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Odd. All last night I kept having dreams that Woody Allen was dead that I fully expected him to be when I checked out the news. Alas...

I also had no problem with Moore's tactics. But then maybe it's because I'm very anti-guns.

Anyway, sad loss. I never had a connection to him, but I can see an acting legend when I'm shown one.

That's the cheapest scene in Moore's movie, but Heston did exactly the right thing in the face of his bullying: get up and walk away. Even if you disagree with his stance, it was a classy thing to do. Another icon gone.

Maybe that was classy, but going to Colorado for a gun rally so soon (was it 10 days?) after a school massacre was most definitely not.

Still, I'm not trying to pick at his character, but... yeah.

I always viewed Ben-Hur as a 4 hour commercial arguing for Jews to convert to Christianity.

DP, this post is the only thing I've seen written about Heston today that honestly acknowledges and grapples with the man's mixed legacy. Bravo.

Here's an actor who was only shadowed by John Wayne, the forerunner to Connery and Eastwood and made Ford and Schwarzenegger's careers possible. And all Poland can find is Columbine.

To even mention what Moore did as a reference to Heston's career, is deplorable. I mean, that would be like taking the words of someone's preacher and making said person responsible for it. What control or say does said person have over the propagandist? None. What control or say did Heston have over Columbine? None. But, apparently what happened to Heston is fine because the ends justify the means.

So I have this correct; character assassination is acceptable as long as it reinforces personal ideology. Got it, Dave.

Heston was a true icon. Ironically enough, I had just picked up a copy of The Omega Man to watch this weekend. He had presence and intelligence to spare and could be an extremely passionate voice about many subjects...not just guns.

What I admired most was that he marched alongside Martin Luther King at a time when it was not hip or fashionable to do so. That is something the George Clooney's or Michael Moore's, both of whom have mocked Heston and will never have his enduring legend, will never know. And that is sad.

I remember reading an interview with Tim Burton when Planet of the Apes came out and he said that Tim Roth did not want to even be in the same room with Heston for political reasons. Burton, who loved Heston, said he had to convince Roth that Heston was really an ape in makeup before he would do the scene.

I can only hope that now that he has passed, his legacy of film will speak the volumes for him that current politically correct Hollywood refused to.

He will be missed.

His real name: John Charles Carter...

Almost as good as Sumner Murray Rothstein...

Mixed legacy, my ass, Eric. It's only "mixed" if one can't separate the person's work from their personal lives. I'm asked all the time to do that when it comes to about 85% of Hollywood, and I do it, because otherwise it would be unfair to the work put into the film, which IIRC, is what movie sites are supposed to be about.

The reality is this - anyone who succeeds in Arts & Entertainment that does not tow the philosophical line has gotten and will get the same treatment - an attempt to belittle the career, through any means necessary, as a way to reinforce the dogma. Think I'm wrong? Go ask Mamet. For the opposite, look at the treatment Brando got - everyone bowed to his body of work that effectively ended during Apocalypse Now. No one started an obit referring to his reckless, self-absorbed personal life and how much cinema lost out on because he was a glutton.

But with Heston - let's forget how important this guy was to the history of Hollywood film and instead focus on his political positions.

Martin S,

Exactly. Well put. I started watching Heston's films a few years ago dilligently and was surprised how many great classic there are.

Then I went and looked at Sean Penn on IMDB. Some good films...not too many classics, if any.

Heston and John Wayne have seen their legacy or talent not acknowledged as much in recent years only because of their politics. It is a shame and that is one way you can tell the real knowledgable film fans from the poseurs.

Heston's talent hasn't been acknowledged too much because he didn't have too much talent. He was a great star. Not a great actor.

There was an old line: Hollywood: Where Charlton Heston is considered a great actor!

I may be a bloody liberal but the Duke and Heston are THE DUKE AND HESTON. One final HUZZAH to a man that made acting with people in monkey masks, as believable as anything else in life. Huzzah to you, sir. HUZZAH!

well said, mutinyco.

