“I didn’t touch”… and still, according to Christopher Lee, this is his best film!

Christopher Lee is undoubtedly one of the most famous actors of all time. And yet he was never paid for one of his greatest performances: Lord Summersley in the original 1973 version of Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man.

Although he is known for playing a number of iconic roles throughout his career, such as Count Dracula in the Hammer Film Productions horror films, Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Peter the Hobbit Jackson, James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga. Or even as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, one of his standout performances was Wicker man. So how could the production not pay him for the job?

Wicker man is a British folk horror film that follows Sergeant Neil Howe (Edward Woodward), a devout Catholic who investigates the case of a missing young girl on the remote Scottish island of Summerisle. However, he discovers a mysterious and disturbing religious cult ruling the island under the leadership of Lord Summersley (Lee).

in 1973, Christopher Lee He had already appeared in many horror films, including Dracula and Frankenstein’s Escape, and was looking for more interesting roles that would prevent him from being cast as a “fantasy monster”. He was involved in production for the first time Wicker man When he met the film’s screenwriter, Anthony Shaffer, he decided to write a different horror film based on atmosphere rather than gore. Shaffer wrote the role of Lord Summersley specifically for Lee. however, Wicker man The budget was so low that he couldn’t afford the usual cost of an actor, but the actor liked the project so much that he offered to participate for free in order to make the film, hoping that his name would attract people.

“I didn’t get paid. I tell people this and they don’t believe it’s true. I have the contract to prove itr,” the actor said in a documentary years later The Wicker Man Enigma. “Anyway, sometimes we do things for love… If I had been paid my normal rate – and everyone got their usual royalties – they wouldn’t have been able to make the film.“

His favorite movie though

Wicker man That’s why it was a passion project Christopher Leewho also revealed that it was his favorite movie of all the ones he acted in because it was smarter than most horror movies and it was about something important.

Wicker man It really focuses on the idea of ​​sacrifice, as well as the conflict between pagan practices and modern Christian practices. These themes are far more philosophical than most monster movies of its era. There are no otherworldly spirits or supernatural forces in the film: all the horror comes from a cultish society led by the charming Lord Summersley, who is only trying to serve his people, no matter the cost.

Result: Disappointing at the time, cult from now on

Despite subversive folklore Wicker manThe film was not an instant success. First of all, the producer of the film had so little confidence in his project that he decided to release it without any press presentation. Christopher Lee He then contacted every British critic he knew, offering to pay to see the film so the public would know about it. A few years later, the actor even paid all the expenses required to promote the film in the US from his own pocket.

Additionally, due to a change in management at British Lion Films, the editing and distribution of the feature film was disastrous. Much of the original footage, as well as the original version of the film itself, has been lost, and Lee claimed that the film’s continuity was lacking, notably in a 2005 interview with Total Film.

“OI still ask myself many questions Wicker man Because it became one of the greatest cult films of all time. This is really the story of my career, making iconic films. I’ve always said it was the best film I’ve ever made, even in its subdued form, which it is. Even the DVD is dead. I still don’t know what happened to that movie. The negative has since disappeared.“

Indeed, there are different arrangements Wicker man : The 87-minute film was originally shown in UK cinemas, with a 95-minute director’s cut and a 91-minute finale. However, none of these versions are original versions Robin Hardy At that time, he was forced to cut, which Lee regretted for the rest of his life.

“I still believe it exists somewhere, in anonymous boxes. I still believe. But no one has seen it since then, so we haven’t been able to cut it, re-edit it, which is what I wanted to do. It would be ten times better“- he said at the press conference held at the Brussels Fantastic Film Festival in 2002.

But despite all these obstacles, the actor’s participation bore fruit, Wicker man It has since become one of the most famous horror films of the genre. A number of contemporary horror films, including Kill List, Apostle, and Midsommar (not to mention the 2006 Wicker Man remake starring Nicolas Cage), have had a major impact on the folk horror aesthetic. Wicker man as well as its emphasis on cultic sacrifice. None of these fantastic horror movies would exist without love Christopher Lee for that Wicker man who inspired him to work for free. It is said.

But this is not his best performance

There really is a difference between his best film and his best performance Christopher Lee His best role as an actor was in Jamil Dehlavi’s Jinnah (1998), a DVD-only biopic in which he portrayed Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. And it’s the biggest responsibility I’ve ever had as an actor because a lot of his family members came to watch and they were very supportive.“

Unfortunately, the film is hard to find these days.

However, Wicker Man can be discovered on VOD if you haven’t already.