Conducted by critic Brad Stevens, this 45-minute interview offers a glimpse into the life and career of the late Sir Christopher Lee. Check out my Internet Archive page for more obscure media: archive.org/details/@ajace1000
Listening to Lee you realise how beautiful the English Language can be. The voice, the diction, the poise, the vocabulary, wit, depth and never ever boring. Totally engrossing.
An amazing man! He led an incredible life..with a very wide variety of skills..listen to his reading of the poem " The Raven" or his narration of the Exorcist audiobook
This is what interviews should be. The interviewer just lets the interviewee talk and does not interrupt with points of interest, arguments and grandstanding. Instead they wait and just ask questions.
Why was Christopher Lee never nominated for an Academy Award? I looked up the Oscars and he's never been on the list of nominees despite being a star for over 70 years. Even the BAFTA's barely acknowledged him until he was nearing the end of his life. He deserved at least one nomination and his abilities surpassed those of many Oscar and/or BAFTA nominees and/or winners. I think that's because he had the right imagination and creative spark - I've long suspected that being a performer who will last over a long period of time requires much more intelligence than most people think and Christopher Lee confirmed that suspicion - plus he wasn't afraid to think for himself and call out filmmakers if he thought they were making a mistake. For example, did you know that Count Dooku was originally supposed to beg for his life in Revenge of the Sith? Matthew Stover even wrote that into the novel but Christopher Lee refused to go out like that so Dooku died with dignity. Incidentally, that's also proof that the myth about George Lucas being surrounded by yes-men is complete bullshit invented by people who don't like the Star Wars Prequels. Christopher Lee was all about quality and put his heart and soul into every single role he had. He only compromised this for the Hammer Horror Films because he didn't want his friends and colleagues to be put out of work but he still refused to speak the dialogue unless it was of a similar quality to Bram Stoker's original novel.
@@tomnorton4277 I'll tell you why, because Hollywood (specifically, the pompous Academy voters) does not value the genre of horror. You can list the horror winners (or even nominees) on one hand. Pop trash like The Silence of the Lambs and the atrocious acting of Hopkins gets praised, not because of his performance, but because of who he is.
Tom Norton He is the most prolific and brilliant actors of all-time. When people look back they’ll just realise how stupid and moronic the acting industry is. True talent is sadly ignored.
I love how this is 45 minutes and the guy only asks like 3 questions lol. Lee just loves to share stories and experiences and convey them in an interesting way. This was a good interview. Too often interviewers interrupt to ask the next question, but this guys just lets him talk and it's fabulous!
Absolutely on target! Just let the guest be themselves without the host's ego or agenda (or both) trying to get in the way! What a fantastic and delightful interview with Lee. =)
Agreed. Also I would imagine that Lee would not tolerate most of interviewers for precisely that reason. I imagine He couldn't abide by people interrupting him.
Fabulous interview because he was interviewing Christopher Lee. Lee could just ramble, and his ramblings would be FASCINATING. Literally the most interesting man in the world. He let him talk and he tore apart the British film industry.
Great interview. Summer 1983 ,16 years old, me and my best mate are at Gleneagles hotel autograph hunting during the pro/celebrity golf tournament. We knew Christopher Lee was there. Wandered around, got a few autographs but not George C. Scott who waved me away then posed for a photo with a family. We saw a lone figure was off on the driving range by himself. Walked over and...Christopher Lee. We stood back and watched him practise for a bit then he stopped and chatted to us for half an hour. We each got his autograph and a photo with him ( which i still have, im 52 now} Being a huge fan i was awestruck but so pleased he gave the time to talk to us about golf and his movies. True gent RIP
YOUR TELLING ME WE COULD HAVE HAD CHRISTOPHER LEE AS DUMBLEDORE AND THEY DIDN'T CONSIDER HIM BECAUSE HE ALREADY PLAYED A WIZARD IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS?!?!?!?! I WANNA HARD SLAP WHOEVER TURNED THAT IDEA DOWN!
@@chadpeterson5698 On another note, did you guys notice that this video has -38 dislikes? Not 38 dislikes not 0 dislikes but -38 dislikes! XD I've never seen a video that has minus x dislikes before! XD Only Christopher lee could accomplish something like this XD!!!
he describes in an interview how an actor who becomes known for doing similar roles is a doomed actor, it might of been his call as well to not become type casted as "the wizard actor"
The interviewer was superb here. Asked serious questions, listened intently and with genuine interest to the answers, and in so doing gave Lee perfect space to offer the real depth of his experience and intellect. A pleasure to watch this.
