As I delve into the captivating tale of Sir Christopher Lee, a man whose career spanned over seven decades and transcended numerous genres, I can’t help but marvel at his indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication to his craft. His life was a testament to resilience, an epic saga filled with triumphs, setbacks, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Add The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee to your watchlist
On the surface, Christopher Lee seemed to have everything. Standing tall with a captivating presence, he possessed a voice so powerful it could arrest anyone listening. By the time of his passing in 2015 at the age of 93, he had accumulated an impressive 250 roles across film and television productions throughout his career.
His groundbreaking film debut was the 1957 British horror movie “The Curse of Frankenstein,” where he portrayed the monster; a year after that, he assumed the role of Dracula and it became his cinematic burden. Later on, he played a pagan leader in the cult classic “The Wicker Man,” a Bond villain in “The Man with the Golden Gun,” Saruman in the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films, and surprisingly, a Chinese criminal in five “Fu Manchu” movies. Unfortunately, he was often stereotyped as a horror actor, continually associated with his portrayal of the bloodthirsty count with fangs.
A unique perspective on the life of Christopher Lee is offered by the Sky Arts documentary titled “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee“. Instead of rehashing what others have written, this production uses unseen archival footage and a puppet, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz, to vividly resurrect the actor in an exceptionally convincing way.
Despite an enormous volume of content to tackle, director Jon Spira remained unfazed by the project. Admittedly, he wasn’t a big admirer of Lee’s work and didn’t enjoy the numerous Hammer films that Lee starred in. In fact, his interest in Lee’s story was almost happenstance.
Spira mentions finding an episode of This Is Your Life featuring Christopher Lee from 1974 on YouTube. He notes that Lee seemed to be enduring a genuinely miserable time. Upon rewatching, it became apparent that he was guarding his own storyline. Although the world perceived him as strong, intelligent, educated, athletic, good-looking, and debonair, the reality was that he, too, was troubled like many others. Spira felt compelled to share the tale of his insecurities.
Spira, formerly employed by the British Film Institute, had the privilege of perusing Lee’s interviews housed in the BFI library, as well as his personal collection of memorabilia. These materials encompass his work from the start of his career through the 1970s. Since there was no other means to preserve television appearances at that time, he would snap photos of himself whenever he appeared on screen. Among these photographs are images of ventures that never saw the light of day, such as Orson Welles’ incomplete “Moby Dick” film… it’s truly remarkable.
In addition to delving into his body of work, “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee” delves deeply into the unique life of this actor. It spans from his childhood with a military father and an aristocratic Italian mother, his military career, his linguistic abilities that proved valuable to the secret service, and his pursuit of Nazi war criminals. The book also tries to uncover if Lee’s cousin, Ian Fleming, indeed modeled James Bond after him, an intriguing theory, albeit one that may not be historically accurate.
I wanted to tell the stories of his insecurities
The archival clips compiled by Spira are captivating, yet the interviews with various individuals bring an additional layer. Actress Harriet Walter, who is related to Lee, shares that her uncle was as pliable as clay but always kept the character of Dracula close. She also mentions that he experienced a significant amount of rejection, which wasn’t widely known.
Director Peter Jackson, who grew up admiring Lee, shared that the late actor – “tall, graceful, somewhat pompous” – grumbled when Jackson asked him to sign a Dracula poster, suggesting he yearned for recognition as a multifaceted performer. To everyone’s astonishment, Lee struggled with “an unexpected insecurity” during the filming of The Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson recollected an instance where Lee was acting alongside Ian McKellen and McKellen approached Jackson saying, “You might need to talk to Christopher. He believes he’s going to be fired at the end of the day. He thinks he’s doing poorly, and you don’t like him.” Hearing this was quite distressing! So, Jackson made a point to reassure Lee that his performance was excellent.
In addition, there are parts missing from Lee’s narrative that may never be explained, such as his supposed affiliation with the intelligence services during the war. Spira laments, “Not being able to access his war records was incredibly frustrating.” The officials kept saying, “There’s nothing here,” over and over again. If his involvement had been exposed, the secret service or MI5 would have denied any knowledge of him, regardless.” John Landis, who directed Lee in The Stupids, often wished to learn about Lee’s wartime experiences. Whenever asked, Lee would reply, “John, I can’t!
Regardless, the documentary showcases a truly captivating story, delving into Lee’s diverse singing career spanning from musical numbers, operatic arias, and even heavy metal. Remarkably, he was 90 years old when he graced our screens in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” despite being rejected from the Royal College of Music in his thirties, reportedly because of his age.
During his research for the documentary, Spira scrutinized more than 150 films by Lee and admitted that there wasn’t much consistency in quality. “Some of them were terrible. A complete mess. They were all over the place. Sometimes I had to spend £200 to obtain a bootleg from Japan, but when it arrived, it was unwatchable. However, the thrill was never knowing what you were going to get. Lee always had the ability to catch you off guard.
The conclusion of “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee” unfolds when Lee conducts a television interview in 2009, immediately following his knighthood. A young presenter addresses the 92-year-old as “the monarch of horror,” which leaves Lee displeased that his life’s accomplishments seem insignificant to him. He protests, causing the host to grow increasingly agitated. Spira finds it heartrending. “It’s tragic,” he says, “on one hand, he should have grown past it by then – was it truly a big deal for him to be characterized as Dracula in a news segment on television?
Simultaneously, he enjoyed an exceptional career, producing movies across Europe due to his multi-lingual abilities, delivering remarkable work in later years. I fervently wish that viewers will catch this documentary and subsequently explore some of his finest works, particularly the feminist western film “Hannie Caulder” featuring Raquel Welch. Every role he played, he approached with utmost sincerity, and now it’s only fitting that we acknowledge him with equal gravity.
From Hammer to Hebrides: Five of the best Lee films to stream now
The Curse of Frankenstein – Amazon Prime
Hammer Studios struck gold in the horror genre with this chilling take on the classic gothic story about a deranged scientist dabbling in divine powers. Lee makes his mark as the titular “Monster”.
Dracula – Amazon Prime
Revisiting his “Curse” castmate Peter Cushing and director Terence Fisher once more, Lee takes on a part that will accompany him not only to his tomb but also beyond.
The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit – Now/Amazon Prime
Lee had always been an ardent admirer of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, and therefore seized the opportunity to contribute to Peter Jackson’s trilogies. In these films, he portrayed the character Saruman.
The Man With the Golden Gun – Amazon Prime
…and a third navel-like mark. Lee depicts masterful assassin Francisco Scaramanga, who faces off against James Bond (played by Roger Moore).
The Wicker Man – iPlayer
Lee regarded this unnerving take on folkloric terror as his masterpiece. He skillfully infuses enigma and foreboding into the character of Lord Summerisle, a man whose secluded Hebridean island populace is rather suspicious of outsiders.
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2024-10-21 18:04