Charlton Heston
Passes Over…

"Remembering a Light in Time"

In memoriam

By

Robert D. Morningstar

(Copyright 2008, Robert D. Morningstar - Al Rights Reserved)

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I write today to remember the life and times of Charlton Heston, most appropriately, on the Passover of 2008. Charlton Heston passed over on April 5th, 2008, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the death of Reverend Martin Luther King (whom he had inspired to reach "the mountain top" and with whom he had marched for Civil Rights in the 1960s).

Can anyone doubt that it was Moses (?) whom Martin Luther King was thinking of when he stated in Memphis, on the night before he died:

"Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

And was there any icon of Moses who could have inspired Reverend King to such a metaphor other than Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments"?

We have a saying in Tai Chi that "To think is to create, Imagination becomes Reality." What was conceived by Cecil B. De Mille in "The Ten Commandments" came true in 1963 during the Civil Rights March on Washington and "Moses" was there leading the people with Reverend King. The photos below demonstrate exactly what I mean.

How "Moses" Influenced Social Movements for Equal Justice, Racial Integration and Civil Rights

No film made a deeper impression on me as a child than did Cecil B. De Mille's "The Ten Commandments" in 1956. For this observer of American history, the day that Charlton Heston (as "Moses") uttered the words "Let my people go!" to an intransigent Pharaoh, Rameses, marked the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, first in America, and today around the world. It also made me believe that God does at time communicate directly with human beings and that the channel to God is always open.

In another scene, I believe that the arrival of Moses before the aging Pharaoh, Seti, and his introduction African-American actor, Woodrow Strode as the King of Nubia (and his nubile daughter) as equals, who refuse to kneel before Seti, signaled the beginning of the racial integration movement to end segregation in the America.

When Moses said to Seti, "This man is a king. He comes not as a slave but as an ally", the "Old Crocodile," Seti, relented and the court of Pharaoh was integrated…peacefully. But it would take America much longer than Pharaoh did to realize what great treasures and resources resided in an alliance of culture with Afro-Americans than living in a cultural vacuum, segregated and apart.

The symbolism employed by Cecil B. De Mille in this is simple and clear to all but the most obtuse observers. De Mille planted a subliminal message in a beautiful and subtle way.

However, Cecil B. De Mille had already stated his message explicitly in his preamble to the film:

"The theme of this picture is…

'Are men to be ruled by God's law or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator like Ramses?' Are men the property of the state or are they free souls under God? This same battle continues throughout the world today."

This was a message that was principally conveyed by the character and stature of Charlton Heston who, for all purposes, has become the archetype of "Moses" in the minds of the world public. De Mille was correct in his preface. That battle (of freedom versus tyranny) continues on to this day with the menacing specter of a "Ramesian" global dictatorship looming before mankind.

The inspiration that he instilled in Americans and people around the world, of faith in God, in the ultimate triumph of good over evil, and in "the American way" came to Charlton Heston naturally.

This was an extension of his personal beliefs that our Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights were (along with the Works of Shakespeare) are "Sacred Writ." I heard Mr. Heston cite this list of "Sacred Writ" personally, espoused in New York City, when we met in November 1998 upon the release of the memoirs of his journey to the Holy Land.

In the 1950s, as humanity, still shell-shocked 10 years after WWII, awakened from one holocaust to face the perils of an atomic holocaust, Heston came to the world stage at the very moment when mankind, morally-mangled by WWII, rebuilding a devastated post-war world, direly needed a sign of light, peace, justice and hope for the future.

"Judeao-Christian" is a common phrase today but it is a term that came into vogue during the 1950s. This hyphenated term, joined 2 previously divided cultures, signaling the creation of a bridge between 2 cultures, one Christian and one Jewish, which had been distinctly separated by a chasm of suspicion and hatred for nearly 2,000 years. Cecil B. De Mille's film and Charlton Heston's charismatic performance in it bridged the psychological gap between them and joined their legends, laws, dogmas, myths and doctrines into "Judeo-Christianity."

A trinity of themes, faith, law and freedom vs. godlessness, despair and tyranny, run throughout Heston's 3 greatest films: "The Ten Commandments," "Ben Hur," and "El Cid."

To this day, William Wyler's "Ben Hur" remains an unequalled Hollywood filmmaking masterpiece. Winner of 11 Academy Awards (tied only by "Titanic" in 1997), "Ben Hur" was the first film to illustrate the Nativity of Jesus in graphic terms of a UFO event.

