#happy birthday christopher lee | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twistedtummies2 · 2 years

Text

Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary - Number 8

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I will be counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy! Today’s Subject, My 8th Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: King Haggard, from The Last Unicorn.

In the 1980s, classical fantasy films were pretty popular. Movies like “Labyrinth,” “Legend,” and “Dragonslayer” were all over the place, and most of these movies remain cult classics (if not outright “classics”) to this day. There was a certain charm to fantasy of the 1980s, both during that time and now, when looking back, that you just don’t find in other movies of a similar sort. One of the earliest of these 80s fantasy flicks, and one of my personal favorites, is 1982’s “The Last Unicorn.”

Based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle (who also wrote the screenplay, and had a hand in casting), this movie was a theatrical release by Rankin/Bass. I mentioned them before on the very first entry of the countdown, as the people who made classic Christmas specials like “The Year Without a Santa Claus” and “Frosty the Snowman.” They actually released several classic fantasy pieces, too, most of which were TV films…but “The Last Unicorn” was a rare cinematic production. Typical of Rankin/Bass, the movie boasts an all-star cast, prime among them Christopher Lee as the main antagonist: the mysterious and menacing King Haggard. The story of “The Last Unicorn” focuses on the titular Unicorn, who has learned she may be the last of her kind. Deciding to find out if this is true, she goes on an adventure to try and find the other Unicorns. She soon learns that a creature called the Red Bull (which does NOT give you wings, for the record) has captured all the unicorns, and hidden them somewhere under the command of the tyrannical Haggard. Haggard is a perennially miserable figure: it’s revealed that, for unknown reasons (at least in the film), he has essentially lost all zest for life. Nothing makes him happy: he desperately seeks anything that can give him the smallest amount of joy, but nothing works. Nothing…but the Unicorns. Haggard has discovered that only the enchanting presence of the Unicorns gives him pleasure of any kind, and makes him feel, in his own words, “truly young again, in spite of himself.” He quickly comes to suspect that the “Lady Amalthea” who visits him (the Unicorn, disguised as a human) is the one missing unicorn he has never been able to track down, and tries to figure out a way to get her to reveal herself, and thus capture her, too. Lee claimed that Haggard was one of his favorite roles. He loved it so much that he volunteered to do the German dub of the film (Lee spoke fluent German), just because he enjoyed the character so much. He likened the character to Shakespeare’s King Lear; I have to admit, a while back, I had no idea what he meant by that. Nowadays, I can KIND OF see it. Shakespearean allusions aside, however, Lee’s performance is largely what makes Haggard a compelling villain: he, of course, is able to bring a sense of command and sinister power to the character. That’s honestly to be expected. But what I love most about Haggard are his softer moments. This character so easily could have been depicted as a cartoonish, crotchety figure: Just some old sourpuss who hates everyone and who everyone hates – a slightly more evil Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog, if you will. That’s not what Lee does: you don’t really know WHY Haggard is so utterly depressed throughout the movie, but you really do feel “depression” is the word for it. There are moments where you feel sort of sorry for him, because the overwhelming sadness is so palpable. The way he talks about the Unicorns is almost touching; he sees them like angels, saviors to his eternal dreariness. At the same time, however, you never forget he’s the bad guy, his moods swinging rapidly, giving him a sense of leaning heavily towards total madness. He also has some of my favorite, most quotable lines any Lee character has ever had. Just for one example: “I can wait. The end will be the same: I can wait.” A cartoon baddy played by Christopher Lee just gave you one of the best quotes about patience you’ll ever hear. I love this movie. ^^ The time has come to move into the final week of the countdown. Tomorrow, I present my choice for Number 7!

#christopher lee #sinister centenary #happy birthday christopher lee #top 31 christopher lee performances #may special #best #favorites #list #countdown #number 8 #king haggard #haggard #the last unicorn #last unicorn #rankin/bass

49 notes · View notes

vintagesuga · 7 months

Text

Happy birthday, cutie 🫶🏻

I hope you have a wonderful birthday. 🐶💚

^credit to i.nsomnja on tik tok

135 notes · View notes

rose-likesto-write · 1 month

Text

SKZ MAFIA BF Moodboard...

(Chan and Felix)

Happiest Birthday Dear !!!

I hope you will like this mini digital moodboard of mine... @shinyoafdeputyalien

Mafia BF Bang Chan....

"For your smile and happiness, I do anything and everything for you from the domestic lifestyle to burning the world into ashes and if so, my life for you."

Mafia BF Lee Felix....

"I will bring the whole universe at your feet. Just name it princess, it's yours. The flowers, the animals, the car... Me, my heart, my emotions are all yours. Only and only yours."

Poly AU! Mafia BFs Chan and Felix....

"YOU ARE OUR QUEEN.. THE HEIRESS TO THE THRONE AND RULE THIS KINGDOM. EVERYONE HERE AND US WILL BOW DOWN TO THEIR QUEEN"

25 notes · View notes

sunshinebarbie · 7 months

Text

STAY: “on October 3rd he asked me what day it was.”

STAY: “it’s Bang Chan’s Birthday” 😊

#happy bang chan day!#bang chan #christopher bang #stray kids #lee know #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #lee Minho #lee Felix #han jisung #kim seungmin #yang jeongin #lol well i think i’m funny #happy birthday bang chan

40 notes · View notes

hotmonkeelove · 11 months

Text

LeeWeek Appreciation

Day 7: Coolest Thing Ever - Christopher Lee and Vincent Price celebrating their shared birthday by throwing a party in the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, London.

