Posted on 04/15/2008 1:40:49 PM PDT by neverdem
When Charlton Heston died, not only did Hollywood lose an icon, the world witnessed the passing away of a man worthy of respect outside of his acting credentials. With the exception of a few extreme loon bloggers, the much-deserved tributes poured in.
Heston will be remembered by many for his legendary performances. A rule at my uncle’s house every year around Easter is, “Thou shalt watch 'The Ten Commandments.'" The fact this Cecil B. DeMille-directed movie still plays on television on a regular basis more than 50 years after its release is a testament to Heston’s powerful on-screen presence and staying power. DeMille reportedly chose Heston for the role because he thought the muscular, six-foot, three-inch, granite-jawed actor bore an uncanny resemblance to Michelangelo's famous statue of Moses.
Heston’s most celebrated movie roles were Biblical epics. Mr. Heston played John the Baptist in 1965's “The Greatest Story Ever Told." The 1959 movie “Ben-Hur” earned him an Oscar for best actor.
Not only did the actor leave us with memorable performances from “The Ten Commandments," “Ben-Hur” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told," but who can forget the classic lines from "Soylent Green" (“Soylent Green is people!”) and “The Planet of the Apes” ("Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!").
Heston was a passionate man. Passionate about his acting and the causes he believed in. He campaigned for presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson and JFK. In later years, for Ronald Reagan and both Bush presidents. He accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1963 civil rights march in Washington, D.C. He served as president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) from 1998-2003. He resigned in 2003 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
He also leaves a legacy as a fiery orator. In a 1997 speech, he denounced a culture war he said was being conducted by a generation of media, educators, entertainers and politicians against:
"... the God-fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle-class, Protestant - or, even worse, evangelical Christian, Midwestern or Southern - or, even worse, rural, apparently straight - or, even worse, admitted heterosexuals, gun-owning - o,r even worse, NRA-card carrying, average working stiff - or, even worse, male working stiff - because not only don’t you count, you are a down-right obstacle to social progress. Your voice deserves a lower decibel level, your opinion is less enlightened, your media access is insignificant and, frankly, mister, you need to wake up, wise up, and learn a little something from your new America and, until you do, would you mind shutting up?” (Excerpt taken from his autobiography "In the Arena"). Strong stuff. Chuck Heston was not known for mincing words.
Despite his association with the high-profile and much-maligned (and misunderstood) NRA, Charlton Heston was much loved by anyone who met him in person for being kind, generous, polite and gracious. Reading through many columns and comments following his death, I found the writers, even those who disagreed with his politics, reaffirmed what his friends, family and acquaintances attested to. He had a genuine caring and respect for his fellow man. That’s a legacy worth more than a hundred Oscars.
Michael McNeil is a free-lance writer from Dakota City, Neb. You can write to him in care of the Journal or at lvrcomments@hotmail.com.
I miss Chuck already.
Heston was great but “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” was a horrible movie and virtually single handedely killed off the Hollywood Biblical Epic.
In the MSM, people like Heston and MLK are afterthoughts because their lives and ideas are/were too conservative for the liking of the entitlement based lives every liberal wants.
I know we remember Charlton in this thread. But ask yourselves this question. Would MLK be happy knowing there are 17-year old girls who have given birth 7 times, or that there are cities that spend 45% of local tax dollars just on entitlements alone? We know what the answer is.
RIP Charlton Heston, a great American in more ways than one.
Only you could find a great pic like that!!!
Why bother bringing it up? All actors have been involved in a few bombs. However, Heston was involved in some of the finest movies ever made. I always loved the Omega Man, but it always seems to get left off of the “best of” list.
FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS ! "
Seriously! Now that pic is something that’ll really send a “tingle up your leg!”
It’s prominently mentioned in the article. Heston was in a lot of much better films.
You, for sure, me, probably not. but still a great shot of two great Americans who we miss very much!
Sounds like a page from most any Obama or Hitlery campaign speech.
And I still never miss The Ten Commandments....I can even take the over-acting by Ann Baxter.
I loved him the TGSET, but frankly, the most memorable line for me is still John Wayne at the bottom of the cross saying “He truly was the Son of God...”
The costume epic, biblical or otherwise, was already in its death throes at the time of the release of The Greatest Story Ever Told. After the phenomenal success of Ben-Hur, the last successful costume epics were Spartacus (1960) and El Cid (1961) (Lawrence of Arabia was certainly "epic", but I do not include it as it was not set in ancient times). King of Kings (1961) was both a financial and critical flop, as was Cleopatra (1963) and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). By the time of The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965, it was apparent that the age of the costumed epic was over. It did not help that The Greatest Story Ever Told received poor reviews.
I actually rather like the film. It is certainly flawed, but there are some striking scenes. I particularly like the sequence in which we see suffering and cruelty in Jerusalem, with Christ, hooded, moving through the crowd. We then hear Heston as the Baptist calling the people to repentance, and the camera seems to fly from the walled city of Jerusalem to the Jordan river, as we see the Baptist and his followers. We then see Jesus fully for the first time as he comes before the John for his baptism. There are several other sequences that are very impressive to me. On the whole, the movie is long and rather slow, but it interests me as an extremely formal telling of the Gospel. I far prefer it to King of Kings which scarcely dealt with Christ and the Gospel at all.
What's the matter? Didn't you like John Wayne as the Roman Centurion? ;) ("Well, let me tell you this, Pilgrim...")
Regardless of its concerns ‘King of Kings’ was a much better film. Director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause) always had a sympathy for the outsider.
By contrast, films made in recent years that are set in historical times, are often full of anachronisms and historical inaccuracies. Prime examples of the historically sloppy film making of recent years include A Perfect World, Brave Heart, Pearl Harbor, and Good Night, and Good Luck.
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