From the opening scene, depicting the Magi chasing a moving "star," leading them to a stable where a beam of blue light illuminates the birth of Christ, the film is unrelenting in its drive to bring together and reconcile the theology and philosophies of Judaism and Christianity into one system, known today as "Judeo-Christianity." This film also ties the 2 great religions subliminally to historical social movements for independence and freedom from fascist tyranny.

In William Wyler's film, "Ben Hur," the symbol of "Rome" represents all forms of fascism and tyranny, all forms of oppression of the human spirit. In an electrifying scene with Stephen Boyd as "Massala", with the two actors embodying the archetypes of love and hate, Christ and Satan, Heston echoes Cecil B. De Mille's message, the promise of law and justice to come when he exclaims:

"On the day Rome falls, Massala, there will be a shout and a cry of freedom such as the world has never seen!"

These were themes that were "in the air" but were not generally voiced consciously until Heston's invocations of human equality, justice under God's law and an affirmation that all human freedoms are based on divine law.

The deeper message in all his films is that "Right makes Might" and not the other way around. As was done by De Mille in "The Ten Commandments," in "Ben Hur," once again, the Judeo-Christian identity bridge was mortared and cemented by William Wyler and Charlton Heston, when as a devout Jew, Judah Ben Hur, embraces Christ for a moment in trying to help the Shepard-Carpenter on the Via Dolarosa, going to Golgotha.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Heston appeared on a series of film, which served to warn the western world of many perils and dangers yet to come.

In Samuel Bronston's "El Cid," Heston's performance warned the world of the peril posed by Muslim Fundamentalism as he battled the Muslim fanatic, Ben Youssif, for control of medieval Spain. In the climax of Part I, Ruy Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (dubbed "El Cid," from the Arabic "el Sayyid," meaning "The Lord") battles in single combat to win "the walled-city" of Calahorra for the King of Castile and Arragon.

After vanquishing his foe, Don Martin, another Spanish champion, in the greatest jousting match ever filmed, El Cid intoned:

Metaphorically, in 1961, El Cid might have, just as well, been asking:

"El Cid" today remains as timely, as pertinent and relevant to world affairs as it did on opening day in 1961 as we face the age old battle with Islamo-Fascism once again.

In another epic of that era, Heston portrayed an American soldier, Major Matt Lewis, holding out with his contingent of Yankees in the American legation, fighting against hordes of rabid Chinese kung-fu warriors during "The Boxer Rebellion" in "55 Days at Peking."

This 1963 film came at the height of the Cold War and at the time of the schism between the Soviet Union and Red China, which culminated later with a shooting border war across the Amur River. This was a time when both the Russians and the United States stood on guard and in dread of "The Yellow Peril" then become the Red Peril with the blood of millions on the hands of Mao Tse-tung. No human being in history has killed more people than did Mao Tse-tung, who slew 80 million of his own people and was quite willing to sacrifice 300 million more to gain world domination.

Fortunately for the world, Russian Premier Nikita Khruschev stopped Mao's plan to lure the United States into an atomic war, which led in turn to the schism in "World Socialism."

In his later years, Heston became an accomplished author of several books. "55 Days at Peking" may have sparked his interest in Chinese affairs, culminating in his tour of China and a journal, published in 1990, called:

"Beijing Diary: The personal story of a remarkable theatrical and political event- the production of an all-Chinese version of 'The Caine Mutiny Court-martial' in Bejing."

In the 1966 Cinerama spectacle, "Khartoum," Charlton Heston (portraying the British field marshall, General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon) perishes, fighting the fanatical, whirling dervish forces of "The Mahdi," a term rarely heard in those days but one invoked regularly today by Mamoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran, as he calls for the destruction of western civilization and worldwide institution of "Sha'aria Law.

In 1968, Heston (once again) took the world by storm with his performance as George Taylor, the lone survivor of an American interplanetary space mission in "The Planet of the Apes." The message to mankind was clear: change your ways or you will devolve into something less than human, lower than animals, who will lead humanity to self-destruction. Who can forget the stunning climax (?) with Lady Liberty on the beach or the audiences' reaction earlier in the film when he screams at his simian captors?

Though Mr. Heston never would, I, myself, far less gracious and more contentious that he was, could well have voiced that line again, quite justifiably, at Michael Moore for his anti-gun propaganda, misrepresentation, ill treatment of Heston, then NRA President, in "Bowling For Columbine." Many suggestible viewers of Moore's film might well have come away almost believing that Mr. Heston was responsible or actually did the shooting.

