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The North American premiere of The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee screened at Fantastic Fest 2024 which took place September 19–26 in Austin, Texas. The 19th edition of the nation’s largest genre festival featured over 90 films including horror, sci-fi, fantasy, restored classics, and documentaries about these genres and their filmmakers and stars.
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee presented a most unusual biography of a most unusual man. I chose to watch this film because I have been a fan of Christopher Lee for as long as I can remember.
Not Typecast
You might hear the name “Christopher Lee” and think, “Oh, that horror movie guy.” But he was anything but typecast.
His first film, Corridor of Mirrors, a mystery, hit the big screen before I was born. While I was in grammar school, he played Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula, and when I made it to my 50s he was Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies and Count Dooku in the Star Wars films. Along the way, he played both Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, Fu Manchu, pirates, scientists, a James Bond villain and a prince of Egypt.
And not everything was serious or scary. He appeared on TV shows including Tales of Hans Anderson, How the West Was Won, Charlie’s Angels and Faerie Tale Theatre.
The detail the movie fills in about the real man, not the characters that everyone knows, makes the film fascinating. By the end, I felt that I had met him for the very first time.
Not a Clichéd Doc
This biography communicates via a documentary format different from what most filmgoers expect to see.
It does include, as with most documentaries, “talking heads” – people who appear and reappear throughout the film to give us information about the subject of the film. The film also has clips from his work, interviews, documentary footage, and behind-the-scenes moments with Lee and his friends.
Two elements make this film special.
First, his family had a history going back to the Middle Ages and came from Italian aristocracy. Several animators created sequences, in different styles, to bring to life various moments in the history of Lee and his family.
Second, a marionette – that’s one of those puppets controlled by strings from above – of Christopher Lee narrates (with the help of actor Peter Serafinowicz) the story of his life. Done with tongue firmly planted in cheek, the effect is amusing. After a while, it seemed totally natural.
Those Talking Heads
Christopher Lee’s story begins with his youth. A father abandoned him. From a second father he got the very un-Italian name of “Lee.” He suggested that his adventures in WWII might have been at least a partial inspiration for the character of James Bond. Then acting. As with most actors whose careers stretch over decades, there were ups and downs, and his friends (and his puppet) detail these for us.
I learned many things about Lee including aspects and periods of his career I had been clueless about. This is a delightful and fascinating biopic, done like none other. Those talking heads I mentioned include Peter Jackson, John Landis, and Joe Dante. They know how to tell a story, and you will come away knowing Christopher Lee like he had been your friend for decades.
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee will become available for viewing in 2025.
For information about next year’s Fantastic Fest, check their social media on Facebook, their X page, and Instagram.
