CineSage_jr
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Posts posted by CineSage_jr
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ABC has had THE TEN COMMANDMENTS' U.S. broadcast rights tied up for the last thirty years or more, and for decades into the future. It is, in fact, the only mainstream Hollywood film more than a couple of years old that's never been syndicated to local TV stations.
Quite a tribute to the film!
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This web board is for people to post their thoughts regarding movies and actors. NOT their personal POLITICAL feelings.
When you pay the bill for maintaining the website, you can set the rules. As long as members are not vulgar, or abusive, they're free to write whatever they want (or would you prohibit discussion of films whose content is political?).
About fifteen years ago, Heston ran a contest to choose the title of his autobiography. The entry he selected, after rejecting the obvious ones like "Bigger than Life," was In the Arena,, from a turn of phrase in a speech by Theodore Roosevelt. I'm afraid that that choice was a bit pretentious and self-serving, in that, according to his reasoning, he saw himself as something of an unfair victim of those who objected to his politics. The fact is that, while he certainly had a right to his politics, and to express them publicly, the choice was his, and his alone. When you take that step, you invariably become a target; the bigger the figure, the bigger the target. And when you run for, and are elected to, a politically-fraught position like president of the National Rifle Association, whose policies and positions have a tangible, physical impact on the life of the nation and its citizens, then you're not dealing in theory or mere opinions. And you deserve to be a target, because those who take the opposite position are also targets of your own publicity machine.
There have been many conservatives throughout the history of Hollywood who've kept their politics largely to themselves -- Gary Cooper and Robert Stack leap to mind -- who never resented or attacked those who disagreed with them, and who were admired all the more for it (I met Stack once; a really nice man, who didn't take for granted that I knew who he was -- it's Elliott Ness, come on! -- and stuck out his hand with a hearty "Hi, I'm Bob Stack!" He was, even to dyed-in-the-wool liberals like Ed Asner, a conservative that liberals found easy to love).
Heston was a very nice man; that's not in dispute. But taking public positions, and being in a position to implement them insofar as they affect the body politic, comes with attendant risks, and grown-ups must take responsibility for their own words and actions.
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Posted: Apr 17, 2007 4:55 AM in response to: Jessie23 Reply
I wish one of these deranged shooters would, for once, use his guns and bullets constructively by shooting up the National Rifle Association's headquarters in Washington, D.C., slaughtering as many of the worthless criminals he can find there.
I wrote that, and I stand by it, though the word "wish" was probably misapplied and misunderstood in this instance, but as long as the top officials in the gun lobby exist in their own little privileged Beltway world, isolated from the incredible carnage wrought by the weapons of destruction (yes, mass destruction, as in the case of Columbine and virginia Tech), and allowed to deny any responsibility for it, they will continue to make life much less safe for the vast majority of people in this country.
There is no surer indicator of immaturity than an unwillingness to take responsibility for one's words and deeds, and no nation can afford to have its policies dictated by the immature..
This really isn't an argument about "gun-owners' rights" at all; it should be about how a small group of vastly overpaid lobbyists deliberately distort the meaning of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Consitution just to guarantee themselves a lifetime of highly-compensated employment.
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NUMBER 6: Where am I?
NUMBER 2: In the Village.
NUMBER 6: Who are you?
NUMBER 2: The new Number Two. You are Number Six.
NUMBER 6: I am not a number, I am a free man!
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Sounds like a classic Hollywood romantic-comedy meet-cuke.
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And then there was the From Earth to the Moon miniseries on HBO.
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Yes, given the propensity for the ambush-style of interview that is so favored by most members of the LMM, including Michael Moore, Heston probably should have expected such treatment. And so should Tom Selleck when he went on Rosie O'Donnell's show. And for that matter, so should the blonde on The View. It's perfectly acceptable so long as your target is a conservative.
No, Selleck was just a gun owner who offered his services to the NRA for its ads, not an officer of the organization. He came on O'Donnell's show to plug his latest movie and, as such, didn't deserve to be blindsided by Rosie (I never watch such shows, but I was home that afternoon and just happened to catch it). Even I felt sorry for him, as did, I'm sure, a lot of people who saw or heard about the incident. My biggest complaint was that Rosie's injudicious ambush did more harm than good in terms of winning public support for gun-control.
As for Heston, I met him a number of times, starting at a celebrity tennis tournament at Pace University in White Plains, NY, in 1978. No one was ever more obliging when asked to give an autograph or sign memorabilia (the man would literally sign anything placed in front of him), and courteous to the point of being courtly, an adjective one rarely hears applied to anyone nowadays. He was also quite erudite and an excellent conversationalist, but it must be pointed out that, like many, if not most, celebrities, he kept the public at arm's length, which tended to make some people feel he was a bit of a "stuffed shirt." As I say, there was a reason -- and a good one -- for it, and I've nothing but admiration for his professionialism on and off the set(and treating one's fans well is an important part of that professionalism).
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there's something about the idea of judging the passage of time by RO's hair that I really like.
