Charlton Heston Movies
Steely jawed, hard bodied, terse in speech, Charlton Heston was an American man's man, an epic unto himself. While he played modern men, he was at his best when portraying larger-than-life figures from world history, preferably with his shirt off. He was born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1924 and originally trained in the classics in Northwestern University's drama program, gaining early experience playing the lead in a 1941 filmed school production of Peer Gynt. He also performed on the radio, and then went on to serve in the Air Force for three years during WWII. Afterwards, he went to work as a model in New York, where he met his wife, fellow model Lydia Clarke, to whom he remained married until his death. Later the two operated a theater in Asheville, North Carolina where Heston honed his acting skills. He made his Broadway debut in Katharine Cornell's 1947 production of Anthony and Cleopatra and subsequently went on to be a staple of the highly-regarded New York-based Studio One live television anthology where he played such classic characters as Heathcliff, Julius Caesar and Petruchio. The show made Heston a star.He made his Hollywood film debut in William Dieterle's film noir Dark City playing opposite Lizabeth Scott. Even though she was more established in Hollywood, it was Heston who received top billing. He went on to appear as a white man raised in Indian culture in The Savage (1952) and then as a snob who snubs a country girl in King Vidor's Ruby Gentry (1952). His big break came when Cecil B. DeMille cast him as the bitter circus manager Brad Braden in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952).
In subsequent films, Heston began developing his persona of an unflinching hero with a piercing blue-eyed stare and unbending, self-righteous Middle American ethics. Heston's heroes could be violent and cruel, but only when absolutely necessary. He began a long stint of playing historical characters with his portrayal of Buffalo Bill in Pony Express and then Andrew Jackson in The President's Lady (both 1953). Heston's star burned at its brightest when DeMille cast him as the stern Moses in the lavish The Ten Commandments (1956). From there, Heston went on to headline numerous spectaculars which provided him the opportunity to play every one from John the Baptist to Michelangelo to El Cid to General "Chinese" Gordon. In 1959, Heston won an Academy Award for the title role in William Wyler's Ben Hur. By the mid-1960s, the reign of the epic film passed and Heston began appearing in westerns (Will Penny) and epic war dramas (Midway). He also did sci-fi films, the most famous of which were the campy satire Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1970) and the cult favorite Soylent Green (1973). The '70s brought Heston into a new kind of epic, the disaster film, and he appeared in three, notably Airport 1975. From the late '80s though the '90s, Heston has returned to television, appearing in series, miniseries and made-for TV movies. He also appeared in such films as Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996) and 1998's Armageddon (as the narrator).
Outside of his film work, Heston served six terms as the president of the Screen Actors Guild and also chaired the American Film Institute. Active in such charities as The Will Rogers Institute, he was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1977 Oscar ceremony. Known as a conservative Republican and proud member of the National Rifle Association, Heston worked closely with his long-time colleague and friend President Ronald Reagan as the leader of the president's task force on arts and the humanities. He made two of his final film appearances in the disastrous Warren Beatty-Diane Keaton sex farce Town and Country (2001) (in a parodistic role, as a shotgun wielding arsonist who burns Beatty's cabin to the ground) and as himself in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling For Columbine (2002) (in which he stormed out of an interview after Moore pummeled him with gun-related questions). Heston died in the spring of 2008 at age 84; although the cause of death was officially undisclosed, he had revealed several years prior that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Samuel Bronston produced this extravagant blockbuster, shot in Super Technirama 70. Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the U.S. ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by the more pliable directorial touches of Andrew Marton. Charlton Heston stars as Maj. Matt Lewis, the leader of an army of multinational soldiers who head to Peking during the infamous Boxer Rebellion of 1900. As the film unfolds, the foreign embassies in Peking are being held in a grip of terror as the Boxers set about massacring Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever. Inside the besieged compound, the finicky British ambassador (David Niven) gathers the beleaguered ambassadors into a defensive formation. Included in the group of high-level dignitaries is a sultry Russian Baroness (Ava Gardner) who takes a shine to Lewis upon his arrival at the embassy compound with his group of soldiers. As Lewis and the group conserve food and water and try to save some hungry children, they await the arrival of expected reinforcements, but the tricky Chinese Empress Tzu Hsi (Flora Robson) is, in the meantime, plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese recruits. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, (more)