Never mentioned in Moore's film and not revealed by authorities or the media for many years thereafter was the fact that the principal shooter, Eric Harris, was heavily medicated on school-prescribed and school-administered anti-depressants.

Furthermore, it was never mentioned in Moore's film that Eric Harris had begged his parents to take him off the medication (Zoloft) because it was at times making him suffer suicidal thoughts and homicidal thoughts at other times.
As Drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com/zoloft.html) states regarding Zoloft:

"You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Tell your doctor if you have worsening symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts during the first several weeks of treatment, or whenever your dose is changed. … Do not give Zoloft to anyone younger than 18 years old without the advice of a doctor. Zoloft is FDA-approved for children with obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD). It is not approved for treating depression in children."

(Emphasis mine, underlined… RDM*)

Eric Harris had just turned 19 years-old and although Eric's parents did intervene with the school psychiatrist and Eric taken off Zoloft, he was immediately remedicated. The school psychiatrist simply substituted the generic version of the same drug.

None of this was ever mentioned in Michael Moore's diatribe against private gun ownership. Instead, gun owners, the NRA and Charlton Heston, in particular, were portrayed as the Villains (if not the shooters).

I am grateful to have known him and that, during his final years, I had the privilege to call him "a friend." I have met many stars throughout my life but never have I been more impressed (or "star struck") than the day that I shook hands with Moses and El Cid. I remember with great pleasure and some mischievous glee, the surprised look that came across his face as he autographed his book for me, when I said to him:

"Mr. Heston. You have been for me, throughout my life, a guide, a lodestone and a compass, in my spiritual quest… May I have your permission to communicate with you about Druids and Democracy?"

Mr. Heston, quite surprised by my request and the topic (to be sure), with eyebrows raised, looked at me with sapphire-blue eyes and smiled broadly, replying:

We shook hands and I was quite "electrified" to realize that for over 50 years, I had already known this man. He had become a part of me, a major facet of my belief system, in my soul, a symbol of my faith and spiritual values and a clear definition of "manhood."

As I looked upon him, then almost as old as Moses had been in the final scenes of "The Ten Commandments," I realized how fortunate I was to have seen him eye-to-eye and shaken hands with "Moses," "Judah Ben Hur," and "El Cid" in the flesh.

That meeting began a 10-year long correspondence with yearly birthday and holiday wishes exchanged, as well as books and letters.

My last communication with him came near the end of his years with my final birthday greeting to him and a poem that I had written for him to commemorate his 81st birthday.

I knew that his time here was not long and I was deeply touched (as he was suffering then from advanced Alzheimer's Disease) to receive his reply through his devoted secretary and personal assistant, Ms. Carol M. Lanning, who wrote in his stead:

Dear Mr. Morningstar:

Mr. Heston has asked me to thank you for your warm birthday greetings and generous words: they touched him deeply. The poem you did brought tears to the eyes of all of us who heard it read.

Thank you not only from Mr. Heston but from all of us. He accepts your prayers with deep humility and gratitude. You'll be interested to know that Mr. Heston is living quietly in his home surrounded by his family and friends. He has a team of medical people who genuinely care for his comfort and well-being.

               May God continue to hold us under the shadow of His wings.

The poem that I composed for his birthday 2005, inspired by Walt Whitman's "Captain, My Captain," was entitled "A Poem for Captain Heston, October 4th, 2005… In celebration of his 81st Revolution of the Star, Sol."

I recall very clearly that late summer day in August 2002 that it was reported on CNN that Charlton Heston would be announcing his retirement from the public arena.

It saddened me deeply but as I watched his statement, he surprised me once again.
I marveled at his courage, his composure, his strength of character and the deep affection that he expressed for his family, his friends and his millions of fans.

Shortly thereafter, I received a letter, containing a separate envelope inside, marked "Personal." The inner envelope contained his final written message to his friends and fans.

I have attempted in this memoriam to demonstrate that Charlton Heston played a unique role in late 20th Century history by moving millions to believe in the ultimate triumph of good over evil, of hope over despair, and the ultimate victory of love over hatred.

In his memory, I share his final message with you for it reveals, more than any other of the letters that I received during the past 10 years, the true measure of the greatness of this gifted human being, a man historic importance, at once demonstrating his courage, his kindness, gentility and his stature as a true American patriot, cast in the mold of "the originals," like Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, whom he affectionately used to call "Those old white-haired guys."

I shall always remember Charlton Heston as an archetype, "A Light in Time," which was projected upon mankind at a critical moment in history when humanity and the world most needed hope for the future, invested in a hero, the embodiment of a prophet and the incarnation of El Cid.