El Cid

Great Movie !!!!!!!!

Fast delivery and great service from vendor.

It is older but still a good film. I feel it’s a good buy.

El Cid is a 1961 epic historical drama film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston. It's one of Charlton Heston's lesser known epics that has grown in appreciation with time. Is it as good as Ben-Hur? No. Is it as good as The Ten Commandments? Nope. Is it as good as Khartoum? (a lesser, lesser known Heston epic) Yes, yes it is.I first saw this wide screen spectacle at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, CA back in 1993. At that time Martin Scorsese declared El Cid to be "one the greatest epic films of all time." I think he was spot on. Clunky and cheesy at times, El Cid overcomes those weaknesses with spectacular cinematography, an unforgettable film score, sumptuous costumes and a cast of thousands. Literally. No CGI here. This is the real deal. Yes, it's true, you can see some extras wearing wristwatches but I nit pick.The best thing about this particular new French Blu-Ray of El Cid is that it works! It's an all region disc with a darn good transfer. In fact, it's absolutely damn near perfect. This movie was originally released on DVD back in 2008 as a deluxe edition and a collector's edition DVD. But it has never been released on Blu- Ray in the US. I've been scouring Amazon for a long time looking for a foreign Blu-Ray version but unfortunately all of the other countries (Japan, Germany, Spain) only have region B versions of this film. As you might know, Region B Blu Rays don't work on Blu Ray players in the US. But this new French Blu Ray does! This particular transfer looks like it's sourced from the 2008 DVD but this upgrade is way more colorful and detailed. The catch is you have to turn off closed caption which is in French, otherwise this Blu Ray is excellent.If you're a Chuck Heston fan, or an epic film fan this motion fiction is not to be missed!

is breathtaking in scope and spectacle. This is one of the few post war costume epics that doesn't come across as silly. Both the subject and the film are the stuff of myth.The sets and scenery are astonishing. Sam Bronston's production company spared no expense scouting locations to recreate castles in Spain. Entire industries sprang up whole to create the costumes, saddles, weaponry, armor and other items required for the movie. The sword making industry in Toledo was reinvigorated when the word went out the company didn't want any cheap flimsy props for their epic picture. The Spanish army, and their horses, were hired to portray the thousands of soldiers required in the battle sequences. Something like this will probably never be duplicated again in the real world, and CGI can't reproduce what you see on the screen in "El Cid."Charlton Heston, with a towering physical presence and Shakespearean training, was Hollywood's go-to-guy for epic heroes (as Ben Hur in , or as Moses in ). He does not disappoint as "El Cid." Heston does an outstanding job bringing to life "one who lived and died the purest knight of all." El Cid is a man who, with the admiration and respect of both Christians and Moors, defeats an invasion force and units Spain under one king. Sophia Loren, at the height of her beauty, makes an incomparable wife to the legendary hero. The supporting cast are also excellent.The restored version of this movie looks and sounds absolutely gorgeous. This is worth seeing on the largest screen with the best surround sound you can manage. "El Cid" is one of the last movies with a full length score and, although it has been chopped up a bit to allow for a few minutes of sound affects (war drums, clanging swords, etc.) it is a reminder about how much music can lend to a film. For example, one character's death occurs off screen in shadow; we know he is dead because the music informs us.This two disc package breaks up the film during the intermission section. Disc 1 contains the first half of the film and special features, including a commentary track. Disc 2 contains the second half of the film and additional special features including the second half of the commentary, the making of, and informative shorts about the cinematography, the music of Miklos Rozsa, restoration, and more. The commentary is generally good with a lot of information and anecdotes, but from time to time veers off on annoying political tangents. All together this is a marvelous package!His final ride into legend is unforgettable.Highly recommended!

You have to know that pretty much any movie with Charlton Heston in it is going to be an epic. This is the actor who, after-all, portrayed not only Ben-Hur, but Moses as well!! So, it should come as no surprise that the panoramas are vast, the battle sequences induce shock & awe, & that Rodrigo of Bivar, or El Cid as his Moorish adherents name him & the character Heston portrays, is a Knight as pure & noble as Ivanhoe, or Lancelot (that little dalliance with Guinevere notwithstanding!). The fact that the real El Cid was much more of a mercenary & freebooter doesn't detract from the fact that this is some good, ole fashioned entertainment, where good is good, bad is bad & there isn't too much nuanced shading in between.That being said, & to its credit, the film does show that not all of the Moors (mostly Arab Muslims from North Africa who, by the 7th Century AD, had conquered pretty much all of Spain) are cruel fanatics on par with current day adherents of ISIS or Al Queda. Those who fight with El Cid want the fanatics gone as much as their Christian allies do. They, like El Cid and the events depicted in this film, are part of what became known as the "Reconquista," a centuries long struggle that saw the Moors finally expelled from Spain by Ferdinand & Isabelle, the subsequent sponsors of Christopher Columbas' explorations.Probably the best thing about this film, technically speaking, is the fact its a blu-ray. I haven't seen a DVD rendering of El Cid that wasn't so blurry that you really had to pay attention to figure out what was going on. Blu-ray does the production values in this film the justice they deserve. I only with I could find it in 4k!!

Sin problemas

PAS ENCORE VISUALISER MAIS AVEC CHARTON HESTON TOUT COMME LES 55 JOURS DE PEKIN ON VA SE REGALER GRANDIOSE EGALEMENT - FILM TRES BEAU JE RECOMMANDE

Revoir un ancien fims remastérisé.

El Cid è l'eroe spagnolo per antonomasia. Da noi è conosciuto praticamente solo per questo film (e una nuova versione, con scarso seguito di qualche anno fa). Grande cast, ricostruzione hollywoodiana del periodo storico (dame e cavalieri, fanti e nemici tutti ordinati e puliti). Già politicamente corretto, con il protagonista che non distingue tra cristiani e mori, ma solo tra buoni e meno buoni. Un po' lungo l'intrigo (circa 3 ore di film) ma abbastanza aderente al racconto storico, per quanto le fonti in materia non siano definitive. Buon cast, scene d'azione senza particolari effetti speciali, vista l'epoca. Se vi piacciono i classici si riguarda volentieri (anche perchè i passaggi in TV, almeno sulle reti maggiori sono molto rari - colpa del tema "indelicato" ?)