el Cid (1961)

James Turner said:Anyone got suggestions for other historical epics besides Ben-Hur or those movies about the Roman Empire?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046247/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/

Here are a few more oldies. As for Andrew Sanchez3, I've watched it a couple times... it's a pretty good one to just zone out to during the holidays, I guess..

They're both solid, but man, I was surprised by how many period pieces Heston actually did. I haven't really sat down to watch any of his modern stuff lately, aside from that one flick with the vampires and zombies.

Richard Wilson4 said:Both are solid, but I was honestly surprised by how many period pieces Heston did. I haven't really sat down to watch his modern stuff lately, aside from that one with the vampires and zombies.

Yeah, during the early part of his career, he really carved out a niche with those massive biblical and historical epics—think Ben-Hur, the Ten Commandments, El Cid, Knez Rat, The Greatest Story Ever Told (where he played John the Baptist), 55 Days of Peking, Khartoum, or The Agony and Ecstasy ( Michelangelo).

Later on, he pivoted more toward SF, doing movies like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and The Omega Man.

It’s actually a bummer that Russell Crowe didn't lean harder into that classic "Heston style" after Gladiator and just knock out a whole run of those big costume dramas. 😁

Frank Moore4 said:Yeah, early on, his whole thing was those massive biblical and historical epics. We're talking Ben-Hur, the Ten Commandments, El Cid, War Prince, The Greatest Story Ever Told where he played John the Baptist, 55 Days of Peking, Khartoum, or even The Agony and Ecstasy ( Michelangelo).

Then he pivoted to SF, doing stuff like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and The Omega Man.

It’s a real bummer Russell Crowe didn't lean harder into that "Heston" vibe after Gladiator and just knock out a bunch of period pieces. 😁

I mean, modern epics are just too political now. Even things like Royal Heavenly, Robin Hood, or King Arthur—they try to make up for a lack of solid characters or decent scenes by throwing in all that extra fluff.

PS
you catch the last season of GOT?
spoiler alert (if that's allowed)
that scene where they catapult the bread at Valencia? They did something similar there, except it was slave collars instead.

Yeah, I watch Game of Thrones pretty regularly. 😁

I don't really keep up with all the newer stuff lately, though I have sat through a few seasons here and there...

I much prefer those old-school epics

Such a fantastic classic! I guess Heston was pretty much the go-to guy for those big historical epics back then.

Frank Moore4 said:Yeah, during the first half of his career, he was really defined by those massive biblical and historical epics—think stuff like Ben-Hur, the Ten Commandments, El Cid, knez rat, The Greatest Story Ever Told (where he played John the Baptist), 55 Days of Peking, Khartoum, or The Agony and Ecstasy ( Michelangelo).

Later on, he shifted gears toward SF, starring in Planet of the Apes , Soylent Green, and The Omega Man.

It’s honestly a missed opportunity that Russell Crowe didn't lean harder into that "Heston-style" persona after Gladiator and knock out a string of period pieces. 😁

He pivoted to sci-fi and ended up being in what I'd call at least one of the top three sci-fi films ever made—Planet of the Apes. 🙂 Ma Heston was a total icon 🙂

The guy actually played Mark Antony three different times in movies about Julius Caesar!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_...281950_film%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_...281970_film%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_...281972_film%29

Haven't seen the one from 1950, though.