When I was a pre-teen growing up in London, in the 1970s, there are some things that I will always remember: hot Summers, ladybirds, flying ants, Chopper cycles, skateboards, Motown music, and Hammer films on TV. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were my favourite actors, and they never disappointed, especially when they were on screen together. The world is so lucky to have had these people arrive together in the same timeframe so that we were able to admire their skills and the fact that they occupied the same stage.
A tremendous asset for acting and the uk ! I must say how refreshing it is that an interviewer doesn’t interrupt and make the interview about himself ! No need to interrupt the poetry !. Brilliance
He must one of the most easiest people to interview, you just ask one question and let him go for hours. And he's never boring. Always insightful, honest and interesting. I could listen to him for a life time. Comes across as real gentleman, and ultimate professional.
Amazing. In addition to his incredible presence, which fairly leaps off the screen, there is that magnificent, rich, rolling yet precise voice, hypnotising you with its dark and seductive timbre. What a personality he was.
As a child this man terrified me portraying Dracula. The ones performance that scared me the most, he spoke very little it was his presence throughout the movie. He didn't have to say a word. I really want a copy of The Wicker Man. It's a great psychological thriller.
This really is a very cozy and relaxing interview. This man got to live such a long and interesting life. He lived for so many decades and kept working. We should all be so lucky.
Film makers instead of deal makers. And we need more risk takers and rule breakers, instead of money rakers and values forsakers. RIP the legend, Sir Christopher Lee.
Absolutely fantastic, now this is what u call class, etticate, mannerisms god bless your golden heart and soul sir god bless you are really missed sir😢🙏🌹❤
Also, (I've no idea what the part was, but it doesn't matter) whoever it was that robbed us of seeing Christopher Lee in the Harry Potter franchise (especially for the silly reason that he'd already played a wizard before) should be ashamed of themselves. I'd have loved to have seen him in those movies.
I've never really appreciated Christopher lee that much since a friend said he loved the old hammer horror films. Watched a couple of his Dracula films and loved them. He is a legend, and with Peter Cushing of course too.
That was 45 minutes already? It felt like 10. Such a way with words. And he lived a life that is, pardon the phrase, like straight out of a movie or novel. Gods I could listen to him for hours
A great story teller with a marvellous deep voice, full of power and charisma. A highly cultured and intelligent man. Watch The Wicker Man as one of his best works. He is right about the brilliance of director Billy Wilder and right about the British press being the World's worst.
I love the fact that Lee took the time to note the pop cultural mistake regarding Frankenstein. That tells you right away that he was book smart and even if you never asked him the books he'd read in life, you get this sense that he's read not only Frankenstein book, but had also read loads of other books from Dracula to Lord of the Rings. When I think of intellectual badass, I think of him.
41:12 - Lee cracks, 'The Count becomes a Commander' and you can hear the crew in the background laugh. Lee had a great, droll sense of humor, too-seldom seen in movies. The best showcase of this is probably his role in 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch.'
Class, depth, warmth, humor. Simply fascinating to hear the stories of that man, whom I really feared as a child in the 60/70s. Too bad he was not also immortal in reality.
Boy did he dodge a bullet when he decided to heed the advice of moving to the U.S. to avoid endless typecasting. Variety is essential after all, and I'm glad Christopher realized that.
Did Mr. Lee not sleep well? The large impressions under his eyes speak of fatigue beyond the ordinary. One of my Absolute favorite actors!! He is missed, I've seen a lot of his films, including his Mummy, and Dracula films. My favorite film of his was with Peter Cushing (if i remember correctly), black and white film where they were combatants. Awesome Actor!
He was in his late eighties atleast in this interview, so he had earned the right to have 'Large impressions' under his eyes. Why is that even a consideration ?
I love this older gent storytelling. We miss that sometimes. BTW Check out Christopher Lee's biography JEEZUS H. He was a Nazi hunter, a war hero and had several medals including ones for Intelligence in Italy and Egypt. He spoke 8 languages or more. What a fcking guy.
One of the GREATEST ACTOR in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. It never gets old to listen to an elegant English person like Mr. C. Lee. Loved him as DRACULA and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. He and (my favorite Bond) Mr R. Moore. Both I considered TWO TITANS IN ONE MOVIE.
