Christopher Lee

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Michael · #1 Post by **Michael** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:56 am

Every time I look at mr_sausage's fantastic avatar, I think of spending many, many nights watching Christopher Lee's 1960s and 1970s horror films at home with my grandpa (only after grandma resigning for the night after finishing Love Boat/Fantasy Island). I inherited his love for horror films (Bride of Frankenstein was his favorite film of all time) when I was so little a few years before Suspiria messed me up for good. Thinking about my now-dead grandpa a lot lately, I'd love to start revisiting Christopher Lee's films for the first time in 30 years...but I have no clue where to start. The vivid images of Lee's bloody eyes and fangs remain scarred in my mind but I can't remember which films (there were so many!) that I particularly loved long long time ago.

Can someone tell me which film I should pick up to start?

Fletch F. Fletch · #2 Post by **Fletch F. Fletch** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:21 am

One my faves has always been the Hammer horror film, The Devil Rides Out where Lee actually plays a good guy... The Duc de Richleau who hooks up with old friends only to find one of them missing. So, he and another buddy go the man's house and find him hosting a party of rich socialites. Lee senses that something is off about this "meeting of a little astronomical society" and decides to investigate further. It soon becomes apparent that Lee's friend is under the influence of Mocata, the leader of a Satanic cult.

I really enjoy the Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson dynamic between Lee and Leon Greene, his square sidekick to Lee's suave protagonist. Greene is clean and wears a brown suit like some stuffy university professor, which is sharp contrast to Lee's black suit, goatee and European cigarettes. Lee, as always, has such a commanding presence and I love the atmosphere of this movie. It's one of those films I can pull out and watch almost any time...

Dr Amicus · #3 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:48 am

Completely agree about Devil Rides Out - one of Hammer's finest. It's a shame the much mooted remake, again with Lee, has never come about.

Apart from that, Dracula (or Horror of Dracula in the US) is superb, and Hammer's finest Dracula film (apart from Brides of Dracula, from which Lee / Dracula is missing). Lee is always good value in the sequels, but their interest is usually in other areas of the narrative - unlike the Frankenstein series which is far more consistent and gives Cushing much more to do. The first of these of course has Lee as the Creature and is historically important if less interesting than the later films in the series.

The Gorgon is worth watching, although Lee takes his time to appear. The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll is fascinating, with Lee as the romantic lead. It's far from Fisher's best, he found it too grim for his tastes, but is worth viewing. Rasputin The Mad Monk has a superb central performance by Lee, but the film around him isn't up to the same standard. And To The Devil A Daughter has a shocking anti-climax, but gives Lee a great villain role.

Outside of Hammer, his favourite role was in The Wicker Man, easily available in some very nice DVD editions.

Onto Amicus: City of the Dead / Horror Hotel is a personal favourite - a wonderful piece of black and white gothic with an astonishing climax. Dr Terror's House of Horrors and The House That Dripped Blood have good episodes with Lee - his is definitely the high point of the former. Scream and Scream Again is wonderful, but largely wastes Lee. I, Monster is a curious version of Jekyll and Hyde - like Rasputin it's a great performance in a minor film. The Skull is excellent, but seemingly not available in scope anywhere.

Outside of these, I'd recommend Horror Express ("Monster?! We're British you know!") and The Creeping Flesh - more a Cushing film, but Lee is excellent in support.

As a final recommendation, Jonathan Rigby's Christopher Lee: An Authorised Film Biography is excellent and very comprehensive.

Michael · #4 Post by **Michael** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:02 pm

Amicus, thanks so much for the rundown. Is Horror Hotel the one that involves witchcraft? I always get that mixed up with some other films. Is Dracula/Horror of Dracula in B/W or colors? I remember seeing Lee as Dracula in b/w and also colors in a different film.

Have you seen The Whip and the Body? I thought that was Lee's favorite role.. or maybe it was just his favorite film.

