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| El Cid (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection) | 
 enlarge | Actors: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Andrew Cruickshank, Barbara Everest, Carlo Giustini
Studio: Miriam Collection
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.99
You Save: $8.96 (36%)
New (51) Used (12) from $14.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  162 reviews
Sales Rank: 1920
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 188
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.6
MPN: 80396
UPC: 796019803960
EAN: 0796019803960
ASIN: B000WMFZMY
Theatrical Release Date: December 14, 1961
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** ***3-Disc Limited Collector's Edition***** Over 1.5 million orders shipped worldwide and more than 500 000 items in stock, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~
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Amazon.com essential video
Technically ambitious but artistically underwhelming, this 1961 epic by Anthony Mann (Man of the West) stars Charlton Heston as an 11th-century hero who drives the Moors from Spain. The film has been described as "glum," and that is indeed apt for a story that focuses so much on its central character's losses in the face of his simultaneous, mythic approbation. Then again, Mann has always been interested in the hidden weaknesses in prevailing myths, so that's not unusual. What is unusual in El Cid is the degree to which technology takes over his filmmaking, as it does here with so many grandiose and bravura moments with a roving camera that don't add up to anything beyond spectacle. As an achievement of Hollywood's technical advancements in the postwar years, and also as part of the filmographies of Mann and Heston, the film is well worth a look. But it is not the artistic equal of other epics of its day, such as Lawrence of Arabia. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Anthony Mann masterfully directs this classic tale of the 11th-century hero (Heston) who fought to unite Spain. Known as history s "compassionate warrior" the film follows El Cid s remarkable journey from peace-broker accused of treason to the King s fighting champion and later from exiled hero to legendary martyr.System Requirements:Run Time: 188 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS UPC: 796019803960 Manufacturer No: 80396
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| Customer Reviews: Read 157 more reviews...
 MAGNIFICENT November 12, 2007
111 out of 117 found this review helpful
It has been a very long wait indeed for a proper, high resolution 2 disc anamorphic DVD of this epic medieval tale of passion and chivalry. The final results are breathtaking. The transfer is stunning and the sound is rich and full. This is rousing entertainment on the grandest scale.
It's hard to understand why this film took so long to arrive on DVD. Perhaps, as some have suggested, the subject matter has been an issue in our over-sensitive, shrinking world of religious violence. Or our discomfort with nebulous concepts of love, forgiveness and peace. But most likely a matter of rights and licensing issues.
The relevance of this extraordinary film remains current and is a monumental artistic achievements of world cinema. On a personal level, this terrific film provoked me into thinking about how belief systems -- especially about the nature of God (or Allah) -- benefit or harm our world.
The essence of the conflict between warring Castilians and Moors and an invading Muslim threat is unflinching in the opening scene as the North African holy warrior Ben Yussuf quotes "the Prophet" as promising to conquer the world in the name of Allah.
But the real conflict is the idea that there can be peace -- and perhaps even love -- between those who hate. This is exemplified in the troubled and intimate story of Rodrigo (Charlton Heston) and Ximena (Sophia Loren). It begins simply enough with a knight on his way to meet his bride when destiny forces a detour.
El Cid, the legendary hero of Spain was a real person named Don Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. He lived around 1035 A.D. Although he spent much of his time fighting on the side of the Moors, he became identified as the best incarnation of the true Castilian Christian spirit. His name came from the Arabic "sayyid" meaning "lord" or "chief."
Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren are perfectly cast as larger than life figures of flesh and blood. Their reported confllcts on-set probably added a degree of on-screen realism. They are wonderful together. Too bad Heston and Loren were not able to do a full, shared commentary at the time of the transfer.
Anthony Mann's direction is robust and true to the theme. The movie has a fine sense of composition that the terrific on-location cinematography only enhances. Numerous action-filled vistas fill the screen, richly detailed and beautifully photographed. No CGI elements can rival the texture of a real place captured on celluloid.
The incredible flow of stunning images and the magnificent Miklos Rozsa score are a reminder of what movies can do when they tackle a worthy tale and go all the way.
EL CID is about a real hero who selflessly followed his moral compass. It's also a reasonably true adapataion of the essence of the numerous medieval tales, plays and poems -- unlike the mangling of both poem and hero "Beowulf" in the recent movie of the same name.
Amazing that this magnificent paradox of a tale -- after all, El Cid was a warrior and peacemaker -- continues to be told for a thousand years.
The extras on the second disc include interesting featurettes on producer Sam Bronston, director Anthony Mann and composer Miklos Rozsa as well as vintage radio interviews with Heston and Loren and a "making of" documentary.
The last scenes are a fitting epitaph for Charlton Heston the man and the actor. His passing is truly the end of an era.
This great movie deserves a place in any digital library. Don't miss it.
Highest recommendation.
The 2 Disc Limited Collectors Edition is for a limited time only, comes in a box and contains a roadshow pressbook and vintage, miniature, lobby cards. The film itself and DVD extras are identical with the alternate consumer edition.
MAJESTIC EPIC BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED November 18, 2007
73 out of 82 found this review helpful
It has been a very long wait indeed for a proper, high resolution 2 disc anamorphic DVD of this epic medieval tale of passion and chivalry. The final results are breathtaking. The transfer is stunning and the sound is rich and full. This is rousing entertainment on the grandest scale.
It's hard to understand why this film took so long to arrive on DVD. Perhaps, as some have suggested, the subject matter has been an issue in our over-sensitive, shrinking world of religious violence. Or our discomfort with nebulous concepts of love, forgiveness and peace. But most likely a matter of rights and licensing issues.
