On August 27, 1993, Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment continued its expansion into Stephen King’s works with Needful Things. Directed by Fraser C. Heston, the star-studded affair arrived only two years after King published the expansive novel. Screenwriter W.D. Richter took on the Herculean task of adapting the 700 page novel, and what came to fruition is a film as tonally curious as the source material: It’s funny, it’s unsettling, it’s violent, it’s perverse. Simply put, it’s the kind of movie we just don’t get anymore.
For that reason alone, Needful Things has aged quite well. Yet it’s also a great lookin’ film. Heston shoots the hell out of this picture, capitalizing on the crisp Fall foliage across British Columbia, doubling here for King’s fictional Castle Rock, Maine. Because of this, the film looks like a Stephen King novel reads, a key facet...
For that reason alone, Needful Things has aged quite well. Yet it’s also a great lookin’ film. Heston shoots the hell out of this picture, capitalizing on the crisp Fall foliage across British Columbia, doubling here for King’s fictional Castle Rock, Maine. Because of this, the film looks like a Stephen King novel reads, a key facet...
- 8/25/2023
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you've read Bryan Christopher's Catalog From The Beyond or you've listened to our member-exclusive audio commentary, then you know we're fans of Fraser C. Heston's adaptation of Stephen King's Needful Things here at Daily Dead, so it's especially thrilling that Kino Lorber will release the 1993 film on 4K Uhd along with a Blu-ray of the movie's 191-minute TV cut!
On Facebook, Kino Lorber announced a July 25th release date for their new 4K Uhd / Blu-ray of Needful Things. Below, we have a look at the cover art and full list of special features, including a new interview with screenwriter W.D. Richter on the Blu-ray of the TV cut:
From Kino Lorber: "Coming July 25th on 4Kuhd and Blu-ray!
https://kinolorber.com/product/needful-things-4kuhd
https://kinolorber.com/pro.../needful-things-special-edition
Needful Things (1993)
Disc 1 (4Kuhd):
• Brand New Hdr/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan...
On Facebook, Kino Lorber announced a July 25th release date for their new 4K Uhd / Blu-ray of Needful Things. Below, we have a look at the cover art and full list of special features, including a new interview with screenwriter W.D. Richter on the Blu-ray of the TV cut:
From Kino Lorber: "Coming July 25th on 4Kuhd and Blu-ray!
https://kinolorber.com/product/needful-things-4kuhd
https://kinolorber.com/pro.../needful-things-special-edition
Needful Things (1993)
Disc 1 (4Kuhd):
• Brand New Hdr/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan...
- 5/16/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
There are two versions of the Stephen King adaptation Needful Things (watch it Here): the 2 hour theatrical cut and a 3 hour version that airs only on TBS and has never gotten a proper home video release. That’s about to change, as Kino Lorber has confirmed that their upcoming 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release of Needful Things, which is set to be released on July 25th, will contain both the theatrical cut and the 191 minute TV cut! Copies of this release can be pre-ordered at This Link. It goes for the price of $26.57 and only ships to the United States and Canada.
Needful Things was directed by Fraser C. Heston (the son of Charlton Heston) from a screenplay by Buckaroo Banzai director / Big Trouble in Little China writer W.D. Richter. Here’s the synopsis: When a creepy older man named Leland Gaunt moves to a small town in Maine...
Needful Things was directed by Fraser C. Heston (the son of Charlton Heston) from a screenplay by Buckaroo Banzai director / Big Trouble in Little China writer W.D. Richter. Here’s the synopsis: When a creepy older man named Leland Gaunt moves to a small town in Maine...
- 5/15/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Kino Lorber Studio Classics has announced today that they’re bringing 1993 Stephen King adaptation Needful Things to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD, releasing on July 25, 2023.
Of particular note, the 191-minute television cut of Needful Things is being included on a Blu-ray disc, which marks the first time it’s been released on home video here in the States.
IMDb explains, “On May 22, 1996, the TBS network aired a 191-minute extended edition. The extra footage includes more of the citizens of Castle Rock and their lives, namely the character of Cora Rusk, played by Lisa Blount, shown only in passing in the current version.”
Special Features include…
Disc 1 (4Kuhd):
Brand New Hdr/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative Audio Commentary by Director Fraser C. Heston, Moderated by Scorpion Releasing’s Walt Olsen 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Lossless Audio Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc Optional English Subtitles
Disc...
Of particular note, the 191-minute television cut of Needful Things is being included on a Blu-ray disc, which marks the first time it’s been released on home video here in the States.
IMDb explains, “On May 22, 1996, the TBS network aired a 191-minute extended edition. The extra footage includes more of the citizens of Castle Rock and their lives, namely the character of Cora Rusk, played by Lisa Blount, shown only in passing in the current version.”
