The Castilian
The Castilian (in Spanish El valle de las espadas) is a 1963 independently made biographical film drama in Eastmancolor, produced by Sidney W. Pink, directed by Javier Setó, that stars Cesar Romero, Frankie Avalon, Broderick Crawford, Alida Valli, Espartaco Santoni, Tere Velázquez, Fernando Rey, and Soledad Miranda. The Castilian was distributed in the U.S. by Warner Bros. Pictures. All of film's exteriors were shot in Burgos and Peñafiel (Valladolid), Spain.
| The Castilian | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Javier Setó |
| Produced by | Sidney W. Pink |
| Written by | Paulino Rodrigo Luis de los Arcos Javier Setó |
| Screenplay by | Paulino Rodrigo Luis de los Arcos Javier Setó |
| Based on | Poema de Fernán González |
| Starring | Cesar Romero Frankie Avalon |
| Music by | José Buenagú |
| Cinematography | Mario Pacheco |
| Edited by | Richard Mayer Margarita de Ochoa |
Production company | Producciones Cinematográficas M.D. S.L. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | English |
The film's storyline concerns Fernán González of Castile, the first independent Count of Castile, who lived and reigned in the early 10th century. He is considered an important figure in the Spanish Reconquista.
Plot
Don Sancho (Broderick Crawford) is a despotic 10th century castilian king who, in league with the invading Moors, has banished handsome Castilian nobleman Fernán González (Espartaco Santoni). With the surreptitious aid of Don Sancho's daughter, Sancha (Tere Velázquez), Fernán González assembles an army to march against the Moors.[1]
Cast
- Cesar Romero as Jerónimo
- Frankie Avalon as Jerifán
- Broderick Crawford as Don Sancho
- Alida Valli as Reina Teresa
- Espartaco Santoni as Fernán González
- Tere Velázquez as Sancha
- Fernando Rey as Ramiro II of León
- Soledad Miranda as Maria Estevez
Production
The film was known during production as The Valley of the Swords.[2] Linda Darnell was supposed to star in the film but had to bow out and was replaced by Alida Valli.[3]
See also
- list of historical drama films
References
- http://www.allmovie.com/movie/el-valle-de-las-espadas-v8565
- "Jane Fonda Heads 'Hanno's Doll' Cast". Los Angeles Times. June 19, 1962. p. C7.
- Scheuer, Philip K. (Aug 15, 1962). "Hollywood Morals Have 'Bright Look': 100 Scripts Get Clean Bill; Mann Discusses Roman Fall". Los Angeles Times. p. D17.
- Dell Movie Classic: The Castilian at the Grand Comics Database
- Dell Movie Classic: The Castilian at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links
- The Castilian at IMDb
- The Castilian at the TCM Movie Database
- The Castilian at AllMovie