Dr Amicus · #5 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:09 pm

Yes - City of the Dead is about witchcraft. Lee plays a professor whose student is researching it and goes to a small town that he recommends.

Dracula is in colour. I can't think of a Lee Dracula film that is in B&W.

I haven't seen The Whip and the Body, but would love to. Lee seems to have several 'favourite' performances - usually tends to be Wicker Man, Lord of the Rings or Jinnah.

Michael · #6 Post by **Michael** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:58 pm

Dracula is in colour. I can't think of a Lee Dracula film that is in B&W.

It's possible that I saw Dracula on both b/w and color televisions. My grandparents had both.

I haven't seen The Whip and the Body, but would love to.

No kidding? You're in for a real treat. I think this is my favorite Lee film.

#7 Post by **Mr Sausage** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:08 pm

Hmm, well, I guess I should make at least one appearance, although I don't have much in the way to offer that these other, more knowledgeable, people haven't already covered. I suppose the moment from my avatar was something definitive from my childhood; up until that point I had only seen Universal vampire movies, where vampires had no fangs (nor people blood, it seems). So when Lee bursts through that door, eyes blazing red and fangs dripping blood, I was grabbing the upholstery in glee. Plus the whole melting thing at the end was great.

I haven't actually seen a Hammer film since I was about eight or nine, tho', which I've been meaning to correct. I did, however, get slightly giddy when I realized, after having seen Attack of the Clones, that now both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee have played Star Wars villains, a fact I was very vocal about. None of my friends knew what I was talking about nor cared. Assholes.

Baron_Blood · #8 Post by **Baron_Blood** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:06 pm

My two favorite Christopher Lee films are def. Eugenie... The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion and The Whip and the Body. However, I'm really not into the Hammer, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings films, at all.

colinr0380 · #9 Post by **colinr0380** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 am

Mr_sausage wrote:I did, however, get slightly giddy when I realized, after having seen Attack of the Clones, that now both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee have played Star Wars villains, a fact I was very vocal about.

And Cushing got the best moment of all the Star Wars films: the brief shot looking pensive just before the Death Star explodes!

Your comment reminded me a little of those films that advertised "Lee, Karloff, Price, Cushing: together at last!", but that often turned out to have the actors all in different scenes rather than acting together!

The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula are probably the best places to start, though isn't Dracula: Prince of Darkness usually considered the best of Lee's Dracula films by horror fans (with Brides of Dracula being the best overall of the Hammer vampire films)?

Aside from The Wicker Man, like Dr Amicus I'm very fond of Horror Express which I saw late at night at an impressionable age. I don't much like scenes involving eye problems or eye violence so I was cringing during the death scenes! Great fun though with Cushing and Lee, a neanderthal monster, lots of gruesome deaths, autopsies, possession, zombification, a beautiful countess and her poodle (an episode of the Exploitica series that redubbed and added intertitles and speech bubbles to B movies did Horror Express and showed the poor dog being exposed over and over to the Countess's terrible off-key piano playing! With the Countess occasionally looking over her shoulder at the dog, smiling smugly and then returning to her playing as the dog whimpers loudly! Obviously re-edited from the original film, but it was very funny!), and then when it seems the film is over in comes Telly Savalas and a runaway train finale!

The other great film Christopher Lee was in, though his role is little more than a cameo, is Death Line. I also like Taste of Fear (also known as Scream of Fear), which seems to have been inspired by Les Diaboliques. It is the film that definitively proves that wheelchairs and swimming pools are a very bad combination!

Not seen Eugenie or Whip and the Body yet. It sounds like I'm in for a treat! Somehow I could imagine Lee as a jaded, masochistic aristocrat!

Dr Amicus · #10 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:26 am

The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula are probably the best places to start, though isn't Dracula: Prince of Darkness usually considered the best of Lee's Dracula films by horror fans (with Brides of Dracula being the best overall of the Hammer vampire films)?

