Cinema: A Round Table of One

El Cid (Samuel Bronston; Allied Artists). Don Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, Spain's greatest military genius, was born circa 1043 of noble yet obscure descent. Nevertheless, so extraordinary were Don Rodrigo's courage and character that at 28 he became commander in chief of the armies of Castile. Not for long. The able but treacherous King Alfonso VI, jealous of his vassal's victories and virtues, banished him. Undaunted, Don Rodrigo gathered an army of admirers, and off and on for 30 years beat back the Moslem armies. Though generally far outnumbered, he never lost a...

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