Martin, it's not like discussing the NRA job would be an intrusion into the man's private life. He chose to be the public spokesman for an organization at the center of a hot-button political issue. Of course I'm going to consider that when reflecting upon his life.

But fine, if you'd rather we focus on only one aspect of his life in the public eye, then I will. Here goes: "He was an adequate actor."

Oh, he was way better than adequate--check him out in THE BIG COUNTRY, for example, or try to imagine any other star pulling off Moses as well as he did. And let's not forget that we wouldn't have TOUCH OF EVIL if it hadn't been for his insistence that Welles, who'd only been signed as an actor, be permitted to write and direct as well. That alone gets him into Heaven in my book.

I'll concede the point on Touch of Evil.

(Side note: we need a verb that means "that which a movie star does," that would work the same way that "act" works for "actors." It could be useful now, in the context of Heston's life. Let's all try to have something ready, say, by the day Schwarzenegger dies.)

"I always viewed Ben-Hur as a 4 hour commercial arguing for Jews to convert to Christianity."

I dunno, after seeing The Ten Commandments, I kinda wanted to be a Jew.

Michael Moore? Seriously?

You're going to bring up Bowling for Columbine as part of Heston's legacy.

Holy shit heat, you've been drinking the Kool Aid for wayyyy too long. Let's start with everything that's wrong with that.

Michael Moore is a morbidly obese carnival barker who takes an agenda, finds the most viable target and tries to wrap his theories around their iconography. Remember in Columbine when he went after Dick Clark because the mother of some kid who died using the gun worked at a Dick Clark American Bandstand themed restaurant?

That kind of logic is like blaming Bill Gates for revolutionizing computers which led to sexual predator crimes.

The Heston interview in Columbine, as i see it, was an ambush, one that Heston handled amicably by walking away. What did he have to do with it? Nothing. Yet, Moore puts him on camera because he's an identifiable icon who is easy for people to vilify. When Moore puts the picture down in the driveway, as some kind of ridiculous final statement... it was laughable.

It's funny that so many people say that Heston was a great presence or a great entertainer, but a bad actor. Well, i feel that Michael Moore is a great entertainer but a disgusting excuse for a documentarian. For someone like Moore who claims to try to get to the bottom of real issues like guns, healthcare, and election scandal, he really does nothing more than vilify highly recognizable figures that people can easily rally against. He's not a documentarian, he's a propaganda maker.

With that said, to take a 10 minute segment from a movie and put any kind of significance on it regarding his career is ludicrous. That's the kind of west coast/east coast mentality that forgets there are 250 million people who don't live in California and New York. People who have no idea who Michael Moore is, and have a place in their heart for someone like Charlton Heston who spent his career creating iconic, often over the top, performances. Things like Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green wouldn't be in the pop culture lexicon if not for his performances, and whether you like it or not, his influence on popular culture and movies is far greater than anything Michael Moore will ever do.

Just piss poor writing.

And this is coming from a guy who barely qualifies as a Heston fan. I just think your lack of depth and the angle you chose for the post sound like some kind of entertainment journalism elitism. Rather than celebrating what he was, you tarnish him by having your opinion formed by a really mediocre filmmaker.

He Is Legend.

Nicol, I think it's only fair to point out that there's a thread in your arguments that's every bit as absolutist and ideology-driven as that which you constantly decry.

Though I disagree with Heston's argument about guns, I recognize his belief that the gun issue is a civil liberties issue. To him, his entire life was about fighting for civil liberties and the entire Bill of Rights, whether by marching with Martin Luther King, or from keeping the government from taking away people's right to bear arms. I think it's really cold and demeaning to paint his entire legacy only around the hot button issue of our time.

That write-up certainly doesn't do justice to Heston's legacy as one of the screen's iconic stars, Dave, and the headline is particularly tacky and classless.

HEADLINE = PRICKDOM

Why would someone have to celebrate what Mr. Heston did if he doesn't personally feel that way about the actor? Other people can celebrate the man, and other people are most certainly doing so elsewhere. If David doesn't feel like eulogizing him with glory, since he wasn't that huge of a fan anyway, so be it. I've never expected his blog to stand in for the front page of Variety or The New York Times before anyway.

