EL CID (Samuel Bronston 1961) The Weinstein Company

With its impressive scope, mammoth production values, incredible assemblage of extras and magnificent orchestral score by Miklos Rosza, Anthony Mann’s El Cid (1961) is one of the finest screen achievements ever realized; the rich amalgam of blended talents in front of and behind the camera that, sadly, have long-since become as much a lost art from that bygone era in picture-making as the fabled fortress walls of Moorish Spain. In size and spectacle, this is an epic that easily puts most others to shame. Yet, in producer, Samuel Bronston we have an interesting disconnect between the man who ‘would have liked to be king’ and the lonely Russian immigrant, who desperately craved the autonomy of a legendary movie mogul. By the time his gargantuan and costly epic, The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) debuted in theaters, Bronston’s best years were already behind him. Most certainly, his golden period in Spain had come to an abrupt and unfortunate end. A scant three years earlier, Bronston had been justly celebrated for El Cid – this lavishly produced tale about the Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. Indeed, Bronston’s flair was well-suited for both the Cid and the sixties, a decade in which all the major studios indulged in ‘super productions’ – elephantine movies of immense scope and considerable length that only sporadically did well at the box office. Alas, in Bronston’s case, the overwhelming success of El Cid proved a McGuffin as illusive, imaginary and fleeting as any mirage set upon the desert sands. Within a few short years of its critical and financial success, Bronston would find himself ousted from power, penniless and blacklisted.

To suggest Bronston was a visionary is perhaps a stretch. Although he believed in the proliferation of film as art, there was nothing particularly ‘cutting edge’ about his approach to the picture-making biz. Indeed, his movies play like hold-overs from Hollywood’s golden thirties, tricked out in flashier production values and a lot of color to make them sparkle; but otherwise, gargantuan and glamorous, with genuine heart and occasional schmaltz-inducing spectacle to make them soar on the screen. In hindsight, Bronston and his adopted country – Spain – were a perfect fit; neither, particularly well-received on the world stage; each in line for a major overhaul. Under the totalitarian rule of General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teodulo Franco y Bahamonde (Franco, for short), nationalist Spain was perceived as something of a direct threat to the free democratic countries of the world. Indeed, Franco’s regime held close to the fascist trappings of Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, with no international trade and an economically backward approach to foreign investment. (Americans could put money into the country. They just couldn’t take any money out!)  

But the real reason Spain held such appeal for Bronston can be summed up in one word – frugality.  Apart from its agreeably warm climate, Spain’s cost of labor, particularly extras, was dirt cheap. And Bronston reasoned, if films could be made more grandly and cheaply in Spain, why leave the country after their shoot was over? Into this brainstorm, Bronston reformulated ties he had already established in Washington with the Rockefellers and Pierponts, two of the most influential and wealthy families in the United States.  Hence, Bronson’s key investor in this newly amalgamated Spanish film-making empire was Pierre du Pont III, under whose personal assurances and guarantees with various banks across America, Bronston could afford to make loans to set up and cover his costs. Unfortunately for du Pont, the onus for repayment was not on Bronston’s success, the responsibility to pay back creditors reverting to du Pont instead. Evidently, Bronston’s own checkered financial past and shaky line of credit were of little concern to du Pont. Better still, for outside investments, Bronston employed a savvy ‘pre-sell’ marketing philosophy that, while quite common today, was virtually unheard of in his time. In essence, Bronston would shoot some of his biggest and most impressive set pieces, marketing the footage of his, as yet, unfinished film to potential distributors, while procuring funds to complete his movie.

However, the slickest of all bait and switches was a financial arrangement between Bronston and the Franco government, involving the country’s oil industry to cap off the monies required to make Bronston’s movie dreams a reality. For du Pont, this oil deal was just as lucrative as ‘legal’ money laundering. Since no investment in the Spanish economy could be refurbished in anything other than Pesetas – the national currency – and since du Pont would only accept his remuneration in American dollars - du Pont’s sale of oil to Bronston was repaid by the international monies garnered from Bronston’s completed movies after they had begun to turn a profit on the world market. For their efforts, the Franco government was well repaid in the court of popular public opinion. Once viewed as a pariah state, Spain was now being officially recognized as a tourist Mecca with an endless stream of dignitaries and stars parading through the gates of Bronston’s studios in Madrid.

Very early, Bronston realized what weas required to make his empire fly was a ‘heavy’ in the front office – someone with a dedicated business acumen who could organize his dream into a stable reality. The man Bronston selected was Philip Yordan, an attorney whose own deal created quite a stir. For his services as writer/script doctor, Bronston agreed to pay Yordan a then unheard of $400,000.00 per project. In turn, Yordan, who actually knew very little about screenplay writing, tapped blacklisted writers in Hollywood to do the heavy lifting.  A deal was reached with Ben Barsman and Bernie Gordon whereby the two would write scripts for a modest fee and Yordan would receive sole screen credit. Bronston’s move to Spain, coupled with a then staggering $6,000,000.00 investment on El Cid quickly remedied the negative press Bronston had incurred on his only states-side epic, King of Kings (1958) – crudely dubbed ‘I Was A Teenage Jesus’ by the critics. And despite its budget, El Cid took in a staggering $26,000,000.00 in the United States alone and at least as much worldwide, making it one of the most successful movies of all time: the beginning of a very brief, but meteoric golden age for Samuel Bronston. There was little to suggest Bronston would reign as purveyor of such spectacular entertainments. Part loveable con artist/part beguiling showman, Bronston’s great gift to the entertainment world lay in the art of his persuasion. The original idea for El Cid came from Bronston who, after two prior successes shot in Spain, felt the time had come to ground one of his projects with a uniquely Spanish story. While Bronston agreed upon the Cid as his topic, reportedly the original script by Frederic M. Frank was so bad, co-star, Sophia Loren refused to accept the assignment.

