Hollywood's Wrath of Gawd

There were three actors of note as dramatic personalities larger than life on the big screen, when we were kids. There was Kirk Douglas, there was Charlton Heston, there was Burt Lancaster.

There were also a whole lot of other, minor male character actors, and a goodly number of female "actresses" to keep us all charging out to the local theatres to watch movies that came out of Tinseltown. By and large it was entertainment on a grand scale, and there were some very good films made back then.

There still are now, on occasion, but did a film like "Enemy at the Gates", with its superb cast, sombre landscape and shattered setting, its desperately desolate tale of two countries at war with one another, each focused on foiling the intent of the other - Nazi Germany mounting an offensive against a defending Russian army in Stalingrad; one celebrated sniper competing against another peoples' hero sniper - break box office receipts?

Well, what did we know back then? Those huge, expansive, expensive epics with larger than life personas acting out their egotistical fantasies portraying prophets of gloom and eventual doom kept us gawking and applauding. The looming presence of Charlton Heston who portrayed biblical characters with monumental presence, exhibiting as much emotion and nuance as a graven image brought him great acclaim.

He was a natural. Ham. Kirk Douglas, whom I wasn't quite certain whether I liked or disliked, did his part in biblical and historical epics, although he did his time in other, more contemporary and sometimes criminal roles, convincingly enough. But for sheer acting ability, electric presence and beauty of face and form, I avidly watched Burt Lancaster.

Gone now, all of them, to greater glory. One of them at the very least entertaining St.Peter, the others either lingering outside the Pearly Gates or playing poker down below.