Tuesday
Apr082008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 5:50PM The Top Ten Charlton Heston Movies
I'm genuinely heartened by the fond remembrances of Charlton Heston this week. That he was a political firebrand, there is no doubt, but whether he was the President of the NRA or its most outspoken critic, it doesn't detract from his impressive career and his stature as one of Hollywood's last great leading men of his era.
So, let's forget the "cold, dead hand" business; there's a forum for that but it's not here, at least not now.
As you may know, we have a weekly feature here at The Big Picture called The Top Five. I think it's self-explanatory. I thought we'd do a special edition of The Top Five in honor of Mr. Heston, so here are out Top Ten Charlton Heston Films.
1 - Ben-Hur
It's hard to argue with a dozen Oscars, but Ben-Hur is here for another reason: It's the quintessential Charlton Heston performance. He was never better, and though it's easy to see points in his career at which he reverted back to the same performance he gave here, it's still cinematic dynamite. At a time when mumbling had become the vogue acting method, here was a guy with more bombast than a John Phillip Sousa march, and at least for once, it was exactly the right tone.
2 - Touch of Evil
If there's a movie from the 1950s that has gotten better with each passing year, it's Touch of Evil. Too seedy for its own good in 1958, Orson Welles' last great achievement has grown in legacy to become one of the top American films of that decade, and without Heston in the starring role, it probably would've never happened.
He wanted to work with Welles, having long been a fan, so the studio paired them up and Heston allowed Welles to transform him into a Mexican cop trying to shake corruption out of an American border town, in what would be the last film noir worth a continental damn.
3 - The Ten Commandments
I don't know that
4 - Planet of the Apes
I don't know what else there is to say about this. To that point, the greatest movie makeup effects ever. It has one of the top two or three twist endings of all time. It's both science fiction and cheese, wrapped up into a bit of dime store prophecy. It's got both Charlton Heston and the gorgeous Linda Harrison in loin cloths. It's got Zaius. It inspired one of the greatest Simpsons episodes ever. We use Damn Dirty Apes here at The Big Picture as our measuring stick for all movies.
Come to think of it, why the hell is it at number four?
5 - Omega Man
Starting to show his age and slowing from the more macho roles of his past, Heston displayed a new wrinkle in Omega Man: Vulnerability. As the last man on Earth, as Will Smith also proved in the remake I Am Legend, these guys are only strong because they're afraid not to be. Smith is better, has more to work with and is the superior actor, but there's a good deal to learn from Heston's angle as well.
6 - The Big Country
More Gregory Peck's film than anything else, The Big Country proved that Heston didn't need to be the leading man to give a substantial performance, here in a Western for William Wyler, one of the great directors he ever worked with.
7 - El Cid
It may be hard to grasp, but for a few years, Charlton Heston was probably the biggest blockbuster "action" hero in America. He was younger than John Wayne, had more range, and always had that lean but muscular physique that lent credibility to the more physically demanding roles. Put it this way: You wouldn't buy Henry Fonda as an 11th Century Spanish warrior, but Heston could always do it.
I don't know that El Cid has gotten better since it was released, but it's one of the last worthwhile Hollywood costume epics before the studio system was completely kaput.
8 - Soylent Green
It's a catchphrase movie now, but as a dystopian epic in the very dystopian 1970s, Soylent Green was right up there with movies like The Parallax View and THX 1138. It feels dated now, but the story structure is still strong, as is Heston, giving his last great "Heston" performance.
9 - Dark City
As a sucker for great film noir, it's hard to beat a movie like Dark City, which I discovered before knowing Heston was even in it. It's Heston's first big break, and the kind of compromised morality that came to typify good Hollywood noir. Not a significantly well-made film, but that kind of enhances the experience even more. If you want to see Heston at his least regal, this is the one to check out.
10- Hamlet
Even though as a film (and as a spectacle), Kenneth Branagh's unedited version of the best-known piece of drama in the world is better than about half this list, Heston only has a small amount of screen time as the Player King. Even still, he's better at Shakespeare than Jack Lemmon, who's also featured, and you could argue that of all the non-Royal Shakespearean Company actors in the film, Heston is the best. It's a worthy view for people who think all Heston could do is yell.
