Hugo Cabret - Pure magic

This is waiting for me right now. Looking forward to it. Have heard all sorts of nice things about it.

Additional note: Have just finished the absolutely wonderful and magic film Hugo Cabret (2011) by Martin Scorsese. Not only is it a good film in all senses of the word, it is a friendly movie, without ever loosing distance to itself or being surgary.

It is enchanting to see Sir Christopher Lee in this delightful piece of art.

Originally it is built on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. "Not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things. (Wikipedia)"

In short the book is on George Méliès and his works at the turn of the last century. The theme is fantastic to make a film on. Not only because it works for children to watch and learn who this first fantasy-filmmaker was, but because it puts a frame to the film that makes it full of layers, and layers upon layers.

Of course it really is a homage to everything that film and moviemaking stands for: The magic and the dreams. And to se Lee in this film, playing a keyrole in a sense, is really touching. He himself, a great part of film history, with a career stretching well over 60 years, has certainly contributed to that dream making in the fullest. I am sure Scorsese put him in that role for a very certain reason.

That is without a doubt a fantastic homage to Sir Lee as well.

I have heard criticism that Lee should have been used more. I can't agree. It is absolutely perfectly put together. I initially thought it was a children's movie. I found out that, as it always is with films about children, the best are those that everyone can enjoy and get something out of, regardless of age. I am so happy I finally saw it. I am happy to own it.

But why on earths name is SCL's name not on my DVD-cover?

The Disputation - one can't miss out on it

Next up is this rarely aired TV-film from Channel 4.

It is a chamber play, set in medieval times, during the reign of James I:st, King of Aragon. The Disputation was filmed in 1986, just right after Sir Lee had had a major heart surgery. (He looks a bit pale, I can't help thinking it might have something to do with it.)

I was lucky to catch it on TV as it was aried in Sweden a couple of years later, late 80's, but have seldom heard of it since.

I have understood that the marketing of this marvellous piece of acting on the behalf of Lee and all the others in the cast was virtually non-exsisting. Lee claims in Tall Dark and Gruesome that he was furious about this, nearly causing him a relaps of bad heart.

That is understandable. Forget all about sexy scoundrels, black magic, villains, Kurt Menliffs, or whatever he has played. This chamber play is, together with Jinnah, one of the finest piece of high-class acting I have ever seen him done. It most definitely has Shakespearian, or I Claudius - qualities about it:

The intelligent and proud character of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Alan Dobie) is summoned up to the court of the liberal but troubled King James to dispute wether Jesus was Christ or not.

King James gives the Rabbi all rights of free speech, and refuses to fold when the Church is protesting. ("I cannot and will not take back my word!")

The Rabbi easily outargues his opponent, much to the dismay of King James's wife, the narrow-minded and intriguing Queen Yolanda (Helen Lindsay).

I won't reveal anymore. You will have to see for your selves. The sound is, as usual, a bit off. But if you are a fan of Sir Christopher Lee's, and want to see him in a real high end production when it comes to acting - you simply cannot miss out on this. You just cannot.

IMDB on it.

Enjoy!

Part 1 :

Part 2:

In Russian as well. I am fainting.

I am a huge fan of Russian opera. When I lived in St.Petersburg I went to operas and ballets every single weekend. Boris Godunov by Rimsky-Korsakov (about 17th century Russia) is one of the most mighty operas you can experience in a Russian opera house.

For me, to hear Sir Christopher Lee sing this part is more than epic. It is mindblowing!!!

Basically, as you all can hear without knowing any Russian at all, the tsar (Lee sings his part) is going quite mad. In his inner mind he is seeing the ghosts of a young prince that he suppousedly has killed.

I LOVE THIS!!!

It is from the album - Christopher Lee sings Devils, Rogues & other Villains -
from Broadway to Bayreuth and beyond. Very difficult to come across, I have understood. But I just have to find it and buy it.

Thank you to whomever put this out on You Tube.

Elenore - my sweetest Elenore!!!

In the latest Dark Side magazine, (#148) there is a pretty candid text on Lee, from an interview made in 2006. The journalist doesn't hit it of with the man, who only wants to talk about his singing. I am actually cringing reading the text. I am in awe of the journalist. I myself would have crumbled.

"I was on a German album once, but you wouldn't know it because it was in German and based around Edgar Allan Poe. I sang a song called 'Eleonore' based on one of his characters."

Here it is.
Someone ought to make a compilation of Lees best songs - because there are actully lots of them. This would be in it.

Film Time - Whip and the Body

This also arrived today. My lucky day, I guess!! Film time tonight, no doubt about it. And this Mario Bava film is the uncut version. It was mutilated in almost any country it was released in, in 1963. Can imagine that.

In US it is called What!, and as I can understand, that seems absolutely logical concerning what was left of it after the censorship had sunk its teeth into it.

Here are some sequences from it. The uncut version!!

Additional note: Oooooohhh Myyyy Gooooooddd.