Special Features include…
Disc 1 (4Kuhd):
Brand New Hdr/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative Audio Commentary by Director Fraser C. Heston, Moderated by Scorpion Releasing’s Walt Olsen 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Lossless Audio Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc Optional English Subtitles
Disc...
- 5/15/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Gisèle Galante recalls a recent evening in which she and her husband first watched Dodge City, the 1939 Michael Curtiz-directed western starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. As de Havilland’s daughter, born 17 years after that film’s premiere, Galante was struck equally by her mother’s beauty and her performance: “I had never seen it before, but she was so, so pretty,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And even though it wasn’t what you would call a meaty role, she was excellent. There’s still so much for me to discover, more of my mother’s films that I have not seen.”
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
- 5/11/2023
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Ten Commandments is one of those iconic movies that just about everyone has seen and many have made watching the epic film on TV a spring tradition every year. There have been other versions made over the years but none are anywhere near as popular as Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
- 4/1/2023
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ed Harris has popped up a few times in my Catalog From the Beyond’s coverage, which isn’t surprising considering he’s one of my favorite character actors of all time. He brings an intensity that always seems like he’s on the brink of a meltdown in any movie he’s in, from a vengeful gangster in A History of Violence to an obsessed LARPer in George Romero’s Knightriders. The dude even dances like a nut in Creepshow. As it turns out, this simmering rage is the perfect fit for the lead in another Stephen King property, 1993’s Needful Things.
Based on King’s 1991 novel, Needful Things features Harris as Castle Rock sheriff Alan Pangborn, who’s settled into what he thinks will be a quiet life after leaving the Pittsburgh police force. As the movie opens, things are looking up, as he proposed to local diner owner Polly Chalmers.
Based on King’s 1991 novel, Needful Things features Harris as Castle Rock sheriff Alan Pangborn, who’s settled into what he thinks will be a quiet life after leaving the Pittsburgh police force. As the movie opens, things are looking up, as he proposed to local diner owner Polly Chalmers.
- 6/24/2020
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Paramount Home Video has released a new Blu-ray special edition of Cecil B. DeMille’s epic “The Ten Commandments”. The set includes both the director’s original silent film version as well as his 1956 blockbuster remake starring Charlton Heston as Moses. To commemorate the release of the video, Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer caught up with filmmaker Fraser C. Heston to discuss the impact of the movie on his father’s career.
Cinema Retro: Your father first worked for Cecil B. DeMille on The Greatest Show on Earth. Would you say he is the singular most important person responsible for your father’s rise to fame?
Fraser C. Heston: Absolutely. My father was on the Paramount lot and he waved at Mr. DeMille. He had been on the lot for some other audition and he saw Mr. DeMille by the gate and said, “Hello, Mr. DeMille” before driving off the lot.
Cinema Retro: Your father first worked for Cecil B. DeMille on The Greatest Show on Earth. Would you say he is the singular most important person responsible for your father’s rise to fame?
Fraser C. Heston: Absolutely. My father was on the Paramount lot and he waved at Mr. DeMille. He had been on the lot for some other audition and he saw Mr. DeMille by the gate and said, “Hello, Mr. DeMille” before driving off the lot.
- 4/9/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Sara Reineke
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of Stephen King’s 1993 Needful Things comes in the midst of Hollywood’s current remake fever. With such projects as Carrie (2013), It (2017), Pet Sematary (2019) and the upcoming It: Chapter Two (2019), this author’s works continue to draw movie audiences and infuse the horror genre as they had during the 1980s and 90s. Revisiting this original production of King’s 1991 novel - whereupon the devil comes to visit the small Maine town of Castle Rock - one is reminded why both his novels and films alike are regarded as iconic horror set pieces.
Following along on the heels of previous successes such as Carrie (1973), The Shining (1980), Pet Sematary (1989), and Misery (1990) - and released only a year before the iconic Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Needful Things shares many similarities to King’s other works. Meditating on the theme of human evil, this film puts the...
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of Stephen King’s 1993 Needful Things comes in the midst of Hollywood’s current remake fever. With such projects as Carrie (2013), It (2017), Pet Sematary (2019) and the upcoming It: Chapter Two (2019), this author’s works continue to draw movie audiences and infuse the horror genre as they had during the 1980s and 90s. Revisiting this original production of King’s 1991 novel - whereupon the devil comes to visit the small Maine town of Castle Rock - one is reminded why both his novels and films alike are regarded as iconic horror set pieces.
Following along on the heels of previous successes such as Carrie (1973), The Shining (1980), Pet Sematary (1989), and Misery (1990) - and released only a year before the iconic Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Needful Things shares many similarities to King’s other works. Meditating on the theme of human evil, this film puts the...
