Millions,
I’ve only recently realized how thoroughly unbelievable Charlton Heston is. He’s good & doog at the same time. He’s enjoyable on nearly every level. And I think he says “Oh……my……God….” in every single movie. Which, hey, how can you complain?
Here’s the thing: I’m 25. I wasn’t alive when most of his best stuff came about. I knew him primarily for his NRA speeches, which is like knowing Paul Newman for his salad dressing, but, sadly, that was once true. Now my eyes are open. I’ve seen the light.
My request: Tell me your favorite Heston work. My girlfriend & I are in marathon mode & nothing can deter us from loads of ferocious Heston-ing.
So far I’ve tackled:
-Planet of the Apes: obviously. And good lord, how excellent.
-Soylent Green: too many parodies ruined this one for me, but still awesome, mainly because of Heston.
-Omega Man: Unbelievable. On every level.
-10 Commandments: Heston AND the Bible. God smiles.
We’ve got Touch of Evil on the way, but that about clears me out. What next?
Well, there’s Ben Hur, of course. Then there’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy”, which is about Michelangelo, and, if you’re in the mood for a western, “Major Dundee”, which was just remastered and restored, where he’s a commander of a really divided army troop who has to hunt down Apache raiders. Heston, Richard Harris, James Coburn, and Slim Pickens.
You also might like “The Buccaneer”, in which Yul Brenner plays pirate Jean Lafitte, who has to decide whether to ally with the Americans to defend New Orleans during the War of 1812. Heston plays General Jackson.
Peaked too early, eh? I was afraid of that. But that man can carry a movie on his back, for better or worse, so I think I might even enjoy the years when he was just mailing it in.
Or if you are into Westerns there is Will Penny. Heston himself said this was one of his favorites, and it is very well regarded.
Naked Jungle has one bit of neat writing, when his mail order wife is playing the piano. Watch it to find out why her statement about the piano being out of tune is so good.
The War Lord is a different film, rather odd. But there’s a neat bit of trivia associated with it. Some swamps in California stood in for the bogs and fens of medieval England. Heston says there was a sixteen year old boy who kept sneaking onto the set to watch the movie making. Everytime he was found he was thrown out, until the director realized he was really causing any trouble, he was just a movie geek that wanted to learn. So they let him hang around. The rest of the story? It was Steven Spielberg
I second the excellent Will Penny, Heston’s best performance, and add The Big Country. Heston is second lead to Gregory Peck in this sprawling epic, and turns in a fine somewhat villainous performance.
Anybody, what was the early Heston film set, I think, in South America, where he comes in like a proto-Indiana Jones, fedora and all?
You’ll enjoy Ben Hur even more when you realize that Gore Vidal, who wrote a big chunk of the script, added the subtext of a homosexual relationship between Judah Ben Hur and Massala. Apparently no one told Heston, but the other guy was in on the fun and played it to the hilt. I always expect Massala to drop to his knees and start giving Ben Hur a hummer when they’re reunited for the first time.
Taking a stab after reading an IMDB description: Secret of the Incas? Sounds pretty Indiana Jonesy to me. Plus it was back in '55. Does that ring a bell?
Yes, thanks. The description brought some points back to memory. Saw it on a late show three decades ago. No great action sequences like “Raiders,” really, but just evocative of the latter film.
I’d like to second The War Lord, my favorite Heston movie and a project he wanted to do for years. The tower from that movie remained at the Universal Studios park in California for decades until it was torn down a few years ago.
