Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on July
11. I hope you will watch this movie tonight and enjoy it.
EL CID
Ben Yosef tells the Moorish Emirs
of Spain his plans to bring an army to attack the Christian kingdoms of
Castille and Aragon. Don Rodrigo defeats a Moorish army and captures
Al-Mu'tamin, Emir of Zaragosa and Al-Kadir, Emir of Valencia. After Rodrigo
releases them on condition they never attack Castille again. The two emirs
proclaim Rodrigo, “El Cid” and swear loyalty to him. For releasing them García
Ordóñez and later Count Gormaz, father
of El Cid’s inamorata Jimena and the King’s champion call El Cid a traitor. Don
Diego, El Cid’s father supports him and is insulted by Count Gormaz. When he
refuses to retract the insult, El Cid kills him in a duel. Jimena swears
vengeance on El Cid and plots with García Ordóñez. El Cid is cleared of the
treason charge by beating the champion of Aragon in single combat over the
ownership of a disputed city. Sancho, the king’s son, El Cid and García Ordóñez
are sent on a mission to collect tribute. García Ordóñez plots to have El Cid
killed, but he is saved by Al-Mu'tamin. Upon his return the King orders his
marriage to Jimena, but the marriage is unconsummated and she goes to live in a
convent. King Ferdinand dies and when the younger son, Alfonso wants the
kingdom divided, the elder Sancho sends him to the dungeons. He is rescued by
El Cid and goes to the one city given to their sister, Urraca. Ben Yosef plots
to cause civil war and sends Dolfos to Urraca. He promises her to kill Sancho
and to Sancho he promises to lead him into the city by a secret way. Dolfos
kills Sancho, but is killed by El Cid. El Cid forces Alfonso to swear he had
nothing to do with Sancho’s death, but for his impudence, El Cid is banished.
Jimena’s heart has changed and she goes into exile with El Cid. After some
years El Cid is summoned by Alfonso to defend the realm, but refuses when
Alfonso refuses to accept the Moorish Emirs El Cid has produced as allies.
Al-Mu'tamin and El Cid lay siege to Valencia. Alfonso loses a battle to Ben
Yosef and blames El Cid. Alfonso imprisons Jimena and their children, but García Ordóñez frees them and takes them to
El Cid. Valencia is captured, but when offered the crown El Cid sends it to
Alfonso. Ben Yosef attacks Valencia and is defeated, but El Cid is wounded.
Alfonso comes to ask for El Cid’s forgiveness before El Cid dies. The next day,
On July 11, 1099 [2:59:28 to 3:05:33] the dead body of El Cid is strapped to a
horse and escorted by King Alfonso and Al-Mu'tamin, Emir of Zaragosa leads an
attack that breaks Ben Yosef’s siege of the city.
A truly spectacular historical
epic. The scenery and costumes are magnificent. However, the acting seems kind
of stiff. You really don’t feel any on screen chemistry between Heston and
Loren. Having said that the film does have a script that keeps the plot moving
so you really don’t notice that this film is three hours long.
The Quest for El Cid by
Richard Fletcher (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1990) at page 185 gives his death
date
Producer - Samuel Bronston
Director - Anthony Mann
Screenplay - Philip Yordan
Awards – The film was nominated
for the Best Art Direction, Best Original Score and
Best Song Oscars at the 34th Academy
Awards.
Runtime – 3 hours 8 minutes
Released - October 24, 1961
Starring –
Charlton Heston as El Cid,
Spain’s greatest hero
Sophia Loren as Doña Jimena Diaz,
his wife
Herbert Lom as Ben Yusuf, leader
of trhe Almoravides
Raf Vallone as García Ordóñez, a
Castillian nobleman
Geneviève Page as Urraca of
Zamora, sister of Alfonso VI
John Fraser as Alfonso VI of León
and Castile
Douglas Wilmer as Al-Mu'tamin,
Emir of Zaragosa
Frank Thring as Al-Kadir, Emir of
Valencia
Michael Hordern as Don Diego,
Rodrigo’s father
Andrew Cruickshank as Count
Gormaz, Jimena’s father
Gary Raymond as Sancho II of León
and Castile, the 1st born of King Ferdinand
Ralph Truman as Ferdinand I of
León and Castile
Massimo Serato as Fañez,
Rodrigo’s nephew
Fausto Tozzi as Dolfos, a hired
killer
Hurd Hatfield, as Arias
Tullio Carminati as Al-Jarifi
Copyright by Ivan Walters in
2014.
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