April 6, 2008

• Charlton Heston: An Appreciation

  Charlton Heston 1924-2008

  

  "But one more thing - if anybody's listening, that is. Nothing scientific. It's purely personal. But seen from out here everything seems different. Time bends. Space is boundless. It squashes a man's ego. I feel lonely. That's about it. Tell me, though. Does man, that marvel of the universe, that glorious paradox who sent me to the stars, still make war against his brother? Keep his neighbor's children starving? " Charlton Heston as George Taylor in "The Planet of the Apes".

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  Film legend Charlton Heston dead at 84

  LOS ANGELES - Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.

  The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said. He declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

  From AP article by Bob Thomas.

  

  Charlton "Chuck" Heston October 4, 1924 - April 5, 2008

  An Appreciation, by Michael F. Nyiri

  I grew up in the sixties, and there were many big Hollywood stars from the early days of film history still around back then. Although movie stars have always shone brightly, the stars of the past had an aura that made them seem "bigger than life." One of the biggest for me was relatively new compared to the stars of the 30s and 40s. His career trajectory began in the 50s, and he was well known and instantly recognizable as one of the brightest stars in the firmament of Hollywood. His name was Charlton Heston.

  I was able to understand the impact of celebrity watching many of the "stars" of Hollywood of the 30s, 40s, and 50s get famous again on the medium of television, showing up on game, talk, and variety shows. My parents were instrumental in giving us children their histories and cultural importance, and when going to the library, I, for one, always found myself in the cinema section, attempting to learn more and more about the movies, directors, and stars of the present and of earlier time. However seeing movies or movie stars on a 19" black and white television is a far cry from experiencing them on "the big screen" and it wasn't until I was about 7 that I got to see a film on a drive in screen at the El Monte Drive In back in 1960.

  One of the first movies I can remember seeing on that "big screen" was an early sixties revival of "The Greatest Show on Earth." the oscar winning Best Picture from 1952 starring Charlton Heston. Although he starred in a movie adaptation of "Peer Gynt" in 1941,and though the film "Dark City" in 1950 had really introduced him to movie audiences, it was Cecil B. DeMille's circus spectacular which cemented Charlton's stardom. This is still one of my favorite films, even though it has famously been derided as one of the Best Pictures that never should have won the award. Charlton looks kind of like an early Indiana Jones character with his fedora and leather jacket. He plays Brad Braden, the manager of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, trying to ensure a full season by hiring trapeze artist The Great Sebastian (Cornell Wilde) to bring in the crowds, to the consternation of current trapeze star and girlfriend Holly (Betty Hutton). James Stewart shows up as "Buttons" the clown. The film is the kind of rousing entertainment that they don't make in Hollywood anymore. "You've got sawdust in your veins." Holly rails at Brad, for putting the circus before romance.

  Of course in the early sixties the world knew Chuck Heston as Moses and Ben-Hur, above all. It was, again, master showman Cecil B. DeMille who cast the 32 year old Heston in 1956 as Moses in his remake of "The Ten Commandments", which is still a holiday staple on television. For some reason as a child I remember we had the theater program for the 1959 Best Picture "Ben-Hur", directed by William Wyler. The picture won Heston an Academy Award as Best Actor. When the movie came out on television, I had already memorized the program book cover to cover. I have both the laserdisc and the DVD boxed versions of the film, along with dozens of books and documentaries.

  My brother and I shared a respect and admiration for this incredibly manly actor with the chiseled chin. It wasn't the heroic Biblical epics for which I most admired him, however. I liked him as an "action hero" of the day, predating Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I remember instantly Chuck as Michelangelo in "The Agony and the Ecstasy", as General Chinese Gordon in "Khartoum", as "Major Dundee", and as villian Steve Leech in "The Big Country."

  When I was in high school, Chuck's career took another turn, and he became the leading star of a few major science fiction films of the day after he appeared as Major George Taylor in 1968's "The Planet of the Apes". As movie memories go, there aren't too many that can top the concluding scene of the original "Apes". As Taylor and Nova come upon the remains of the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand on the beach, Taylor falls to his knees, shakes a fist in the air, and screams. "You did it. You Blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!"

  Chuck also starred as Robert Neville (recently re-enacted by Will Smith in "I am Legend") in 1971's "Omega Man", and Det. Robert Thorne in 1972's "Soylent Green". The 70s brought him more accolades and an ever increasing fanbase. In the eighties, he went back to television, starring as the lead in "The Colbys" TV series, a spinoff from "Dynasty" and in miniseries like "Chiefs".

  Heston was born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1924. He died Saturday night. Cause of death has not been given. He was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. He was a Democrat in early life, championing civil rights and and campaigning for John Kennedy in 1960. In the 80s, he switched to the Rebublican Party. By the 90s, Charlton Heston was more involved in politics than in movies, but still riffed on his persona in films and televsion appearances like Saturday Night Live.

  He was President of the NRA from 1998-2003. In 2002, film director Michael Moore sabotages the deteriorating Heston with questions about gun control at his home for the film "Bowling for Columbine". It's the only part of the documentary I didn't like, and thought Moore went too far. Heston is clearly suffering and shouldn't have been filmed in this condition.

  Although I sometimes haven't agreed with some of Heston's political decisions, like John Wayne before him, this does not in any way disturb the fact that he was a monster talent, a great cultural presence and a grand star of the big screen.

  The world has lost one of the greats.

  Click HERE to see the large composite image I created this morning to see in it's original size of 1825 x 1117. (With the proper date!)

  Requiescat In Pace, Chuck. I'll miss you.

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  There are dozens of films I haven't mentioned. Charlton Heston is not only a major star but an iconic one, so one appreciation written fairly quickly is not going to be able to but touch lightly on his influence. Here are some additional links. Link to AP wire news article announcing the death of Charlton Heston. Link to Chuck's Wikipedia entry. Link to Chuck's Internet Movie Database entry. Link to Charlton Heston World, a fansite I found some years ago. MFN/ppf  EDIT 11:45am pdt.: Aaaak. I corrected the date on the image.  For some reason, (Maybe because I'm turning 55 on May 1st) I don't want it to be April and keep writing the date as March. I had to keep the other image online because I got comments on it!  EDIT 5:00pm pdt. I just found a tribute article written by fellow Xangan Greg (MelFamy) HERE. The entry is NOT an obituary, but was written on March 31.

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