Published: October 5, 2024 at 9:56 AM CST staff
Snake Plotskin reports from Fantastic Fest 2024. I watched the biographical documentary “The Life and Death of Christopher Lee” there. I’m a huge Hammer horror fan and will watch literally any Hammer movie starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. One of my favorite Hammer movies is Rasputin the Mad Monk. In case you haven’t seen it yet, this is one of Lee’s best performances. Tall Lee roams the streets of St. Petersburg as a mad monk, hypnotizing and seducing women, yelling at them to leave their rooms and put their money on his bed. That’s amazing.
If “The Life and Death of Christopher Lee” consisted solely of anecdotes about Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the Hammer films, I honestly would have been very satisfied. But the film unexpectedly goes further, revealing more than just another side of the actor. For example, did you know that Christopher Lee fought the Nazis? That he may have been the inspiration for James Bond (written by his cousin)? So he released two heavy metal albums? Now, this film explores territory where no marionette biopic has gone before, combining interviews, animation, and puppetry to bring Christopher Lee to life (he himself passed away in 2015). Ta).
Yes, I said puppet theater. The film is narrated by Christopher Lee’s Marionette. It’s an uncanny imitation of Lee’s sonorous voice, played by Peter Simon Serafinowicz. Peter Simon Serafinowicz is a British actor who played the Tic in the live-action series as well as the voice of Darth Maul in the movies. Star Wars Movies) follows Lee’s life from his early days as a soldier and day-to-day player to his absolutely iconic and career-defining successes. From Hammer’s mesmerizing performance as Dracula to his final performances in two of the biggest series of the 20th (and 21st) century: The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
The Lord of the Rings holds a particularly special place in Lee’s heart, as he was a lifelong fan of Tolkien and was proud to have played a part in bringing to life a story that meant so much to him. I was shocked to find out what happened. In addition to his on-screen deaths (of which there are many), Lee seems to be constantly reinventing himself and trying to break away from the role of Dracula, which we clearly love as much as we do. I was surprised that I wasn’t loved by him. audience. I won’t spoil it, but suffice it to say that in addition to being creative and informative, the film ends up being unexpectedly heart-wrenching and tender.
Interviews with his dear friends and collaborators Joe Dante, John Landis, Caroline Munro, and Dave McKean (whose work has been featured in Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum books and Neil Gaiman’s Featuring animation by luminaries such as The Sandman (known for the cover of “The Sandman”), this is a must-see for any Christopher Lee fan’s watchlist.
