Christopher Lee Movies
After several years in secondary film roles, the skeletal, menacing Christopher Lee achieved horror-flick stardom as the Monster in 1958's The Curse of Frankenstein, the second of his 21 Hammer Studios films. Contrary to popular belief, Lee and Peter Cushing did not first appear together in The Curse of Frankenstein. In Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948), in which Cushing plays the minor role of Osric, Lee appears as the cadaverous candle-bearer in the "frighted with false fires" scene, one of his first film roles. In 1958, Lee made his inaugural appearance as "the Count" in The Horror of Dracula, with Cushing as Van Helsing. It would remain the favorite of Lee's Dracula films; the actor later noted that he was grateful to be allowed to convey "the sadness of the character. The terrible sentence, the doom of immortality...."Three years after Curse, Lee added another legendary figure to his gallery of characters: Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist of Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes. With the release eight years later of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Lee became the first actor ever to portray both Holmes and Holmes' brother, Mycroft, onscreen. Other Lee roles of note include the title characters in 1959's The Mummy and the Fu Manchu series of the '60s, and the villainous Scaramanga in the 1974 James Bond effort The Man With the Golden Gun. In one brilliant casting coup, the actor was co-starred with fellow movie bogeymen Cushing, Vincent Price, and John Carradine in the otherwise unmemorable House of Long Shadows (1982). Established as a legend in his own right, Lee continued working steadily throughout the '80s and '90s, appearing in films ranging from Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) to Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999).
In 2001, after appearing in nearly 300 film and television productions and being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the international star with the most screen credits to his name, the 79-year-old actor undertook the role of Saruman, chief of all wizards, in director Peter Jackson's eagerly anticipated screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Thought by many to be the millennial predecessor to George Lucas' Star Wars franchise, audiences thrilled to the wondrous battle between Saruman and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) atop the wizard's ominous tower, though Lee didn't play favorites between the franchises when Lucas shot back with the continuing saga of Anakin Skywalker's journey to the dark side in mid-2002. Wielding a lightsaber against one of the most powerful adversaries in the Star Wars canon, Lee proved that even at 80 he still had what it takes to be a compelling and demanding screen presence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Richard Roundtree stars as tennis-coach Chip Williams in this uneven adolescent comedy. Coach Williams must whip his players into shape for the big tournament in Las Vegas. The Kid (Scott Strader) and his cohorts run wild in Vegas on and off the court as the coach tries to keep the star players out of trouble before the match. Christopher Lee and R. G. Armstrong appear in character roles and Jane Mansfield's daughter Mariska Hargitay is the heroine Nicole. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Strader, Perry Lang, (more)
- 1987
Based on an Astrid Lindgren novel, this fantasy focuses on a Swedish teen drawn into a magical world to battle an evil knight. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Pickard, Christian Bale, (more)
- 1986
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One of the most memorable characters in the history of literature is that of Sherlock Holmes. The sleuth made famous by the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is so real that many people do not know that he is a character of fiction. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Dr. Watson have been immortalized in numerous films. This documentary, featuring Basil Rathbone and Christopher Lee, use archival film clips to illustrate some of the many faces of the world's best- known detective. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
Originally aired as a British mini-series, Shaka Zulu follows the rise of Shaka (Henry Cele) to the king of the Zulus during the early 19th century when the British were beginning to gain control of Africa. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
The Girl is 14-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Pat Carlsson (Clare Powney). Though very young, she is also very wise in the ways of the world, thus she has no qualms about offering her sexual services, for a price, to middle-aged attorney John Berg (Franco Nero). Like Humbert Humbert, Berg cannot prevent himself from succumbing to Pat's charms. What starts as an illicit affair, ends in a tangled web of tragedy and duplicity involving blackmail, kidnapping and murder. The Girl switches moods so often that it seems like three different films cobbled together. Though hardly a model of restraint, the film is surprisingly prudish when it comes to nudity: still, this is not a film for the easily offended. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Bernice Stegers, (more)
- 1985
- R
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The brother of a slain werewolf newscaster joins the battle against a lycanthropic femme fatale in this sequel to 1981's horror/humor update. Shortly after the events of the original The Howling, Ben White (Reb Brown) attends the funeral of his sister, journalist Karen White (played here by Hana Ludvikova and by Dee Wallace in the original). There, he meets both Jenny Templeton (Annie McEnroe), one of Karen's colleagues, and Stefan Crosscoe (Christopher Lee), a mysterious interloper who claims the slain reporter was a newscaster. Providing videotaped evidence of the transformation -- and turning up to destroy Karen as her undead body rises from the grave -- Crosscoe convinces Ben and Jenny to accompany him to Transylvania to battle Stirba (Sybil Danning), an immortal werewolf queen. Along the way, the do-gooders encounter Mariana (Marsha Hunt), another lusty werewolf babe, and her minion Erle (played by Fearless Vampire Killers veteran Ferdy Mayne). Arriving in the Balkans, Ben and company wander through an ethnic folk festival, unaware that Stirba is off in her castle having sex with other werewolves and plotting their downfall. Eventually, the adventurers do battle with Stirba in an assault that involves disguised dwarves, mutilated priests, supernatural parasites, and surprise revelations. Howling II is variously known as Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf and Stirba the Werewolf Bitch. Director Philippe Mora, who previously helmed The Return of Captain Invincible, would return for Howling III: The Marsupials. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe, (more)