And less messy than cutting him half and couting the rings.
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There was no "witch hunt".
And I'm sure you believe waterboarding isn't torture, and that all the "reasons" Bush/Cheney & Co. cited to send the boys into Iraq (4000 dead, and counting) were valid.
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Why wasn't the restored master that Criterion used for its DVD available, since it presumably belongs to the copyright holder, and not Criterion?
I love the film's first half hour; Jack Palance as dull-witted, egotistical producer Jeremy Prokosch is hilarious, as is Fritz lang (as himself), commenting about the epic film-within-a-film he's trying to make despite Prokosch's interference.
And the behind-the-scenes look at Rome's great Cinecitt? Studios, where QUO VADIS, BEN-HUR and CLEOPATRA were shot is invaluable, especially since a significant part of the original studio lot has been developed for housing and other commercial purposes over the years. If you look closely, you can spot some fragments of the old QUO VADIS sets in the scene docks as the characters walk through the studio streets.
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...THE KNIGHTS OF CUCUMBERUS
My my...what a pickle Duce got himself into.
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Why should it? Heston had his job (as president of the NRA), and Moore has his.
Moore's interview was conducted before Heston announced his illness. Heston should've realized that, when you accept a position like president of the NRA, it's a full-time job, twenty-four hours a day, and you should expect to be called upon to defend your positions any time, any place.
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I knew that he was in the end stages of his illness. From what I heard last week, it was just a matter of hours or days.
Longer, more detailed obituaries will be forthcoming tomorrow, but here's the preliminary one being run by the Los Angeles Times:
Charlton Heston, 84; Oscar-winning actor played larger-than-life figures
By Robert W. Welkos and Susan King, Special to The Times
April 6, 2008
Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson in historical epics and went on to become a best-selling author, a contentious Hollywood labor leader, an unapologetic gun advocate and darling of conservative causes, has died. He was 84.
Heston died Saturday at his Beverly Hills home, his family said in a statement. In 2002, he had been diagnosed with symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer's disease.
With a booming baritone voice, the tall, ruggedly handsome actor delivered his signature role as the prophet Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 Biblical extravaganza "The Ten Commandments," raising a rod over his head as God miraculously parts the Red Sea.
Heston won the Academy Award for best actor in another religious blockbuster in 1959's "Ben-Hur," racing four white horses at top speed in one of the cinema's legendary action sequences -- the 15-minute chariot race in which his character, a proud and noble Jew, competes against his childhood Roman friend, played by Stephen Boyd.
"I don't seem to fit really into the 20th century," Heston said in a 1965 interview. "Pretty soon, though, I've got to get a part where I wear pants with pleats and pockets."
Heston stunned the entertainment world in August 2002 when he made a poignant and moving videotaped address announcing his illness.
A few days after his dramatic announcement, Heston would sit down for an interview in his beloved Coldwater Canyon home, which he always said "Ben-Hur" had built, and faced the uncertain future with brave resolve and a sense of humor.
"The world is a tough place," he said with a chuckle. "You're never going to get out of it alive."
Late in life, Heston's stature as a political firebrand overshadowed his acting. He became demonized by gun control advocates and liberal Hollywood when he became president of the National Rifle Assn. in 1998.
Heston answered his critics in a now-famous pose that mimicked Moses' parting of the Red Sea. But instead of a rod, Heston raised a flintlock over his head and challenged his detractors to pry the rifle "from my cold, dead hands."
Like the chariot race and the bearded prophet Moses, Heston will be best remembered for several indelible cinematic moments: playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with Orson Welles in the oil fields in "Touch of Evil," his rant at the end of "Planet of the Apes" when he sees the destruction of the Statue of Liberty, his discovery that "Soylent Green is people!" in the sci-fi hit "Soylent Green" and the dead Spanish hero on his steed in "El Cid."
The New Yorker's film critic Pauline Kael, in her review of 1968's "Planet of the Apes," wrote: "All this wouldn't be so forceful or so funny if it weren't for the use of Charlton Heston in the [leading] role. With his perfect, lean-hipped, powerful body, Heston is a god-like hero; built for strength, he is an archetype of what makes Americans win. He represents American power -- and he has the profile of an eagle."
For decades, Heston was a towering figure in the world of movies, television and the stage. He liked to say that he had performed Shakespeare on film more than any other actor, and he once lamented that modern-day movie stars didn't attempt the Bard to hone their acting skills.
"He was the screen hero of the 1950s and 1960s, a proven stayer in epics, and a pleasing combination of piercing blue eyes and tanned beefcake," David Thomson wrote in his book "The New Biographical Dictionary of Film."
Heston also was blessed by working with legendary directors like DeMille in "The Greatest Show on Earth" and again in "The Ten Commandments," Welles in "Touch of Evil," Sam Peckinpah in "Major Dundee," William Wyler in "The Big Country" and "Ben-Hur," George Stevens in "The Greatest Story Ever Told," Franklin Schaffner in "The War Lord" and "Planet of the Apes" and Anthony Mann in "El Cid."
robert.welkos@latimes.com
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And shockingly, she isn't an idiot. She's actually smart and well spoken, but of course she's no Robert Osborne. Who can be?