- 1988
Originally telecast in December of 1988, A Man for All Seasons was the first made-for-TV film produced on behalf of the TNT Cable Service. Charlton Heston makes his film directorial debut herein, and also plays the central role of Sir Thomas More, 16th century lord chancellor of England. Unswerving in his belief of the Pope's supreme authority, Sir Thomas refuses to support King Henry VIII's plan to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry the (hopefully) fertile Anne Boleyn. Declaring himself head of the Church of England, the King annuls his marriage and weds Anne. In concert with his administrator Cromwell, Henry further demands that all British subjects take an oath to uphold Henry's action. More cannot bring himself to do this, and as a result is imprisoned in the Tower of London. Tried for high treason, More is found guilty on the basis of the false testimony of sycophantic Sir Richard Rich. Sentenced to death, More continues to denounce Henry's behavior, walking proudly towards the headsman secure in the knowledge that he will die "the king's good servant, but God's first." Adapted from the play by Robert Bolt A Man For All Seasons was previously filmed in 1966, with Paul Scofield repeating his stage role as More. Heston's version restores much of the text that had been removed from the earlier film--as well as the ubiquitous expository character "The Common Man", here played by Roy Kinnear. More's harsh but loving wife Alice is played in the remake by Vanessa Redgrave, who'd appeared unbilled as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 version (Arch-conservative Heston and ultra-liberal Redgrave in the same film? Fear not: each respected the other's acting skills, and they got along famously). Heston had previously directed and starred in a London stage revival of Man for All Seasons; this splendid cable-TV version manages to retain all the virtues of that production while remaining a thoroughly cinematic experience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1987
Often trailers and coming attractions are of as much or more interest to viewers than the actual movie. Included here are some of the trailers and coming attractions seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Pictures from 1927's Wings to 1959's Ben Hur, also including The Bridge on the River Kwai, On the Waterfront, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Lost Weekend and others. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- Add Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents - Flight II to QueueAdd Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents - Flight II to top of Queue
MPI Home Video takes a look at the famed presidential jetliner with its second film about the U.S. president's private plane, Air Force One. Known as the flying White House, this massive jet has been the object of many a child's wonder and many an adult's envy. Hosted by Charlton Heston, this video takes the viewer on a virtual tour of the plane while discussing the history of presidential flight. Not only will you get to examine the airship from stern to bow, you will also be informed as to what great presidential events have taken place off the ground. Flight II gives an interesting view of history and modern technology in the same breath. This is a video for children and adults alike. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
In the wake of the 45-million-dollar gross of the original Airport (1970), Universal was all but required by an act of Congress to produce Airport '75. Charlton Heston heads the all-star cast as Alan Murdock, the former test pilot who must keep a disabled 747 from crashing in flames. The crisis begins when a businessman (Dana Andrews), flying his small private plane, suffers a fatal heart attack and the plane smashes into the cockpit of the 747. Following Murdock's radioed instructions, stewardess Nancy Pryor (Karen Black) takes over the controls. The special-guest passenger lineup includes Helen Reddy as a singing nun (a character wickedly satirized in the 1980 parody Airplane!), Myrna Loy as an alcoholic, and Sid Caesar as a garrulous passenger. While Airport '75 yielded only 25 million dollars at the box office, the franchise continued, spawning Airport '77 a few years later and Airport '79 two years after that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Karen Black, (more)
Widower Jake Barnes (Dirk Benedict) moves with his daughter and son to a fishing village in Alaska, and earns his keep as a bush pilot by ferrying supplies to remote locations throughout the state. While the daughter loves her new home, the son cannot stand it, and is impatiently waiting until he is grown up enough to move away. However, they join forces to look for their father when they learn that he has gone down in an airplane accident. The official search party is called off and Jake is assumed dead, but the children will have none of it, and go off on their own into the Alaskan wilderness. Along the way, they thwart a big-game poacher (Charlton Heston) and his sidekick, and learn about survival in the wilderness. A highlight of the film is its fine footage of wild Alaska. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thora Birch, Vincent Kartheiser, (more)
