After Walt Disney came Christopher Lee

Ken_S · 31st January 2003, 10:36 PM

Hello everybody !

Nice to be here at last, after a long long wait... (Thanks, Webmaster, for finally letting me "in") :)

As I am myself about to tell in this very first post of mine what exactly Christopher Lee means to me, I also would like to read about YOUR first encounters (impressions, influences) with Mr. Lee's work - and about those things what make him so important to YOU.

In my case, it happened when I was about 11-years old. One Finnish television channel launched a series of classic horror and suspense movies, most of them being the Hammer classics. And with DRACULA (HORROR OF DRACULA) I was first time introduced to this tall, dark, and verrrrry charismatic actor who had a wonderfully flowing long black cape. I honestly fell in love with, specifically, that CAPE of his - and since then I have always dreamed of one day having as wonderfully flowing cape as his :D

After DRACULA came the truly shocking make-up in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (the original one), followed by the perfectly-shrouded THE MUMMY and even more wonderful black/red flowing cape in DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (and those ...cool... contact lenses!) --- At that point I could honestly admit that no one had made such a profound influence on me after Walt Disney and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Through Christopher Lee's marvelous, charismatic "villain" portrayals I could finally "unleash" my darker sides - he really represented in his roles all those things what I would want to be, if I ever was going to be "bad". :) Silly but true.

And yet, as years went by, I was to learn that Christopher Lee wasn't only a splendid DRACULA in a hypnotically-flowing cape, but REALLY A TALENTED ACTOR. The magic in him is that he puts his very heart into every role he does - only a handful of actors can REALLY do it ...Plus, that he has been blessed with an incredibly luminous, electrifying, strong and yet sincere "presence" - call it natural charisma. And, what seems to be even better, behind all that luminous charisma there is a warm, sincere human being - a thing that is always very important to me, if I speak about the human beings who have my most deepest admiration and appreciation.

The resolution ? Nowadays I even have a similarly flowing, black cape of my very own :D

....So, how about YOU, friends ?? What was the your initial encounters with Lee's work ? TELL ME !!

By the way - for the past three years I've been thinking if I should contact Mr. Lee personally, because he is somewhat "linked" in one specific way in my own published work -- if any of you want to know more, just visit my company's official site, and especially check the following link of small my drawing tribute to Mr. Lee's DRACULA role:
http://www.kentsuproductions.com/kdtm_art5.html

Ahhhh - it's wonderful to be here, finally.

:) KEN

31st January 2003, 11:32 PM

Welcome to the site, and may I say that your drawing are great, in fact I think you should enter them in our little art competition.
Go to the Image gallery then go to the Fan art Competition.
You will need to read the rules.

And I hope you have a lovely time here.

star38

Lamoreux · 1st February 2003, 04:36 AM

My first encounter with Mr. Lee came nearly thirty years ago; when a much younger version of myself sat up late one night to watch DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS. I had been a fan of fantasy films forever, but that night I became a Christopher Lee fan. Soon after, I introduced myself to Peter Cushing and his work and the rest is history.
It's because of the inspiration of those two gentlemen that I became an actor.
Welcome to the website.

Doug

1st February 2003, 11:47 AM

Quote:

My first encounter with Mr. Lee came nearly thirty years ago; when a much younger version of myself sat up late one night to watch DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS. I had been a fan of fantasy films forever, but that night I became a Christopher Lee fan. Soon after, I introduced myself to Peter Cushing and his work and the rest is history.

Quote:

It's because of the inspiration of those two gentlemen that I became an actor.

One day we will be looking at your fan site,

star38

Old Soul · 1st February 2003, 05:03 PM

It

**Colin Bushby** · 1st February 2003, 05:13 PM

Hi Ken and welcome to the site.

To save me from typing it all out again click here to read an article I wrote earlier on Mr Lee's influence on me.:)

Anne Ikonen · 5th February 2003, 02:53 PM

My first encounter of Mr. Lee's work was many years ago,when they showed here,in Finland,some of his movies on a TV.I remem-
ber to seeing Gremlins II when I was much younger,and Death Train and some other his movies.But then I didn't even know about him,I just remember that I saw those movies many years ago,long before I was started to be his fan.
But then,about four-three years ago,I can't remember correctly, I happened to bought these Hammer Dracula movies and as I watched them...Well,Mr. Lee's Dracula was so perfect and he was so good in that role.And after watching these movies over and over again,I wanted to see some of his other movies also.So, the next movie I watched was "The Man with the Golden Gun".And that movie also was that movie,that after watching it,I really turned to be the absolute fan of Mr. Lee...

