Heston’s performance is credibly heroic, especially when he is fully in character. The scenes when Rodrigo must prove his innocence to the King of Spain by gallantly engaging in deathly one-on-one combat are one of the high points of El Cid. However, it seems that Heston judged Rodrigo’s vulnerability and his doubts to be just as important as his inner strength and courage, which is why he concentrates very hard on demonstrating Rodrigo’s consternation and confusion in making hard decisions that echo throughout the storyline. Starring opposite Heston is Sophia Loren, who uses the full effects of her “goddess-like” figure and face to win the audience over as Jimena, Rodrigo’s future wife and faithful lover. Loren visualizes Jimena’s regal, calm demeanor well, but she fails to make the audience fully understand her role’s personality or her perplexing choices. Also, El Cid has a heavily imbalanced romantic angle, one that would have strengthened the movie in moderation but otherwise strangles its realism and its overall chemistry.
Nonetheless, aside from that indiscreet focus on Heston and Loren’s displays of affection, El Cid has more than enough content to provide the audience with serious contemplation about a number of themes, one being mortality. The Spanish court is somberly portrayed, although its false sense of majesty is cross-directed at the forces behind the throne of Spain. When nobility depended solely on lineage, not merit, and the monarchy reigned exclusively during the many squabbles of spoiled, power-hungry rivals, El Cid is bitterly cynical in its analysis of truth and power in Spanish history. For example, Alfonso, Sancho, and Urraca were the three children of King Ferdinand I, but their relationship was as twisted as a family’s could have been.
To be continued...
El Cid is available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc wherever movies are sold in Fresno and online; it also can be rented for free from local libraries.
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