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rosemarieshort's review against another edition
5.0
I think it is important that I precursor this review with a disclaimer. Christopher Lee was a hero of mine - inspiration, role model...the whole shebang. So please be prepared for a completely nonobjective view on this, his autobiography.
Christopher Lee lived an incredible life. The commonly know details are startling enough - the star of not only the Hammer Horror Universe during its heyday (Dracula, Fu Manchu and The Mummy being perhaps his most well known roles) but also a key character in some of the most well regarded and beloved science fiction and fantasy series of all time; The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Wars prequels (I will overlook that he was in the prequels as opposed to the original trilogy - we are none of us perfect). If you look on IMDB you will find 278 acting credits to Lee's name.
He was, on all account, a legend of the screen.
What this autobiography does beautifully is tell the story of the man behind the SFX makeup - the son of a Countess and an army man. Lee spent a large part of his younger years in the armed forces himself - including a time in which he was charged with hunting down Nazi war criminals - before returning to his childhood love of acting. Lee proceeded to star in a number of infamous roles, despite the fact that many people at the start of his career insisted he was too tall to be an actor.
In his later years, Lee continued acting but also turned his hand to creating and releasing his own heavy metal album - at the tender age of eighty eight.
Christopher Lee is a legend who is much missed - and this book is a must read; filled with life, love and laughter, and a vibrant self-portrait of an incredible man.
Christopher Lee lived an incredible life. The commonly know details are startling enough - the star of not only the Hammer Horror Universe during its heyday (Dracula, Fu Manchu and The Mummy being perhaps his most well known roles) but also a key character in some of the most well regarded and beloved science fiction and fantasy series of all time; The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Wars prequels (I will overlook that he was in the prequels as opposed to the original trilogy - we are none of us perfect). If you look on IMDB you will find 278 acting credits to Lee's name.
He was, on all account, a legend of the screen.
What this autobiography does beautifully is tell the story of the man behind the SFX makeup - the son of a Countess and an army man. Lee spent a large part of his younger years in the armed forces himself - including a time in which he was charged with hunting down Nazi war criminals - before returning to his childhood love of acting. Lee proceeded to star in a number of infamous roles, despite the fact that many people at the start of his career insisted he was too tall to be an actor.
In his later years, Lee continued acting but also turned his hand to creating and releasing his own heavy metal album - at the tender age of eighty eight.
Christopher Lee is a legend who is much missed - and this book is a must read; filled with life, love and laughter, and a vibrant self-portrait of an incredible man.
tills13's review against another edition
5.0
Every time I think I know all there is to know about this man I’m proved wrong, this book was wonderful to read getting more details of things I already knew and learning even more about the incredible life he lead. I’d recommend this to anybody, regardless of whether they’re a fan of any of his work or not
garthranzz's review against another edition
5.0
2023 - 12 Months of Biographies
January
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 (1/2 deduction for the amount of golf!)
Favourite quote (so far): As she grew, my daughter (Christina Lee) greeted each fresh contract with, “How do you die this time, Daddy?”
New Word: Consanguineous (perfectly describes me and my dad and his family). I love Lee’s use of language. More so because you know he didn’t look up words. He used them like an old, comfortable jacket and knew them (and their definitions) by heart.
If only Chris had live to see TV come into its own with Netflix/Amazon/Apple:
“…I made a policy of accepting one-off TV roles, but declining episodic TV and sitcoms. Seemingly you must decide whether you are a movie or a TV actor, and never the twain shall meet except on special occasions.” He would have been a great lead in today’s new streaming era over network only television.
It only took me five YEARS to get through this book! Not a sign that it is bad, quite the opposite. But a sign of my reading habits as I age. This book is not available from any source in ebook form and I was lucky enough seven years ago to get a physical copy (well over $50 now for most used, library, copies). My favourite biography ever, even more so than George Carlin’s. My only nitpick is the amount of time spent describing and playing golf. But that was an integral part of Lee, as is obvious from reading. I have filled my camera with pictures of pages on quotes, most especially on his favourite friends, which made me cry, and my notebook has a couple of pages of films that I will be tracking down for my collection.
Please read this book (if you can find it) if you have any love of the horror genre or of Lee and his partners in crime (Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff).
January
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 (1/2 deduction for the amount of golf!)
Favourite quote (so far): As she grew, my daughter (Christina Lee) greeted each fresh contract with, “How do you die this time, Daddy?”
New Word: Consanguineous (perfectly describes me and my dad and his family). I love Lee’s use of language. More so because you know he didn’t look up words. He used them like an old, comfortable jacket and knew them (and their definitions) by heart.
If only Chris had live to see TV come into its own with Netflix/Amazon/Apple:
“…I made a policy of accepting one-off TV roles, but declining episodic TV and sitcoms. Seemingly you must decide whether you are a movie or a TV actor, and never the twain shall meet except on special occasions.” He would have been a great lead in today’s new streaming era over network only television.
It only took me five YEARS to get through this book! Not a sign that it is bad, quite the opposite. But a sign of my reading habits as I age. This book is not available from any source in ebook form and I was lucky enough seven years ago to get a physical copy (well over $50 now for most used, library, copies). My favourite biography ever, even more so than George Carlin’s. My only nitpick is the amount of time spent describing and playing golf. But that was an integral part of Lee, as is obvious from reading. I have filled my camera with pictures of pages on quotes, most especially on his favourite friends, which made me cry, and my notebook has a couple of pages of films that I will be tracking down for my collection.
Please read this book (if you can find it) if you have any love of the horror genre or of Lee and his partners in crime (Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff).
honnomushi13's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
Christopher Lee is an amazing actor who lead a fascinating life. However his writing style is a little dry and too much golf for me.
caramisha's review
I think I'm just not interested enough in Christopher Lee for this book. Someone more familiar with his life and roles would probably enjoy this more! I'm glad I gave it a try and maybe down the line I'll pick it up again.
squidbag's review
4.0
When you're 93, and have led a life that ranges over as much time and ground and achievement as Christopher Lee's did, you can be forgiven some repetition and meandering. And there is some. There is also quite a bit more golf and schoolboy beatings than I felt I had signed up for. LotR and Star Wars are kind of blips at the end. On the whole, though, once the reader adjusts his (my) expectations as to the content, the tone and pacing are brisk, and Lee is smart, honest, and critical about his own life and choices. He's also funny, he'd met virtually everyone, is descended from Papal nobility, and this book is a fitting document of a life well-lived.
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