And the headline, pricky and tacky and classless as it probably is, is a god-damned funny piece of black humor.

I don't have a problem with inappropriate bad taste if the reward is that it's actually funny and wry, which David achieved, IMHO.

Personally I'd just like to focus on the movies and not the politics, which is all that will matter in a hundred years anyhow.

to me, it has nothing to do with whether or not Dave liked the guy or thought he was talented. It's diminishing his relevance because Dave never got it.

That's what entertainment journalism has become.

It's sad when geek websites with writers younger and less experienced than Dave giving far more fitting tributes. Whereas Dave equates some kind of ridiculous torch passing in Bowling for Columbine as half of his piece on Heston.

Hell, if you never liked him, why even waste a post on it?

You know, I think Hollywood figured out what Heston was best at in latter years. In "True Lies," he was awesome as the boss, I really dug his semi-cameos in "Tombstone" and "In the Mouth of Madness," and in a swarm of Americans who didn't fit (Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and even Jack Lemmon), he was fucking spot-on and magnificent in the Branagh "Hamlet."

That said, one of my favorite back-and-forths in a movie could only have been sold by Heston in "The Naked Jungle."

A parrot screeches at some point and Heston's hard-ass South American plantation owner - who calls the female lead "Madame" the entire movie despite the fact that she's his mail-order wife - turns to the bird and screams "QUIET!!" but then turns back to his "wife" and says - impossibly ominously - "That bird hasn't said a word all week. UNTIL NOW..."

It made absolutely no sense whatso-fucking-ever, but Heston seems to believe the veracity of the statement screen with his entire being, so you kind of roll with it - even in a movie about a miles-and-miles long column of army ants threatening to destroy his farm and kill all the workers.

Also, he was great in "Khartoum" and even though I don't love the movie, he and Richard Harris work their ass off to make "Major Dundee" watchable.

looking forward to seeing 'major dundee' tuesday evening on tcm ..... they're hyping that it's the two and a half hour 'unreleased director's cut' that peckinpah did before the movie got taken away from him......sounds cool to me....anybody seen it?

Anghus, I have absolutely no idea what you're getting up in arms about. David wrote that he respected the man for his iconic roles in classic films, but it's hard for anyone who has followed Heston's recent career and not think of his involvement in the NRA.

I'm of the belief, and I recently wrote an article to this effect, that who a person is and what kind of actor or filmmaker they are is a separate issue for me. Whether you want to believe it or not, Heston is a divisive figure for folks who have a problem with gun control in this country. And his small cameo in Bowling for Columbine is easily the most recent film that people will remember him for. There are a lot of young people (and people, who, as you say don't live in NYC or LA) who have never seen The Ten Commandments or Touch of Evil or Ben-Hur and they might only know him from Bowling for Columbine (or maybe the Planet of the apes remake, but I doubt it). So, I don't see the big deal in bringing up Bowling for Columbine because it is indeed a large part of the man's recent filmography and probably the most important film he's been involved with for the past twenty years.

The funny part is that you're mad at David for writing about a landmark death in the industry that he covers for a living because he never "got" Heston, but you said earlier that you weren't even a big Heston fan. So, spare us the high horse and the mock-outrage and deal with the fact that some people feel conflicted about the man's legacy.

You know, I have to say that Dave's post was a little low, but......

if the shoe fits, come on, this is all par for the course. The political lines have been drawn and let's not make this some anti-Hollywood screed, because NOBODY is showing the proper respect, nowadays.

Remember how tasteless some of the folks at Fox News were, not too long ago about Heath Ledger's death? I mean, jeez, the guy played a role and they had to mock him for it. And Jerry Garcia being dismissed as a "dead doper," when he died, no matter how influential he was in music. Half of the prognosticators out there just can't wait for a George Clooney movie to underperform so that they can demonstrate how "out of touch" he is based on his views - in reality, the issue the guy has been the most vocal about, in recent years, is ending the genocide in Darfar. Wow, how "leftist" and wacky of him!