Before Slingshot Entertainment converted this film to DVD and VHS video, the only place you could see this Academy Award nominated documentary was on an IMAX screen. Though IMAX features are filmed with the intent of being shown on a specially designed screen that gives the viewer the feeling of being in the middle of the action, little has been lost in the conversion of this film. Considering the exceptional clarity of the DVD picture, if one were to have a large screen television and surround sound capability, you would still feel like you were in the middle of Alaska, frolicking with the polar bears. Alaska: Spirit of the Wild is a full immersion experience. The cameras close in on a pack of wolves as they hunt, a herd of caribou as they graze, and thunder through the tundra giving the viewer a never before seen perspective of one of the earth's most fascinating places. With narration by Charlton Heston it is no wonder this film was nominated for Best Documentary in 1998, but the real reason may be director George Casey's dazzling capture of the aurora borealis. The DVD version of this film is Internet ready for further exploration and also equipped with a menu setting that allows the viewer to skip to his/her favorite chapter (which includes the natural history of the Alaskan landscape). ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
These are the funniest pieces taken from one of the all-time funny TV men, Steve Allen. These takes from his hit The Steve Allen Show series, are priceless. Featured with Allen in these takes are such notables as Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr., Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis and Zsa Zsa Gabor. ~ All Movie Guide
Australian star Paul Hogan just couldn't seem to come up with a hit comparable to his 1986 international hit Crocodile Dundee. Hogan's Almost an Angel was a nice try, but no cigar. The star plays a lifelong thief who suffers a potentially fatal accident. While "in limbo", Hogan is visited by God (amusingly played by Charlton Heston-well, why not Charlton Heston?). When he recovers, Hogan is convinced that he'd been returned to the land of the living in order to do God's work. He turns over a new leaf, coming to the assistance of wheelchair-bound Elias Koteas and his pretty sister Linda Kozlowski (the real-life Mrs. Hogan). At first suspicious of Hogan, Kozlowski is finally won over by his new-found sincerity. So lightweight that it threatens to float away at any moment, Almost an Angel is held together exclusively by Paul Hogan's star appeal. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to insure a box-office success. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hogan, Elias Koteas, (more)
- 1976
The American Film Institute put together this movie of film clips from all eras of American filmmaking as a Bicentennial tribute to the country. Narrated by Charleton Heston, the 83 film clips included all relate to American history, or reflect on the character of Americans. The clips are grouped into five categories: The Land, The Cities, The Families, The Wars and The Spirit. As much a tribute to American filmmaking as it is a tribute to the country, in this compilation, scenes are shown from such diverse films as Birth of A Nation and 2001. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston
- 1987
This art documentary focuses on the works of artist Andrew Wyeth. Featuring his "Helga" pictures, 44 of them are closely examined and placed in accordance with Wyeth's artistic development. The laserdisc of this documentary has still shots of all 237 Helga pictures. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
Oliver Stone takes on professional football, a sport whose grace and delicacy are a good match for his filmmaking style. Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino), the head coach of the Miami Sharks, won back-to-back championships four years ago. But new team owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) has little enthusiasm for the finer points of the game and is concerned only with the bottom line. The longtime strongman of Tony's team has been "Cap" Rooney (Dennis Quaid), a 39-year-old quarterback, but Christina balks at renewing his contract. When Cap is injured during a game, third-string rookie quarterback Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) goes on in his place and becomes a major star. But Beaman is mostly interested in fame and money, and he has little regard for Tony and his teammates. Any Given Sunday also stars James Woods as the team's doctor, LL Cool J as a star running back, Jim Brown as a former football great turned Sharks' defensive coordinator, Ann-Margret as Christina's alcoholic mother, Bill Bellamy as a wide receiver, Elizabeth Berkley as Tony's favorite prostitute, and Charlton Heston as the football commissioner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, (more)