From my own research (DPhil in Amicus), I'd say the original Dracula is generally considered the best of Lee's Dracula films - Brides is often regarded as the best overall, but that is a good basis for argument. Not qutie Kael vs Sarris, but still. Prince of Darkness is of interest because Fisher directed it, but it has to be said the film is rather better before Lee's resurrection as the Count.

I haven't seen Taste / Scream of Fear - but have seen many of Hammer's other Diaboliques rip-offs (very entertaining). Lee thinks very highly of it - often calling it the best Hammer film he made.

Michael · #11 Post by **Michael** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:50 pm

Not seen Eugenie or Whip and the Body yet. It sounds like I'm in for a treat! Somehow I could imagine Lee as a jaded, masochistic aristocrat!

The Whip and the Body. Oh yes. A treat. A major one. I'm having a hard time sweeping Lee from my mind since seeing the film a few weeks ago. Such a powerful performance. I love how Bava's trademark jeweled lighting soaks up Lee's magnificent face, looking so beautiful and eerie in the darkest of night air. And that woman Daliah Lavi. What a pair they make - her and Lee.

Sanjuro · #12 Post by **Sanjuro** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:25 am

I've heard Lee talk about how great his part in Jinnah was before but it seems to be a tricky film to track down. Also, the only people who seem to have opinions about it are Lee (who loves it, but is surely somewhat biased) and political fanatics whose opinions I'd rather not listen too.

So, for those who've seen it (and would like to give their opinion of it as a film critic and not a distraught fanatic), is this really a masterpiece of film? A good film with a fantastic performance by Chris Lee (for which I'd probably buy it)? Nice but completely one-sided (which I'm happy with so long as it's done well)?

In short, is it worth the bother of tracking down and are there any versions in good quality out there?

colinr0380 · #13 Post by **colinr0380** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:55 pm

Sanjuro wrote:So, for those who've seen it (and would like to give their opinion of it as a film critic and not a distraught fanatic), is this really a masterpiece of film? A good film with a fantastic performance by Chris Lee (for which I'd probably buy it)? Nice but completely one-sided (which I'm happy with so long as it's done well)?

In short, is it worth the bother of tracking down and are there any versions in good quality out there?

Sorry, I've not seen it but here is a DVD Times review and a BBC interview with Lee.

Sanjuro · #14 Post by **Sanjuro** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:34 am

Great, thanks for that!

Dr Amicus · #15 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:47 am

I had the good fortune to see it on the big screen at the Barbican a few years back - this was followed by an interview with Lee by Jonathan Rigby. It was for the book launch of Rigby's 'authorised filmography' - well worth reading incidentally.

The film itself is generally very impressive, Lee in particular is superb. It all depends on whether you can accept the film's premise - basically it's an 'It's a Wonderful Life' structure with Lee as Jinnah being shown highlights of his life by an angel, all caused by Jinnah's fears that he has failed his country. It can feel a bit out of place, but is quite fascinating.

As for DVD, I have seen it in HMVs in the UK, admittedly a few years back. I don't know about picture quality though. It has been shown on Sky Movies occasionally.

Stefan Andersson · #16 Post by **Stefan Andersson** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:47 pm

Rumor has it Mike Schlesinger suggested a Cushing/Lee box set idea to Sony, to include the Christopher Lee Hammer pirate films plus a selection of Lee/Cushing titles. I hope they include CASH ON DEMAND! It would be a great add-on/bonus feature. How could they sell a 60-min. B feature otherwise? And if SonyÂ´s TV dept. makes allowances, they could add that secret agent TV movie Christopher Lee made with Eleanor Parker around 1980; written by Jimmy Sangster, too!

L.A. · #17 Post by **L.A.** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:24 am

German company Anolis Entertainment has released a new two-disc edition of Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), limited to 1500 copies.

Christopher Lee

CASH ON DEMAND in rumoured Sony Cushing/Lee box set?

Re: Christopher Lee