Myself, I am fond of epic movies. Lawrence of Arabia, Ben Hur, Achilles, The ten commandments...I found El Cid to be a mix of Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia, but I'm not sure if people will agree with me on that.

Even though this movie is 50 years old, it goes through the story with great speed. The story appears to jump or skip large sections several times, once again leaving the viewer wondering what vital moments were missed that would better explain the chain of events captured on film.

In the days before CGI, producers had to pay actual human beings to dress up in costume for huge scenes with thousands of people. These were the classic days…

‘El Cid’ tells the story of Rodrigo Diaz (Charlton Heston), known as El Cid by his followers, a Spanish hero who helped unite the entire country by spearheading an effort to drive out the invading Moors. Branded a traitor by his Christian kingdom, and exiled from wife Jimena (Sophia Loren), El Cid still becomes a legendary figure.

‘El Cid’ is, for all intents and purposes, an epic. Sweeping landscapes, majestic scores, massive battle scenes and extravagance galore, all those same ingredients are there. But, for a film that clocks in at over three hours, it’s a complete waste of time. Of the epics I’ve seen in my time, this ranks near the bottom. Despite the ingredients being there, the recipe…

Despite the stewardship of my beloved Anthony Mann, I wasn't looking forward to El Cid (running time: 4 days), but it worked like methadone to this viewer in the grips of Game of Thrones withdrawal. The interests aren't really the same--after all, Mann already got that out of the way with the masterpiece The Black Book--but the situations make El Cid feel like some ancient season in the East. Except Game of Thrones is a leer; Anthony Mann is a wince. I know his epics get lost in the shuffle, but El Cid at least is made by the same Mann who made Winchester '73.

It helps that the legend of El Cid is not the same old Roman/Christian slave…

Myself, I am fond of epic movies. Lawrence of Arabia, Ben Hur, Achilles, The ten commandments...I found El Cid to be a mix of Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia, but I'm not sure if people will agree with me on that.

Even though this movie is 50 years old, it goes through the story with great speed. The story appears to jump or skip large sections several times, once again leaving the viewer wondering what vital moments were missed that would better explain the chain of events captured on film.

In the days before CGI, producers had to pay actual human beings to dress up in costume for huge scenes with thousands of people. These were the classic days…