Sir Christopher Lee (1922 - 2015)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11666316/christopher-lee-dies-live.html

Very sad to hear… RIP

R.I.P.

Actors of his calibre are rare indeed.

Very sad to hear, a tremendous presence (and essential one to for any film lover imo) too often left to support but shinning brightly (or perhaps darkly) regardless.

RIP

How many Bond villains is that, in under a year?

Geoffrey Holder
Louis Jordan
Richard Keil
Gottfried John
Christopher Lee

A brief return to the forum to say that Bond was but a footnote to a glorious life. Sir Christopher had a distinguished if mysterious war career followed by the heights of Hammer. However, his finest film remains British Lion's The Wicker Man, even in its most butchered form:



Under-recognised by the snobbish English acting establishment, Lee may have fallen into obscurity were it not for George Lucas, Peter Jackson and Tim Burton, who facilitated a remarkable public comeback for him in his twilight years. Their toy factories are not for me, but I thank them for that and hope Lee's earlier and better work will endure.

Oh my... :(

I ran into him a few years ago in Dublin. Brief as that chance meeting was, he made a very charming impression on me. Definitely not 'taken with self' as so many other so-called or self-styled celebrities tend to be.

My favorite Bond villain, a prolific Dracula, and the best part of a lot of A and B movies. It's always a treat to see him pop up in a cameo.

Peter Jackson: reinstate his scenes in ROTK!

RIP, sir, and thank you for being.

A rewatch of Golden Gun is in order by way of tribute tonight, I think.

A extraordinary career, and a long life well-lived. R.I.P. indeed.

Very sad and yet you cannot help but marvel at the life he led. His wartime service, all that he did and achieved and his sheer body of work. So many films be it Battle of the River Plate or Scott of the Antarctic, small roles, diverse a little but there he was.

Like Ambler said, Bond was but a footnote. Dare I say one film I've seen a lot of with Lee in was "The Night of the Big Heat".

Christopher Lee, Sir. RIP.

Very sad.

CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN is probably my favorite Lee film.

RIP to the legend, I though he would cross century mark. One of my all time favorite Bond villain, just love his Golden gun

I wonder if we'll get an 'In Memory of Sir Christopher Lee' at the end of SPECTRE… He was, after all, a Bond villain and a relative of Fleming.

FieldsMan wrote:

I wonder if we'll get an 'In Memory of Sir Christopher Lee' at the end of SPECTRE… He was, after all, a Bond villain and a relative of Fleming.

Something that always slightly upset me is that while Cubby Broccoli got a nice "in memory of" credit in the first film made after his passing, Harry Saltzman never got that.

Makeshift Python wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

I wonder if we'll get an 'In Memory of Sir Christopher Lee' at the end of SPECTRE… He was, after all, a Bond villain and a relative of Fleming.

Something that always slightly upset me is that while Cubby Broccoli got a nice "in memory of" credit in the first film made after his passing, Harry Saltzman never got that.

Yeah it's a shame, that. GF didn't have a dedication credit to Fleming, either, IIRC, which is a bit odd. Mendes seems more sensitive and appreciative of the series that he might just add something. Hopefully, anyway.

He probably will, though I don't think there will be a dedication in the credits. John Barry passed, but instead of a dedication in the credits, the filmmakers used his flat to stand in for M's. And if what I hear is correct, Geoffrey Holder is going to have a nod in SPECTRE.

Makeshift Python wrote:

And if what I hear is correct, Geoffrey Holder is going to have a nod in SPECTRE.

What is this you hear? Where did you hear it?

If Geoffrey Holder has a nod, surely they'll do it for Kiel and Jordan as well, considering the former was in two Bond films and the latter was the central villain of his film film. Then there's Gottfried John who had about as big a part as Holder did.

SPECTRE probably is a fitting film to pay tribute to past villains.

If they could think of a way to fit in a nod to Lee at this point, perhaps. As for Holder...

Spoiler:

Gunna avoid spoilers… Must be a thought out nod if one has to put a spoiler tag on it!

No worries, it's just a precaution for those who want to go in clean. Plus, it happens in the PTS, so nothing critical.

Sad to see that so much of the media's focus in eulogizing him went to his more recent work.
To echo Amber's words, I most associate him with his Hammer Film period and playing Lord Summerisle.
Even his Bond turn is but a fait divers in his immense career imho.

The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society posted this on Facebook, a tribute with Christopher Lee singing "My Way". Thought it was worth sharing here.

I think Wicker Man is rightly praised but my favourite Lee film is either Dracula or The Devil Rides Out, the latter a rare case of playing the good guy but also a rare case of him truly getting the sort of screen time he deserved.

Cushing and Lee were a uniquely talented pair (even moreso together) and neither really got the praise or attention they really deserved imo so sad.

Anybody read 'The Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee'? Have had it on my bookshelf for a a couple of years but have yet to read it. Feels like a fitting time now to do so…

I have 'Tall, Dark and Gruesome' which admittedly was written many years ago....wasn't aware he had done another one, I'll have to check it out.

I'm reading a whole lot more now, but by the time I get around to (finishing) it, SP would have been released… I can let you know if it's worth it then!