In a thinly-plotted story about redeeming a failing hotel by turning it into an optional brothel (depending on the guest), Peter Scolari stars as Elliot, the young man who has to succeed at this hotel business in order to garner the favor of Clifford, his prospective father-in-law (Christopher Lee). Unknown to Elliot and his girlfriend Tracy (Colleen Camp), her father just intends to blast the building to smithereens so he can collect the insurance money. But with Fran Drescher as the head of the contingent of call girls-cum-bellhops, the hotel starts to turn a tidy profit, giving Clifford second thoughts. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colleen Camp, Peter Scolari, (more)
The lavishly produced three-part telemovie The Far Pavilions was adapted from the best-selling novel by M.M. Kaye. Set in colonial India during the second Afghan war, the film concerns the exploits of Ashton Pelham-Martyn (Ben Cross), a British officer. Born and raised in India, Pelham-Martyn finds himself a victim of his own divided loyalties as he leads a campaign against the rebellious tribal leaders on the northwestern frontier. The meat of the drama is Pelham-Martyn's "forbidden" romance with his lifelong friend, half-caste Hindu princess Anjuli (Amy Irving). The supporting cast includes the illustrious likes of Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee. Filmed on location on a budget of $12 million (the most costly made-for-cable movie up to 1984), The Far Pavilions originally aired over the HBO service on April 22, 23 and 24, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Peter MacNicol stars in this fairy tale as Martin, a boy who has never been afraid. Determined to test his record of fearlessness, he sets off on a journey on which he meets a mysterious king (Christopher Lee) who has a haunted castle for rent. He makes a deal with Martin that if he can survive three nights in the castle, he will be given all the land he could possibly want, and a princess as his bride. Will Martin come out as the winner, or will he finally know all too well what fear is like? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
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This patchy, uneven combination of fantasy and musical comedy is hilarious in parts and embarrassing in others, though the premise has great potential in itself -- a screwball Captain Invincible is out to save the world from his nemesis, Mr. Midnight, the white supremacist. Captain Invincible (Alan Arkin) is wallowing in his cups in the Australian outback when he receives an unusual call from the American President asking for his help. Unusual because the Captain had no choice but to go into exile after Joseph McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee became suspicious of his red cape, and he has never been sober enough to recover from the shock. This history is given in a mock newsreel at the beginning of the film. But now Mr. Midnight is threatening to dismember New York City by convincing all the ethnic groups to live along the seashore. Once they are situated on beachfront property, he will blast out a crack in the earth behind them, cut their connection to the mainland, and send them drifting off into the Atlantic. It seems the dastardly Midnight has stolen the ultra-secret hypno-ray and can slice off New Jersey whenever he wants. Weakened by depression and alcohol, Captain Invincible is nursed back to full throttle by Patty Patria (Kate Fitzpatrick) and is soon ready to zoom over Sydney to the far side of the globe -- after practicing in harness in front of rear-projected scenes. Meanwhile, Mr. Midnight and his sidekick are all set to defend their turf, and their ability to slice it up -- though the (American) patriotic sentimentality that prevails in the end, after several other songs have come and gone, is summarized in a rendition of "God Bless America" that conflicts with the opening scenes and may leave foreign audiences cold. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Christopher Lee, (more)
Only one of the mythological creatures escapes the evil King Haggard's (voice by Christopher Lee) plan to eliminate all unicorns from the land in Rankin-Bass's (Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) sophisticated production of The Last Unicorn. In hopes of rescuing her exiled breed, the last unicorn (voice by Mia Farrow) teams up with the kindly, if bumbling wizard Schmendrick the Magician (voice by Alan Arkin), who accompanies her on the far-reaching and treacherous quest to save her kind. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, (more)
- 1982
Massarati (Daniel Pilon) is a fabulously wealthy adventurer-for-hire who uses a wide array of electronic gadgets to carry out his various missions. "The Brain," aka Christopher (Peter Billingsley), is Massarati's 12-year-old nephew, and the creator of most of Unk's gadgetry. Together with such confederates as sexy spy leader Julie Ramsdell (Markie Post) and ever-resourceful butler, Anatole (Christopher Hewitt), Massarati and Christopher endeavor to steal back a fabulous art collection from a larcenous neo-Nazi named Victor Leopold (Christopher Lee). The pilot for an unsold tongue-in-cheek espionage series from the Aaron Spelling plant, Massarati and the Brain debuted August 26, 1982, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Pilon, Peter Billingsley, (more)
- 1982