This stuff cuts both ways - many on the right were ready to annoint Fred Thompson not so long ago, probably mostly because they dug him on Law and Order. You can be damn sure that Keifer Sutherland decided to run for office, con's would be falling all over themselves for him, because of how influential 24 should be to our foriegn policy.

Back to the main point, Heston decided later in his life to become a spokesman for a major PAC on an issue that still divides this country - if that takes some attention away from his actual acting talent, sorry for my lack of sympathy. Does it take away from his career? Not in the least. Are Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, Ben Hur NOT considered classics, all of a sudden? Is Hollywood hiding them or something? No. Let's not get all crazy.

Trust me, Tom Cruise is no left wing or right wing loony, but because of his decision to become a demogogue for Scientology, he legacy will probably be tarnished. He made the decision, no one made him do it.

I happened to like Heston as an actor and I did love his cameo's in films like Tombstone and True Lies. NO one could have pulled off the epics like he did. And yes, the Michael Moore stuff in Bowling for Columbine was a cheap shot, but.....let's not get crazy crying for the guy's legacy.

Haven't seen the hype around this Tuesday's presentation of "Major Dundee" on TCM, but I did see the so-called "restored" director's cut that came out on DVD in 2005 and I'd imagine it's close to or actually the same thing as there's just not that much more footage out there for the film.

I'm actually not the biggest fan of "Dundee." It has some really great moments, but if you're expecting a lost masterpiece, I don't feel it fits the bill.

I think David's post reinforces what I have seen a developing trend on this site. Ever since he has come out as an Obama supporter he has made politics an issue in his writing. It occurs every other post. Why don't you review Leatherheads instead of taking cheap shots. I always thought Dave was one of the most balanced bloggers I have read. To second what Jeff said, let's focus on movies and not politics.

I liked his more humane, less bombastic performances or fun roles in lesser known movies like Will Penny, and Treasure Island which his son directed. You can't argue with how iconic his major roles were. Though they aren't exercises in great acting, they are highly entertaining.

I wouldn't call it classy though to to walk away from questions about an organization he headed which lobbies government to not impose gun limits on weapons that inflict countless unnecessary deaths. Just like when poor defenseless Tom Selleck got asked uncomfortable questions by Rosie. They can argue civil liberties all they want but ignoring the resulting carnage isn't really classy.

" wouldn't call it classy though to to walk away from questions about an organization he headed which lobbies government to not impose gun limits on weapons that inflict countless unnecessary deaths."

My point, once again, is that the proper response to dealing with a bully in an ambush/interview set up is not to indulge him by arguing, but merely to extricate oneself from the situation. If Moore had actually been interested in a discussion, which I'm sure is how he sold the interview, then it would have been a different story.

I'm sure that I will get ripped for it over here (as I was on HE), but I really have no fond memories of Heston as an actor. He always came across as the hammiest of hams - smoked, honey baked and pre-packaged in a tin can. I even recognized him as bad is EARTHQUAKE - and I was in fifth fucking grade! He's memorable for his "dramatic" one-liners ("You damned dirty ape!" and "Soylent Green is people!") but the fact that they have been reduced to jokes now seems fitting.
Again, it's sad that he's dead, but he certainly seemed to have led a full life. There are not many men (Hollywood types or not) that could have weathered the battering he took for his NRA stance at that age, hate him for it or not.

Geoff, I had no idea that Soylent Green was considering good back in the day of it's release let alone considering a "classic" today. Yikes.

Why did I type "considering" not just once, but twice? I obviously meant considered.

I released the extended version of DUNDEE theatrically in 2005 to rave reviews and, alas, not much business. ("Charlton Heston Western" doesn't exactly send the right signal, and the kids have no idea who Peckinpah was.) It's 12 minutes longer--most but not all of the missing footage--and blessedly replaces the god-awful original score with a new, more appropriate one by Christopher Caliendo (who most recently did Ford's THE IRON HORSE). Most importantly, it fills in a lot of blanks, and plays much more smoothly. I'd been pushing for years for a reconstruction, and I'm proud that it was done and done so well. It's still not a masterpiece, but the Vietnam parallels are now more obvious, and one can more easily see the roots of WILD BUNCH in it.

