Christopher Lee

Movie Picks

Horror Of Dracula/Dracula (1960): The film that started it all. Christopher Lee gets very few lines, and most are surprisingly normal, coming from the very start of the film when the Count plays hotel porter to Jonathan Harker. The film itself is not entirely faithful to the book (but then, none of the Dracula movies ever have been) and later vampire movies such as Bram Stoker's Dracula have been more visually impressive. However, Lee's mere physical presence in the film makes it a worthwhile watch, as do the special effects for when Dracula disintegrates (this being quite frankly stunning given that this was back in the good old days when they didn't have CGI). Plotwise, a couple of the sequels are probably more interesting for those who have read the book, but none have the overall effect that the original does.

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The Wicker Man (1973): Back in the days before Trainspotting when Scotland was viewed as, well, Brigadoon, this film made people think twice about the natives when they went on holiday there. Lee stars as Lord Summerisle, the pagan ruler of the island that a police officer visits looking for a missing girl. Unfortunately for the officer (Edward Woodward), Summerisle has set an eloquent trap for him and he is to be the ritual sacrifice to the gods, trapped in a blazing wicker man. While today much of the 'shocking' sex symbolism used throughout the film is pretty tame, the final scene is oddly terrifying. The Wicker Man is one of the few films that exist where the 'bad guys' win out over good, but that does not make it a subversive film. Both the story and the skilful acting of Lee and Woodward set the audience firmly on the police officer's side. Not that it does him any good... The on-location photography is quite superb, especially the last shot. Breathtaking.

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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974): Interesting fact: Lee is the cousin of Bond author Ian Fleming, so it was only fitting that he finally got to play one of his cousin's most interesting villains opposite Bond #3 Roger Moore. The plot - about a solar energy device - is largely irrelevant. The real story is about Bond and the anti-Bond, Scaramanga (Lee), who assassinates anyone for money. If this wasn't a James Bond film, the question of whether this isn't what Bond does as well could have been investigated more thoroughly, but since this is a Bond film, we're all going to be on his side anyway, so who cares about a little morality? Scaramanga has the best script and the most screentime for any Bond villain apart from Goldfinger and Lee puts it to good use. The problem is that Scaramanga comes across as an infinitely more interesting character than Bond does. Maybe Fleming should have been writing about an entirely different person...

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The Hands Of Orlac (1960): Not a very popular film, but it had me hooked. In fact, I think I've watched it so many times that I could singlehandedly act out the entire thing. Lee plays Nero, a stage magician who blackmails a pianist into thinking that he has a murder's hands. Orlac isn't really a horror movie, but Lee's simultaneously charming and scheming magician steals the show regardless. Watch it, and marvel at how deceptively clever the whole film is. The only downside is that Lee doesn't appear for the first half hour, and most people may have switched off by then.

- Lonely Walker

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