|
|
Rating:  - "The best epic I have ever seen!"
This film based upon "the Cid" who is the subject of an epic medieval Spanish poem. Heston really is at his best playing this remarkable character; he was the only man who could have done it so well. Sophia Loren is equally good and ravishing as the woman who loves him, the cast is rounded out by great character actors. The action scenes are wonderful as are the excellent sets and fantastic location work. This film is so watchable because it has at its heart the Christ-like Cid who is brave, self-sacrificing and truly tolerant. Cid is tolerant of the Spanish Muslims not only because it makes sense but because it is right, he recognizes the differences but realizes that they worship the same God and are His creatures. I have not seen this film in twenty years and I love it even more now than I did then.
Rating: - The Man
If you want a story that is close to accurate with the splendor of actors and extras instead of CGI, this is the movie. What a story! They just do not make them like this anymore and the two main actors are right on!
Rating:  - A great heroic, idealistic film from the President Kennedy era.
Finally and at last a quality dvd version of this excellent "knight in shining armour" epic spectacular starring the late Charlton Heston in one of his very best and most memorable roles. And of course the same can be said for the very beautiful Sophia Loren in one of her very best roles. They both give excellent, believable performances in this tale of heroic idealism that was so very typical of the President John F Kennedy era. Indeed it is said that this was one of President Kennedy's favourite films! And yet despite their utterly convincing performances it is also said that Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren privately intensely disliked if not hated each other even though they respected each other's talents. Great acting indeed!
This was producer Samuel Bronston's biggest box office success (1961) coming within months of the qualified success of his previous production "King of Kings" with Jeffrey Hunter in 1961 (King of Kings was not as popular as EL CID but still a substantial enough success after a while). EL CID was both a critical and commercial success perfectly encapsulating the idealism of the President Kennedy era in this tale of a chivalrous knight who risks his wife, his position in society and his loyalty to his king by putting his greater loyalty to his country above all else. This was a role perfectly fitting the acting talents of Charlton Heston as he had established a reputation for playing such larger than life characters (eg. Moses, Ben Hur) and he is reported to have very enthusiastically wanted to play the role. Strangely, in his autobiography, he admits that whilst he was very proud of the film he was unhappy with the editing of the finished version stating that the battle scenes weren't edited vigorously enough, the drama tends to drag at times and that Sophia Loren's character does not age like she's supposed to as his character ages throughout the film (maybe part of the actors' reported mutual dislike of each other). He also speculated that EL CID could have been a slightly better film if William Wyler of "Ben Hur" fame had directed El Cid and Anthony Mann (El Cid's director) would have produced a nearly as successful version of "Ben Hur" if Mann had directed "Ben Hur". Heston was a veteran of these epic spectacular films so his opinion is very interesting indeed.
However most people regard this film fondly because of its idealistic heroism and its very spectacular settings. I suspect that there is a fond nostalgia for this type of heroic idealism that typifies the President Kennedy era. Producer Bronston wanted absolute accuracy mainly in the locations but there is speculation that most of the scripts for his movies contain historical inaccuracies and EL CID is no exception. He did however strive for geographical & architectural accuracy in most of his productions but this was especially necessary with EL CID as General Franco's government in Spain wanted him to make an epic film in Spain about Spain itself and indeed Spanish characters. He did build large, impressive, architecturally & historically accurate sets in Spain but was also able to use the actual castles of Spain to great effect and shoot on location as these settings were virtual perfect replicas of the original settings where the events took place (eg. the city of Pamplona in Spain was a virtual carbon copy of the medieval city of Valencia where the final sequences of the film are set). Director Anthony Mann was renowned for his directorial technique of integrating his characters into very spectacular natural landscapes and also handling personal relationships sensitively and he was the ideal director for this film.
In short, a great, spectacular historical epic with believable, human characters that appeals to most people due to its idealistic hero but perhaps not for all tastes as the idealism of the President Kennedy era has long since vanished. I only give it 4 out of five stars because of some of the story's historical inaccuracies and Sophia Loren's hollywood film star youthful appearance throughout the entire story when her character should have aged somewhat when the story moves forward several years later. These however are only minor criticisms of a truly great film.
By the way this film & "The Fall of The Roman Empire" LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION versions are THE DEFINITE VERSIONS to get as all the extras in these LIMITED EDITION versions (lobby cards & reproductions of the original souvenir programs) are sure to be worth much, much more as movie memorabilia once the LIMITED EDITIONS sell out. As the title implies a LIMITED EDITION is limited in the quantities made and once sold out cannot become available again making these limited editions a rarity. A truly great investment at $27.99 If these films sell in sufficient numbers the ultimate blue ray edition is inevitable which will show the magnificence of the set design & cinematography of these films to their fullest extent.
Rating: - They just don't make 'em like this any more...unfortunately
I love these big epics from the 30s-60s, and Samuel Bronston was almost as good at churning them out as the master, Cecil B. (besides El Cid, he notably did such classics as Fall of the Roman Empire, 55 Days at Peking and King of Kings), and El Cid is one of his best.
It has awesome production values (a great climactic battle scene and the best one-on-one joust ever filmed, bar none) and a very entertaining story. The acting is first rate, not only from the stars (I think Heston gives one of his best, most restrained (if that is the right word) performances and Sophia Loren never, ever looked more beautiful) but also from the supporting actors, Raf Vallone and Gary Raymond, in particular.
All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
One other thing. An aspect of films often overlooked is very much in the fore here, the background musical score. It is an aspect of films, especially epic specataculars, that is absolutely essential to the complete experience and this one is scored by one of the great masters of the genre, Miklos Rozsa (Ben-Hur, Double Indemnity, Julius Caesar and so on ad infinitum), at the absolute top of his form. I hope someday that someone does a release of the FULL score on CD and gives it full justice, something long overdue.
I'm not one of those folks who necessarily thinks that older is better, but I do think Hollywood either has forgotten how to (or more likely can't afford to) make these spectacular costume epics like they once did. Epics today are made for the MTV generation, which may not be bad, but it's certainly different and not as much to my taste.
Test it yourself. Watch this movie and say Spartacus or Ben-Hur and then watch Gladiator and say any one of the Superman movies. You might be surprised by which one has more satisfying acting, writing, plot-lines, set pieces and music (although I must admit Williams' score to Superman I is one of the half-dozen best ever composed).
At any rate, thanks for this one Sam. You'll find it money well spent. Bring on Fall of the Roman Empire and 55 Days, please!!!
Rating: - CHARLTON HESTON LIVES FOREVER!!!
How sad to have lost one of the greatest actors of all time. Charlton Heston will live forever in the hearts of his fans thanks to the magnificent roles he played in the films that you can really call true spectacles. "EL CID" is only one of the many great films he made and one I am truly happy to own but sad for his recent passing. HOLLYWOOD JUST DOES NOT MAKE GREAT MOVIES LIKE "EL CID" ANYMORE AND THE CALIBER OF TRUE "A" LIST ACTORS LIKE CHARLTON HESTON AND SOPHIA LOREN ARE RARE TO WATCH THESE DAYS. LONG LIVE CHARLTON HESTON AS EL CID, MOSES AND BEN-HUR!!!!Ben-Hur (Four-Disc Collector's Edition)
|
|