In the eleventh century, the Almoravid general Ben Yusuf gathers the emirs of Al-Andalus and prepares a large invasion of the peninsula. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Castilian knight, earns the respect of his enemies by freeing two captured emirs and setting aside the thirst for revenge. His loyalty to the king and his sense of honour are tested when a duel changes the course of his life and that of Doña Jimena, and when rivalries among the heirs of Castile complicate his position.

How it was made

The project grew out of Samuel Bronston's production studio in Madrid, established in the late 1950s, and his wish to strengthen ties with Franco's government, which admired the figure of El Cid. Bronston bought a script by Frederic M. Frank, hired Anthony Mann to direct, and acquired the rights to a rival project from Aspa Films, which made the film an Italian co-production. Philip Yordan and Ben Barzman reworked the screenplay. On a budget of about 7 million dollars, filming ran from September 1960 to April 1961. Miklós Rózsa wrote the score and Robert Krasker shot the film.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered on 6 December 1961 at the Metropole Theatre in London and opened in the United States on 14 December. Critics praised the performances of Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, along with the cinematography and the music. It grossed 26.6 million dollars during its initial theatrical run and earned three Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Original Song.