Directed By: Anthony Mann
Starring: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone
Tag line: "The GREATEST ROMANCE and ADVENTURE in a THOUSAND YEARS!"
Trivia: The part of Ben Yussuf was originally offered to Orson Welles
Who else but Charlton Heston could've played the title role in El Cid? Having already portrayed larger-than-life figures such as Moses in The Ten Commandments and the lead in Ben-Hur, he seemed the natural choice to star as the Spanish knight Rodrigo de Bivar, also known as El Cid, a man whose courage and strength made him a legend in his time.
Set in 11th-century Spain, when the country is being torn apart by warring kingdoms, El Cid follows the legendary Rodrigo (Heston), a nobleman of the city of Castille whose bravery has earned him the honorary title El Cid (which is Arabic for “The Lord”).
Yet despite his victories on the battlefield, El Cid finds himself at odds with many of his fellow countrymen. After defeating the Moors, he allows some of their leaders to go free, causing many in Castille to brand him a traitor. He is even forced to kill Count Gormaz (Andrew Cruickshank), the father of his bride-to-be Jimena (Sophia Loren), who challenged Rodrigo to a duel.
To further complicate things, El Cid refuses to swear allegiance to his new King, Alfonso (John Fraser), because he believes Alfonso had a hand in the assassination of his own brother, Prince Sancho (Gary Raymond).
An angry Alfonso sends Rodrigo into exile. But when word arrives that the ruler of the Moors, Ben Yussef (Herbert Lom), intends to invade, the King knows that the only man who can lead his army to victory is El Cid.
El Cid is a first-class Hollywood epic, a movie large in scope, with beautiful imagery and, more importantly, a handful of spectacular action sequences. Early in the film, El Cid squares off against Don Martin (Christopher Martin), the champion of the King of Aragon. It’s a lengthy showdown (starting as a joust on horseback and finishing with hand-to-hand combat), yet never once does it lose an ounce of energy.
Anthony Mann’s steady direction aside, El Cid owes much of its success to Heston’s performance. From his heroic bearing to the way he approaches the arduous battle scenes, Heston is every bit a warrior, and a commanding presence when serving king and country.
El Cid does stumble when the action subsides. Though convincing as a valiant knight, Heston’s scenes with Sophia Loren are flat. The two have zero chemistry (which may have something to do with the fact they couldn’t stand working together). This aside, El Cid is a thrilling account of Spain’s most famous knight, portrayed by an actor who was born to play a hero.
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