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El Cid

El Cid

Action · Drama · History · 1961

Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz ("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour, still succeeds in taking the initiative and driving the Moors from Spain.

Movie details

El Cid

“The GREATEST ROMANCE and ADVENTURE in a THOUSAND YEARS!”

1961 Action · Drama · History 3h 7m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz ("El Cid" to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour, still succeeds in taking the initiative and driving the Moors from Spain.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over El Cid?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Wings

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Barabbas

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While Sergeant John Tyree is home on two weeks leave from Germany, he meets Savannah after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off a pier. John eventually falls in love with Savannah, who promises to write to him until he returns from overseas.

The Longest Day

The Longest Day

War · 1962

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All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

War · 1979

At the start of World War I, Paul Baumer is a young German patriot, eager to fight. Indoctrinated with propaganda at school, he and his friends eagerly sign up for the army soon after graduation. But when the horrors of war soon become too much to bear, and as his friends die or become gravely wounded, Paul questions the sanity of fighting over a few hundreds yards of war-torn countryside.

Indivisible

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Upon returning from serving in the U.S. Army, Chaplain Darren Turner faces a crisis that shatters his Family and Faith in God but through the help of his fellow soldiers, he returns to his faith and family

Battleground

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The Pride and the Passion

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War · 1957

During the Napoleonic Wars, when the French have occupied Spain, some Spanish guerrilla soldiers are going to move a big cannon across Spain in order to help the British defeat the French. A British officer is there to accompany the Spanish and along the way, he falls in love with the leader's girl.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anthony Mann

Written by

Philip Yordan · Fredric M. Frank · Ben Barzman

Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston

El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar

Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren

Jimena

Raf Vallone

Raf Vallone

Count Ordóñez

Geneviève Page

Geneviève Page

Princess Urraca

John Fraser

John Fraser

Prince Alfonso

Gary Raymond

Gary Raymond

Prince Sancho

Hurd Hatfield

Hurd Hatfield

Arias

Court is in session

Put El Cid on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.