Most of you know what this is about. For the benefit of the two of you who've never read a tabloid, Prince Charles of England married Lady Diana Spencer in a pomp-and-circumstance wedding telecast all over the world in 1981. David Robb plays Bonnie Prince Charlie, while Caroline Bliss portrays Lady Di. This TV movie came out almost simultaneously with The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, a far superior (and equally unsuspenseful) production starring Christopher Baines and Catherine Oxenberg. Caroline Bliss faded into obscurity, but Catherine Oxenberg was back for the 1992 TV-movie "sequel" (dictated by Destiny, as it were), titled Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this umpteenth remake of the George M. Cohan-Earl Derr Biggers play Seven Keys to Baldpate, Desi Arnaz Jr. plays Kenneth Magee, the young writer who bets that he can bat out a mystery play in one evening. Magee squirrels himself away in a forbidding old mansion where, unbeknownst to him, a bizarre family reunion is scheduled to commence. As the participants begin dropping like flies, Magee finds himself in the middle of a genuine mystery. At least, he thinks he does. At least, the audience thinks he thinks he does. Of historical importance is the fact that House of Long Shadows represents the only co-starring effort of those titans of terror Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and John Carradine. The highlight is the cozy tete-a-tete between Price and Cushing during the climactic party scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1982
- PG
In this often comical adventure, a retired stunt man goes to Africa to participate in a transcontinental road rally in hopes of winning a fabulous prize. Also involved is a photo-journalist for Playboy Magazine who has been assigned to accompany him. It is a dangerous 3,000 kilometer car race and some of the stunt man's rivals are desperate to win; with desperation comes danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Stockard Channing, (more)
The frequently used title An Eye for an Eye was applied to a Chuck Norris martial-arts festival in 1981. Norris plays Sean Kane, a San Francisco cop whose partner is murdered by an Oriental drug ring. Told to keep his distance by his superiors, Kane quits the force and sets out to exact vengeance. When he's not suffering from traumatic nightmares, our hero is single-handedly decimating every one of villain Morgan Canfield's (Christopher Lee) henchmen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1981
- PG
Though it strains credibility to the breaking point, the made-for-TV Goliath Awaits proved a ratings success when it was first syndicated via "Operation Prime Time" on November 16, 1981. Mark Harmon plays oceanographer Peter Cabot, who intends to salvage valuable treasures from the ocean liner Goliath, which was sunk by a German U-boat during World War II. Descending into the ocean depths, Cabot stares into one of the portholes of the Goliath--only to see someone staring back at him! Through a fluke, the submerged Goliath's air supply has remained intact for nearly forty years, and a tiny group of survivors (and their progeny) live in an idyllic society ruled by benevolent despot John McKenzie (Christopher Lee). But when Cabot announces that he intends to rescue the denizens of the Goliath, McKenzie's benevolence quickly evaporates. Originally telecast in two 2-hour installments, Goliath Awaits was also made available as a ten-episode miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
This strange movie is about a roller skating fanatic who leaves home, goes to San Francisco to pursue his passion, and then comes up against a troublesome relationship. Andy Steigler (Steve Tracy) gets a low-level job at a large roller rink to be close to his sport. He makes friends with some other employees as well as his landlady, Dottie Butz (Isabel Sanford), but after he meets Olivia (Dana Handler) things go downhill. His feelings are intentionally either mocked or encouraged by the mean-spirited Olivia and before he can resolve what is happening to him, he has a few odd sessions with Dr. Boxer (Christopher Lee), a man who is knowledgeable about dominating relationships. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Tracy, Dana Handler, (more)
- 1981
Narrated by Vincent Price, this story is about a boy who goes to a Transylvanian Castle to learn about fear. This program is not intended for young children. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
Jack Palance both hosts and stars in this "possession" thriller. The story, concerning an old dark house and a family curse, is nothing special. What is of interest is the origin of Evil Stalks This House. Though currently available to television as a two-hour TV movie, the film was initially telecast in five half-hour serialized installments. Evil Stalks This House was the pilot for a syndicated horror anthology titled Tales of the Haunted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Dante Matucci (Franco Nero), a counter-intelligence officer, uncovers a fascist plot to overthrow the Italian government, and as he begins to investigate, he has an ally in Bruno Manzini (Anthony Quinn), a man dedicated to hunting down war criminals. Bruno and other operatives, including the beautiful and frosty Lili Anders (Sybil Danning) report to Matucci as he coordinates their work. Most of the drama (not all) takes place off-screen, and Matucci essentially narrates the story -- making this one of the least exciting spy dramas around -- even the affair between Matucci and Anders is several degrees cooler than the norm. The inertia of the film continues through to the end, as the final denouement has all the suspects herded into one room (à la Agatha Christie or Dashiell Hammett) while Matucci and Manzini discuss the case. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Martin Balsam, (more)
There are no cliff-hanging moments in Serial, but there's plenty of laughs in this trenchant comedy comment on 1970s lifestyles. Martin Mull plays the father of a Marin County family that succumbs to every silly fad coming down the pike. Mull tries to distance himself from his family's idiocies, but it's always the man who pays the piper. The film, based on a collection of newspaper essays by Cyra McFadden, is neatly tied up with a Capraesque ending allowing Mull to finally prevail. Some of the best moments involves Mull's tiltings with his trend-happy neighbor Bill Macy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, (more)
- 1980
In this espionage drama, a computer whiz conned into assisting a tricky spy, finds himself face-to-face with the world's most deadly criminal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