My childhood was filled with excitement around Charlton Heston. I love Planet of The Apes and have an ape head filled with DVDs to prove it. I was fascinated by Soylent Green. I watched Ben Hur for year after year on TV.

However, in the second half of my life (the adult half), Charlton Heston was defined - by his own very public choice - by his position in the NRA. Michael Moore marked the end of that legacy... and in a way that did not do well by either Heston or himself. But that IS one of the defining moments of the man's career and life.

If you expect someone to celebrate Ronald Reagan only as an actor and to put his presidency aside, then that is your wish. I would not choose to do that.

I also felt that giving Elia Kazan a special Oscar was a small disgrace... though I have to admit, I am more ambivalent about Riefenstahl. I tend to be comfortable hanging people (not literally) only for the actions they do, not nearly so much for the morass they find themselves in because of others. So I don't blame Gore for Clinton's errors, but I do blame Chaney for actively participating in Bush's.

When I would run into Heston, years ago, but after his acting career was mostly over, I was not thrilled the way I would have expected to be. It was sad for me. And indeed, Heston's legacy is sad to me. He was not a great actor, but he was a GREAT movie star... and that's not nothing... and he should not get downgraded simply because the idea of acting changed and now even natural movie stars (like Clooney, McAdams, Gosling, and even Will Smith to some degree) desperately want to be Actors first. I guess some part of them always did, including Heston and some of his more challenging work.

I wrote this entry in about as long as it took to type. It probably would have gotten more into his acting roles if I had more time... but a plane called. And really, your responses are a big part of this blog and I wanted to have something up for you all to comment on. However, reading it back, I think the entry is pretty fair.

As for those of you who continue to want to me to review bad spring movies and forget about politics, sorry. We end up having this problem in here every year during the lull periods, when I am thinking about other things and readers are craving something about movies they can relate to. The election will be less of a component in this blog when there is more to write about on the movie front, as always. Just as box office will become "too important" on here from May - July 4... just as Oscar will be too important in the fall... etc, etc, etc. Nature of the beast.

But suggesting that Heston's legacy for most of America under 40 will be guns, guns, and guns? Sadly true. And 100% Heston's choice. Moore just vacuum-sealed it for history.

And let me add...

I do not think that Tom Cruise's "religious" beliefs are the same as being the top gun in the NRA.

Cruise may be "the front man" for Scientology. He may be recruiting. But he rarely speaks in public about the organization or his faith. Same with Travolta. And I do think that, even though I sometimes indulge in jokes about it, it is a bit unfair to paint actors who are in the group with their faith choices.

I completely understand people who feel that Scientology is led by dangerous people who will take unfair actions against anyone who speaks up against their organization. But I don't tar and feather people who are Catholics because The Pope doesn't understand how destructive The Church's position on birth control is... same with the Jewish orthodoxy.

If Heston had simply turned into a right winger in his later years, it would not be an issue for me. I have no anger at Mel Gibson for leaning right. I don't much care if he is an anti-Semite in private. (The list of those who are is longer than any of us like to think... even longer for old hollywood who still see blacks as distinctly inferior, with a few exceptions... like Obama and Michael Jordan.) I care when he - or Heston or whomever - uses their position to advocate something I don't just disagree with, but that I find seriously toxic.

If the NRA did not have such an overwhelmingly powerful lobby or if it had any interest at all in finding some legitimate, fair answers to controlling the most problematic guns in this country, I wouldn't even have a problem with them. If they want their guns, great. I am fine with that. I am not fine with handguns and working semi-automatics and automatics. Maybe I could adjust my position within that. But NRA has no flexibility in their position and to my mind, the organization does have blood on its hands. Heston as a member... no problem. I don't care. Heston as president of the organization (or whatever his title was)... he is a central part of the problem and he is tarnished.

