My father took me to see this when it came out in 1969. I was crazy for PLANET OF THE APES and wanted to see Heston in something else. (BEN-HUR was re-released that year too.)
It's been almost twenty years since I last saw this movie, late at night on either TNT or TBS, and really the best I can say about it is that it's mostly "Number Two." A silly soap opera that Heston must have been hugely disappointed with, though he never said as much. He and Tom Gries got lucky with WILL PENNEY (though Paramount botched its release), but not this turkey. I always liked what Maltin's Guide had to say about it, "Heston turns in his loincloth for a jockstrap in this ludicrous drama..."
always remembered the weird ending from seeing it on TV in the 1970s. Finally tracked down a copy as an adult, enjoyed it. Heston has been in much worse movies so I'm not why he might have a grudge against this one. Should be released at least on dvd instead of only Amazon streaming.
