El Cid 1961 - Battle of Valencia (against Ben Yussuf)

Movie producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein have honored their late mother by establishing a new video company in her name. The Miriam Collection, released through the Genius Products video label, will issue vintage films on DVD in special collector's editons. It wouldn't be accurate to call each of the forthcoming releases a classic, but it would be safe to say that movie fans will be over the moon about the availability of some long-desired gems that had never been released on DVD previously. The most exciting news for Cinema Retro readers is the fact that the Weinsteins have the rights to the films of producer Samuel L. Bronstron and their initial release, the 1961 epic El Cid is first rate in every conceivable way. Bronston was a man who didn't know how to think small - his appetites were big and so was his love for the film industry. He shot epic movies on relatively economical budgets by establishing a studio in Spain. By doing so, he took advantage of the dictator Franco's desire to improve his nation's discredited image by luring heavyweight Hollywood producers to do business in Spain. Bronston found not only favorable financial and climate conditions there, but Franco also gave him a literal army of unpaid extras through use of, well, the Spanish army.Bronston planned to finanace his next film with the profits from the previous one. The idea worked well initially. El Cid, which tells the story of Spain's greatest hero - Rodrigo de Bivar, who united disparate factions of his countrymen in a common goal to defeat an invasion of Islamic religious fanatics- was a box-office and critical triumph. However, Bronston, who was a poor businessman, found his luck had run out on future productions such as 55 Days at Peking, Circus World and The Fall of the Roman Empire. Each bombed at the boxoffice and left him in staggering debt. He ultimately lost the "empire" he had built.

Already the most widespread version maintains that he, by becoming master of Valencia, was a just and balanced. Gave the city a status of justice, introduced the Christian religion, but at the same time, renewed the mosque of the Muslims, minted coins and surrounded himself with a cut of the oriental style, composed of both poets and Arab Christians, and by eminent people in world of laws. But the Almoravids were not inert and stood at the gates of the city, under the leadership of Mahammad's nephew, Yusuf. After several battles, El Cid won a decisive victory, which greatly contributed to making her the person being heroic narratives, many of them absolutely untrue. Until his death, Rodrigo Valencia ruled on behalf of Alfonso VII, but in truth, his power was independent of the king. And he tried to increase it, making one of his married daughters, Christina also known as Elvira, and Prince Ramiro Sanchez de Pamplona, and the other, Maria Rodriguez de Bivar, with the Count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer III. Unlike the legendary tradition, who enjoys seeing him dying heroically in battle, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, called the "Cid" or "El Cid" and "Mio Cid", died in bed in his castle in Valencia on Sunday, days July 10, 1099. His remains, along with his wife, Jimena, are buried in the Cathedral of Burgos.

Já a versão mais difundida sustenta que ele, ao se tornar senhor de Valência, mostrou-se um governante justo e equilibrado. Outorgou à cidade um estatuto de justiça, implantou a religião cristã mas, ao mesmo tempo, renovou a mesquita dos muçulmanos, cunhou moedas e rodeou-se de uma corte de estilo oriental, composta tanto por poetas árabes e cristãos, quanto por pessoas eminentes no mundo das leis. Mas os almorávidas não estavam inertes e se apresentaram às portas da cidade, sob a liderança de Mahammad, sobrinho de Yusuf. Após vários combates, El Cid obteve uma vitória decisiva, que em muito contribuiu para tornar sua pessoa objeto de narrativas heroicas, várias delas absolutamente inverídicas. Até sua morte, Rodrigo governou Valência em nome de Alfonso VII mas, na verdade, seu poder era independente do rei. E ele tratou de aumentá-lo, fazendo casar uma de suas filhas, Cristina também conhecida como Elvira, com o príncipe Ramiro Sanchez de Pamplona, e a outra, María Rodriguez de Bivar, com o conde de Barcelona, Raimundo Berenguer III. Ao contrário da tradição lendária, que aprecia vê-lo morrendo heroicamente em combate, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, chamado de "Campeador" ou "El Cid" ou "Mio Cid", faleceu numa cama de seu castelo em Valença, num domingo, dia 10 de julho de 1099. Seus restos mortais, juntamente com os de sua esposa, Jimena, estão sepultados na Catedral de Burgos.

Edited by Sc@libur 2010
Claudio Cavalcante Cunha
http://www.scaliburweb.com.br
Piracicaba-São Paulo-Brazil

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Film & Animation

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[fubleduck]

Was the part where they propped his corpse up on his horse true? Funeral custom, & combat diversion @ the same time. Spanish victory @ Valencia & El Cid's last battle can't be accurate, as all accounts I read point to an Arab victory over Valencia.

[rcx8777c]

KILL THOSE DIRTY MOSLEM APES.

MOHAMMAD SUCKS GIANT ELEPHANT DICKS IN HELL !!!!!

[edhaje]

@dben842504 yes, thanks for the insight.. after i search history of islam in spain in middle ages, they were in (somewhat) secular business (in my undestanding)..

So lines are not drawn by religion, but by politics..

*btw, almoravids drummers truly sounds dreadful*

[edhaje]

@spinocus hmm.. that make sense.. so there were times when thy lived in dilematic state in their relationship.. i thought they were like crusaders, expelling each other, therefore both europeans and arabs never be in same side...

[dben842504]

That is true, what hollywood produces is nothing like what actually happened. If they made movies realistic no one would go to see them because they would be boring. Then they would be called documentaries. Who would pay good money to watch a documentary. El Cid at times was a mercenary and fought for Moors and against the Moors.

[spinocus]

@edhaje The period in which Rodrigo Diaz (El Cid) lived was nothing like the fantasy Hollywood and popularized/politicized history would have you believe. Christian & Muslim lived and fought side by side in many parts of Spain; the relationship being neither harmonious or antagonistic but somewhere in between. El Cid and other Spanish nobles actually fought for the Moors and vice versa, mainly to further their own self-interests.

[edhaje]

i get confused, arabs and european fight against arabs?

[Pancerni]

My favorite scene from El Cid.One can almost feel the dread and despair the defenders felt at the sound of the Almoravid drums.