El Cid (1961)

El Cid is a 1961 epic historical drama film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston. It stars Charlton Heston and has grown in appreciation with time. The film overcomes its weaknesses with spectacular cinematography, an unforgettable film score, sumptuous costumes, and a cast of thousands. The best thing about this particular new French Blu-Ray of El Cid is that it works! It's an all-region disc with a good transfer. This transfer looks like it's sourced from the 2008 DVD but this upgrade is way more colorful and detailed. The catch is you have to turn off closed caption which is in French, otherwise this Blu Ray is excellent. If you're a Chuck Heston fan, or an epic film fan this motion fiction is not to be missed! However, there is a warning for those who want to buy the Region 0 DVD because of the price. The DVD sound track is ok, but the video is TERRIBLE. It is a letterbox 4:3 transfer from, I don't know where, but possibly a VHS tape. The colors are washed out, the shadows are murky and even the bright daylight scenes are muddy and low-resolution. If you don't care and want to save some money, then by all means buy this disc. If you care about a movie’s quality, steer clear of this dog. The reproduction quality of the DVD was poor.