(1961) They don't come much bigger than this epic, three-hour, Hollywood spectacular, of a paladin's loyalty to his country and love for his beloved, directed by Anthony Mann with Miklos Rozsa's score and overture to opening credits. In 11th-century Spain there arose an Iberian hero, Spain's savior, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (Charlton Heston), who became known as El Cid as he fought against the invading Muslims from North Africa and unified his nation under the trinity of one God, one king, and one country.

"What kind of man is this?" asks King Alfonso. He was a man desirous of peace repeatedly denied it.

"The Prophet has commanded us to rule the world," declares Ben Yussuf (Herbert Lom), inspiring his fellow Muslim warriors in their anticipation of conquering the Christian lands across the Mediterranean Sea for an empire under one God, the true Allah.

On what would have been his wedding day, Rodrigo defeats an army of five emirs who become his prisoners; but instead of executing them or handing them over to Count Garcia Ordóñez, the king's emissary, Rodrigo accepts pledges from the Moors never to fight against the Spanish king again, freeing them. One of the emirs expresses his gratitude by saying that such an act of mercy and justice shows both courage and vision. However, Count Ordóñez (Raf Vallone) charges Rodrigo with treason.

Before Rodrigo can reach Burgos, the court of King Ferdinand of Castille, his bride-to-be Jimena (Sophia Loren) has been informed by her father, Count Gormaz (Andrew Gruickshank), who is the king's champion, of her intended's traitorous conduct, forbidding her to marry him. When Rodrigo arrives to face the charges against him, he soon becomes involved in a duel with Count Gormaz, who has insulted Rodrigo's father, Don Diego. Rodrigo wins the sword fight, but Count Gormaz lays a demand upon his daughter: "Avenge me as a son would." Jimena tells Rodrigo: "You bought your honor with my sorrow."

At the same time the city of Calahorra has come under siege by the rival Spanish king of Aragon. A gauntlet is thrown down as a challenge to King Ferdinand for his champion to meet Don Martin in personal combat to decide the city's fate. With Count Gormaz dead, Rodrigo asks permission to face the fierce opponent as a test of his innocence in the charge of treason. Wearing the colors of Princess Urraca (Genevieve Page) - while Don Martin has Jimena's favor and black mourning cloth - Rodrigo (lacking previous experience) valorously vindicates himself in armor on horseback with a lance.

As the king's new champion, he's assigned to lead an expedition to collect tribute from recalcitrant Spanish Moors; accompanying him are Prince Sancho (Gary Raymond) and Count Ordóñez, Rodrigo's rival for Jimena. Before departing Rodrigo receives the king's permission to wed Jimena upon his return. Having told Jimena that he desires her love more than honor, glory, or wealth, Ordóñez has agreed to kill Rodrigo. Betrayed by a Christian but saved by a Moor, Rodrigo once again spares the life of an enemy, telling Prince Sancho: "Any man can kill, only a king can give life."

On their wedding night Jimena says to Rodrigo: "You will never get a woman's love from me."

Quarreling between the princes over who has the right to become king erupts when their father dies. After single-handedly rescuing Prince Sancho from thirteen soldiers of Prince Alfonso (John Fraser) assigned to take him to a dungeon in a distant city, Rodrigo refuses to get further involved in the bitter dispute.

Eventually exiled for his refusal to kneel in fealty before King Alfonso, he gives Lazarus the leper a drink of water with three crosses in the background. The religious imagery recalls the early scene of Rodrigo, Christ-like, carrying a cross he's rescued from Father Antonio's ruined church.

When an army of Spaniards arises out of dissatisfaction with King Alfonso's banishment of their hero, demanding to be led by El Cid - "For Spain!" - Jimena says to him: "There is no hiding place for a man like you." Eventually the focus will return to the war with Ben Yussuf's African Moors - "It will be our God against yours!" - invading Spain's southern shores and a siege at the city of Valencia where El Cid, the purest knight of all, uniting Christians and Muslims in a fight for peace and freedom, bombards the starving enemy with bread.

Historical details are seeded like footnotes in the sparse dialogue. As a kid I loved this stuff but find it somewhat humdrum now. Everyone, of course, speaks English (except for the priests saying Latin Mass) in the story of a Spanish legend starring an American and an Italian. Though 45 years ago the battle scenes must have seemed stunning with a cast of thousands arrayed along the beach, by today's standards - no heads and limbs getting hacked off, no gaping wounds spurting blood - the conflict appears rather tame.

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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