El Cid

Charlton Heston has a thing with epics I guess. El Cid was surprisingly a great movie. I am sure this film often gets overshadowed by other epics like Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia. Both of those films are absolutely great but for some reason, I prefer El Cid over both of those. I am sure it is a personal taste, or maybe it was because you didn’t have to plan out 4 hours to take watch the others. Although this is a 3 hour film, it movies at a good pace, with a very good story.

El Cid is about a man who was simply on his way to be married. He encounters a religious skirmish with the Moors and manages to capture the enemy. The country wants them executed, but since he captured them, they are his prisoners, and El Cid shows mercy and lets them go. El Cid begins to rise in popularity of the people, yet he never takes advantage to be king, even though the masses want him as a ruler. El Cid remains loyal to the crown, even through turmoil. Of course there is much more plot than that, but everyone needs to discover all the twists and turns on their own.

This film is beautifully directed by Anthony Mann. There are times during the film where I looked at picture on screen and you know you are in an epic movie with the vast landscapes and huge sets. Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren are both wonderful in this movie, just as you would expect. This movie is worth making time for and everyone should see this masterpiece at least once.

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