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Amazon.co.uk Review
Sumptuous in every way, visually magnificent, with grandiose sets, panoramic Spanish vistas and intricately detailed costumes, possessor of one of cinema's greatest music scores, boasting vast and astonishingly kinetic battles, and breathing heroic virtue in every scene, El Cid is the very epitome of epic. For this reworking of the medieval legend of the Cid (Arabic for "Lord") who united warring factions and saved 11th-century Spain from invasion, producer Samuel Bronston and director Anthony Mann insisted every set had to be created from scratch, every costume specially made for this movie alone; they also shot entirely on location in La Mancha and along the Mediterranean coast of Spain to enhance the film's authenticity. The cinematography is saturated with the burnished hues of the Spanish landscape, as are the palatial sets and rich costumes; Miklos Rozsa's resplendent score is also the result of painstaking research into medieval Spanish sources. The screenplay is imbued with knightly gravitas and more than a little salvation imagery, from the opening scene of the young Rodrigo rescuing a cross from a burning church, to the movie's indelible finale as The Cid rides "out of the gates of history into legend".
Charlton Heston is at his most indomitable as Rodrigo, "The Cid", a natural leader of men and the embodiment of every manly virtue (note that he fathers twins--a sure token of his virility); Sophie Loren is ravishing as Chimene, the woman whose love for Rodrigo conflicts with her filial instincts after he kills her father, the king's champion, over a point of honour. Their scenes together create a humane warmth at the heart of this vast movie: the moment when Chimene finally declares her love (beneath a shrine of three crosses--more symbolism) to the exiled Rodrigo forms a pivotal and very intimate centrepiece. Shortly thereafter he must rise from their rural marriage bed to lead his followers into battle, and the tension between his public and private lives adds a piquancy to the film's stunning battle sequences. The international supporting cast sometimes look like makeweights, especially when chewing on the occasionally stilted dialogue, but any such faults are easily forgiven as the scale and spectacle of El Cid carries the viewer away on a tide of chivalry. --Mark Walker
Product Description
El Cid, Bronston's epic movie masterpiece, is a tribute to one of history's greatest legends. This dazzling spectacle, with a cast of thousands, fills the screen with action and romance from knights in armour jousting on horseback to massive battles on sea and land, where columns of warriors stretch across the horizon. At the centre of this powerful motion picture is Charlton Heston in the role he was born to play... the immortal El Cid. Heston is the Spanish warrior with the vision to be just and the courage to be merciful, whose love and devotion to the radiant Chimene (Sophia Loren) knows no bounds.
This blu-ray edition is digitally remastered.
This blu-ray edition is digitally remastered.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
79 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Stupidly, Amazon have linked reviews from the older and rubbish pan & scan DVD releases to this new edition -- thus misleading customers into thinking that this MIRIAM TWO-DISC DELUXE EDITION is in some way as shoddy as earlier releases. It is not.
Here are the tech specs for this release:
Original aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Commentary with William Bronston (Samuel's Son) and biographer Neal Rosendorf
Vintage Radio promo interviews
Text Filmographies and Still Galleries
Disc 2 Featurettes:
Hollywood Conquers Spain: The Making of An Epic (23:56)
Samuel Bronston: The Epic Journey of a Dreamer (52:20)
Behind The Camera: Anthony Mann and El Cid (17:22)
Miklos Rozsa: Maestro of the Movies (30:11)
Preserving Our Legacy: Gerry Byrne on Film Preservation and Restoration (7:38)
Trailer Gallery
Here are the tech specs for this release:
Original aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Commentary with William Bronston (Samuel's Son) and biographer Neal Rosendorf
Vintage Radio promo interviews
Text Filmographies and Still Galleries
Disc 2 Featurettes:
Hollywood Conquers Spain: The Making of An Epic (23:56)
Samuel Bronston: The Epic Journey of a Dreamer (52:20)
Behind The Camera: Anthony Mann and El Cid (17:22)
Miklos Rozsa: Maestro of the Movies (30:11)
Preserving Our Legacy: Gerry Byrne on Film Preservation and Restoration (7:38)
Trailer Gallery
81 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
El Cid is one of my favourites from that epic period of American cinema, the 1960s, where every film made seemed to be over three hours long and featured all the stars you could possibly want to see that weren't in the sky. This one also has the distinction of being helmed by one of the great unsung directors, Anthony Mann, whose work with James Stewart in a remarkable and memorable series of westerns in the 1950s deserves to be reappraised. Mann seemed to specialise in films where the hero's mental and phsyical state was always in question (and usually brought to the fore). In El Cid, that inner conflict is dwarfed by the historical conflict, although he later went on to explore the male psyche more dramatically in his last truly great masterpiece, the equally spectacular The Fall of the Roman Empire a few years later.
