Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Sir Christopher Lee Week


Hello folks. As many of you are aware, the last of the Hammer Film men, Sir Christopher Lee is no longer among us. From his humble days as an office clear in shipping companies until 1941 when he enlisted in Royal Air Force during World War II. Lee began training as an actor receiving an assortment of bit parts in Corridor of Mirrors in 1948 and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet in which he starred along side his future friend and soon-to-be partner in Hammer Films Peter Cushing. Both of them also appeared in Moulin Rogue.

Keith Richards...today.

















With parts in TV and Film, Lee's greatest challenge was being much taller than most of the leading men in the business and looking too "foreign". Yeah apparently predominant cheekbones and standing 6 foot 5 can make for a few hurdles. His breakaway role playing the monster in The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957.

Hammer Films Productions allowed to experience success with Peter Cushing, commonly Cushing as the protagonist to Lee's villain. Dracula is one of the roles commonly associated with Lee as he made sequels of 7 appearances throughout the Hammer Films and technically 8 in the Jesus Franco film Count Dracula, that time around the story is an older man growing young be feasting on the blood of young maidens.

Whether he was in space, in a fantasy realm, dealing with werewolves or gremlins you have seen Christopher Lee for generations. Playing pivotal roles to the like of Dracula, Scaramonga of The Man with The Golden Gun,, Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels and Saurman the White in Lord of the Rings. Either the hero, mentor or villain, Lee managed to eke out a career spanning no less than 60 years. Often the monster but ever the gentleman as many co-stars verify.


So this week we tip our hat to a loss to the cinema, TV and the world as the Prince of Darkness is no more.

Am I menacing??

No comments:

Post a Comment