Before Christopher Lee starred in Star wars, Lord of the Ringsand Tim Burton films, he was a British horror film star. In 1957, Lee achieved great success by starring in the film The Curse of Frankensteinone of Hammer Film’s works. A year later he starred as Count Dracula in Hammer Film. Dracula films based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 epistolary novel, but his role in Dracula this wasn’t the first time he played the iconic monster.
The Curse of Frankenstein Hammer Film’s first film Frankenstein The franchise is based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. The film is about a scientist awaiting execution for the murder of his maid. it tells the story of the events that followed the creation of the monster. The Curse of Frankenstein helped Lee break into the world of horror with Hammer Film Productions and inspired other versions Frankenstein, for example Guillermo del Toro Frankenstein history and Lisa Frankenstein with original characters.
Christopher Lee played Frankenstein’s monster before his first role as Dracula
The Curse of Frankenstein was Lee’s first horror film
Lee played Frankenstein’s monster in The Curse of Frankensteinalong with Peter Cushing, who played Baron Victor Frankenstein. IN The Curse of Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s monster had brain damage, causing him to act aggressively. killing an old blind man and Frankenstein’s maid Justine (Valerie Gaunt). Unlike any other Frankenstein adaptations, including James Whale’s 1931 classic, Lee’s Frankenstein’s Monster, were unpleasant and far more frightening than conventional portrayals of the creature.
Connected
The Curse of Frankenstein was Lee’s first role with Hammer Film Productions and the company’s first horror film shot in color.. 1957 adaptation It was also Lee and Peter Cushing’s first horror film together before they starred in the film Dracula franchise in which Lee starred and Cushing played Dr. Van Helsing. After starring in one of Hammer’s best films Dracula films, Lee and Cushing became an iconic horror duo.
In the USA, The Curse of Frankenstein was a commercial success, but British critics found the film too graphic. The film was also a huge success for Lee as he gained attention for his role as Frankenstein’s Monster. from audiences and critics and made an impression on Hammer Film. As a result, Lee’s work on Dracula began his long collaboration with Hammer, with whom many successful films were made after his first roles.
Why Christopher Lee was chosen to play Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula
Christopher Lee was cast as Count Dracula immediately after the release of The Curse of Frankenstein.
Lee is auditioning for the role of Frankenstein’s monster in The Curse of Frankenstein it was because of his height. Since Lee was six feet five inches tall, Hammer felt that he could perfectly portray Frankenstein’s Monster as frightening, given that the monster’s appearance was intended to frighten the other characters. Since Hammer Film Productions intended to work with Lee after The Curse of Frankenstein, no one else was considered for the lead role in Dracula. According to the film’s producer Anthony Hind, “It never occurred to any of us to use anyone other than Chris Lee.“
Although Lee’s performance as Frankenstein’s Monster introduced him as a horror actor, his role in Dracula brought him fame.
Although Lee’s performance as Frankenstein’s Monster introduced him to the horror genre, his role in Dracula brought him fame. Dracula was a commercial success and received much critical praise.leading to seven sequels in the franchise. After release The Curse of FrankensteinThe film was hailed as the film that revived the horror genre, thanks in part to Christopher Lee’s performance, but mainly due to the fact that the film was shot in color and its gory effects.
Key facts
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Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing both appeared in Hamlet (1948), Moulin Rouge (1952) and Alexander the Great (1956), but they met on the set of the film The Curse of Frankenstein for the first time.
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Hammer Films did consider the slightly taller Bernard Bresslaw, who stood at six feet seven inches, for the role.
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Christopher Lee’s niece Harriet Walter played Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley’s mother, in Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster (2003).