Christopher Lee - The stuntman in action

nobby.c · 19th August 2002, 02:40 PM

I recently watched The Mummy again having bought it on DVD and marvelled at what Christopher Lee must have gone through whilst making the movie.
I just read Old Soul's review, which has some nice insight into these experiences and confirms what I thought must have been a gruelling film to make for Mr Lee.
I am in the process of reading "Tall, Dark and Gruesome" so have more of this insight to look forward to, but I was just wondering if there were any other examples of Christopher Lee "Performing beyond the call of duty" in his other films that spring to mind.
The obvious ones are:
1. Dracula - Prince of Darkness
- When falling into the water I have heard it was very cold water and he did do it all himself.
2. The Mummy
-Just that whole shoot being bound up in that costume must have been pretty tough let alone all that other stuff he did.
3. Fu Manchu
- Wearing the full Fu Manchu make up on a ferry crossing in China during filming of Fu Manchu to get to the film location. I heard this on his "Many Faces of Christopher Lee" documentary which is highly recommend for any fan, and may be incorrect as can't remember exactly where he was travelling from to, only that he was challenged by a chinese man asking whether he was Chinese to which he replied that his name was Lee which was proof enough for the chinese man :).

Does anybody else have any other examples of Christopher Lee giving 110% for the sake of the movie even if it meant causing himself major discomfort or injury.

Can u imagine some of the actors of today doing some of these things?

Juan Aneiros · 19th August 2002, 03:36 PM

AOTC at 79. It is by far, the most physical demanding film he has done to date. Without discussing private medical records, let's just say that his doctor was not a happy man. Saying that, apart from a minor scare, he is in top form. The proof, he just came back from Austria in which he was involved in a Golf Tournament for charity and he did very well indeed. Christina, who also went along, should soon be developing the pictures and you'll see the scans.

The rest, like Airport 77' in which he nearly drowned and the time when he nearly lost his finger, are all in his autobiography so you will soon read about it.

19th August 2002, 07:33 PM

I believe it was on the FACE OF FU MANCHU DVD interview that Mr Lee wears a "finger shield" indicating some injury to a finger.......anyone know anything about this

Juan Aneiros · 19th August 2002, 09:08 PM

Quote:

I believe it was on the FACE OF FU MANCHU DVD interview that Mr Lee wears a "finger shield" indicating some injury to a finger.......anyone know anything about this

He explains the same incident at this video from CL WebTV:

http://christopherleeweb.com/premium/clweb...ichard&judy.php

Old Soul · 20th August 2002, 12:06 AM

I greatly admire Mr. Lee and appreciate everything he has gone through to make his movies. Granted, not in all of his movies he was put in harms way, but there has been more then his share of misadventures.

To tell you the truth, I really don

elizabeth vanharlingen · 20th August 2002, 05:00 AM

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers" yet. Swordfights aplenty in these movies. Including one that was done on ice. Everyone(including Mr. Lee) was slip-sliding along for that...

One question about the swordfight on ice in "The Four Musketeers"...Was that real ice? Christopher Lee, Michael York, and Frank Finlay all ended up to their necks in the water at some point during the fight. I'm just hoping that it wasn't as cold out there as it looked.

Vandevere

Juan Aneiros · 20th August 2002, 05:40 AM

Quote:

I believe it was on the FACE OF FU MANCHU DVD interview that Mr Lee wears a "finger shield" indicating some injury to a finger.......anyone know anything about this

Sorry, I think the accident he refers to in the DVD did not happen in a film set, but at an airport. I gave you the wrong information. Nevertheless, I think he does explain what happened at one of the live events. His finger got caught by a door and he required surgery. He played golf in Singapore with the surgeon in his last tip to New Zealand, this he explained in his very last live event.

There is the figer shield:

http://christopherleeweb.com/modules.php?s...=view_photo.php

Anne Ikonen · 20th August 2002, 02:53 PM

I must say that I really admire Christopher Lee.I mean,look at him,he is 80 years old and still do his own stunts,like he did in EP II.He really is the best actor in the whole world,with no a doubt,and I hope to see him much more in the movies in the future...

**Susan Pitcher** · 20th August 2002, 06:56 PM

Quote:

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers" yet. . . .One question about the swordfight on ice in "The Four Musketeers"...Was that real ice? Christopher Lee, Michael York, and Frank Finlay all ended up to their necks in the water at some point during the fight. I'm just hoping that it wasn't as cold out there as it looked.

Vandevere

My understanding, after consulting my paperback copy of TD&G is that the ice was real, and Mr. Lee had a torn ligament in his left knee which added to the difficulty of it all. The slip-sliding we see in that movie is apparently an unrehearsed effort to stay standing. Poor fellows.

Maybe they gave Frank Finlay some extra insulated clothing under his gear for his dunking, but I don't think Polartec had been invented yet. I hate cold weather.

Going back to the subject of DPoD, I'm a bit confused about that icy accident as well, because I thought Eddie Powell the stuntman was the one in trouble for that one, but I'm sure the answer is in this site somewhere (goes off to look. . . .comes back) unless somebody posts it here for us?

Jurious · 20th August 2002, 09:51 PM

I also heard that it was Eddie Powell who got into difficulties with staying under the 'ice' in D:PoD, KayEwer.

I did hear that Mr.Lee dropped one of his Dracula contact lenses onto the 'ice' - which was actually boards covered in salt - and placed it back in his eye without cleaning it, though... ouch. Am I right there?

**Frederick Bergstrom** · 21st August 2002, 12:13 AM

im sure there is plenty he has gone through we dont even know about. I have read how cold it was making some of the films. Look at Horror of Dracula you can see from some scenes his breath when he talks in the castle. I remeber hearing problems in throwing fake blood in his eye in Curse of Frankenstien that stung his eyes. The big one not mentioned already would be on one of the pirate movies (i think Devil ship Pirates) where there was an incident involving the fake ship topping over. I think there was discomfort in scenes where he had to walk through the chest high mud in ,i think, the same movie.Also didnt Errol Flynn hurt him in a duel early in his career?? ...my favorite would be in House that Dripped blood the girl kept kicking his leg so when the scene came to slap her.....HE DID!!!!

Josslyn · 21st August 2002, 01:56 AM

I heard the same thing about the contact lense. I think I read it in Cult Films of Christopher Lee although I was told not to put too much trust into anything I read from that book so I'm not sure about the accuracy. The story's floating around though.
I also read (in two different books) that one of the actresses in one of Mr. Lee's Dracula films (sorry, forget which one) had to regurgitate a false fang after swallowing it. That has to be the most disgusting movie story I've ever heard. The runner up is Joe Dante's story about the werewolves and the rocketlaunchers in The Howling.

Old Soul · 21st August 2002, 02:30 AM

Let

**Joakim Lundberg** · 21st August 2002, 10:20 AM

Mr Lee is an actor that gives full dedication to any film he's in and not to forget he is also a honorary member of the stuntmans guild. :) My heart goes out to Mr Lee when these things happen.

**Susan Pitcher** · 21st August 2002, 06:53 PM

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Let