El Cid

According to the legend of El Cid, in his youth Rodrigo came across a leper sinking in quicksand crying for help, but none of the bystanders dared touch him. Rodrigo pulled him from the bog, clothed him in his cloak, housed him in a barn, and went to get him some food. When he returned, he found the leper had transformed into an angelic figure that identified himself as St. Lazarus. He said "For your bravery and kindness, you will enjoy success as a warrior. You will win battles upon battles and never know defeat." In a nice nod to the legend, this movie contains a scene wherein the banished Rodrigo encounters a thirsty leper who begs a drink. After unhesitatingly offering his own pouch, the Leper thanks him by name. "Who are you?" asks Rodrigo. "I am called Lazarus", the leper answers. Then he crosses Rodrigo with his staff. "May helping hands be extended to you everywhere you go, my Cid."

Alone and on horseback, Rodrigo confronts a group of mounted guards escorting the prince to a dungeon. In response to Rodrigo's demand for the release of the prisoner, the captain of the guard laughingly says, "There are thirteen of us, and you are alone!" In the ensuing fight, Rodrigo, with some help from the prince, unhorses sixteen guards, and two remaining mounted ones flee, for a total of eighteen.

1993 reissue restores 16 minutes of "lost" footage.