Categories: uncategorized
Date: 08 April 2008 12:47:35
Sunday saw the demise of one of the great actors of film.
The man who faught Apes, Romans, Egyptians, Indians, The Vatican, Moors and The Mad Mahdi has lost his battle against age. If you were someone famous then at some time Charlton Heston would play you in a biopic. It seemed to be a Hollywood necessity.
"Chuck" was someone who publicly acknowledged his faith. I remember that he used to upset Burt Lancaster by appearing on TV to promote his beliefs. Burt would then appear in a programme espousing his aethistic beliefs in response. He was said to be arrogant by many but also warm and friendly if he liked you.
I own several of his films. I grew up watching him on the TV on a Saturday or Sunday night and tried to see his films in the cinema, even while underage for some. He was one of the Hollywood Greats that we could really do with now.
I loved Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine until the end - where he door stepped Charlton Heston. Chuck was the Prsident of the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the time but was clearly suffering from the effects of age. Where Moore had done great things in ridiculing the powerful gun lobby in the US throughout the film, this marred his entire argument. Any sympathy that he engendered seemed to disappear as he badgered Chuck. It was not a great piece of movie history.
Religious imagery played through many of his films - just see the last scene of The Omega Man - and he starred in many of the religious epics of the 50's. Yet I'll always associate him with Ben Hur, Khartoum, Soylent Green and, of course, Planet of the Apes.
R.I.P. Chuck - You will be missed.