- 9/3/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
For this week’s episode of The Rants MacAbre, Darren & Mindy take a leisurely stroll through Small Town Horror! The demonic duo go through Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery before embarking into three macabre movies: Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man, Fraser C. Heston’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Needful Things, and Fabrice Du Welz’s Calvaire. You can […]...
- 8/29/2016
- by Fangoria Staff
- Fangoria
Nothing is ever the same again in Castle Rock after Leland Gaunt shows up and opens his antiques store, Needful Things. There’s something for everyone in Gaunt’s shop, but instead of money, the prices must be paid through devious, deadly deeds. Based on Stephen King’s 1991 novel of the same name, Needful Things (1993) is making its Us Blu-ray debut via Kino Lorber.
Kino Lorber will release Needful Things on Blu-ray this June with a new audio commentary from director Fraser Clarke Heston. Fans of the film no doubt are wondering if this home media release will include the extended TV version that features around an extra hour of footage. Kino Lorber revealed they do not at this time have the rights to the TV version, but they are pursuing them and will keep fans updated on the procuring process.
We’ll keep Daily Dead readers posted on further developments.
Kino Lorber will release Needful Things on Blu-ray this June with a new audio commentary from director Fraser Clarke Heston. Fans of the film no doubt are wondering if this home media release will include the extended TV version that features around an extra hour of footage. Kino Lorber revealed they do not at this time have the rights to the TV version, but they are pursuing them and will keep fans updated on the procuring process.
We’ll keep Daily Dead readers posted on further developments.
- 1/23/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
TV Picks: In February, Netflix will air “The Search for Michael Rockefeller” – Written, Directed and Produced by Fraser C. Heston.Was he eaten by cannibals? Did he ever actually make it to shore? Was he kept alive as a white scion? The disappearance of Michael Rockefeller is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th Century, until now. The privileged son of New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, Michael Rockefeller was only 23 years old, and about seven months into a quest for primitive art that took this student to the most remote areas off New Guinea. An overturned hull […]...
- 12/31/2014
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Planet of the Apes, The Ten Commandments, and Ben-Hur – all places we can see the late actor Charlton Heston’s face. Now we can add U.S. Postal Service stamps to the list.
Heston’s the most recent star to be honored in the Postal Service’s Legends of Hollywood stamp series, which also includes stamps bearing the images of fellow greats like Audrey Hepburn and James Dean.
“In many ways, a nation’s stamps are a cross-section of a culture, its ideals and icons, in microcosm,” Heston’s son, Fraser C. Heston, said in a statement. “As a fervently patriotic American,...
Heston’s the most recent star to be honored in the Postal Service’s Legends of Hollywood stamp series, which also includes stamps bearing the images of fellow greats like Audrey Hepburn and James Dean.
“In many ways, a nation’s stamps are a cross-section of a culture, its ideals and icons, in microcosm,” Heston’s son, Fraser C. Heston, said in a statement. “As a fervently patriotic American,...
- 4/11/2014
- by Ariana Bacle
- EW.com - PopWatch
This is a rather fantastic idea and it’s great to see one of the bigger studios embracing technology which is going to allow more people to see work they’ve produced. Warner Bros. have sent over the press release (see below) announcing a brand new download service which will allow you to read classic movie scripts on your Kindle, Apple iBook enabled device or Nook.
They’re calling the device ‘Inside the Script’ and not only will the text be viewable on these devices, but it’ll also show you real cuttings from the original scripts as you read along. On top of that, you’ll also be linked through to clips from the movies using hyper-links located throughout much of the script that you’re reading at the time. It really is a wonderfully interactive experience and like i said, it’s great to see such a big...
They’re calling the device ‘Inside the Script’ and not only will the text be viewable on these devices, but it’ll also show you real cuttings from the original scripts as you read along. On top of that, you’ll also be linked through to clips from the movies using hyper-links located throughout much of the script that you’re reading at the time. It really is a wonderfully interactive experience and like i said, it’s great to see such a big...
- 4/30/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It was set for a 50th Anniversary release back in 2009, only to be delayed due to the sheer extent of restoration work done to upgrade this classic film. Read on to discover whether the wait for the ultimate edition of Ben-Hur was really worth it!
Produced in an era that bore a number of epic Biblical tales, Ben-Hur is possibly one of the most celebrated of a bunch of films that reflect this time period within Hollywood. Made by MGM in 1959 for $15 million (a staggering amount of money for the time and one that meant the film was the most expensive the studio had ever produced), Ben-Hur is an ostentatious symbol of all that is great about Tinsel Town and the sheen and glamour it churns out. However, the film is also a lot more than a simple big-budget Hollywood romp of excess and high-polish: at the heart of the...
