Though I was not IN Austin for Fantastic Fest, I was able to sit down and watch the official selection THE LIFE & DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE from the comfort of my own home, so in a way I was attending this year’s Fantastic Fest in spirit.
The Fantastic Fest Lowdown: Well educated and raised in a loving home and community, Christopher Lee proudly served his country during WWII. But when he returned to post-war England, he needed to follow his passion and become an actor. Often denied roles for simply being too tall, his journey to becoming the legend we know had a rocky start until he found his true calling.
Beautifully combining archival and behind-the-scenes imagery, puppetry, multiple styles of animation, and interviews with his friends and family, this documentary explores the incredible life and innumerable on-screen deaths of Christopher Lee’s decades- and continent-spanning career across stages and screens of all sizes. Not to mention his run as a heavy metal artist.
From classic movie monsters to an unforgettable cult leader to villains in two of the biggest movie franchises of the new century, his voice and performances have haunted audiences since the 1950s. But the man behind these legendary roles maintained an incredible joy for life and surrounded himself with people who did the same. (Summary written by Kev Dooley)
Reaction: With a terrific setup featuring legendary comedian and impressionist Peter Serafinowicz taking the reigns of becoming the voice of Lee reading from one of his books, this loving tribute to the late, great horror icon Christopher Lee is very respectful to his unique fame and his backstory from his WWII background leading to making himself famous as Dracula several times over in Hammer Horror pictures, then leading to even more decades of fascinating work coming to a peak with Saurmon in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. There was also a strong mention of Lee’s music, something of which I never knew about and loved learning, and also how kind he was to his collaborators and fans (and even a great moment where he politely but firmly asks a red carpet interviewer to NOT refer to him in a certain way).
At nearly two hours, the movie does take its time to I only feel the marionettes don’t work, and some of the movie clips run on a bit long and could use some tightening, but Serafinowicz’s voice and the engaging interviews more than makes up for it with the narration from Lee’s book. Lee fans will eat this up, and it also shows a nice side of an earlier generation of British acting.
This will be going to Sky Originals and yet I feel this would work with theatrical event screenings, especially around Halloween paired with a classic Dracula movie or two.