When Tom Cruise starts getting credited in movies by his "Scientology name" or is named head of the group and is tied to an immoral action against someone like Mark Ebner, then he will be tarnished that way for me. Until then, he is just another aggressively religious person who puts way too much in the collection plate.

There was a movie in Bermuda about the effort to have a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. The Hassids not only fought the effort politically, but they actually had riots, attacking police and burning cars in the streets of Jerusalem.

I'm not worried about Tom Cruise. I am worried about people who will hurt others in a direct way to try to have their way.

And let's not forget the Wayne's World 2 cameo - brilliant bit, that.

Only one mention of The Big Country? Heston's fight scene with Greg Peck in that might have been the greatest of all time. Sheeeeeit, I need to watch that again.

I think my problem with your argument, David, is that your perspective, however effusively it is stated, is not necessarily the perspective of the population at large. Bowling for Columbine was seen by relatively few people. And although his affiliation with the NRA is fairly recent, it will be less his actual participation and more the haters like you harping on this affiliation that will continue to connect Heston to that group.

Dave,

"But I don't tar and feather people who are Catholics because The Pope doesn't understand how destructive The Church's position on birth control is... same with the Jewish orthodoxy. "

Actually, if you are referring to HIV AIDS, that is an issue I am quite passionate about because I have lost some people very close to me from it.

In North America, it is not orthodox Jewish, Catholic, Muslim and Evangelical communities that are still being hit by the disease (they never were).

Incidentally, it is not a coincidence that the initial incubation period for the HIV virus was 8-10 years and the first flurry of cases in North America started roughly 8-10 years after the sexual revolution. If I remember my 70's counter-culture history, that was not a movement started by religious conservatives of any denominations.

If you are referring to Africa, then it is Uganda, the only country in that continent to take then Pope JP II's advice, that saw a significant decrease in transimissions. Again, the argument you are alluding to is one that is very commonly held in the arts but is easily debunked outside of it.

The Catholic population in Africa is roughly 16 percent of the Africa population. Sizable, but hardly a majority. Of this one can assume that like most Catholic cultures, many are not all practicing and do not really care about what the pope says.

Other major religions in Africa are Islam, various other Christian sects and yet more adhere to older tribal customs. Similarly, many of the stigmas attached to using condoms in African society have nothing to do with religion of any sort and to do with patriarchal notions of masculinity in society. It is part of a larger complex culture that is difficult for politically correct westerners to comprehend.

A recent UN paper even finally admitted that HIV in Africa was also not caused by poverty and lack of education as it was just as likely to hit in the educated and well-to-do classes. These would be the least likely members to listen to the pope on any issue, just like in North America.

The myth that the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for the prevalence of AIDS/HIV in Africa (or anywhere else) is just that, a myth. A myth mostly (though not only) cultivated by white westerners in academia and the arts (who see promiscuity as a source of enlightenment) who do not want to deal with the fact that HIV is a disease spread by behaviour. Even Bob Geldof went out of his way at Live 8 to tell stars such as Elton John (who for all his money raised knows very little about the disease) to not criticize the pope.

A much more realistic discussion is the immense damage done by the western environmentalist movement in fighting malaria in Africa. I do not think that is a topic that Al Gore would like to address any time soon.

Best.

To everyone else,

I assume now there will be any number of posters leaving links to stats and articles that seek to prove me wrong. Fair enough. But in leaving them, please try to find a neutral source, not something you read in a blatantly left wing journal, paper, arts alternative weekly etc.

Nicol, I'm interested in the malaria issue you mentioned. Can you offer a link to any further reading?

mystery - you talk about him like he was just a NRA member.

He was the president of the organization for five years. And on whatever side of the aisle you live, Jeb Bush publicly credited his support from that pulpit with getting George W elected.

He also managed to have Ice T censored at Warner Bros Records.

Now, I don't object to Manohla or others embracing his life as a movie star ahead of his politics. But his actual influence on the lives of Americans was much greater in the last 20 years of his life, after he mostly stopped acting, than in being Moses or Ben-Hur or even marching with King.