Produced in an era that bore a number of epic Biblical tales, Ben-Hur is possibly one of the most celebrated of a bunch of films that reflect this time period within Hollywood. Made by MGM in 1959 for $15 million (a staggering amount of money for the time and one that meant the film was the most expensive the studio had ever produced), Ben-Hur is an ostentatious symbol of all that is great about Tinsel Town and the sheen and glamour it churns out. However, the film is also a lot more than a simple big-budget Hollywood romp of excess and high-polish: at the heart of the...
- 9/26/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced two short films programs for the 2011 New York Film Festival as well as late-breaking updates for the Oliver Stone presentation and the Masterworks screening of Ben Hur.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Oliver Stone’s “Untold History of the United States” will no longer screen at the 2011 New York Film Festival. We are, however, pleased to announce that Oliver Stone will still be appearing at Nyff to present a 25th Anniversary screening of Salvador, a film that burst onto the American film scene with a force that immediately established Stone as an artist to be reckoned with. For more information, please go to http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/25th-anniversary-screening-of-salvador.
The Masterworks screening of Ben-hur at Alice Tully Halll on Saturday, October 1 at 10:30Am will now be a family affair, with the attendance of Fraser Heston (the son of Charlton Heston), Catherine Wyler...
Due to scheduling conflicts, Oliver Stone’s “Untold History of the United States” will no longer screen at the 2011 New York Film Festival. We are, however, pleased to announce that Oliver Stone will still be appearing at Nyff to present a 25th Anniversary screening of Salvador, a film that burst onto the American film scene with a force that immediately established Stone as an artist to be reckoned with. For more information, please go to http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/25th-anniversary-screening-of-salvador.
The Masterworks screening of Ben-hur at Alice Tully Halll on Saturday, October 1 at 10:30Am will now be a family affair, with the attendance of Fraser Heston (the son of Charlton Heston), Catherine Wyler...
- 9/19/2011
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Warner Home Video:
Burbank, Calif., June 20, 2011 – Ben-Hur – William Wyler’s unforgettable epic spectacle, starring Charlton Heston, that won a record-setting 11 Academy Awards® [1] (1959) including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor and Best Director -- will make a dazzling debut on Blu-ray September 27 as
Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Uce) from Warner Home Video (Whv).
An inspiration to generations of filmmakers with its legendary scale and scope, “50 years later filmmakers and film experts are still in awe of the film,” says Ben-Hur documentarian Gary Leva. People like Ridley Scott, Ernest Dickerson, and others told Leva how Wyler’s film inspired them to emulate the filmmaker years later. Even with today's technology, they still aren't sure how some of the scenes were able to be put on film. Scott, who directed Gladiator, said his...
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Warner Home Video:
Burbank, Calif., June 20, 2011 – Ben-Hur – William Wyler’s unforgettable epic spectacle, starring Charlton Heston, that won a record-setting 11 Academy Awards® [1] (1959) including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor and Best Director -- will make a dazzling debut on Blu-ray September 27 as
Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Uce) from Warner Home Video (Whv).
An inspiration to generations of filmmakers with its legendary scale and scope, “50 years later filmmakers and film experts are still in awe of the film,” says Ben-Hur documentarian Gary Leva. People like Ridley Scott, Ernest Dickerson, and others told Leva how Wyler’s film inspired them to emulate the filmmaker years later. Even with today's technology, they still aren't sure how some of the scenes were able to be put on film. Scott, who directed Gladiator, said his...
- 7/1/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Disc Dish has all the details on Warner’s highly anticipated Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition DVD and Blu-ray that we wrote about several months back and that’s officially debuting on September 27. This release marks the classic film’s premiere in a high-definition format.
This latest release of the Academy Award-winning 1959 classic (which is technically being release two years after its 50th Anniversary, but we’re not complaining!) has undergone a $1 million restoration—a frame-by-frame undertaking from an 8k scan of the original 65 mm camera negative. According to Warner Bros, it’s the highest resolution restoration ever completed by the studio.
Charlton Heston rides his white horses glory in 1959's Ben-Hur.
The restoration of the classic action-adventure epic drama is almost trumped by some newly-uncovered home movies, shot by the family of star Charlton Heston (Dark City) in Italy during the movie’s production. It’s believed to...
This latest release of the Academy Award-winning 1959 classic (which is technically being release two years after its 50th Anniversary, but we’re not complaining!) has undergone a $1 million restoration—a frame-by-frame undertaking from an 8k scan of the original 65 mm camera negative. According to Warner Bros, it’s the highest resolution restoration ever completed by the studio.
Charlton Heston rides his white horses glory in 1959's Ben-Hur.
