In light of the very recent passing of the one and only Mr. Lee, let me ask the following question:
Where does his own version of the infamous Count personally rank for you in comparison to all the other various interpretations of the role?
"Life IS pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something".
Second to Lugosi but above all others.
shareMore terrifying than Lugosi. My favorite vampire and turned me on to the undead.
shareYes, Lee's Dracula made Lugosi's seem like a mere pussy cat in comparison! I've actually always had a very soft spot for Lugosi's Dracula though, even if Lee is ultimately the king in my personal estimation.
"Life IS pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something".
Number 3. He could have been higher but he was never given good mat rial to work with in his Hammer movies (entertaining as they where) and Count Dracula wasn't that great
The Hardest Thing In This World Is To Live In It
I would also rank Lee second to Lugosi. Yes, Lee was more savage, but Lugosi permanently redefined the character in a way that is still the definitive interpretation almost a century later.
The magnitude of that achievement can not be downplayed. As far as popular culture is concerned, there is no definitive Ebenezer Scrooge, no definitive Sherlock Holmes, but if you ask most moviegoers to portray Dracula they use the look and voice of Lugosi.
I think Robert Newton deserves similar credit for what he did with the character of Long John Silver, and indeed every pirate interpretation which followed.
Check Out My Bela Lugosi Tribute On YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EspE2_tVYcc
Simple answer: According to Christopher Lee himself, he never played his version of the infamous Count. No one ever really got a script that was really playing the Count accurately. According to Lee, the Jess Franco movie was accurate insofar as Lee played Dracula as an old man growing young as he feeds on blood.
Christopher Lee was so against the films where he played Dracula that I honestly think that if fans truly honor him and his acting they will no longer view any of the movies where he played the infamous Count. I know I'm never going to view them again.
The only person I'd say plays the count well was Jack Palance in 1974's Dan Curtis Dracula. As in Lee's first portrayal of the Count, this version rightly leaves out the shapeshifting that is in the novel.
He's the definitive Dracula.
shareHe's the definitive Dracula.
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