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EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29 - Page 2

post #31 of 38
1/20/08 at 2:14pm

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

Planet of the Apes has to be mentioned as well
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post #32 of 38
1/21/08 at 5:30am

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

Quote:
Originally Posted by David_B_K
Now I want to know: what are the other two of "Heston's 3 best performances"?
You mean from the 1960s?
What he does with astronaut Taylor in Planet of the Apes astonishes me. i never get tired of this performance or this film. The War Lord and The Agony and the Ecstasy are my other favorite performances because of the characters he's playing ... unless I'm watching El Cid, during which I can't imagine him in anything else.

I do wish that Number One were available on home video.
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post #33 of 38
1/21/08 at 7:07am

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

I did not necessarily mean the 60's, but that was certainly Heston's best decade. I would also add Major Dundee to the list. It's not an altogether great film, but I thought Heston was really great in it. He played an cynical character (as he often did earlier in his career in the 50s), and was extremely charismatic in the role.

I think many dismiss Heston as an actor, but it requires a certain talent to be larger than life and impressive in all the heroic roles he played. I cannot imagine any other actor as El Cid. Heston in his great heroic roles reminds one of staues and paintings of heroic figures-romaniticized, idealized and legendary.

The 70s were not as kind to Heston, but I particularly liked his Cardinal Richelieu in Lester's Musketeer films. That could have been a throwaway role with a lesser actor, but Heston dominates almost every scene he is in in that film.
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post #34 of 38
1/21/08 at 8:05am

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

Oh, sure. Charlton Heston is an admirable person, thoroughly honest and conscientious, and a really fine man. Philosophical and historical issues are important to him and he brings these disciplines into play when he's acting. He takes the craft of acting very seriously, but acting is not the only thing he knows. He's also patriotic in a well-informed way, not an ignorant way. His substance and integrity show up there on the screen, too. That part isn't acting. Watch his westerns. Although he was never offered a western character worthy of his mettle, the westerns he did make brought out the best in him.

El Cid is like a self-contained world that Heston inhabits like a comfortable pair of work clothes; the epic is just his size and his talent is big enough to fill it. I recommend El Cid to everyone. The official DVD is long overdue. I will cheerfully shell out the extra bucks for the box-set with the frills, but what I really want is the beautiful picture to match this heartfelt, intelligent epic. If you haven't experienced El Cid give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
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post #35 of 38
1/21/08 at 6:54pm

Agony and the Ecstasy

Wow, I've never heard of anyone else liking The Agony and The Ecstasy.

It's a great actor's film. Chuck is near his prime and Rex Harrison probably has his best day ever. And the current DVD isn't bad.
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post #36 of 38
1/22/08 at 2:57pm

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

Richard--W, thanks for the Warlord rundown. I was aware that it is more of a personal movie than a blockbuster.

I've always like Heston in Ben-Hur and Planet of the Apes. I enjoy the way he portrays anger. I can feel his rage in those two movies.
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post #37 of 38
1/22/08 at 4:43pm

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

I ordered the Limited Edition online after insuring that the local seller I buy from did not appear to have it listed - and then drop by and noticed a few copies for sale on Saturday. Can't see buying two copies so guess I will just wait. And to think I could have watched it on the new Epson 1080 pj I just setup ahead of schedule. One day!
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post #38 of 38
1/22/08 at 6:16pm

Re: EL CID (2 disc) release date: 1/29

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
Oh, sure. Charlton Heston is an admirable person, thoroughly honest and conscientious, and a really fine man. Philosophical and historical issues are important to him and he brings these disciplines into play when he's acting. He takes the craft of acting very seriously, but acting is not the only thing he knows. He's also patriotic in a well-informed way, not an ignorant way. His substance and integrity show up there on the screen, too. That part isn't acting. Watch his westerns. Although he was never offered a western character worthy of his mettle, the westerns he did make brought out the best in him.

I was interested to read that Heston desperately wanted Otto Preminger to cast him as the Southern Senator in Advise & Consent, it is the role that was ultimately played by Charles Laughton.
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