Don Rodrigo (Charlton Heston) captures two of the Emirs of Valencia. He releases them and they proclaim him El Cid. Don Rodrigo is accused of treason which leads to a duel with Jimena (Sophia Loren)'s father Count Gormaz. This leads to revenge and backstabbing. King Ferdinand dies. The older Prince Sancho ascends to the throne. The younger Prince Alfonso (John Fraser) and Princess Urraca (Geneviève Page) has Sancho assassinated. Alfonso takes over the throne and El Cid is banished joined by Jimena. General Ibn Yusuf (Herbert Lom) of the Almoravid dynasty is landing from North Africa. Rodrigo does not join the king, but allies with friendly Emirs to conquer Valencia from Yusuf's allie Emir Al-Kadir.
This is without a doubt an old-fashion Hollywood epic. The sets are massive and the cast number in the thousands. The back and forth with the multitude of characters can get confusing. The political intrigue in the first half drags a bit. The second half has more big epic battles. It does get a bit weird with the Almoravids running in fear of El Cid's dead body.
This is without a doubt an old-fashion Hollywood epic. The sets are massive and the cast number in the thousands. The back and forth with the multitude of characters can get confusing. The political intrigue in the first half drags a bit. The second half has more big epic battles. It does get a bit weird with the Almoravids running in fear of El Cid's dead body.