Michael Bay (The Rock) directed this science fiction action thriller in the When Worlds Collide tradition. After astronomy students discover a comet-asteroid collision, an asteroid fragment "the size of the Super Dome" threatens. It's destroyed by a secret USA defense in space, but a large chunk veers off toward Singapore. With another asteroid "the size of Texas" en route, a plan is devised to send oil drillers to land on the asteroid and drop a nuclear device down a 1000-foot shaft, a scheme calculated to crack the asteroid into two halves, saving Earth. NASA begins a crash program to train beer-besotted oil roughnecks for the mission. During a stopover to refuel at the Mir Station, the space station is accidentally destroyed, so a Russian cosmonaut also joins the team. Produced by Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer (Con Air), and Gale Anne Hurd (The Relic, The Abyss). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, (more)
Adapted from a novel by W.R. Burnett (which hadn't yet been published when the film was released), Arrowhead is a tough, uncompromising western dealing with the delicate issue of White-Indian relations. Charlton Heston is at his most truculent as Indian agent Ed Bannon, who though raised by Apaches has a very low opinion of the tribe's trustworthiness. Bannon's warnings about Indian treachery would seem to be borne out by a series of bloody raids upon the cavalry, but the officers in charge refuse to believe him. It turns out that the man behind the Apache attacks is Toriano (Jack Palance), the chief's college-educated son, who has rejected the ways of the White Man and intends to reclaim his birthright. The film boils down to a mano y mano battle between Bannon and Toriano, personal enemies from way back. Hardly politically correct, Arrowhead is worth seeing if only for the multitextured performance by Jack Palance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, (more)
- 1995
A western with revisionist overtones, this action/adventure is set in Utah during the time of Latter-Day-Saint prophet Brigham Young (Charlton Heston) and follows the exploits of his brave bodyguard (Tom Berenger) to save the Mormon leader from the crooks conspiring to assassinate him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Charlton Heston, (more)
- 1954
The film Bad For Each Other, together with stars Charlton Heston and Lizabeth Scott and director Irving Rapper, were originally assembled into a package by producer Hal Wallis for Paramount. Shortly thereafter, however, Wallis found it expedient to sell the whole package to Columbia, though the film still has the "look" of a Paramount "A"-picture. Heston plays poor-but-proud Army doctor Tom Owen, who through the influence of Pittsburgh socialite Helen Curtis (Lizabeth Scott) builds up a posh society practice. Though he's happy with the money and prestige, Dr. Owen is at heart a man of the people, and he'd much prefer tending to the families of the local steel miners. During a moment of extreme crisis, Owen is forced to choose immediately between the life offered him by Helen and the course he knows he should be following. Dianne Foster plays Joan Lasher, the girl Owen left behind when he began pursuing the ice-princess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
This documentary takes a look back at the making of Planet of the Apes. Not just a campy sci-fi thriller, the film was also an expression of sublimated fears of a world wracked by the Cold War. Special attention is paid to the makeup that made viewers forget they were watching people in ape costumes. Scattered throughout are interviews with cast members like Charlton Heston and scenes that never made it up from the cutting room floor. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy McDowall
Share the tale that launched Charlton Heston's career with a whole new generation as director Bill Kowalchuk teams up with Heston himself to bring audiences a whole take on Lew Wallace's classic story. It's the first century A.D., and following a tragic accident Hebrew prince Judah Ben Hur is enslaved by the Romans. As a captive nation begins to revolt against an oppressive Empire and Ben Hur attempts to find his way back home, his love for a beautiful slave girl is tested by sea and by land in this epic tale of faith and redemption that is sure to capture the imagination of children and adults alike. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Oscar-winning character actor Ben Johnson was never as well known as other stars, and yet for many industry insiders, he was the epitome of cowboy actors. Of Cherokee and Irish heritage, Johnson was born in Oklahoma and became a cowboy at age eleven. He grew up to become the only movie cowboy to win both an Oscar and a rodeo championship. This documentary tells the fascinating, colorful story of his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This 1959 version of Lew Wallace's best-selling novel, which had already seen screen versions in 1907 and 1926, went on to win 11 Academy Awards. Adapted by Karl Tunberg and a raft of uncredited writers including Gore Vidal and Maxwell Anderson, the film once more recounts the tale of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who lives in Judea with his family during the time that Jesus Christ was becoming known for his "radical" teachings. Ben-Hur's childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) is now an ambitious Roman tribune; when Ben-Hur refuses to help Messala round up local dissidents on behalf of the emperor, Messala pounces on the first opportunity to