The restoration of the classic action-adventure epic drama is almost trumped by some newly-uncovered home movies, shot by the family of star Charlton Heston (Dark City) in Italy during the movie’s production. It’s believed to...
- 6/20/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Mike Flanagan's "Absentia" received the jury prize over the weekend for best narrative feature at the Sonoma International Film Festival, while Fraser Clarke Heston's "The Search for Michael Rockefeller took the festival's "Outstanding Investigative Documentary" prize, capping he 14th annual event, which took place April 6 - 10 in the Northern California wine region. In other prizes, documentary, "Darwin" won Siff's "Festival Favorite" prize in the audience category, while Nick ...
- 4/12/2011
- Indiewire
Thou shalt be delighted with the Ten Commandments on Blu-ray. The special effects may not have aged well, but the film looks gorgeous on the new format and the performances are still done on an epic scale. You might say on a biblical proportion. So it is written so let it be done. The pharaoh is aware of a prophecy that a Hebrew male will be the deliverer of his enslaved workforce. To avert this exodus he orders that all newborn Hebrew males be killed. To avoid this horrific fate, Yoshebel (Martha Scott) puts her newborn into a reed basket, entrusts the child.s (Fraser Heston) fate to God, and floats him down the Nile River. Bithiah (Nina...
- 3/30/2011
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
*A screener of this film was provided by Mti Home Video for review.
Director/writer: David A. Cross.
Respire is an independent horror film that will release February 15th on DVD and Video-on-Demand. The film stars Tracy Teague ("The Wire"), Ellie Torrezb, ("Scrubs"), Matthew J. Wright, and Jessica Keeler. This is a violent tale of prolonging life through another's demise. Characters are dismantled, double-crossings are the norm, and in the finale an entire town descends into chaos. All of these elements create for a satisfying and heart shocking climax.
The film finds a premise in the ancient Roman myth involving the last breath. The final exhale of a dying person was captured or inhaled to prolong life. Characters Susan (Teague), Raif (Wright) and others spend much of the ninety minutes of the movie trying to procure vials of the deceased. Yet, many of the vials are from death row inmates or psychiatric patients,...
Director/writer: David A. Cross.
Respire is an independent horror film that will release February 15th on DVD and Video-on-Demand. The film stars Tracy Teague ("The Wire"), Ellie Torrezb, ("Scrubs"), Matthew J. Wright, and Jessica Keeler. This is a violent tale of prolonging life through another's demise. Characters are dismantled, double-crossings are the norm, and in the finale an entire town descends into chaos. All of these elements create for a satisfying and heart shocking climax.
The film finds a premise in the ancient Roman myth involving the last breath. The final exhale of a dying person was captured or inhaled to prolong life. Characters Susan (Teague), Raif (Wright) and others spend much of the ninety minutes of the movie trying to procure vials of the deceased. Yet, many of the vials are from death row inmates or psychiatric patients,...
- 2/4/2011
- by Remove28DaysLaterAnalysisThis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
The Fall of the Roman Empire is one of the films examined in the TCM special.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Premiering on Turner Classic Movies without the usual fanfare, The Gigantic World of Epics is a truly superb one-hour production produced by Dreamworks and filmed by the ubiquitous Laurent Bouzereau. The special manages to condense the genre of Hollywood epics into a coherent, though far from comprehensive, study. Bouzereau wisely concentrates on a select number of films including Birth of a Nation, Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Doctor Zhivago, Bridge on the River Kwai among others. There are intelligent commentaries by noted film historians and technicians as well as directors Kenneth Branagh, Steven Spielberg, John Milius, along with actors such as Martin Landau and Omar Sharif and Fraser Heston, son of Charlton Heston (who provides some tantalizing glimpses of the family's home movies on the...
By Lee Pfeiffer
Premiering on Turner Classic Movies without the usual fanfare, The Gigantic World of Epics is a truly superb one-hour production produced by Dreamworks and filmed by the ubiquitous Laurent Bouzereau. The special manages to condense the genre of Hollywood epics into a coherent, though far from comprehensive, study. Bouzereau wisely concentrates on a select number of films including Birth of a Nation, Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Doctor Zhivago, Bridge on the River Kwai among others. There are intelligent commentaries by noted film historians and technicians as well as directors Kenneth Branagh, Steven Spielberg, John Milius, along with actors such as Martin Landau and Omar Sharif and Fraser Heston, son of Charlton Heston (who provides some tantalizing glimpses of the family's home movies on the...
- 12/21/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Oscar-winning actor Charlton Heston has died. He was 83.
Heston passed away on Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills, California, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois on 4 October 1924, he was the son of mill operator Russell Whitford Carter and his wife Lilla Charlton.
He would later change his Christian name to Charlton and take on his new stepdad Chester Heston's surname.
