Sunday, April 6, 2008

Good night, Omega Man

We pause briefly to note the passing of Charlton Heston. From Ben Hur to Astronaut Taylor to Robert Neville, he left an indelible mark on cinema. He was the last of his breed.

Pete and I were fortunate enough to see Heston live on March 23, 2001 at a screening of The Omega Man at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. While he was noticeably frail as he made his way to and from the stage, once he had a mike in hand he was the Charlton Heston we had come to expect. It was an amazing night. Shortly after that the word came down that he was diagnosed with alzheimers, and for the past several years he lived a reclusive life. His passing, while unfortunate, does not come as a great surprise. He was 84.

Joe suggested that we schedule a Heston themed movie party, and while we recently recorded all 5 Planet of the Apes movies as well as Soylent Green in HD on the Satellite DVR, I think I'd prefer to hold out for an HD release of Ben Hur. Have another favorite? Let us know if there's something you'd like us to get on the schedule.

1 comment:

The Maverick said...

I think you would definitely have to track down a copy of Secret of the Incas to coincide with the new Indy flick. I think I have it on VHS taped off of TV. I didn't know it was not generally available - I'll have to digitize it when I get home.

By the way, when I saw the new Rambo in Hong Kong, they showed the Indy trailer as part of the coming attractions. Given my pledge to avoid learning anything about the film before it is released, I ducked under my seat... whew!