So, let's forget the "cold, dead hand" business; there's a forum for that but it's not here, at least not now.
As you may know, we have a weekly feature here at The Big Picture called The Top Five. I think it's self-explanatory. I thought we'd do a special edition of The Top Five in honor of Mr. Heston, so here are out Top Ten Charlton Heston Films.
1 - Ben-Hur
It's hard to argue with a dozen Oscars, but Ben-Hur is here for another reason: It's the quintessential Charlton Heston performance. He was never better, and though it's easy to see points in his career at which he reverted back to the same performance he gave here, it's still cinematic dynamite. At a time when mumbling had become the vogue acting method, here was a guy with more bombast than a John Phillip Sousa march, and at least for once, it was exactly the right tone.
2 - Touch of Evil
If there's a movie from the 1950s that has gotten better with each passing year, it's Touch of Evil. Too seedy for its own good in 1958, Orson Welles' last great achievement has grown in legacy to become one of the top American films of that decade, and without Heston in the starring role, it probably would've never happened.
He wanted to work with Welles, having long been a fan, so the studio paired them up and Heston allowed Welles to transform him into a Mexican cop trying to shake corruption out of an American border town, in what would be the last film noir worth a continental damn.
3 - The Ten Commandments
I don't know that
4 - Planet of the Apes
I don't know what else there is to say about this. To that point, the greatest movie makeup effects ever. It has one of the top two or three twist endings of all time. It's both science fiction and cheese, wrapped up into a bit of dime store prophecy. It's got both Charlton Heston and the gorgeous Linda Harrison in loin cloths. It's got Zaius. It inspired one of the greatest Simpsons episodes ever. We use Damn Dirty Apes here at The Big Picture as our measuring stick for all movies.
Come to think of it, why the hell is it at number four?
5 - Omega Man
Starting to show his age and slowing from the more macho roles of his past, Heston displayed a new wrinkle in Omega Man: Vulnerability. As the last man on Earth, as Will Smith also proved in the remake I Am Legend, these guys are only strong because they're afraid not to be. Smith is better, has more to work with and is the superior actor, but there's a good deal to learn from Heston's angle as well.
6 - The Big Country
More Gregory Peck's film than anything else, The Big Country proved that Heston didn't need to be the leading man to give a substantial performance, here in a Western for William Wyler, one of the great directors he ever worked with.
7 - El Cid
It may be hard to grasp, but for a few years, Charlton Heston was probably the biggest blockbuster "action" hero in America. He was younger than John Wayne, had more range, and always had that lean but muscular physique that lent credibility to the more physically demanding roles. Put it this way: You wouldn't buy Henry Fonda as an 11th Century Spanish warrior, but Heston could always do it.
I don't know that El Cid has gotten better since it was released, but it's one of the last worthwhile Hollywood costume epics before the studio system was completely kaput.
8 - Soylent Green
It's a catchphrase movie now, but as a dystopian epic in the very dystopian 1970s, Soylent Green was right up there with movies like The Parallax View and THX 1138. It feels dated now, but the story structure is still strong, as is Heston, giving his last great "Heston" performance.
9 - Dark City
As a sucker for great film noir, it's hard to beat a movie like Dark City, which I discovered before knowing Heston was even in it. It's Heston's first big break, and the kind of compromised morality that came to typify good Hollywood noir. Not a significantly well-made film, but that kind of enhances the experience even more. If you want to see Heston at his least regal, this is the one to check out.
10- Hamlet
Even though as a film (and as a spectacle), Kenneth Branagh's unedited version of the best-known piece of drama in the world is better than about half this list, Heston only has a small amount of screen time as the Player King. Even still, he's better at Shakespeare than Jack Lemmon, who's also featured, and you could argue that of all the non-Royal Shakespearean Company actors in the film, Heston is the best. It's a worthy view for people who think all Heston could do is yell.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kqqMXWEFs