Category: Charlton Heston

Will Penny: Charlton Heston gives one of his greatest performances as the aging, aching cowboy in this gritty, melancholic Western

Will Penny (1968), written and directed by Tom Gries, is a gritty, melancholic Western starring Charlton Heston as the titular hero. The film features Heston, who usually plays larger-then-life roles, as a very down to earth, aging cowboy. From Moses to Michelangelo, and from El Cid to Gordon of Khartoum, Charlton Heston specialized in playing epic, … Continue reading Will Penny: Charlton Heston gives one of his greatest performances as the aging, aching cowboy in this gritty, melancholic Western →

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Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance

Khartoum(1966), directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, is the last of the Cinerama roadshow epics of the 1960s. The film has Heston playing British hero, Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, who tries to save the city of Khartoum from the invading armies of Olivier's Mahdi. Western imperialism Vs Islamic fundamentalism, that's the … Continue reading Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance →

Planet of the Apes: Charlton Heston is terrific as the misanthrope enslaved by simians in this landmark Sci-Fi classic

Planet of the Apes(1968), starring Charlton Heston and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, is one of the most influential Sci-fi movies ever made. The film that spawned several sequels and reboots was adapted from Pierre Boulle's 1963 French novel, La Planète des Singes, and portrays a futuristic society in which Apes are the dominant species … Continue reading Planet of the Apes: Charlton Heston is terrific as the misanthrope enslaved by simians in this landmark Sci-Fi classic →

El Cid: Charlton Heston embodies the legendary Spanish folk hero in all his nobility in Anthony Mann’s magnificent medieval epic

El Cid(1961), produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Anthony Mann, depicting the life of legendary Eleventh-century Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar is one of the greatest screen epics ever made. Charlton Heston plays Rodrigo aka El Cid in one of his most popular film portrayals and Sophia Loren plays his wife Doña Ximena. Don … Continue reading El Cid: Charlton Heston embodies the legendary Spanish folk hero in all his nobility in Anthony Mann’s magnificent medieval epic →

Major Dundee: Charlton Heston gives a towering performance in Sam Peckinpah’s epic civil-war Western

 Major Dundee(1965), starring Charlton Heston and Richard Harris, was Sam Peckinpah's first big studio film. But the studio took it away from him in post-production, and was ultimately released in a version which he never approved. But whatever is left in this version still makes for a near-great film with some great themes, moments and … Continue reading Major Dundee: Charlton Heston gives a towering performance in Sam Peckinpah’s epic civil-war Western →

The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western

The Big Country(1958), with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston heading an all-star cast, is a visually sumptuous Western drama from the great director, William Wyler. Apart from subverting a lot of the Western myths and genre tropes ,the director intended the film to be an allegory of Cold war, which was at its peak at … Continue reading The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western →

Touch of Evil: A baroque and wildly innovative Orson Welles masterpiece that came at the end of the golden era of film Noir

Touch of Evil(1958) is one of  Orson Welles' greatest films and it's perhaps the last great film Noir from the classic period. The Film  was butchered by the studio at the time of its release, but has since been restored to its intended form.   Everything about me is a contradiction, and so is everything … Continue reading Touch of Evil: A baroque and wildly innovative Orson Welles masterpiece that came at the end of the golden era of film Noir →

Ben-Hur: Charlton Heston’s career-defining performance powers William Wyler’s magnificent epic

William Wyler's spectacular epic, Ben-Hur(1959), is famed for its grand sets and great action sequences, like the famous chariot race and sea battle. In actuality, it is a classy, intimate human drama that puts its emphasis on great themes and ideas above all else. I like portraying heroes of antiquity whose values were grander and … Continue reading Ben-Hur: Charlton Heston’s career-defining performance powers William Wyler’s magnificent epic →