Heston studied acting at school and went on to win a drama scholarship to the local Northwestern University, before enrolling in the U.S. Air Force in 1944.
That same year, he married fellow Northwestern student Lydia Marie Clarke.
After three years in the force and rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant, Heston returned home, where he continued to pursue his passion for acting with a stint in theatre.
Heston landed his big-screen break in 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth, and in 1956 appeared as Moses in The Ten Commandments.
His role in the religious epic won him much critical acclaim, and he went on to star in movie classics El Cid, Planet of the Apes, Earthquake and Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1960. Ben-Hur was awarded a total of 11 Oscars, including Best Picture - a feat only equalled by 1997's Titanic and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
He made his directorial debut with 1972's Antony and Cleopatra, but the film received terrible reviews and, as a result, was not released in cinemas.
In the latter years of his career, Heston moved on to playing a number of supporting roles and cameos, appearing in films like 1993's Wayne's World 2, 1994's True Lies, and Tim Burton's 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes.
His last movie role was in My Father, Rua Alguem 5555, in which he portrayed the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
But Heston was also well-known for his work behind the scenes, serving as the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1965-1971, and as chairman of the American Film Institute.
Away from Hollywood, Heston became a prolific Civil Rights activist in the 1950s and 60s, and later went on to become the president of the National Rifle Association in the 1990s.
In 1993, Heston was awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S.
He is survived by his wife Lydia, their son Fraser Clarke Heston and their adopted daughter, Holly Ann Heston.
Paying tribute to the screen legend, his family says in a statement: "To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support.
"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country.
"In his own words, 'I have lived such a wonderful life. I've lived enough for two people'."
A private memorial service is to be held later this month.
Heston passed away on Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills, California, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois on 4 October 1924, he was the son of mill operator Russell Whitford Carter and his wife Lilla Charlton.
He would later change his Christian name to Charlton and take on his new stepdad Chester Heston's surname.
Heston studied acting at school and went on to win a drama scholarship to the local Northwestern University, before enrolling in the U.S. Air Force in 1944.
That same year, he married fellow Northwestern student Lydia Marie Clarke.
After three years in the force and rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant, Heston returned home, where he continued to pursue his passion for acting with a stint in theatre.
Heston landed his big-screen break in 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth, and in 1956 appeared as Moses in The Ten Commandments.
His role in the religious epic won him much critical acclaim, and he went on to star in movie classics El Cid, Planet of the Apes, Earthquake and Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1960. Ben-Hur was awarded a total of 11 Oscars, including Best Picture - a feat only equalled by 1997's Titanic and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
He made his directorial debut with 1972's Antony and Cleopatra, but the film received terrible reviews and, as a result, was not released in cinemas.
In the latter years of his career, Heston moved on to playing a number of supporting roles and cameos, appearing in films like 1993's Wayne's World 2, 1994's True Lies, and Tim Burton's 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes.
His last movie role was in My Father, Rua Alguem 5555, in which he portrayed the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
But Heston was also well-known for his work behind the scenes, serving as the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1965-1971, and as chairman of the American Film Institute.
Away from Hollywood, Heston became a prolific Civil Rights activist in the 1950s and 60s, and later went on to become the president of the National Rifle Association in the 1990s.
In 1993, Heston was awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S.
He is survived by his wife Lydia, their son Fraser Clarke Heston and their adopted daughter, Holly Ann Heston.
Paying tribute to the screen legend, his family says in a statement: "To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support.
"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country.
"In his own words, 'I have lived such a wonderful life. I've lived enough for two people'."
A private memorial service is to be held later this month.
- 4/6/2008
- WENN
Charlton Heston, the square-jawed movie star who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ben-Hur and was famed for a number of other epic films, died Saturday night at the age of 84. Though an official cause of death was not initially released, the actor had announced in 2002 that he was battling Alzheimer's disease, and had withdrawn from professional appearances after the diagnosis. An actor at first well-known for his portrayal of historical figures -- in addition to his role as Ben-Hur, he also played Michelangelo, El Cid, Moses, and John the Baptist -- Heston's fame later in life was highlighted by his polarizing views on gun control, as the actor was elected president of the National Rifle Association in 1998 and vigorously defended the rights of gun owners throughout the country. Indeed the role of political activist, which he embraced throughout his life, almost overshadowed his impressive acting career, which started in theater and television before graduating to the silver screen.
