excellence for the devious Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston). The one-eyed Rochefort may bow reluctantly to his
master, but he brooks absolutely no disrespect from anyone else— which doesn’t mean he lacks a sense of humor. (See his reaction shots in the arrest scene as an elderly Spike Milligan attempts to load a pistol.) As a member of a superb ensemble, Lee stands out for his
sword fighting skills. By all accounts, Lee does not suffer from false modesty, so he does not hesitate to say that though he was “much, much older” than the other combatants, he was a “far better swordsman.” He is a completely convincing, entirely deadly assassin, whether fighting through a barn or sliding across a frozen river. In the early 60s, Lee played golf frequently with distant cousin
Ian Fleming, who one day told him he’d be perfect to play the title villain in DR. NO. By the time Fleming followed through, however, Joseph Wiseman had already been cast. Lee finally got his chance to go toe- to-toe with Bond after Jack Palance turned down the part of Francisco Scaramanga in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.
Filming began in November 1973, about two months after THE THREE MUSKETEERS wrapped. Much later, he told Empire Magazine, “The important thing was that he had a sense of humour: he could be charming, particularly towards the ladies, some of whom, like darling Maud Adams, were terrified of him. He was totally lethal, totally ruthless.” Lee received very positive critical notices for his work—Time Magazine called him “an unusually impressive villain”—but the film as a whole earned mixed reviews, and the box office returns were marked down from previous installment LIVE AND LET DIE. Despite the splendor of Lee’s key performances in the 70s, he
never got bumped up to the top rung of the star ladder. As enjoyable as it is to watch him playing scary vampires and other mysterious figures of the night, it’s even more fun to imagine how he might have enlivened otherwise straightforward Hollywood productions. He did so to some extent with roles in KILLER FORCE, THE PIRATE, CARAVANS, CIRCLE OF IRON, and RETURN TO WITCH MOUNTAIN. If you want to sample just one, consider the lackadaisical AIRPORT ‘77, the perfunctory third installment in the disaster series that featured an all-star cast, including Jack Lemmon, Joseph Cotten, James Stewart, and Olivia De Havilland.
christphe le and hamme’s lst gasp by per marn
christphe le and C
hristopher Lee may have been ready to move on from his signature role by 1970, but Hammer, most decidedly, was not. Lee gently mocked Dracula with an uncredited cameo in Jerry Lewis’
ONE MORE TIME, but he appeared as Dracula twice for Hammer in the same year . TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA revolves around three gentlemen who inadvertently
prompt Dracula to rise from the grave to exact a series of revenge killings. Film critic Jeffrey M. Anderson notes that, “Lee has less and less to do and is beginning to look bored.” Released six months later, SCARS OF DRACULA has the reputation of being a rush job. Lee gets considerably more screen time than in other Hammer/Dracula productions, though at the price of turning from a dedicated bloodsucker into a slasher-type serial killer, stabbing and impaling victims at will. DRACULA A.D. 1972 has picked up new admirers in recent years among fans who take pleasure
in the film’s awkward attempts to depict a hip, groovy, “Swinging London” scene. Director Alan Gibson can’t seem to decide if the tone should be ironic or sincere, undercutting the horror. Lee appears in the prologue with Peter Cushing as Van Helsing and promptly disappears until the movie’s almost over. When he does show up, it feels like he’s teleporting in from a much better movie. Alan Gibson returned to helm a sequel, THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA, in 1974, along with Peter Cushing as Van Helsing; the setting remained as contemporary London. Popularly
24 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND • MAR/APR 2012
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