El Cid (film)

El Cid
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Mann
Screenplay by	Philip Yordan Fredric M. Frank Ben Barzman
Story by	Fredric M. Frank
Produced by	Samuel Bronston
Starring	Charlton Heston Sophia Loren Raf Vallone Geneviève Page John Fraser Gary Raymond Hurd Hatfield Massimo Serato Herbert Lom
Cinematography	Robert Krasker
Edited by	Robert Lawrence
Music by	Miklós Rózsa
Production companies	Samuel Bronston Productions Dear Film Produzione
Distributed by	Allied Artists (United States) Dear Film (Italy)
Release date	December 6, 1961 (1961-12-06)
Running time	184 minutes
Countries	Italy United States
Language	English
Budget	$7–9 million[1][2]
Box office	$26.6 million（US/CA）[3]

El Cid is a 1961 epic historical drama film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston. The film is loosely based on the life of the 11th-century Castilian warlord Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called "El Cid" (from the Arabic al-sidi, meaning "The Lord"). The film stars Charlton Heston in the title role and Sophia Loren as Doña Jimena, spelled "Chimene" in the script and pronounced that way (shim-ain) in the film. The screenplay is credited to Fredric M. Frank, Philip Yordan and Ben Barzman, with uncredited contributions by Bernard Gordon.

During the late 1950s, Samuel Bronston had established his own production studio in Madrid, Spain. To strengthen cordial ties to the Spanish government ruled by Francisco Franco, Bronston began developing a biographical film of the Cid. During his lifetime, Franco had admired and compared himself to the Cid.^[4] In 1960, Bronston hired Frederic M. Frank to write the script and Anthony Mann to direct the film. Philip Yordan was later hired to rewrite the script, although Mann later recruited Ben Barzman to write the final screenplay. Before principal photography began, Bronston purchased the rights to a rival biographical film developed by Robert Haggiag's Dear Film studio, making the film an Italian co-production. On a $7 million budget, El Cid began filming in September 1960 and concluded in April 1961.

El Cid premiered on December 6, 1961 at the Metropole Theatre in London, and was released on December 14 in the United States. The film received largely positive reviews praising the performances of Heston and Loren, the cinematography, and the musical score. It went on to gross $26.6 million during its initial theatrical run. It was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Original Song.