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''The Castilian'' (in Spanish ''El valle de las espadas'') is a 1963 independently made
biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
drama in
Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...
, produced by
Sidney W. Pink Sidney W. Pink was an American film producer and occasional director. He has been called the father of feature-length 3-D movies. He is also noted for producing early Spaghetti Westerns and low-budget science-fiction films, and for his role in ac ...
, directed by
Javier Setó Javier Setó (1926–1969) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * ''Forbidden Trade'' (1952) * '' Bronze and Moon'' (1953) * ''Bread, Love and Andalusia'' (1958) * '' Pelusa'' (1960) * ''The Castilian ''The Castil ...
, that stars
Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...
,
Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...
,
Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All th ...
,
Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, '' Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, ...
, Espartaco Santoni,
Tere Velázquez María de los Ángeles Teresa de Jesús Villar Dondé, better known as Tere Velázquez (; 8 March 1942 – 7 January 1998) was a Mexican actress. She appeared in 86 films and television shows between 1957 and 1996. She starred in the film ...
,
Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...
, and Soledad Miranda. ''The Castilian'' was distributed in the U.S. by
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...
. All of film's exteriors were shot in
Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
and Peñafiel (Valladolid), Spain. The film's storyline concerns
Fernán González of Castile Fernán González (died 970) was the first autonomous count of Castile. Fernán González was a colourful character of legendary status in Iberia, and founder of the dynasty that would rule a semi-autonomous Castile, laying the foundations for it ...
, the first independent
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
of Castile, who lived and reigned in the early 10th century. He is considered an important figure in the Spanish
Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...
.


Plot

Don Sancho (
Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All th ...
) is a despotic 10th century castilian king who, in league with the invading
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...
, has banished handsome Castilian nobleman Fernán González (Espartaco Santoni). With the surreptitious aid of Don Sancho's daughter, Sancha (
Tere Velázquez María de los Ángeles Teresa de Jesús Villar Dondé, better known as Tere Velázquez (; 8 March 1942 – 7 January 1998) was a Mexican actress. She appeared in 86 films and television shows between 1957 and 1996. She starred in the film ...
), Fernán González assembles an army to march against the Moors.


Cast

*
Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...
as Jerónimo *
Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...
as Jerifán *
Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All th ...
as Don Sancho *
Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, '' Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, ...
as Reina Teresa * Espartaco Santoni as
Fernán González Fernan or Fernán is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Fernán Blázquez de Cáceres, Spanish nobleman * Fernán Caballero (1796–1877), Spanish novelist * Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921–2007), Spanish acto ...
*
Tere Velázquez María de los Ángeles Teresa de Jesús Villar Dondé, better known as Tere Velázquez (; 8 March 1942 – 7 January 1998) was a Mexican actress. She appeared in 86 films and television shows between 1957 and 1996. She starred in the film ...
as Sancha *
Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...
as
Ramiro II of León Ramiro II (c. 900 – 1 January 951), son of Ordoño II and Elvira Menendez, was a King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of the kingdom, he gained the crown of León (and with it, Galicia) after su ...
* Soledad Miranda as Maria Estevez


Production

The film was known during production as ''The Valley of the Swords''. Linda Darnell was supposed to star in the film but had to bow out and was replaced by Alida Valli.


Comic book adaption

*
Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...
Movie Classic: ''The Castilian'' (January 1964)


See also

* list of historical drama films


References


External links

* * * 1960s historical films Spanish historical films 1963 films Films set in the 10th century Films set in Spain Spanish biographical films Films directed by Javier Setó Films adapted into comics Films produced by Sidney W. Pink 1960s biographical films English-language Spanish films 1960s English-language films 1960s Spanish films {{1960s-Spain-film-stub