The relevance of this extraordinary film remains current and is a monumental artistic achievements of world cinema. On a personal level, this terrific film provoked me into thinking about how belief systems -- especially about the nature of God (or Allah) -- benefit or harm our world.
The essence of the conflict between warring Castilians and Moors and an invading Muslim threat is unflinching in the opening scene as the North African holy warrior Ben Yussuf quotes "the Prophet" as promising to conquer the world in the name of Allah.
But the real conflict is the idea that there can be peace -- and perhaps even love -- between those who hate. This is exemplified in the troubled and intimate story of Rodrigo (Charlton Heston) and Ximena (Sophia Loren). It begins simply enough with a knight on his way to meet his bride when destiny forces a detour.
El Cid, the legendary hero of Spain was a real person named Don Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. He lived around 1035 A.D. Although he spent much of his time fighting on the side of the Moors, he became identified as the best incarnation of the true Castilian Christian spirit. His name came from the Arabic "sayyid" meaning "lord" or "chief."
Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren are perfectly cast as larger than life figures of flesh and blood. Their reported confllcts on-set probably added a degree of on-screen realism. They are wonderful together. Too bad Heston and Loren were not able to do a full, shared commentary at the time of the transfer.
Anthony Mann's direction is robust and true to the theme. The movie has a fine sense of composition that the terrific on-location cinematography only enhances. Numerous action-filled vistas fill the screen, richly detailed and beautifully photographed. No CGI elements can rival the texture of a real place captured on celluloid.
The incredible flow of stunning images and the magnificent Miklos Rozsa score are a reminder of what movies can do when they tackle a worthy tale and go all the way.
EL CID is about a real hero who selflessly followed his moral compass. It's also a reasonably true adapataion of the essence of the numerous medieval tales, plays and poems -- unlike the mangling of both poem and hero "Beowulf" in the recent movie of the same name.
Amazing that this magnificent paradox of a tale -- after all, El Cid was a warrior and peacemaker -- continues to be told for a thousand years.
The extras on the second disc include interesting featurettes on producer Sam Bronston, director Anthony Mann and composer Miklos Rozsa as well as vintage radio interviews with Heston and Loren and a "making of" documentary.
The last scenes are a fitting epitaph for Charlton Heston the man and the actor. His passing is truly the end of an era.
This great movie deserves a place in any digital library. Don't miss it.
Highest recommendation.
a massive, glorious spectacle May 23, 2004
40 out of 44 found this review helpful
The imagery in this film is magnificent, with lavish, spectacular sets and vast battle scenes. The cast is great, with beautiful performances by Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren; they have terrific chemistry together, and how the camera loves them ! This was Heston's follow-up to Ben Hur, and he is equally heroic as Spain's hero El Cid. Others in the cast of note are Raf Vallone as Count Ordonez, the man who also vies for Loren's love, and Genevieve Page, as Princess Urraca, who is secretly enamoured with El Cid. Herbert Lom, though one can only see his eyes, is marvelous and fiery as Ben Yussuf, the Moorish invader who says to his followers, "burn your books, make warriors of your poets, and make your doctors invent new poisons for our arrows !".Directed by Anthony Mann, the 11th century pageantry and medieval feel of this film has been meticulously created, and the cinematography, shot on location in Spain by Robert Krasker, is superb. The war-torn history of a divided Spain has been skimmed over and highly romanticized, but is very entertaining. There are family conflicts galore, murders and treachery, and lots of sword fights, where what amazed me was the sound of metal against metal; it has never to my knowledge been rendered so well, and adds much reality to the action. Surprisingly, the art/set direction and song/score were nominated for Oscars, but did not win. The score by Miklos Rozsa is fabulous, but unfortunately it was up against Mancini's "Breakfast at Tiffanys". Sophia Loren received a Best Actress Oscar for this year, but not this film; she won it for "Two Women", which was also released in 1961. Total running time is 180 minutes. History has many versions of El Cid (1040 ?-1099), depending on who wrote it (the Moors of course, painted him with a harsher brush), and at one point it seems he was a soldier of fortune, but based on the epic "Poema del Cid", he was both man and legend, and "one who lived and died the purest knight of all". This marvelous film has not been given the attention it deserves, and it will be enjoyed by everyone who likes historical dramas, and for Heston fans it is a must.
Finally! EL CID on DVD! March 2, 2001
37 out of 39 found this review helpful
This has been my favorite film since it was screened for us as students in High School so many years ago. It was the first video I ever purchased, also many years ago, and I have always regretted that the pan&scan format cropped so much of the magnificent 70mm image out. This is a film that MUST be seen in the widescreen format! Both Heston and Loren were recent Oscar winners when they were teamed for this and both are at the height of their personal appeal and stardom. The justly famous tournament scene rivals the chariot race from BEN HUR for sheer excitement, and the lush location photography in Spain makes every scene vivid. Although a bit long, the story is well paced and you will wish for more. The exquisite score by Miklos Rozsa will benefit from DVD's improved sound quality. I can't wait to purchase my own copy on DVD!
Stunning Epic with Heston and Loren at their best!! June 12, 2002
31 out of 32 found this review helpful
Heston did so many 'costumers' it was easy to over look just how magnificent some were and this is one of the best. My favourite is the quieter War Lord, but El Cid never fails to move me. It works on many levels, the breathtaking epic, the love story between Heston and Loren, with the secondary characters, especially John Fraser and Herbert Lom, giving fine performances. The jousting sequences outstanding, the location work panoramic....a true experience.
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