And I think I should be able to take that position without being branded a "hater"... especially when his politics are not what I have said are the exclusive sum of the man.

And Nicol... that was a thoughtful look at the discussion of HIV in Africa.

But I was thinking first about birth control as population control. Propagating the species, especially within any group, has always been the first rule. But we are past that now, in my opinion. If someone believes that birth control is unnatural, God bless them. I am not suggesting that we go all China on them. And if people are willing to embrace the idea of no pre-marital sex and limited days in which sex is an option in a marriage that doesn't seek more kids, God be with them.

But it is the same mindset... a mindset from generations long dead... that demonizes birth control which has also led to so many incidents of priests - the front line of goodness - breaking from the rules of their faith.

Beyond birth control, we can have a million ethical debates about mixed marriage, religious training, etc, that for me are much blurrier and personal for the individual.

But that is the point... the individual. Yes, one can take individual rights to an insane extreme. But until I hear an argument from the church for birth control being wrong for everyone, aside from God not liking it, I will likely continue to feel that it is an imposition on the world that cannot be rationalized outside of the traditional.

I feel much the same about many of the Laws that are thrown around by orthodoxies that seek to impose their belief system on others.

And what I guess I feel at core is, if any one of these orthodoxies were to get their way, the others would be flushed from the earth. And that makes all of it subject to serious doubt.

The world would be a better place if everyone followed The 10 Commandments or Jesus' parables or other core beliefs. But organized religion continues to riff on these basic principles, century after century. And we get more and more influence of the flawed human species - whether you believe in the divinity of these books or not - as time passes.

If using condoms saved 1 life a year, that would be reason enough for The Pope to give them the go ahead in my eyes.

If using condoms prevented 1 abortion a year, that would be reason enough for The Pope to give them the go ahead in my eyes.

If using birth control of any kind prevented one child from going to be bed hungry or dying of that hunger, that would be reason enough for The Pope to give them the go ahead in my eyes.

I'm not sure how one can argue their way out of that... except to call, "faith," and not have the discussion at all.

i guess my bitch with all this is how tabloid all journalism has become, and it even creeps in here.

Heston's politics have nothing to do with his film work, yet it gets mentioned because the journalistic mantra these days is 'what got him in the news'.

A lot of people might have only remembered Rock Hudson for Aids. When Heath Ledger died, the immediate angle was 'suicide? drug overdose? why was he in Mary Kate Olsen's Apartment?'

Entertainment Journalism, to me, falters when what happens off the screen becomes more important than the films themselves.

Everything good is reduced to a blip from a documentary and some guys from SNL making fun of him for being pro 2nd Ammendment.

And Noah, this 'mock outrage' isn't about Heston, it's about how shoddy journalism is becoming. How tabloidization is taking over. Like, for example, when people review test prints of films and then 'forget'.

for someone like dave who constantly decries the lack of editorial guidelines and respect from other websites, this post seemed to be incredibly vapid and the kind of shallow referencing that you'd find in a Craig Mazin film.

i like the title. it was the first thing i thought of too.

david has not been particularly bashful about his politics. that some of you show surprise that he took a shot at heston (and that's what you did, david) baffles me. a previous poster mentioned that heston fought for civil rigths. well, not all those rights are popular with everyone. and it's not easy to stand up for an unpopular topic because of a larger political belief.

i enjoyed the actor. i did not know the man. i would, however, like to pay cursory attention to his being the 16th president of SAG. he is probably going to reviled all over again for his support for financial core status. i do not think he was anti-union (indeed, he kept his lifetime status card as a SAG member). he saw what he perceived to be a wrong and actually attempted to do something about it instead of just talking it to death.

charleton heston was a man of action in many ways and i will miss him.

Ironic, anghus... because I will repeat again.

If you want to look at Heston as a journalist, he was far more important to our society for what he did with his celebrity than for what he did to become a celebrity... same as Reagan, except that Heston was a much bigger star.

