Blogcritics Comments on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Comment by Baronius on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:41:51 EDT

Yup. You know that damn dirty apes are putting their hands on things that they wouldn't have dared to a week ago. Heston will be missed.

Comment by bliffle on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 20:20:00 EDT

Oh, and Vincent Price beat both Heston and Smith to the punch with "The Last Man On earth".

Comment by bliffle on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 20:17:29 EDT

Heston had a golden career. He was recognized as a good actor as early as his high school years in Chicago and won a full acting scholarship to Northwestern, an unusual honor in those days. The first movie he appeared in was "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" based on Griegs "Peer Gynt". I believe it was filmed at Northwestern and it had unusual qualities in terms of the audio and/or color. It was quite good and I'd like to reprise it but haven't been able to find the film. I saw it several years ago, by happenstance, on CAS and was impressed. Think it was made in 1939. Heston was a fair actor and a terrific over-actor. Now, at last, his political enemies can separate him from his gun.

Comment by Dr Dreadful on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 17:29:02 EDT

Heston wasn't the greatest actor in the world and he knew it. What he lacked in technique he made up for with tremendous screen presence and charisma. He had a sort of portentous air about him, which is why he was such a success in things like The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur, and was perfect for a project like Planet of the Apes. No-one could have delivered the punch of that ending quite the way he did.

Comment by Brent on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 17:08:13 EDT

"Apes" was potentially laughable because no one had done anything like it before on the sort of budget that Fox threw at it. Virtually all science fiction movies up to this point were low budget and lower stories.

Comment by El Bicho on Charlton Heston: Sci-Fi Icon

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 02:14:30 EDT

Very nice write-up about a segment of Heston's career. Although I don't see why "Apes" is potentially laughable and don't see how Heston kept it from being such. My all-time favorite Heston role is as The Player King in Brangh's "Hamlet."