The Man Taylor Lives

Sad day, just heard that Charlton Heston died.

At first I was shocked because I thought he had already passed away a few years ago.
I generally am not effected much when I hear a total stranger has died, especially an actor. But I grew up watching him in movies, and several of his characters were idols of mine, in various ways, as a kid. From Moses, to Ben Hur, to astronaut George Taylor from Earth in the original movie Planet of the Apes. Some people in the supposedly "liberal" camp painted him in a negative light for some things he's said in the last decade or so, but I think such criticisms are not important, plus, no man is perfect.

I do think that something that everybody needs is positive role models in their lives. Especially in childhood. Plus, as children, we have a much greater need to fantasize, live in stories, and play out imaginary situations in our minds. I think that's a very necessary and healthy part of growing up. It may be a built-in behavior, with a beneficial purpose, and so it needs to happen, or bad things will happen later on in life.

Regardless, I have very strong memories of some of his movies, and his role in them. Though I am not a religious person, I do like many of the central stories and myths in the Bible, and Moses and The Ten Commandants are right up there.
I'm also a big fan of science fiction and fantasy. And so he's in my pantheon for Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man, and Soylent Green.

One consolation is that the product of his work will live on. We'll always have his movies. Somewhere in the alternate dimension that exists when you're watching Planet of the Apes for the first time, the astronaut Taylor -- a man who speaks! -- is down on his knees on a beach on what he thought was an alien world, staring up at the ruins of the Statue of Liberty, with the terrible realization dawning, and he's yelling out his curse at the fate of his world, damning those who have ruined it. One of the best endings to any story, of all time. And also a powerful moment in movies and science fiction. Damn you all to hell, indeed.