MCN has published Len Klady's very enthusiastic piece about Heston and linked to Manohla Dargis' literal love letter. That's balance.

As for my "shot," my memory of Heston leads with "Take your hands off of me, you damned dirty ape," "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!," and "They can pry it from my cold dead hands." It was as good a piece of writing as he ever delivered. Don't blame me for that.

Or just take it from the NRA website:

"From My Cold Dead Hands" T-shirts

Description Charlton Heston has had many memorable quotes throughout his illustrious career, but none stand out more to NRA members than May 20, 2000, when holding a musket high over his head at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits he said those famous words, "From My Cold Dead Hands". We've captured this historic day on a 100% pre-shrunk heavyweight cotton T-shirt. The highly detailed screenprint features the picture of Charlton Heston in front of a beautiful flag backdrop with his official signature across the bottom. His now famous quote is across the top and the NRA seal is screened on the left sleeve. Join us in celebrating our great leader and take pride in knowing everyone will know how you feel about your firearm freedom. Available in Ash, Stone Blue and Texas Orange.

Price: $14.95 - $16.95

Hey Cadavra, a question for you: where did the score from the Major Dundee reissue trailer come from?

Back to the topic at hand, I don't see that the above NRA pull is especially that offensive or troublesome. If it was a quote from a prominent ACLU member about defending the First Amendment, would it be an issue? It was a position that Heston believed in passionately, and based on principle. I don't necessarily agree with that position myself, but I think he deserves some credit.

And like I said - in fifty years, his participation in the NRA will be a footnote to his career as an actor.

Nicol - no, never mind. No comment.

DP-

"mystery - you talk about him like he was just a NRA member."

I didn't characterize the extent of his participation in the NRA. The general populace is aware of the affiliation, but most probably don't know that he was "president", nor what actual duties that title entailed.

And let me clarify the "hater" label. That refers to your "loathing" of Heston's position on guns, not to the man himself. Sorry for the confusion.

"Nicol, I'm interested in the malaria issue you mentioned. Can you offer a link to any further reading?"

Nicol may have some good links, but I think he's referring to the ban of DDT, if that helps you in your own search.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT

Thank you for the thoughtfulness, mystery.

I should note, however, that I don't hate Heston or the NRA's position on guns. I hate the intractability of it and the unwillingness to consider people have other points of view.

I have no problem with the NRA existing, lobbying, asking for their idea of 2nd amendment absolutism. I have a problem with there being no give... including on registration and sales protections, which seem like the most fundamental, reasonable places to start. The "they will have a list and round up the guns" schtick is unreasonable in a country that has not been invaded... ever. And really, did the founding fathers really intend a 2nd amendment protection for glocks and uzis in The Bronx?

Jeff: the music for the DUNDEE trailer was from the new Caliendo score; after all, it was a selling point. As an inside joke, I wrote "Fall In Behind The Major This Spring" for the final card, a kind of wink to those who remembered the dreadful original score and the even more unbearable Mitch Miller theme song.

I should add that getting L.Q. Jones to narrate--as a slightly folksy reminiscence of someone who was there and appeared in it--is what I'm most proud of in that trailer, especially given the initial misgivings from the trailer house, who couldn't understand why I would want to deviate from the normal Voice-Of-God narration.

Thanks, I'll check that out. I thought the trailer was terrific, by the way.

Dave, this is a small point, but the United States was invaded in the War of 1812. You may remember hearing about when the British set the White House on fire.

I understand the line you've drawn between freedom of speech through lobbying and the unwillingness to compromise, and it's a fine point. But, though my politics disagree with the NRA, I see them the same way as I see as abortion protectionists who defend partial-birth abortions. There should be some give and take to come to a rational solution on many of these issues, but the slippery slope argument is a powerful one. Ultimately, I think it is up to people and our representatives in government to make those compromises, not the lobby groups.

And, again, while I understand your line and can even come close to agreeing with it, to bring it up in a snarky way as a major part of your post about a guy's death (especially with that headline) just seems like bad form.

Thanks, Jeff.

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