The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee review: "A revealing exploration of a big screen icon"

Former Nazi hunter, Charlemagne descendant, definitive Dracula, and all-around screen legend Christopher Lee is lovingly profiled in this biographical doc. 

Employing an innovative blend of traditional and experimental animation styles alongside the expected talking heads and archive interviews, director Jon Spira (Star Wars doc Elstree 1976) recounts Lee’s journey in what he imagines to be the late actor’s own words. With actor Peter Serafinowicz delivering a booming vocal impression of Lee, the mighty thespian is brought back to life in marionette form to narrate a whistle-stop tour of his life… and many cinematic deaths. 

The star would probably appreciate how much the film glosses over his Hammer Horror work (1958’s Dracula, et al), capturing the sense of frustration he felt at being typecast. In one of the most striking moments, an old interview reveals Lee’s offence at being described as "the King of Horror" by an unwitting reporter. 

A portrait of a surprisingly sensitive star emerges, one hounded by imposter syndrome throughout his long and storied life (he died in 2015, aged 93). Interviewees Peter Jackson, Joe Dante (who directed Lee in 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch), and actor Harriet Walter (Lee’s niece) are among those who pay tribute, sharing fond insights into the mindset of an often-conflicted man who brought so many formidable screen villains to life, from Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun to the Star Wars prequels’ Count Dooku.  

Elsewhere the tone is light-hearted, irreverent even; it all adds up to a celebration of a bona-fide big-screen icon. Just don’t call him the King of Horror…

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee debuts on Sky Arts on October 24. 

For more, check out our guide to upcoming movies.