- Actors: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Geneviève Page, John Fraser
- Directors: Anthony Mann
- Writers: Ben Barzman, Fredric M. Frank, Philip Yordan
- Producers: Jaime Prades, Michal Waszynski, Samuel Bronston
- Format: PAL
- Language English, Latin
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- DVD Release Date: 30 Oct 2000
- Run Time: 182 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004YA8W
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 46,769 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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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.
On the DVD: This disc is a sadly missed opportunity to present a classic epic in its original form. Although formatted for 16:9 widescreen TVs, which initially gives hope that this might be an anamorphic widescreen presentation, only the opening and closing titles appear in the correct cinematic ratio. Otherwise this is essentially the same picture as the pan & scan VHS version with the same poor print quality. Since a restored 35mm print of El Cid has been shown at cinemas and on TV in recent years there seems to be no excuse for this cut-down presentation. Add some decidedly minimal extras and the result is a disappointing disc. --Mark Walker
Special Features
English
Region 2
Region 2
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ignore the reviews about the "other" DVD -- this is the real deal,
By Marcus Horatius (Bucks) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cid [DVD] [1961] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (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
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
El Cid German Blu Ray,
By
This review is from: El Cid. Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray)
Amazon do a bad job on reviews with mulitple versions and do not always get the right review with the right disk, so I have made it clear in the title. Amazon have also got confused on some aspect ratios as there is much confusion amongst the public in what they mean. This Blu Ray disk is great. I bought it from Amazon.de but now the UK price is very competitive. The picture quality is fantastic (you can really spot the jet trails and the retakes in the sand), the aspect ratio is 2.35, the sound is good and it appears to be the full movie. I also have the US R1 3 disk DVD and a Japanese DVD. The color is far superior here and for a film from the 1960's it gives a very good result. I love this movie, I do not care what they say about Sophia Loren's relationship with Heston it is great. Only drawback for me is Region B and although I have a Region B player, most of my kit (portable and laptops) are locked into Region A. Never mind may be Weinstein will release this some time in Region A.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Perfect, But Aspect Ratio NOT Correct!!,
By Caramba! "Blossoming Cow" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: El Cid [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This is a lovely release from Anchor Bay - the extras are particularly good, albeit in standard definition, and provide a good 3 hours of extremely interesting insights into the making of this epic of epics.
However, for those who have been singing the joys of the 2.35:1 ratio as opposed to the admittedly terrible 1.78 ratio of the vastly inferior DVD release, bear in mind that this, as well as 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' were actually shot in Ultra Panavision, and correctly, should be in a 2.75:1 ratio. You can see signs of cropping throughout the entire movie, and it's especially noticeable in the opening credits to both films. Don't get me wrong, the 2.35 ratio is a great improvement, and the blu-ray is a really lovely print, but this is a common occurrence with movies from the 50s and 60s which are cropped down from Cinemascope, Cinerama, Todd-AO and Ultra Panavision to the 2.35 ratio. Not many distributors will present those original 2.55 or greater ratios as they were originally intended - a couple of exceptions are Ben Hur and Battle of the Bulge, both from Warners noticebaly, which retain the 2.75 ratio. Perhaps there is some concern that the greater the ratio, the thicker the tram lines on the screen to provide the width? Personally, I want to see these kinds of movies in ALL of their glory, but I guess I'll have to put up with 2.35 for now.....
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