For those not in the know, El Cid is the legendary Spanish hero who succeeds in driving the Moors from Spain. Charlton Heston (who else?) is the eponymous hero, portraying Cid as a man with a strict sense of honour even when everything and everyone is against him, and the lovely Sophia Loren plays Chimene, his on-off lover. A masked Herbert Lom, however, steals the show in a raving, shouting, wild-eyed performance as the leader of the Moors (he has one of the best and unintentionally funniest deaths in screen history, to boot). Aside from the gigantic battle set-pieces near the end of the film, which are exciting and powerfully shot by the great cinematographer Robert Krasker, the highlights of the film are two ferocious one-on-one fights, the first one a vicious swordfight between El Cid and Chimene's father over their relationship, and the other a trial by combat between El Cid and Don Martin over the the ownership of the city of Calahorra.
Filmed in the widescreen process Super Technirama 70, this brilliant film should have an aspect ratio of roughly 2.20:1. However, this DVD from Universal unwisely crops the image to 1.78:1 after the credit sequence, thereby rendering Mann's exquisite shot composition insignificant. Furthermore, the print used doesn't appear to be the same version so lovingly restored in the early 1990s, exhibiting much more print damage than even the UK TV showing did.
Once again a major distributor shows their contempt for us with this DVD release, so I would recommend getting the new Japanese or French DVDs of this fine film instead, because they're both in the correct anamorphic widescreen ratio.
For those not in the know, El Cid is the legendary Spanish hero who succeeds in driving the Moors from Spain. Charlton Heston (who else?) is the eponymous hero, portraying Cid as a man with a strict sense of honour even when everything and everyone is against him, and the lovely Sophia Loren plays Chimene, his on-off lover. A masked Herbert Lom, however, steals the show in a raving, shouting, wild-eyed performance as the leader of the Moors (he has one of the best and unintentionally funniest deaths in screen history, to boot). Aside from the gigantic battle set-pieces near the end of the film, which are exciting and powerfully shot by the great cinematographer Robert Krasker, the highlights of the film are two ferocious one-on-one fights, the first one a vicious swordfight between El Cid and Chimene's father over their relationship, and the other a trial by combat between El Cid and Don Martin over the the ownership of the city of Calahorra.
Filmed in the widescreen process Super Technirama 70, this brilliant film should have an aspect ratio of roughly 2.20:1. However, this DVD from Universal unwisely crops the image to 1.78:1 after the credit sequence, thereby rendering Mann's exquisite shot composition insignificant. Furthermore, the print used doesn't appear to be the same version so lovingly restored in the early 1990s, exhibiting much more print damage than even the UK TV showing did.
Once again a major distributor shows their contempt for us with this DVD release, so I would recommend getting the new Japanese or French DVDs of this fine film instead, because they're both in the correct anamorphic widescreen ratio.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
After years of abusing the customer with cropped versions of the film (1.78:1 not its original 2.35:1), when the only way to get the correct ratio and hence full picture was either a newspaper giveaway (can you believe that?) or import it from the USA or France (but on the French one you cannot dissable the subtitles) - finally they have given us the correct ratio - and yet, on the case cover it still says 1.78:1. Don't panic, it's not. It is actually 2.35:1 on the DVD. Add to this the disc of extras and the superb price and we finally have what we should have had decades ago - a decent version of this classic movie epic. At last!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
an extravaganza potboiler of mythmaking
There is no doubt that this is a good film: the acting, the plot, and the themes are strong, the sets and props are wonderful. Read more
Published 5 days ago by rob crawford
Heston and Loren together ?
It is interesting to view a performance by 2 actors who would rather not be seen together {according to reports} I am pleased to have this great film as part of my collection on... Read more
Published 1 month ago by DavidJohnStock
Great Epic Tale
Great movie depicting one of Spains most important national figures. If not for him, history of the world might look different with a Muslim Europe and a more native America. Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. Van Den Bosch
Great Old Classics
Great to be able to watch these old classics whenever you like. This is a great film and one that I never grow tired of.
Published 3 months ago by Siodh
Great film with a classic scene
I adore El Cid as a film. Its the finest historical epic and possibly Charlton Hestons best performance. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brian Williams
This "Blu Ray" is about same quality as U.S. normal DVD
Your European Blu Rays are of horrible quality compared to any U.S. Blu Ray product.
I have no idea why this is. Read more
I have no idea why this is. Read more
Published 4 months ago by chuckju
At last the version we deserve
El Cid two disc deluxe edition region 2 (DVD)
At last the version we deserve with a second DVD of extras. Read more
At last the version we deserve with a second DVD of extras. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Michael James Kay
movie magic
what a film an absolute classic charlton heston as always fantastic a great story with a quality cast magnificent scenery a must for any film lover
Published 5 months ago by crewestew
El Cid ( Blu-ray)
I would say it is one of the better movie .It's a classicer frome 50-60Th . it have romance it have petreyl. Yes it's olso about a hero.
Published 6 months ago by Lars-Göran L
Wonderful, poignant, informative,
Really enjoyed this! I thought I would get bored but not at all. We had just returned from a holiday in Burgos so that helped to understand the setting very well.El Cid [Blu-ray]
Published 8 months ago by BeckyL
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