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The Story of the man behind some of the cinema's most terrifying villains and creatures of the dark, only a part of his fifty-year film career. From the modern world of James Bond inThe Man With The Golden Gun,through the swashbuckling era of theThree Musketeers, to the mysterious laird of the Scottish island at the centre ofThe Wicker Man,Christopher Lee has been associated in filmgoers' minds as the face of villainy across the decades. His appearance as Count Dracula and related roles of dark fantasy and gothic menace-are few, yet his is the name that people recall as the quintessential vampire.
As I began to read this book, my thoughts were that this was going to be the "ordinary" autobiographical book. Not so. The more I read into the book, the more I got to know the man behind the face and voice that had both terriorized and delighted me for close to three years. I got to know him better than I know myself, by reading of the difficulties that he faced, and the outcome that gently molded and shaped him. I got to see into his family, his strong mother and even stronger father, and the way his life started out in England. I enjoyed reading of his military service and the tales of those whom he served with in Africa. His struggles to be accepted as an actor were also a joy to read. At a time when others would have been discouraged, he persevered and continued never giving up.
Reading on, I saw through his eyes the growth of the British cinema and the influence it would have on the industry. The stories of what went on behind the scenes were a delight to read and I have come to enjoy those films a bit better now than before. The warmth of his sensitivity when he talks of his beloved Gitte and daughter Christina also made me see that there is a warmth behind the coldness he sometimes projects.
I recommend this book for his fans who want to know more about the man and his incredible fifty-year film career.