exact revenge on his onetime friend. Tried on a trumped-up charge of attempting to kill the provincial governor (whose head was accidentally hit by a falling tile), Ben-Hur is condemned to the Roman galleys, while his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) are imprisoned. But during a sea battle, Ben-Hur saves the life of commander Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who, in gratitude, adopts Ben-Hur as his son and gives him full control over his stable of racing horses. Ben-Hur never gives up trying to find his family or exact revenge on Messala. At crucial junctures in his life, he also crosses the path of Jesus, and each time he benefits from it. The highlight of the film's 212 minutes is its now-legendary chariot race, staged largely by stunt expert Yakima Canutt. Ben-Hur's Oscar haul included Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary William Wyler, Best Actor for Heston, and Best Supporting Actor for Welsh actor Hugh Griffith as an Arab sheik. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, (more)
- 1970
- G
- Add Beneath the Planet of the Apes to QueueAdd Beneath the Planet of the Apes to top of Queue
Sometime after the events of the first Planet of the Apes, the climax of which is repeated frame for frame at the beginning of this sequel, another set of astronauts arrives on the far-future Earth that is the titular planet. This time it's Brent (James Franciscus) who survives the crash landing and learns that evolved simians have taken over the world, post-apocalypse. After hooking up with Nova (Linda Harrison), the mute, fur bikini-clad beauty who spent the first film being squired by astronaut Taylor (Charlton Heston), Brent confers with Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson, giving Roddy McDowall his only break during the five-film series), the ape scientists whose adherence to scientific principles makes them friendly to the possibility of intelligent human life. Something of a military coup has taken place among the apes, who dispatch an army to the desolate "Forbidden Zone" where Taylor has coincidentally disappeared. With the apes and the humans both rooting about in the ruins of 20th century civilization, it's only a matter of time before they all find out what happened to the other survivors of the nuclear holocaust. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, (more)
- 1996
Jimmy Stewart had a certain something that drew audiences and held their attention. A true "screen hero," Stewart's sincere, slightly befuddled persona as George Bailey in the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life and Elwood P. Dowd in the ever-fresh Harvey is the marker of an era. Indeed, Stewart's Everyman in the Frank Capra directed hits Mr. Smith Goes to Washington will make the most cynical stand up and cheer. Learn about Stewart's childhood in Indiana, prolific career, his heroism in WWII, and his family life. Richard Kiley narrates this biography. ~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide
Filmmaker, author, and political activist Michael Moore trains his satirical eye on America's obsession with guns and violence in his third feature-length documentary, which gets its title from a pair of loosely related incidents. On April 20, 1999, shortly before they began their infamous killing spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attended their favorite class, a no-credit bowling course held at a bowling alley near the school, the same bowling alley which would become the scene of a robbery and triple homicide two years later. While pondering these events, Moore humorously considers the link between random violence and the game of ten pins; along the way, Moore calls on the Michigan Militia (and gets to know some of the models for their "Militia Babes" calendar); spends some time with James Nichols, brother of Oklahoma City bombing accomplice Terry Nichols; visits K-Mart's corporate offices with two teenagers injured in the Columbine massacre as they ask the retail chain to stop selling bullets for handguns; investigates the media's role in the American climate of fear and anger; compares crime statistics in the United States with those of Canada (which, despite higher unemployment and a larger number of guns per capita, manages to rack up a small fraction of the homicides committed in the United States), and questions actor and National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston regarding his appearance at a pro-gun rally held in Littleton a few days after the Columbine massacre, and a similar rally in Flint, MI, after a six-year-old boy killed a classmate with a gun he took from his uncle's house. Bowling for Columbine received its first public screening at the 2002 Ann Arbor Film Festival; the film's official premiere took place a few months later at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, (more)
Director Ken Annakin and an international cast including Charlton Heston and George Eastman try to breath life into Jack London's often-filmed wilderness adventure. The story follows the adventures of John Thornton (Heston) and Pete (Raimund Harmstorf) as they brawl their way through the Alaskan wilderness mushing around in dog sleds and hunting for gold. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Raimund Harmstorf, (more)
