El Cid (1961)

Directed by

Anthony Mann

Genre

drama film, war film, biographical film, romance film

Country

Italy, United States

Runtime

3h 02m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 304 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A Spanish knight is torn between loyalty to his king and love for his wife. He rises to become a legendary leader fighting for his homeland.

sweepingheroicmelancholicstatelyromanticdramaticold-fashionedepic

What happens

El Cid is a 1961 epic historical drama film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston. The film is loosely based on the life of the 11th-century Castilian knight and warlord Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called "El Cid" (from the Arabic al-sidi, meaning "The Lord"). The film stars Charlton Heston in the title role and Sophia Loren as El Cid's wife Doña Jimena, spelled "Chimene" in the script and pronounced that way (shim-ain) in the film. The screenplay is credited to Fredric M. Frank, Philip Yordan and Ben Barzman, with uncredited contributions by Bernard Gordon. During the late 1950s, Samuel Bronston had established his own production studio in Madrid, Spain. To strengthen cordial ties to the Spanish government ruled by Francisco Franco, Bronston began developing a biographical film of El Cid. During his reign, Franco had admired and compared himself to El Cid. In 1960, Bronston purchased Frederic M. Frank's script, and hired Anthony Mann to direct the film. Philip Yordan was later hired to rewrite the script, although Mann later recruited Ben Barzman to write the final screenplay. Before principal photography began, Bronston purchased the rights to a rival biographical film developed by Cesáreo González's Aspa Films, making the film an Italian co-production. On a $7 million budget, filming of El Cid began in September 1960 and concluded in April 1961. El Cid premiered on December 6, 1961 at the Metropole Theatre in London, and was released on December 14 in the United States. The film received largely positive reviews praising the performances of Heston and Loren, the cinematography, and the musical score. It went on to gross $26.6 million during its initial theatrical run. It was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Original Song. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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