EL CID (FILM)

'''El Cid''' is a 1961 historical epic film made by Samuel Bronston Productions in association with The Rank Organisation and released by Allied Artists. It was directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston with Jaime Prades and Michal Waszynski as associate producers. The screenplay was by Philip Yordan, Ben Barzman and Fredric M. Frank from a story by Fredric M. Frank. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa, the cinematography by Robert Krasker and the editing by Robert Lawrence.
The film starred Charlton Heston as Rodrigo and Sophia Loren as Jimena ,with Raf Vallone as Count Ordóñez, Geneviève Page as Urraca, John Fraser as Alfonso VI , Hurd Hatfield, who played Pontius Pilate in Bronston's 1961 ''King of Kings'', as Arias, Massimo Serato as Fanez, Frank Thring, who played Herod Antipas in the aforementioned ''King of Kings'', as Al Kadir, Michael Hordern as Don Diego, Andrew Cruickshank as Count Gormaz, Douglas Wilmer as Moutamin, and Tullio Carminati as Al Jarifi.
It is a highly romanticized story of the life of the Castilian knight, El Cid. It was shot on location in Spain - including the castles of Belmonte and Peniscola - while a few studio scenes were shot in Rome purely to achieve the financial gains of co-production status.
''El Cid'' remains one of the grand scale productions of the early 60s.

Contents

Awards and nominations

Reception

External links

Awards and nominations

''El Cid'' was nominated for three Academy Awards, for Best Art Direction, Original Music Score for Miklós Rózsa and Best Song.
It was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Director, Anthony Mann and Samuel Bronston won the 1962 Special Merit Award.
Robert Krasker won the 1961 Best Cinematography Award by the British Society of Cinematographers.

Reception

★ This film is reportedly a favorite of politician Juan Cespedes.

★ In his famous novel Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie mentions the film as a Pakistani politician jokingly takes Fatima Jinnah (sister of Mohammed Ali Jinnah) to be already dead but stuffed to appearance by a taxidermist, ''just like a dead-man leading an army'' in 'El Cid'

External links

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