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El Cid (1961) DVD Review
El Cid (1961) DVD Credits:
El Cid (1961) Directed by:
Anthony Mann
El Cid (1961) Written by:
Not available at this time
El Cid (1961) Cast:
Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Geneviève Page, John Fraser
El Cid (1961) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
El Cid (1961) DVD Release Date:
29th January 2008
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El Cid (1961) Synopsis:

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. Unequaled in scope, grandeur and adventure, El Cid is an essential part of any film lover’s collection.

El Cid (1961) DVD Review:

One of the reasons I love the epic film so very much is due to the clarity in examining the advances in filmmaking through each wave of epic films. D.W. Griffith brought all kinds of new filming techniques with his epic films, and the costumes, stunts and scope has always improved and enlarged when tackling one of these tale ever since. The filming techniques have improved even since the release of El Cid, specifically in what is shot. The films such as this made today get much closer to the action, becoming part of the battle, whereas even El Cid refrains from any close shots during the action sequences. However, what El Cid may lack in technique to satisfy contemporary audiences, it surely makes up for in narrative ability.

Surprisingly El Cid was never available on DVD before now, and considering how incredible this film really is, it arrives not a minute too soon. Released straight to a 2-disc Deluxe Edition, the treatment is suiting for the legendary film, but for an extra treatment of the historical details it is well worth paying for the Limited Collector’s Edition for several additions. The box container holds the 2-Disc DVD along with several booklets and lobby cards.

There are six colorful lobby cards and duplicated comic book of the film which was sold in promotion at the time. Also included is a duplicated original program, complete with details about the cast and crew and the real-life person the film was based on. There are bios on producer Samuel Bronston and director Anthony Mann as well as color photos of them all. Included inside of the DVD is an insert with an introduction to the masterpiece by Martin Scorsese, who provides film historical background for the scale of the project.

The film itself runs at just about three hours and is split over two discs in this set. Both discs also contain an optional commentary track with Bill Bronston, Samuel’s son, and a film historian. Disc one also contains a set of vintage radio interviews with stars Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, who were rumored to have a rocky relationship on the set. Disc one also has still galleries and filmographies for the major players. Disc two has five featurettes, including a making-of featurette and one about film preservation and restoration. The other three featurettes all take focus on a key player in the making of the film, from composer to director and also including the famed producer.

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El Cid (1961) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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