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This is what happens when you rush to market a DVD

John Schmidt | 03/23/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"El Cid should be one of those sprawling epics which fill a surround sound set-up in a manner consistent with Spartacus, Lawrence of Arabia, Braveheart, etc. However, with the production of this version apparently mass produced in China, we have a so-so release of a great epic. Advertized as 5.1 audio, it's really more mono, and some 2.0 with a hint of 5.1 in a battle scene. The clarity of the movie is somewhat better than fair, but sadly, it doesn't rank up there with the other epics which have been remastered with painstaking care. It's obvious there was not much attention paid to the digital process with this release. ...and, oh yeah, the Christians beat the Moors again in this movie."

Well, It's better then Pan and Scan...

Dudley Albrecht | USA | 05/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I can't give high praise to the Malaysian (not Chinese btw) DVD of El Cid, but it is the best video we have had of it so far..which is not saying much.

The color quality is only just acceptable, but at least it is in widescreen, the first time El Cid has been avaialbe in anything other the Pan and Scan.

The sound could use a lot of work also.

I understand that except for "King of Kings" which was released and is owned by MGM, all of Samuel Bronson's films are tied up in legal disputes which prevents an American/British market native DVD version from being released. These legal problems do not exist for the Asian market, which is why they are our and why there can be sold in the US....legally, though it makes no sense, the Malaysian version is cnsidered a "foreign Language " version, and can be legally imported and sold. The legal dispute is why there are also no Native US or UK vesions of "55 Days at Peking" and "Fall Of The ROman Empire " available in the US.

Hopefully someday, this legal crap can be resolved and EL Cid will get the DVD treatment will bells and whistles it deserves.

In the mean time, I with many reservations, reccommend that Malaysian version for sale here. It it a long,long, way from what what the film deserves but it is alot better then the VSH pan and scan versions we have had to be satisfied with until now.

At least it has the roadshow version, not the cut down popular price version that has been on some VHS releases.

The three star rating is for the DVD treatment, not the film itself."