Asked to revise, writers, Barzman and Yordan instead began anew and from scratch a scant four days before principle photography was set to commence. Whether the stress of this insurmountable deadline had anything to do with the brilliance of their final draft is difficult to say, as great art is often rumored to emerge from abject chaos. No doubt, the pair wrote in a frenzy, a private messenger delivering pages daily to the set. The story of Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar – a.k.a. El Cid - had already been immortalized by French playwright, Pierre Comeille. In truth, Barzman and Yordan pilfered their entire first act from Comeille. However, whereas the rest of Comeille’s work is prone to fanciful speculation, Yorden and Barzman’s finale became more faithfully a chronology of actual events. Rodrigo (Charlton Heston) is a Castilian nobleman in the military service of King Ferdinand (Ralph Truman). After his political conquest of Valencia, Roderigo is deified by the people as a god-like warrior. But his victory is sullied when Ferdinand dies and one of his heirs, Prince Sancho (Gary Raymond) is murdered by accomplices loyal to his scheming sister, Princess Urraca (Genevieve Page). The surviving heir, Prince Alfonso (John Fraser) publicly releases Rodrigo of any wrong doing. However, Count Gormaz (Andrew Cruickshank) defiles Rodrigo’s reputation with a charge of high treason.

Rodrigo’s undoing materializes in the form of a woman, the sultry Lady Jimena Chimene (Sophia Loren) who is tormented by conflicting loyalties and her emotions for the Cid after he murders her father - Gormaz in a tragic duel. To avenge Gormaz’s death, Jimena accepts a crude plan of murder/revenge by the enterprising Count Ordonez (Raf Vallone) who rightfully perceives the purity in Rodrigo’s motives as dangerous to his own scheme against the monarchy. In service to the murder plot, Don Martin of Aragon (Christopher Rhodes) challenges Rodrigo to a duel – actually a fixed bout – that fortunately does not end in Don’s favor. Meanwhile, another of Urraca’s assassins, Dolfos (Fausto Tozzi) goes about the business of dismantling Rodrigo’s loyalty to Prince Alfonso. After refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to the crown unless Alfonso publicly declares that he had no part in his brother’s death, Rodrigo is exiled from the kingdom. Humiliated, though not defeated, Rodrigo becomes a mercenary for other rulers around the world of both the Christian and Muslim faiths. He is successful beyond all ambition and is given the title ‘El Cid’ (loosely translated to ‘lord’). Jimena, realizing the error of her ways, reverts to her true love for Rodrigo and joins him in exile.

The climax of El Cid is bizarre, yet fitting. Declaring war against Alfonso, Rodrigo is mortally wounded in battle but orders his guards to conceal the severity of his condition from all except his immediate council. They prepare for the siege on Valencia the following day. However, that night, with Jimena at his side, Rodrigo expires. His body is bolted into his armor and strapped onto his saddle the next morning, his corpse leading the valiant charge against the Moors with an ever-loyal following of armed forces riding proudly at his side and onto victory. Reportedly, Heston and Loren did not get on during the shoot. Known for being particularly rough on his leading ladies, Heston’s immediate displeasure with his co-star is rumored to have stemmed from a costume change that made Loren late to the set on the first day. It is also speculated Loren’s formidable $1 million dollar salary dwarfed Heston’s own remuneration for the picture. Whatever the reasons, the tension behind the scenes added depth and sparkle to the tragic romantic sparring captured on celluloid.

Over the years, due in large part to revolving rights issues, this Bronston classic – along with his three others (55 Days in Peking 1963, The Fall of the Roman Empire 1964, Circus World 1964) has remained largely hidden from public view. It is such a blessing for film lovers everywhere to have this engrossing masterwork on DVD. Alas, El Cid has never been afforded a proper remastering effort. So, the results are adequate, though just. The first release from the now defunct Miriam Collection; El Cid retains enough of its luster to be worthy of this disc. Colors are slightly dated, but for the most part spectacularly realized. The image overall is bright and crisp with a slight smattering of film grain. Edge effects are rare, but present. Contrast is solid. Flesh tones are good, if not great. A stunning amount of fine detail is visible for a thoroughly satisfying image. The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital. Though dialogue sounds slightly strident, Rosza score is the real benefactor here. El Cid’s extras include a thoroughly engrossing audio commentary. On a separate disc, we also get a poignant 50-min. biography on producer, Samuel Bronston, an equally moving 35-min. biography on Miklos Rosza, plus 18-minutes devoted to director Anthony Mann and a rather convoluted and confusing 7½ minute featurette on the film’s restoration. Bottom line: to date, there has been no satisfactory Blu-ray release of El Cid – a tragedy indeed. For now, the DVD endures and is readily available and well worth the coin.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

5+

VIDEO/AUDIO

4

EXTRAS

4.5