{"id":84673,"date":"2022-06-08T15:18:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T22:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84673"},"modified":"2023-04-07T22:26:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-08T05:26:11","slug":"el-cid-1961","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84673","title":{"rendered":"El Cid (1961)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Can a man live without honor?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster-199x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-84675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster-199x300.png 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster-85x128.png 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster-179x270.png 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Poster.png 555w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter saving the lives of a few Moorish enemies during battle, medieval knight <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/El_Cid\">Rodrigo D\u00edaz de Vivar<\/a> (Charlton Heston) earns the loyalty of their leader (Douglas Wilmer) but the wrath of members back at his home court &#8212; including the jealous rival (Raf Vallone) who wants to marry his girlfriend Jimena (Sophia Loren). When &#8220;El Cid&#8221; (Heston) slays Jimena&#8217;s father (Andrew Cruickshank) in a forced battle of honor, he loses her love and soon finds himself caught up in a rivalry involving two princes (John Fraser and Gary Raymond) and their sister (Genevi\u00e8ve Page), all while preparing to face a new Moorish threat (Herbert Lom).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anthony Mann Films<\/li>\n<li>Charlton Heston Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama <\/li>\n<li>Hurd Hatfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Medieval Times<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Sophia Loren Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAnthony Mann directed and Samuel Bronston produced this epic widescreen drama based on the life and heroism of an 11th century Castilian knight dubbed &#8220;El Cid&#8221; (&#8220;The Lord&#8221; in Arabic). Filmed largely on location in Spain, the production feels as grandiose as its topic, expertly evoking a particular time, place, and ethos, with Christianity pitted against Islam and loyalty revered above all else. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Loren-Father.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The sets (both indoors and out) are consistently gorgeous, as is Robert Krasker&#8217;s cinematography &#8212; and first-choice casting picks Heston and Loren are both ideal in their roles. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Heston-Sword.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I first saw <em>El Cid<\/em> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in70mm.com\/news\/2021\/dome_playdates\/index.htm\">Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles during its 1993 restoration re-release<\/a>, which was an epic but slightly disorienting experience given the inevitable distortion of such a curved screen. Watching it again recently on a smaller screen at home, I found I was still duly impressed by the imagery, which remains rich and satisfying throughout. In terms of the narrative, it&#8217;s pretty straightforward (if occasionally over-stretched at 3+ hours), but serves its purpose well. It&#8217;s worth a look as a fine example of its genre and style. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Majestic sets, costumes, and battle sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Sets-Indoor.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Battle.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Costume.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Robert Krasker&#8217;s gorgeous cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Cinematography.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-84681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/El-Cid-Clouds.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Miklos Rozsa&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance and overall majesty. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0054847\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2493cid.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/492202\/el-cid#articles-reviews?articleId=192493\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Can a man live without honor?&#8221; Synopsis: After saving the lives of a few Moorish enemies during battle, medieval knight Rodrigo D\u00edaz de Vivar (Charlton Heston) earns the loyalty of their leader (Douglas Wilmer) but the wrath of members back at his home court &#8212; including the jealous rival (Raf Vallone) who wants to marry his girlfriend Jimena (Sophia Loren). When &#8220;El Cid&#8221; (Heston) slays Jimena&#8217;s father (Andrew Cruickshank) in a forced battle of honor, he loses her love and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84673\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84673"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90884,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84673\/revisions\/90884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}