RIP Charlton Heston

I know in recent years Charlton Heston...because of his NRA antics...had become somewhat of a pop culture joke. It also didn't help that he didn't age...at least cinematically...as graceful as some of his peers like Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman.

Let's not misremember that Heston was a genuine screen icon. I have not seen many of his movies but most of the ones that I have seen (sorry Midway) are truly fantastic films. In keeping with a running theme...here are my top five Charlton Heston movies (ie. movies where he was the star or c0-star).

5. Soylent Green

I know it. Probably ridiculous to include this movie but as a cheese-fest it's a pretty entertaining movie to watch. For some reason I like somewhat cheesy futuristic dystopian flicks and that movie fits that bill.

4. The Ten Commandments

Heston's Moses is his most iconic film role. Normally in an epic one performance doesn't carry (or make) a movie but Heston's performance (along with some nifty special effects) make this movie.

3. Planet of the Apes

I absolutely love this movie. Out of all of his Heston's movies, this is the one that I've seen the most. I truly believe that this is one of the all time best sci-fi flicks. It has the special effects largely with the Ape make-up...its incredible subversive with regard to organized religion...it symbolized it's time (the civil right struggle)...and...with all those parts...the movie just works. A lot of that has to do with Heston's performance. In a movie about talking apes...he takes his role seriously and that lends credibility to the story. The film also has one of the most classic endings of all time. Planet of the Apes is just a great movie.

2. Touch of Evil

Charlton Heston plays a Mexican narcotics agent. Mmmm. That probably shouldn't' have worked but under the direction of Orson Welles it does. In fact it was Welles who changed Heston's character's ethnicity. And it was also Heston who convinced the studio, Universal, to have Welles direct the movie (he was scheduled only to only act in it). The end result...not only of of the best film noir's of all time but one of the best movies of all-time.

1. Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur is the second greatest cinematic epic of all-time (Lawrence of Arabia would be first). This is a movie that is meant to be seen on the big screen and Jenny and I had the pleasure to see it on the big screen a few years ago at the Artcraft Theatre in Franklin. It was a breathtaking cinematic experience. Unfortunately the movie has not aged well--it came in at #100 on AFI's most recent list--but in my estimation it still holds up. It won Heston his only Oscar...and it was much deserved.