If you are only to buy one, I say one film with Christopher Lee – buy this one!!! It is fantastic!!! Best of him I have EVER seen! Part suspense, part gothic horror, a great deal of eroticism, beautiful acting and wonderful music. But make damned sure you buy that UNCUT VERSION. I can very well understand that the censors went berserk when they had seen the original movie. And this was1963! Jeeesuus!

Sorry for that outburst. Now back to my normal, collected disposition. But seriously. Buy it!!!

Charlemagne arrived today!

I have waited for this album for many weeks now, and today it arrived by mail. Have heard mixed reviews of it. Some are blown away, others more reluctant. I really, really, want to like this. Please be good!!!

The album is dedicated to all of us fans. I really feel it is us that ought to say Thank You!
Sir, you are the best!

Additional note:  Just listening to to the last minutes of the last track of this album - The bloody verdict of Verden (instumental version). I can honestly say I had very little idea of what to expect from this album. I had read some good reviews, some bad ones. The music is a crossover, in my inexperienced ears (I know nothing of metal), of opera, symphony, heavy metal, saga and extremely brutal history.

It does not suprise me why the phrase "I shed the blood of Saxon men" is so frequently qouted from this album. That part is truly astounding. Heavy guitars, Lees dark, extremely powerful voice - it makes my hair stand on end, and I find myself headbanging.

I had wished for shorter narrative chapters and more of those heavy guitars and more of that god all mighty voice! I really, sincerely, hope that there will be more of that on the next album.

This man is the true essence of coolness. Versatile? Yup.

Here is a fanmade video on Metal Lee. Seems very much like him to go to a stage and, after having shed the blood of 4000 Saxon men, appologizing to anyone Saxon in the audience. Squee.

BAFTA Fellowship Award

This is just beautiful. The clips on his career says it all.And so does the facial expression of Kevin Spacey!

Lee accepting the BAFTA Fellowship Award, 2011.

This is an interview behind scenes afterwards.
Edith Bowman looks pleased.

Here he is at Vienna Filmball!

Two faces of Dr. Jekyll

I really love Lee in this film - he plays the scoundrel Paul Allen with a grace that is a pure joy to watch. A great plot (of course), great performances and intelligent dialogue (sorry to say, not all Hammer productions could provide with that).

Thankfully, we don't have to see crappy made Jekyll/Hyde transformations. That worried me a bit, but Terence Fisher left that out. The result is wonderful! Watch it and enjoy Lee at his best! :-)

SCL's own comments are: "This was a script by Wolf Mankowitz, a very good writer, and the part of Paul was written for me. A cad, sponger, dwindler. The man who lives off women, and doesn't pay gambling debts. A rake. I think it was one of the best performances I've given." 

Can't do anything but agree.

"One disagreeable thing that happened to me was that I had to lie still at the end of the film, supposedly dead, with a python crawling across my face and neck. The snake was quite unperturbed."

Behind the scenes of Dracula Prince of Darkness

Remarkable! I found this on You Tube while looking for something entirely different. This is a four-five minutes long film on behind the scenes of Dracula Prince of Darkness. Although this blog is not very into Dracula, I is impossible not to share this. Lee and Stirbling are commenting on what is shown. Wow. Cool.

Hilarious!

One more of the singing things! This performance act (quite unbelievable I have to say) is from The Return of Captain Invincible. There are a couple of You Tube versions of this clip, but one of them has been played a quarter of a million times. You can understand why.

Brace your self, this is f***ing great! ROFLMAO! What a wonderful man!

Mr. Kiss kiss bang bang

Here is an other scene of lovemaking ... 

Sorry, but to use a gun in this context seems extremely kinky. 

The Whip and the Body

Ouch! That must hurt! The movie The whip and The Body by Mario Bava was concidered so dangerous to the public mind that it was cut to pieces before it was released in the US, under the title What!.

It never made a hit there, which is understandable since it destroyed the whole film. Lee says in the book on his films: "One reviewer asked Why? I don't blame him."

Containing quite an amount of S&M sex, it is quite unfathomable that it was released in 1963! And this is possibly one of the best films Lee have made. It should be in his record as one of the milestones. If you are to buy just one film of him, this is it!

Lee's own comments on the film in the book The Films of Christopher Lee: "This was photographed and directed by Mario Bava and looked absolutely superb. A sort of psycho thriller. (...) I played a character [Kurt Menliff, that is] who returns from the dead and who ends up as a hallucination in the mind of the girl played by Daliah Lavi, who is absolutely beautiful in this picture. We had some very torrid love scenes..."

An absolute favourite of mine

Lee is seemingly improvising this performance. Totally relaxed, he shows off all his talents. Presence, voice, charm. Not to mention how he moves across the stage. A golden piece of film! And he recites The Raven, too... 

This is actually part of a film, (El Umbracle, 1970) but you wouldn't believe it. It is filmed in a very modern way, moving camera, circulating around him. Not to mention the singing in French. It is beautiful!

 

Ghost Rider

The accent is a bit off, but Johnny Cash most definitely has a competitor in this one. Christopher Lee sings Ghost Rider. The mountains are shivering.