So beautiful.
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ducdebrabant — 19 years ago(February 20, 2007 09:35 AM)
Charleton Heston was not very easy about homosexuality, as I recall. Vidal proposed to Wyler on "Ben Hur" that the Ben Hur/Messala backstory should be that they were boyhood lovers, and that Ben Hur had sort of outgrown it and Messala had not Messala was still in love. They told Boyd (who is totally playing that) but Wyler said they couldn't even let Heston in on it, since he wouldn't be able to handle the idea at all.
There's a scene in which Rodrigo bullies Alfonso into swearing he is innocent of his brother's blood, forcing his hand down on the Bible and making him swear falsely and squirm. Heston really gets into that scene, and he really does make gay prettyboy Fraser suffer. I wonder if that came particularly easily to Heston. Whatever, it's a great scene.
You didn't suffer as much as black people so stop acting special. -
ccmiller1492 — 18 years ago(May 28, 2007 02:45 PM)
I wouldn't be a bit surprised. Ava Gardner couldn't stand him when she worked with him (Heston) on 55 Days at Peking which is why there's no chemistry evident in the very sparing "romantic" scenes. While you're rhapsodizing about John Fraser, who I admit is good, I must put my 2 cents in for Gary Raymond, who did a wonderful job as the murdered brother Sancho and actually looked more Spanish then either Heston or Fraser. Raymond was a very good-looking dude at the time and spent more time in theater than in films. Sancho was a terrific role for him and one which he acted superbly. Unfortunatley, he didn't do a lot a of filmsPlayboy of the Western World was one of his best (as the lead) and supporting roles in Look Back in Anger and Taitor's Gate, mainly. To my mind, this guy could upstage Fraser any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
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Aulic Exclusiva — 18 years ago(April 30, 2007 04:21 PM)
I first saw this movie when I was 8 or 9 and I immediately realised
- That Fraser was the best looking man I had ever seen,
- That I liked men,
- That Fraser somehow was on to this, i.e., that he was not a man like Heston or Vallone, but someone to be admired a different way.
Talk about toddler gaydar!
My mother actually noticed the way I talked about Fraser and years later brought it up.
If the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard, It can also be like a chicken-pox mark.
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Rueiro — 12 years ago(March 29, 2014 04:54 AM)
I'm totally with you on Fraser being a real Adonis. I like him in the film so much that last year I read his autobiography "Close up", in which he dedicates a whole chapter to the making of "El Cid". Afterwards I wrote to him, and he was so kind to reply with an autographed letter! I couldn't believe it. A real sweet guy indeed, and a true gentleman.
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jihadaeon — 18 years ago(November 30, 2007 11:13 PM)
yep, the casting of this film was just incredible.except for the guy that played Sophia Loren's Father. He was a tad unimpressive. But the principals!!
And the royals all were superb! I'm not sure what else John Fraser has done in his career but his portrayal of Alfonso was MAGNIFICENT! I always marveled as a kid at how I went from disliking him as the spoiled prince to hating him as the vain and spiteful King who wronged the Cid so deeply, to awe at how the Cid finally won him over and in so doing helped give Spain a great Monarch!
Fraser truly runs a gauntlet of emotions and sides as his character develops and it is wonderful to see it!! -
bradjanet — 17 years ago(April 26, 2008 06:20 PM)
I saw him in "Sleuth" in Sydney with Patrick Wymark, who also plays the landlord in "Repulsion" the night that Wymark collapsed on stage and died.
this is part of the Sydney curse on visiting actors: Marlene Dietrich broke her legs falling into the orchestra pit singing the line"Falling in Love Again' revered british comedian Tony Hancock suicided in Sydney Frank Sinatra was trapped here by unions striking in protest at his behaviour the list goes on.
But you ARE Blanche and I AM.