Born in Evanston, IL, Heston was the son of a mill owner who found his life's ambition in acting and found his first big breaks on the Broadway stage and in the nascent medium of television. He made his debut in the 1950 film noir thriller Dark City, and within two years headlined (alongside established stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde) the 1952 Best Picture Oscar winner, The Greatest Show on Earth, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Though he continued to work in a number of lower-profile films, including Ruby Gentry and The Naked Jungle, it was DeMille who in 1956 gave the actor one of his most iconic roles, that of Moses in the Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, a sweeping, captivating, over-the-top film that pioneered cinematic special effects with its parting of the Red Sea, and in its depiction of the turbulent political lives and love lives of its stars -- Heston, Yul Brynner as the Pharoah and Anne Baxter as the woman torn between them -- became the quintessential studio epic of its time, favored as much for its close-to-camp emotional broadness as well as its impressive scale. Heston did a 180-degree turnaround from that statuesque role with 1958's Touch of Evil, the Orson Welles thriller that remains a classic to this day in which he played a Mexican narcotics officer drawn into a lurid drug ring. Heston won his Best Actor Oscar in 1959 for another lavish, larger-than-life historical epic, Ben-Hur, which with its famed chariot race and story set against the backdrop of ancient Rome won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat not equalled until Titanic's similar win in 1997.
After Ben-Hur, Heston's status as a star was firmly cemented, and throughout the 1960s roles in such films as El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, The Greatest Story Ever Told (where he played John the Baptist), The Agony and the Ecstasy (his Michelangelo going up against Rex Harrison's Pope Julius II), and Khartoum followed. He found another legendary screen character in 1968's Planet of the Apes, as an astronaut who finds himself on a futuristic Earth now populated by evolved simians who have enslaved the human race. As with his other roles, Heston perfectly balanced the camp aspects of the story with a gravitas that helped ground the sci-fi thriller with a modern-day resonance that helped audiences identify with the hero's plight. (Heston briefly reprised his role in the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes). The 1970s saw the actor again in futuristic roles in The Omega Man (based on the same story as last year's I Am Legend) and Soylent Green, as well as the disaster epics Airport 1975 and Earthquake. Heston's later film career was made up primarily of thrillers (Gray Lady Down, Two-Minute Warning, The Awakening), television appearances (most notably in Dynasty and its spinoff, The Colbys), and cameos in a variety of high-profile films (Wayne's World 2, Tombstone, True Lies, Hamlet, Any Given Sunday, and the remake of Planet of the Apes, among others). By 1978, Heston had received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild; on the down side, he also regrettably won a Razzie award in 2002 for his supporting performances in Cats & Dogs and Town and Country.
Heston's film career often became overshadowed by his political activities. In the 1960s he was an early, vocal and visible participant in the Civil Rights movement; joining Martin Luther King's march on Washington. In the 1980s and onward, as the former president of the Screen Actors Guild and onetime chairman of the American Film Institute he championed conservative causes and campaigned aggressively against gun control, becoming president of the National Rifle Association in 1998 and speaking out against then-President Bill Clinton on the subject. Becoming yet another icon, Heston found himself revered and reviled by supporters on both sides of the issue and became the surprising center of a highly emotional culture war, using his fame to speak out in favor of a number of conservative issues (he changed his political stance from Democrat to Republican in the late 1980s). Using his position as a Time-Warner stock holder he castigated the company for profiting from the sales of an Ice-T album which included the song "Cop Killer," reading the lyrics to the song aloud at a stockholder meeting. His career as gun-control opponent reached an apotheosis with his appearance in 2000 when he vowed that they could take his guns when they pried the weapons "from my cold, dead hands." Later, in Michael Moore's 2002 Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine, a visibly diminished Heston refused to answer Moore's barrage of questions regarding gun deaths, particularly for the callousness of Heston attending an NRA meeting in Denver shortly after the nearby Columbine school massacres. A year later, Heston received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and he officially disclosed that he was battling Alzheimer's; he consequently withdrew from public life.
Heston is survived by his wife Lydia Clarke, to whom he was married 64 years, and their two children, Fraser Clarke Heston and Holly Heston Rochell. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...
Born in Evanston, IL, Heston was the son of a mill owner who found his life's ambition in acting and found his first big breaks on the Broadway stage and in the nascent medium of television. He made his debut in the 1950 film noir thriller Dark City, and within two years headlined (alongside established stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde) the 1952 Best Picture Oscar winner, The Greatest Show on Earth, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Though he continued to work in a number of lower-profile films, including Ruby Gentry and The Naked Jungle, it was DeMille who in 1956 gave the actor one of his most iconic roles, that of Moses in the Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, a sweeping, captivating, over-the-top film that pioneered cinematic special effects with its parting of the Red Sea, and in its depiction of the turbulent political lives and love lives of its stars -- Heston, Yul Brynner as the Pharoah and Anne Baxter as the woman torn between them -- became the quintessential studio epic of its time, favored as much for its close-to-camp emotional broadness as well as its impressive scale. Heston did a 180-degree turnaround from that statuesque role with 1958's Touch of Evil, the Orson Welles thriller that remains a classic to this day in which he played a Mexican narcotics officer drawn into a lurid drug ring. Heston won his Best Actor Oscar in 1959 for another lavish, larger-than-life historical epic, Ben-Hur, which with its famed chariot race and story set against the backdrop of ancient Rome won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat not equalled until Titanic's similar win in 1997.
