The Old Filipinos' Beloved Movie: El Cid (1961)
El Cid (released in 1961) is a huge, grand film (loved by old Filipinos) that portrays the story of an inspirational and legendary, Spanish medieval hero. While the film is spectacular for cinema, it tends to prioritize the quantity over quality, resulting in slow pacing, lacking emotional depth, and uncoordinated action scenes.
During the beginning of the 11th century, Spain was going through political turmoil. The Moorish inhabitants, which was Muslim, was being provoked by Ben Yusuf, a military leader who was based in North Africa. He wanted to conquer Spain in the name of Islam and was encouraging the Moorish people there to rebel.
The film portrays Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (Charlton Heston), a nobleman leader from Castile, who aims to unite Christian and Moorish tribes in Spain under the reign of King Ferdinand. He is famous for his fighting skills, steadfast moral code, and his commitment to justice and Spain's well-being, earning him the title of El Cid. However, his relationship with Doña Ximena, played by Sophia Loren, is complicated when he kills her father to protect his family's honor, leading to the loss of her love.
Following the death of King Ferdinand, El Cid tries to prevent Spain from breaking apart due to a conflict for power between the two sons of the King, Sancho and Alfonso, portrayed by Gary Raymond and John Fraser, respectively. El Cid goes into exile for a time, during which he reconciles with Ximena. However, the danger posed by the villain Ben Yusuf resurfaces and a final showdown becomes imminent in Valencia.
El Cid, a film produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Anthony Mann, is a huge undertaking in epic filmmaking that takes a staggering three hours. Drawing on the El Cid legend, the movie includes multiple storylines that has palace intrigue, religious conflict, personal schemes, political wrangling, and shifting alliances over several decades, tracing the impact of Don Rodrigo on Spain's history. The film boasts a vast cast of characters and an army of extras, which helps to keep viewers engaged, but its pace can be slow and dull at times, and it lacks emotional draw to it.
In the movie, the character of El Cid is depicted as a great hero whose strength comes from his unswerving loyalty to the King and his solid dedication to the vision of a unified Spain. He believes that Moors and Christians can put aside their religious differences and work together to create a just and powerful nation. Charlton Heston delivers a powerful performance that captures the character's resoluteness and determination, but the film's storytelling is not as clear and focused.
The screenplay of El Cid, written by Philip Yordan, Fredric M. Frank, and Ben Barzman, seems more interested in extending the film's running time than propelling the story forward. The movie is burdened with overlong sequences of pageantry, military parades, and armies on the march, which eat up a more than a reasonable portion of the film's runtime. Furthermore, the film's romantic subplot, which centers on the strained relationship between El Cid and Ximena, is corny and joyless, slowing down the first two hours.
military parades and armies on the march
During the action scenes in El Cid, whether it's a minor skirmish or a grand battle, the visual storytelling can be muddled and confusing. Director Anthony Mann seems uninterested in providing historical realism into the battles, opting instead to rely on armies of extras to charge at each other, resulting in a chaotic mess. As a result, the action scenes come across as formulaic, with countless men swinging swords and falling from horses in a mechanical and obvious fashion.
In his final hours, El Cid became more determined to inspire others, even if it meant facing personal consequences, and this helped to solidify his legendary status.
The other actors in the film, who played supporting roles, were mostly forgettable, and their performances were inconsistent. Geneviève Page stood out as the Spanish princess, and she deserved a more significant part.
Overall, watching El Cid was a test of patience, but there were a few great moments scattered throughout the film, overshadowed by an over focus on horseback riding scenes.