independent from the Leon Kingdom , ruled by Ramiro II (Fernando Rey and married to Alida Valli) and confronted king Sancho of Navarra (Broderick Crawford) . Fernan was imprisoned (943) but was freed later . Fernan Gonzalez , also count of Lara , broke the tribute of the one hundred maids with the Moors governed by Abderraman III (German Cobos) proclaimed caliph independent of Cordoba , granting independence of Bagdag . As the leader of the Spanish kingdom of Castile tries to get the various warring kingdoms of Spain to unite and join forces against the invading Moors . Then , the Christian kingdoms were united against the Muslim enemy and vanquished them in Simancas . Fernan Gonzalez created the county of Castile with inherited title and his successors will separate totally from Leon . Fernan Gonzalez history has been sung and written in poetry by jesters and minstrels (in the film represented by singer Frankie Avalon) .

The movie results to be a biographic chronicle about a Spanish hero similar to ¨The Cid¨ (Anthony Mann) but with lack luster and budget . However , the great highlights of the film are , of course , the meticulously staged battles that convey us a spectacular scenario . The picture packs historical events , gorgeous landscapes , glimmer scenarios and battles well staged with hundreds of extras . The film was shot in authentic fortresses and strongholds as the castle of Berlanga of Duero (it appears in the sheet movie poster), castle of Gormaz and Peñafiel ; besides , in locations as Covarrubias and Soria with its monuments and churches as Santo Domingo and Saint Joan of Duero . The flick will appeal to minor epic films buffs . Rating : Better than average and entertaining .