El Cid

El Cid (1961)

  • 92% of critics liked it
    (12 reviews)

  • 74% of users liked it
    (5,039 ratings)

When French playwright Pierre Corneille wrote El Cid, a fanciful version of the life of 11th-century Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, aka "El Cid", an attempt was made to honor the "classic unities" and to compress the whole story into a single day! Be assured that the 1961 film version of El Cid… More

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Unrated, 3 hr. 4 min.
Directed By
Anthony Mann
Written By
Fredric M. Frank, Philip Yordan
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Classics
In Theaters
Dec 14, 1961 Wide
On DVD
Jan 29, 2008
Miramax

Critic Reviews

  • Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

    Starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren at their prime, Anthony Mann's grand historical epic is still much admired by viewers and directors.

  • Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

    Handsome chivalry epic with enduring themes.

  • Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

    Charleton Heston is the perfect mythic conflicted hero.

  • Marty Mapes, Movie Habit

    An epic on the cusp of two eras. Dated, but well crafted. The "Miriam Collection" fills the box.

  • Sean Axmaker, MSN.com

    (D)irector Anthony Mann uses his stunning locations and choreographs his armies and crowds magnificently... corralling it into the frame like an old master...

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Matheus C


    Produção baseada na lendária história do herói espanhol, El Cid faz parte do mesmo tecido dos grandes épicos hollywoodianos populares nas décadas de 50 e 60: filme de costumes, cenas de batalhas épicas, tela larga (neste caso em Technirama), trilha retumbante de Miklós Rósza e, é… More

  • AJ V


    Yes this movie is insanely long, but it's also insanely fantastic too! I loved Loren and Heston together in this movie. The story is epic, and I'm surprised they haven't made more movies of it. I love this movie, and I highly recommend it.

  • Mister C


    Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture, this Samuel Bronston production was one of the most spectacular mega-produced epics ever made that was astounding in budget,astounding in cast,and magnificient in scope and sheer brilliance(filmed on location in the regions of Spain and… More

  • Jeremy S


    Very Epical (if that is an adjective) you can't get more epic than the crusades. Way too slow and long though.

  • Constanza B


    Glorious, great epic, classic in terms of script and spectacle, and extraordinary representation of the famous epic poem, stately and thrilling, with everything crisp and simple on the widescreen. Sobriety and restraint are perhaps the keynotes of the film's success, with the… More

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

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