El Cid (1961) | |
Director(s) | Anthony Mann |
Producer(s) | Samuel Bronston, Jaime Prades (associate), Michal Waszynski (associate) |
Top Genres | Action, Biographical, Drama, Epic, Historical, Romance |
Top Topics |
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El Cid Overview:
El Cid (1961) was a Biographical - War Film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Michal Waszynski, Samuel Bronston and Jaime Prades.
SYNOPSIS
This costume adventure follows the legendary exploits of the 11th-century Spanish knight-errant (Heston) as he battles the Moorish invaders while wooing back his wife (Loren) with his faith and bravery. This marks director Mann's brief excursion into widescreen historical epics after he distinguished himself with his Westerns. (He would begin work on Spartacus only to be replaced by Stanley Kubrick, then later follow these with The Fall of the Roman Empire). Restored under the supervision of Martin Scorsese, who also knows something about the intersection of spiritual inspiration and muscular action.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1961 --- Ceremony Number 34 (source: AMPAS)
Award | Recipient | Result |
Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Veniero Colasanti, John Moore | Nominated |
Best Music - Scoring | Miklos Rozsa | Nominated |
Best Music - Song | Music by Miklos Rozsa; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster | Nominated |
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Quotes from
Jimena: I know. There is no place hidden for a man like you. There must be thousands who would gladly part. Why you? Why me?
El Cid: Please, let me carry away an image of you smiling.
Jimena: It would be a lie. I will beseech God with my prayers. I will tell Him He must bring you back to me. I must tell God how much I need you.
El Cid: Then we *will* see each other again.
Ben Yussuf: The Prophet has commanded us to rule the world. Where in all your land of Spain is the glory of Allah? When men speak of you they speak of poets, musicmakers, doctors, scientists. Where are your warriors? You dare to call youselves sons of the Prophet? You have become women! Burn your books! Make warriors of your poets! Let you doctors invent new poisons for our arrows. Let you scientists invent new war machines! And then, kill! Burn! Infidels live on your frontiers. Encourage them to kill each other. And when they are weak and torn, I will sweep up from Africa, and the empire of the One God, the true God, Allah, will spread, first across Spain, then across Europe, then the whole world!
El Cid: [looking at their Christian and Muslim troops camped together] How can anyone say this is wrong?
Moutamin: But they will. On both sides.
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Facts about
El Cid did not die as depicted in the film. He died peacefully in 1099 while ruling his principality on the coast of Spain. His wife Jimena continued to rule after his death.
El Cid's sword "Tizona" can still be seen in the Army Museum (Museo Del Ejército) in Madrid. Soon after his death, it became one of the most precious possessions of the Castilian royal family. And in 1999, a small sample of the blade underwent metallurgical analysis which partially confirmed that it was made in Moorish Cordoba in the eleventh century, although the report does not specify whether the larger-scale composition of the blade identifies it as Damascus steel. In 2006 "El Museo Del Ejércitp" (The Army Museum) was moving from Madrid to Toledo and apparently the sword was not available to be seen in public. El Cid also had a sword called Colada.
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