ispmhedges
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IMDb Member
2 years, 5 months
Reviews
El Cid (2020)
Solid Historical Drama
I am writing this review mainly in response to the "hate speech" style reviews which seem intent on dismissing the series because it doesn't fit what they want history to be like.
So, why do I give it an 7? Firstly, let's note this is historical drama and not a documentary, so if the architecture and costumes don't always fit the period, its what you'd expect - they're presenting an image not recreating the past. But while it's not a documentary, it does a pretty good job.
Let's look at what some of the critics have said and respond, and while I'm not a historian of this period I am an academic so used to dealing with evidence and arguments.
1) No vikings in this period: there are records of viking raids so that's fine and accurate.
2) Zaragoza looks like Istanbul: Muslim dynasties and large Muslim populations were around for several hundred years, and while I don't know how many mosques were in Zaragoza it was said that Cordoba had 700, so we might even expect more mosques in the skyline than shown here?
3) Women weren't involved in politics: they were, Margaret of Anjou - while from another context and a few centuries later - even led troops into battle, and we know women often were strong political players.
4) It doesn't reflect a Muslim-Christian power struggle strongly enough: the idea of a Christian reconquest was largely a rhetorical ploy of Isabelle and Ferdinand (look a powerful female figure and a queen in her own right in that pairing) to unite the various still feuding kingdoms and regions, while, throughout the period Muslims were of Al Andalusia, Muslims and Christian fought other Muslims and Christians - again, out of this context, but Queen Elizabeth allied with the Ottomans against the French, while in the famed siege of Vienna Louis XIV, the famed Catholic Sun King, was allied to the Ottomans. El Cid himself served both Christian and Muslim lords.
So, in summary, while some people may want a history of Muslim-Christian conflict with subservient women and dominant men, that's in their heads not in history. This is undoubtedly the best retelling of El Cid that I have yet seen on the screen, and yes it is fiction so don't get so worked up about every slight inaccuracy. The Muslim characters could also be fleshed out more, and arguably are more plot devices, but come across often with sympathy, so that still needs work. Also, I would agree that some acting can be a bit ropey, and the main character could have more charisma rather than simply brawn and brooding looks, but you can't have everything, so a 7 and not an 8, 9, or 10.
So, why do I give it an 7? Firstly, let's note this is historical drama and not a documentary, so if the architecture and costumes don't always fit the period, its what you'd expect - they're presenting an image not recreating the past. But while it's not a documentary, it does a pretty good job.
Let's look at what some of the critics have said and respond, and while I'm not a historian of this period I am an academic so used to dealing with evidence and arguments.
1) No vikings in this period: there are records of viking raids so that's fine and accurate.
2) Zaragoza looks like Istanbul: Muslim dynasties and large Muslim populations were around for several hundred years, and while I don't know how many mosques were in Zaragoza it was said that Cordoba had 700, so we might even expect more mosques in the skyline than shown here?
3) Women weren't involved in politics: they were, Margaret of Anjou - while from another context and a few centuries later - even led troops into battle, and we know women often were strong political players.
4) It doesn't reflect a Muslim-Christian power struggle strongly enough: the idea of a Christian reconquest was largely a rhetorical ploy of Isabelle and Ferdinand (look a powerful female figure and a queen in her own right in that pairing) to unite the various still feuding kingdoms and regions, while, throughout the period Muslims were of Al Andalusia, Muslims and Christian fought other Muslims and Christians - again, out of this context, but Queen Elizabeth allied with the Ottomans against the French, while in the famed siege of Vienna Louis XIV, the famed Catholic Sun King, was allied to the Ottomans. El Cid himself served both Christian and Muslim lords.
So, in summary, while some people may want a history of Muslim-Christian conflict with subservient women and dominant men, that's in their heads not in history. This is undoubtedly the best retelling of El Cid that I have yet seen on the screen, and yes it is fiction so don't get so worked up about every slight inaccuracy. The Muslim characters could also be fleshed out more, and arguably are more plot devices, but come across often with sympathy, so that still needs work. Also, I would agree that some acting can be a bit ropey, and the main character could have more charisma rather than simply brawn and brooding looks, but you can't have everything, so a 7 and not an 8, 9, or 10.