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)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Veniero Colasanti, John MooreNominated
Best Music - ScoringMiklos RozsaNominated
Best Music - SongMusic by Miklos Rozsa; Lyrics by Paul Francis WebsterNominated
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Quotes from

Jimena: Can you forgive me, Rodrigo?
El Cid: Jimena.
Jimena: Would you take me with you?
El Cid: But... now I... have nowhere to take you.
Jimena: As long as we are together it will not be nowhere. I love you Rodrigo. I love you.
[They kiss]
El Cid: You know what you risk if you come with me, my love?
Jimena: Since my love is not a man like other men my life with not be like other lives.
El Cid: It's only now, only know that I know... how hard the road would have been without you.
[They kiss again]


Prince Sancho: [after Count Ordóñez betrays Prince Sancho in and ambush to kill El Cid] Kill him!
El Cid: You will soon be a King, you must start to think like one, any man can kill, only a King can give life!


El Cid: People of Valencia! I bring you bread!


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Facts about

Charlton Heston was unable to campaign for John F. Kennedy due to the long filming schedule.
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.
One well-known legend about the Cid describes how he acquired his famous war-horse, the white stallion Babieca (Bavieca). According to this story, Rodrigo's godfather, Pedro El Grande, was a monk at a Carthusian monastery. Pedro's coming-of-age gift to El Cid was his pick of a horse from an Andalusian herd. El Cid picked a horse that his godfather thought was a weak, poor choice, causing the monk to exclaim "Babieca!" (stupid!) Hence, it became the name of El Cid's horse.
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Best Music - Scoring Oscar 1961











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Also directed by Anthony Mann




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Also released in 1961




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