Ken_S · 5th February 2003, 06:53 PM

WOW - another Finn here !! :rotate:

:) KEN

5th February 2003, 07:28 PM

The first time I encounter Mr. Lee, was when I was litte It would of been when he played Dracula,not sure which one but I was hooked, My Mum would have to drag me away from the TV kicking and sceaming, to put me in bed.
But as soon as I was older and was getting more money, I would spend all of it going to the pictures watching his film, didn't matter what he was playing, I would be there, some times every night if I could.
And any money I had left was spend on books, Fan Clubs, pictures any thing I could get hold of to do with Mr. Lee, not only Mr. Lee, but Peter Cushing and Vincent Price as well.
All of them was like gods to me, but Mr. Lee was my favourite,
Over the years I have build up quite a collection, but sadly a lot has got lost as well, or broken, but I stiil have my scap books and Horror picture books, and alot more besides.

star38

Anne Ikonen · 6th February 2003, 04:51 PM

Hi,KEN S.It is very nice to find out that there are finnish fans using this site as well,I thought that I was the only one...

**Dave Hutchens** · 6th February 2003, 10:56 PM

My first encounter with Mr. Lee came at the age of 12, when I saw the famous "wagon wheel" publicity photo from Dracula A.D. 1972 in a popular monster mag called The Monster Times. One look at the photo of this maniacal-looking vampire hanging from a wagon wheel and I was hooked. I had to find out who this actor was, and what his movies were all about; and the more I discovered, the more enamored of Mr. Lee and his work I became.

Like so many here, Dracula and the Hammer films starring Mr. Lee were where our lifelong study of and devotion to Mr. Lee's incredible body of work first began.

6th February 2003, 11:23 PM

Quote:

My first encounter with Mr. Lee came at the age of 12, when I saw the famous "wagon wheel" publicity photo from Dracula A.D. 1972 in a popular monster mag called The Monster Times. One look at the photo of this maniacal-looking vampire hanging from a wagon wheel and I was hooked. I had to find out who this actor was, and what his movies were all about; and the more I discovered, the more enamored of Mr. Lee and his work I became.

Did you like the pic's I posted from that film?

it was one of the 'games'

star38

**Dave Hutchens** · 7th February 2003, 07:08 AM

Sure I did, Star. I love anything and everything to do with the Hammer Draculas. I just haven't bothered to try to come up with anything to post in response to the games. Not clever enough, I'm afraid. :(

7th February 2003, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Sure I did, Star. I love anything and everything to do with the Hammer Draculas. I just haven't bothered to try to come up with anything to post in response to the games. Not clever enough, I'm afraid.

I have more from that film, plus others, Thats how I came to like Mr. Lee As Dracula, But I have moved on with Mr. Lee, and I love all That he has done.
But I will never foget those years as Dracula, I don't think any of us should, they was the years that made Christopher Lee.
They was good years for us the viewer.
I know they was not always good for Mr. Lee, but there was fun then, if it wasn't for those years Mr. Lee may not of meet all the people that he did, Like Mr. Cushing and Mr. Price.

I also know that Mr. Lee had a very hard time trying to lose that image of Dracula, it stayed with him for many years, and even today his still called The Master Of Horror, all most every one who have spoke about Mr. Lee has mention those years, in interveiws and in the news papers.

Mr. Lee lost a lot of work in that time, it was thought that was all he could do, and people didn't want a man who had played horrror to star in their flims.
Thats why, he left England, and went to America, he had to start again there, not to many people had heard of what he had done over here, and some didn't care he was judged on his skills not on his past.
So he was given another chance to make his name out there, and as we all know he did.

And since then he has not look back, Mr. Lee has made some very good films, and I hope he goes on making films.

My facts are not always right, and my memory is not so good.
This is just how I see Mr. Lee's life, it may not be all dead right, and I know that there was and lot more thorns and roses in there.

star38