Ben-Hur, el-Cid, Will Penny, Omega Man, Planet of Apes are still amongst my favourite films. Heston`s portrayal of granite heroes may appear a bit dated, but these films have not lost any of their appeal.
Ben-Hur with its explicit call for Jewish-Arab coexistence is actually surprisingly progressive and refreshing.
Heston was one of my boyhood heroes on and off screen. He was involved in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. But as he became older his political views became more and more conservative. Rigidly so. I wonder how much of an impact the slow and unrelenting Alzheimer`s disease (which also hit his friend Ronald Reagan) had on his ideas.
In the years to come his more unpleasant side - with his "From my cold, dead hands..." - speech at the annual NRA convention in 2001 and the interview with Michael Moore in Bowling for Colombine as the low points - will fade into the background and we will remember and watch with nostalgic fondness his great films and performances. |
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