Lord of Misrule

Lord of Misrule is a revised and expanded new edition of Christopher Lee's prevous autobiography, Tall, Dark and Gruesome. The first autobiography was written in the late 70s when Lee was almost into his 60s. The guy is now about 88... I guess he never expected to have achieved so much in the autumn years of his life. He doesn't seem to be letting up either, in the last decade he has become more famous than ever (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), reaping the rewards of a long and celebrated career in horror and cult films with several big name directors honouring his achievements by enlisting his talents for a whole new generation to enjoy.

Lee starts off his story by examining his noble roots (Lee is descended from a line of Italian Counts) but doesn't shy away from the more scandalous aspects of his upbringing (his parents seperated when he was fairly young, something that wasn't really done in it's day, and he never really knew his father as a result). Lee also talks of his time as an officer in World War II, where he served in the Special Operations Executive (a kind of Special Intelligence arm of the military). Lee took a long time to turn to acting, and his height and gaunt features often held him back, but eventually - through perseverance and a willingness to act in non-English speaking films - he managed to gain a footing in the business and carved out a niche for himself. The rest of the book deals with his various adventures in the screen trade, the multitude of strange films and places he has found himself in, and his various achievements outside of the cinema (when Lee gets a hobby, he doesn't do it by halves!)

Lee is a gifted writer. There's no denying this... he's obviously an incredibly intelligent man with a vast array of accumulated knowledge at his command. At times, he can seem a little pompous or arrogant (and let's face it, if anyone has earned the right to be full of themselves - it's probably Christopher Lee), but he offsets this with an affected self-depreciating tone which is at once both endearing and amusing. He's also quite frank and unafraid to broach certain subjects that most other actors would be shy about it - at one point he even sheepishly discusses how he lost his virginity!

And just to show you why Lee is such an amazing guy, here's some quick bits and pieces...
- He holds the record for appearing in the most films (well over 200).
- He's a classicly-trained singer (in the opera mode) and has done guest vocals for an Italian power metal band.
- He's related to Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.
- He can speak eight languages!
- He reads Lord of the Rings once a year, and has met J.R.R. Tolkein
- He holds the record for the most swordfights on screen.
- He is an honorary member of at least three stuntman unions.
- He is counted as one of the best amateur golfers in the world.
- The Guinness Book of Records cites him as the 'Tallest Leading Actor'.
- He is a big fan of the American power metal band Manowar.
- He has played Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, The Mummy, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Moriarty, Fu Manchu and the Jabberwocky.

If Christopher Lee couldn't write for crap, or if this book had been ghost-written, it would still be an amazing book due to the diverse and eclectic nature of Lee's career. But, as it stands, it's also amazingly well-written - probably the best writing I've ever read by an actor - so that makes this a must-read for film fans. The guy's a goddamned legend.