No mercy for stricken Heston
Page Six - New York Post ^ | 10/21/02 | RICHARD JOHNSON with PAULA FROELICH and CHRIS WILSON
Posted on 10/21/2002 12:21 AM PDT by kattracksSHOCK-documentary director Michael Moore shoots himself in the foot by bullying Charlton Heston in his latest, "Bowling for Columbine."The film, a crusade against the gun lobby, features an interview with Heston during which Moore clearly attempts to embarrass the National Rifle Association president who starred in such classic films as "Ben-Hur," "The Ten Commandments" and "El Cid."
"It comes across as picking on a nice guy," says an industry expert. "Don't forget that Heston invites Moore into his house to do the interview. Then, in essence, Moore pushes him against a wall and pounds him with so many questions - questions about death caused by weapon owners - that anyone's head would reel. It doesn't take a genius to make someone look bad if that's on the agenda."
The segment comes over as even more mean-spirited since Heston announced in August he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Heston explained in a statement, "I wanted to prepare a few words for you now, because when the time comes, I may not be able to . . . For an actor there's no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you, which is why I won't exclude you from this stage in my life.
"If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you'll know why. And if I tell you a story for the second time, please laugh anyway."
Recently, even Heston's detractors have been criticizing the heavy-handed tactics of Moore, the "Roger & Me" director who has made a career out of skewering corporate America, powerful Republicans and other perceived enemies of the working man.
Among those who think Moore hits below the belt with "Bowling for Columbine" is "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone.
Stone, who grew up in Littleton, Colo., and attended Columbine HS, tells Foxnews.com's Roger Friedman: "It's hard to make Heston look sympathetic, but Moore did it. You can't help but think this is an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's. He looked so frail."
But Moore doesn't quit while he's behind. In the current Entertainment Weekly he spouts that Heston "doesn't have Alzheimer's. He says he has Alzheimer's-like symptoms. He's not resigning as head of the NRA. He's going out and campaigning for Republican candidates this fall. He's in preproduction on his next movie. I hope he doesn't have it, and I don't want him to get it, but he was sharp as a tack during the interview."
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