Plot & Details
When French playwright Pierre Corneille wrote El Cid, a fanciful version of the life of 11th-century Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, aka "El Cid", an attempt was made to honor the "classic unities" and to compress the whole story into a single day! Be assured that the 1961 film version of El Cid is more faithful to the actual chronology. Charlton Heston adds one more character to his gallery of historical portrayals as El Cid, the disgraced Spanish knight who rids his country of its Moorish conquerors. The triumphs of El Cid's military life are not matched by his private affairs; he is betrayed by his bride Chimene (Sophia Loren) and is made a political pawn by the avaricious Spanish landowners. El Cid has a climax unique in the annals of movie epics: the final assault against the landgrabbers is led by a dead hero. El Cid established the short but generally profitable reign of producer Samuel Bronston as the King of the Epics; his imprint on the film is much stronger than that of director Anthony Mann.
- MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
- Genre(s): Foreign
- Run Time: 184min.
- Theatrical Release Date: 07/11/1993
- DVD Release Date: 10/09/2000
- Distributor(s): Allied Artists
- Director(s): Anthony Mann
- Starring: Charlton Heston , Sophia Loren , Raf Vallone , Gary Raymond , Ralph Truman
- Themes: Political Unrest,Heroic Mission
- Tone: Forceful,Lavish,Sweeping
- Keywords: battle [war],betrayal,invasion,jousting,knight,sword,wife
- Country of Origin: Italy (12-21-1961)
- Language: English
Awards
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Song | Paul Francis Webster | Nominated |
| 1961 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Color Art Direction | John J. Moore | Nominated |
| 1961 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Drama or Comedy Score | Miklos Rozsa | Nominated |
| 1961 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Song | Miklos Rozsa | Nominated |
| 1961 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Color Art Direction | Veniero Colasanti | Nominated |
Golden Globes
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Director | Anthony Mann | Nominated |
| 1961 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Special Achievement | Samuel Bronston | Won |
| 1961 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Original Score | Miklos Rozsa | Nominated |
| 1961 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Picture - Drama | Nominated |
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