After Ben-Hur, Heston's status as a star was firmly cemented, and throughout the 1960s roles in such films as El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, The Greatest Story Ever Told (where he played John the Baptist), The Agony and the Ecstasy (his Michelangelo going up against Rex Harrison's Pope Julius II), and Khartoum followed. He found another legendary screen character in 1968's Planet of the Apes, as an astronaut who finds himself on a futuristic Earth now populated by evolved simians who have enslaved the human race. As with his other roles, Heston perfectly balanced the camp aspects of the story with a gravitas that helped ground the sci-fi thriller with a modern-day resonance that helped audiences identify with the hero's plight. (Heston briefly reprised his role in the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes). The 1970s saw the actor again in futuristic roles in The Omega Man (based on the same story as last year's I Am Legend) and Soylent Green, as well as the disaster epics Airport 1975 and Earthquake. Heston's later film career was made up primarily of thrillers (Gray Lady Down, Two-Minute Warning, The Awakening), television appearances (most notably in Dynasty and its spinoff, The Colbys), and cameos in a variety of high-profile films (Wayne's World 2, Tombstone, True Lies, Hamlet, Any Given Sunday, and the remake of Planet of the Apes, among others). By 1978, Heston had received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild; on the down side, he also regrettably won a Razzie award in 2002 for his supporting performances in Cats & Dogs and Town and Country.
Heston's film career often became overshadowed by his political activities. In the 1960s he was an early, vocal and visible participant in the Civil Rights movement; joining Martin Luther King's march on Washington. In the 1980s and onward, as the former president of the Screen Actors Guild and onetime chairman of the American Film Institute he championed conservative causes and campaigned aggressively against gun control, becoming president of the National Rifle Association in 1998 and speaking out against then-President Bill Clinton on the subject. Becoming yet another icon, Heston found himself revered and reviled by supporters on both sides of the issue and became the surprising center of a highly emotional culture war, using his fame to speak out in favor of a number of conservative issues (he changed his political stance from Democrat to Republican in the late 1980s). Using his position as a Time-Warner stock holder he castigated the company for profiting from the sales of an Ice-T album which included the song "Cop Killer," reading the lyrics to the song aloud at a stockholder meeting. His career as gun-control opponent reached an apotheosis with his appearance in 2000 when he vowed that they could take his guns when they pried the weapons "from my cold, dead hands." Later, in Michael Moore's 2002 Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine, a visibly diminished Heston refused to answer Moore's barrage of questions regarding gun deaths, particularly for the callousness of Heston attending an NRA meeting in Denver shortly after the nearby Columbine school massacres. A year later, Heston received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and he officially disclosed that he was battling Alzheimer's; he consequently withdrew from public life.
Heston is survived by his wife Lydia Clarke, to whom he was married 64 years, and their two children, Fraser Clarke Heston and Holly Heston Rochell. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...
- 4/6/2008
- IMDb News
Related: Remembering Mr. Heston
Corrected 10:31 a.m. Pt April 6, 2008
Updated 6:34 p.m. Pt April 6, 2008
Charlton Heston, whose chiseled-granite looks and commanding manner allowed him to portray some of history's most extraordinary men from Moses and Michelangelo to John the Baptist and El Cid, has died. He was 84.
The actor, who won an Oscar for the title role in 1959's "Ben-Hur," died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, said family spokesman Bill Powers, who declined to comment on the cause of death.
In 2002, Heston revealed in a videotaped statement that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease. Saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure," he began to exit the public stage, where he was known for his work with SAG and the American Film Institute as well as for political activism that saw him take up causes...
Corrected 10:31 a.m. Pt April 6, 2008
Updated 6:34 p.m. Pt April 6, 2008
Charlton Heston, whose chiseled-granite looks and commanding manner allowed him to portray some of history's most extraordinary men from Moses and Michelangelo to John the Baptist and El Cid, has died. He was 84.
The actor, who won an Oscar for the title role in 1959's "Ben-Hur," died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, said family spokesman Bill Powers, who declined to comment on the cause of death.
In 2002, Heston revealed in a videotaped statement that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease. Saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure," he began to exit the public stage, where he was known for his work with SAG and the American Film Institute as well as for political activism that saw him take up causes...
- 4/5/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday and Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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