I always liked Charlton Heston, even considering his political leanings, and his attachment -- quite literally -- to the firearm. If you have been seeing, listening to, or reading reminiscences of Mr. Heston, you no doubt understand he was a larger-than-life personality on the big screen for many years and many epics.One of the great screen-presences passed away this past Saturday at the age of 83.
My dad took me to see the 1962 epic extravaganza El Cid in a re-release in the late 60s. As I lived in Europe at the time, surrounded by antiquity of all kinds, the experience of this film was accentuated for this pint sized, popcorn munching movie enthusiast. The imagery was potent; helped by Charlton Heston's towering self on the over sized cinema screen.
In 1973 I watched 1968's Planet of the Apes on television with my friend Dennis and his brother John (who told us the ending at the film's beginning).
One quality of Heston's that I like is he seemed to be a friendly chap -- even to documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. In a behind-the-scenes DVD of the Planet of the Apes films, Heston talks with great authority and detail about the production of the film. He carries a smile throughout: A smile to show he was more than an actor for hire.
He seemed to genuinely enjoy what he did.
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