How I wish I could have gone! Granted, I wasn't born yet...

#leeweek appreciation #christopher lee #uta levka #vincent price #leeweek 2023 #chamber of horrors #madame tussauds #wax museum #made of awesome #happy birthday #27 may

44 notes · View notes

christopherleefan · 2 years

Photo

Leeweek 2022 Day 7: Leeday; Happy Birthday Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (May 27, 1922 - ∞)

“To be a legend, you've either got to be dead or excessively old!” - Christopher Lee

#christopher lee #leeweek #leeweek appreciation #happy birthday my love #my hero #born to be a christopher lee fan #keep calm and love christopher lee

300 notes · View notes

naturallwanderer · 11 months

Text

Wishing a very happy heavenly birthday to Sir Christopher Lee (1922) and Vincent Price (1911) today! 🦇

#vincent price #christopher lee #horror #icons #legends #Edgar Allen Poe #macabre #actor #theater #art #Dracula #The Fly #loml #happy birthday

38 notes · View notes

that-nerdy-vertherav · 11 months

Text

Swap Roles! Van Helsing C.Lee & Dracula P.Cushing.

#vertherav art #my art #peter cushing #christopher lee #hammer horror #role swap au #count dracula #dracula #vancula #van helsing #& happy 110th birthday to brilliant Peter Cushing!#pencil #trying to draw stylish figures (and failed

42 notes · View notes

kaisaunders85 · 11 months

Text

Happy Heavenly Birthday Vincent Price and Christopher Lee!

#happy birthday #actors #tim burton stars #horror movies #christopher lee #vincent price #never forgotten

29 notes · View notes

xxnothingbutstrangerxx · 2 years

Photo

🖤 (๑^ᗜ^)┌iii┐Happy Bang Chan Day 🖤

82 notes · View notes

fanfic-she-wrote · 2 years

Text

Lee Week Day 6: Best Friends

Some of my favorite pictures of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in honor of Peter’s birthday today. I know they made several movies together, but I still wish they had made more. They had such wonderful chemistry onscreen and an even more wonderful friendship offscreen.

#happy birthday peter cushing!#❤️#oh to be the actress in the last picture though #lol!!#christopher lee #peter cushing #leeweek appreciation #leeweek2022 #leeweek

93 notes · View notes

twistedtummies2 · 2 years

Text

Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary - Number 2

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I have been counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy! It's time for the penultimate entry of this special countdown. Today’s Subject, My 2nd Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: Lord Summerisle, from The Wicker Man.

SCREW THE NICOLAS CAGE REMAKE!!! Ahem…sorry, I…seem to be programmed to say that anytime I mention The Wicker Man-SCREW THE NICOLAS CAGE REMAKE!!! Ahem-hem…sorry again. From this point on, I’ll just call “Wicker Man” for safety’s sake. It helps if I don’t say “the.” :P ANYWAY…alongside “Jinnah,” Lee considered “Wicker Man” to be his single favorite and best film, and it’s hard to disagree there. This very strange, surreal, and EXTREMELY dark picture is a genre-blending, one-of-a-kind thriller. It’s part horror film, part twist-turning murder mystery, part musical…and all around HIGHLY disturbing, even nowadays. The story follows a police officer, Neil Howie, who attempts to solve the mystery of a small girl’s strange disappearance on the island colony of Summerisle. A faithful Christian, Howie is appalled to discover the island’s residents practice rituals resembling a form of Celtic Paganism. As the story goes on, he discovers a massive conspiracy…a conspiracy that ends in his EXTREMELY horrifying downfall. A central figure in the unfolding madness is Christopher Lee as the leader of the colony, and a descendant of the island’s founders, Lord Summerisle. Summerisle is a mysterious, strange figure, one who – even all the way up to the end – we’re never able to fully unravel. He is a walking enigma; in some ways a civilized gentleman, reasonable and rational, and really quite friendly. But the fervor with which he commits his crimes and practices the dark rituals of the story creates an air of deep unease. It’s also not entirely clear how truthfully Summerisle BELIEVES in the pagan trials, or even how true they are to any kind of spiritual following: is he a mad cultist, a charlatan leading a band of disillusioned followers, or something else entirely? Perhaps the most disturbing question is if Summerisle is actually RIGHT in what he does, since it's left unclear if all his wicked workings even have the desired effect in the end or not. Only the audience can truly decide for themselves what is true and what is false. This role, in essence, gives one EVERYTHING they could want out of a great Christopher Lee performance, giving the actor a chance to show nearly the full breadth of his range as a performer all in one shot: he gets to sing, and he gets to dance. He has scenes of manic, wild power, and scenes of subtlety and softness. He has scenes where he is terrifying and intimidating, and scenes where you almost forget to be scared at all. The ambiguities of the character only help to add to the power of the part. It’s easy to see why this was one of Lee’s personal favorite roles, and I actually very, VERY nearly gave Lord Summerisle the number one slot…but the more I thought about it and inspected the situation, the more I felt that wasn’t quite right. Lord Summerisle is phenomenal, but there’s one Lee performance I like more…but I mustn’t say more, or I shall spoil what’s coming next. On that note…tomorrow, we reach the end of the countdown. Who will be my number one favorite? You’ll have to stick around to find out! ;)

#christopher lee #sinister centenary #happy birthday christopher lee #top 31 christopher lee performances #may special #number 2 #best #favorites #list #countdown #the wicker man #lord summerisle

28 notes · View notes

vintagesuga · 8 months

Text

Happiest of birthdays to my love 🥰