As far as the content of my observations, I can, but I'm neither as distinguished-looking as Bob, nor as dishy as Rose.
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You may be interested in this current film review from yesterday's New York Times:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/movies/04ball.html?ref=movies
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There are scenes on a train in SPELLBOUND, too.
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If Widmark was halfway as decent as he comes across on screen he would have been a great guy to know.
He was more than half-way and, from everything I've read, he was great to know.
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...HAPPY BIDET, DEAR IRMA, HAPPY BIDET TO YOU!
Fifteen minutes before ALVAREZ KELLY comes on, she calls me up and tells me: " I thought IRMA LA D____ was on!"
But her French isn't good and she doesn't say DOUCE.
Something very close to it. (and actually, in light of Shirley's character.....LOL)
Girls, I'm sure you know what that word is! I needn't say more.
I'll bet she's also waiting breathlessly for TCM to whow Orson Welles's "**** of Evil," Ava Gardner and Robert Walker in "One **** of Venus," Doris Day in "That **** of Mink" and anything starring future Mannix star, Mike "****" Connors.
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Clooney? He's a bit under six feet. How tall does he have to be to satisfy you?
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ah, Lee Majors in "Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident" (1976) (TV). Directed by Delbert Mann. Afraid I missed that one.
I will admit a brief brain **** while watching Operation:Crossbow a couple weeks ago. For a minute I mixed up the U-2 spy plane and the V-2 rocket and felt confused. I blame U2 since they're from the UK and I'd been watching all those blitz movies.
And what about the catchy motto of the Francis Gary Powers Flight School: "U-2 Can Learn to Fly!"
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When is the deadline for entries?
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CineSage, this reminds me of my thoughts this morning watching the Brando documentary, when they showed many previous male film stars. (Most of those you mentioned were covered. I don't think Widmark was). I'm not sure I agree with some of those "defining roles," I may have chosen others, but I think Clooney definitely had one. Soderbergh's Out of Sight (1998). And I believe most of what he's done since has developed from that role, one way or another.
Another one I feel will be remembered, taking the long view, like it or not, is Tom Selleck. But ignoring Magnum, I can think of no defining movies that he's done. I believe people will think of a total of an actor's career, tv work included, in the long run. Maybe one of the tv Western movies he's done, I haven't seen them.
A career-definining role isn't determined just by the quality of the part but, unfortunately, by how many people initially paid money to see the actor play it. I'm afraid that, by that standard, OUT OF SIGHT really was out of sight and out of mind -- a film hardly anybody saw.
I take that back. I would say Selleck's defining role was in "Did You See the Sunrise?" (1982) from the Magnum P.I. series. It was a pivotal moment for Selleck, for the character, and for the show. Since it was two hours worth (with commercials), I imagine it was released in theaters overseas as a movie.
No, they sure don't make stars like they used to, but yes, they do still make stars.
Selleck is always an amiable, good-looking guy, a decent actor but one with a personality that's something short of magnetic, to put it mildly. I, personally, have a fondness for QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (a rather thinly-veiled re-telling of the story of Tom Horn, whom Steve McQueen played in a 1980 feature film, and David Carrdine in a 1979 TV movie, with the locale moved to Australia from the U.S. Southwest), but Selleck always was a TV actor, with all the pejoratives that term connotes. By that standard, Clooney is also is "TV actor"; even in this day and age, in which actors frequently move from one medium to the other, it implies a certain lack of stature and gravitas, if not talent and accomplishment.
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The photo was taken in 1938. It's the Brea Theater which, I presume, was in the city of Brea, CA, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
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My sisters husband is a cousin of Alan Arkin. He shows up at every family reunion
Just send out word that there won't be any food at the next reunion. See if he shows up then.
Charlton Heston, 84, RIP :(
in General Discussions
Posted
Years ago at an Academy Award show, Charlton Heston, who may have been hosting, was scheduled to make the introductory remarks. Because of a traffic problem, he was terribly late, and the producers must have asked for a volunteer to begin the show. A young Clint Eastwood agreed to do it, and after a disclaimer, Clint proceeded to read Heston?s lines.
Before Clint could finish, Heston arrived, apologized for being late, and began to deliver the same introductory lines that Clint had spoken.
I was overwhelmed. It was as if I had never heard the lines spoken. From that moment, I admired Clint Eastwood for having the guts to deliver Heston?s lines, and I never forgot the powerful resonance of Charlton Heston?s voice and the emotion it was capable of evoking.
If any of you have a more accurate recollection of this event, please post it.
Heston describes the incident in his published journals, An Actor's Life. In essence, the story has a punchline. After the laconic Eastwood was tapped to step in for the abosent Heston, he commented (this is approximate; I don't have my copy of Heston's book handy), "Of all the guys in Hollywood to give Heston's speech, they choose somebody who didn't have ten lines to speak in his last five pictures."