Lord of the Rings has been named the best libertarian movie of 2001. That’s according to the subscribers of John Osborne’s “Miss Liberty’s Film & TV Update,” who nominated and voted on the best libertarian film and best libertarian documentary in mid-February. [More]
Category: Original TORn
Don’t try to stump Christopher Lee. The towering, aristocratic British actor, best known for his epicurean interpretation of Count Dracula in the Hammer horror films of the 1960’s, has appeared in well over 200 feature films. Mr. Lee is unsure of the exact figure, though he says he remembers something about each of them. [More]
By DAVE KEHR NY Times
Don’t try to stump Christopher Lee. The towering,
aristocratic British actor, best known for his epicurean interpretation of Count Dracula in the Hammer horror films of the 1960’s, has appeared in well over 200 feature films. Mr. Lee is unsure of the exact figure, though he says he remembers something about each of them.
“In England, they brought out a book called `Christopher Lee: The Authorized Screen History’ by a man named Jonathan Rigby,” Mr. Lee said in his room at the Carlyle Hotel. “And I think the poor man – I really sympathize with him – had to look at nearly every film I’ve been in, which is a ghastly thought.”
O.K., how about “Babes in Bagdad,” a film he made in Spain in 1952? “Oh, God,” Mr. Lee sighed, “heavens above! Paulette Goddard, Richard Ney, Gypsy Rose Lee and John Boles, who in fact played the doctor’s younger brother in the 1931 `Frankenstein.’ I played some sort of awful slave trader in a black silk dress, or that’s what it looked like. The director was Edgar G. Ulmer, and we had a shared passion for opera. We went to see `Tristan’ in Barcelona, and he kept making comments about how little he thought of it all the way through. I said, `Shhh!’ ”
Resplendent in a light brown tweed jacket and a canary yellow vest, Mr. Lee was visiting New York to help with the Oscar push for “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” in which he plays the wizard Saruman the White. Mr. Lee appears in the next two episodes of the “Rings,” as well as in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” to be released on May 16, a week before Mr. Lee’s 80th birthday.
He seems destined to be linked to horror and fantasy films, despite appearances in films like Billy Wilder’s “Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” and Steven Spielberg’s “1941.” It’s an identification he protests. “It’s the media that keep on saying `horror veteran,’ ” he said, “but by my own estimation I don’t think I appeared in more than 15 films that could be called horror movies. But everyone gets labeled.”
Mr. Lee made his screen debut as an uncredited spear carrier in Laurence Olivier’s 1948 “Hamlet.” After 54 years in the movies, is the work still fun? “Not always,” he said. “Sometimes I ask myself, why am I doing this? Why do I bother? There’s so much fear in this business now. They won’t go for anything new. If it’s different, they’re frightened of it.”
Lotho Sackville-Baggins sends in a report on what she saw at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s 10th anniversary show “The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit” in Los Angeles, with some fantastic pictures of FotR costumes, including Sauron’s armour, Saruman’s robes and Galadriel’s dress! [More]
From Lotho Sackville-Baggins:
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles still has its 10th anniversary show “The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit” up and running.
They have a single costume from the past 10 years worth of nominees in the entryway. Then the galleries opened to this year’s nominees (and a few others).
Totally dominating the room was none other than Sauron! He was flanked by Gandalf, Strider, Frodo (from Bilbo’s party), a Gondorian warrior, Saruman, and Galadriel. These costumes blew the competition out of the water! Sauron points his finger menacingly across the room at Satin (Nicole Kidman) from Moulin Rouge… you expect him to bash the cast of Gossford park out of his way with his mighty mace to seize the French courtesan for his own. Or perhaps he is only after her necklace – having a thing for jewelry himself.
But seriously, nothing else comes close to the utter detail – the care – the realism – of the Lord of the Rings costumes. Harry Potter looks sadly plain. Planet of the Apes looks flea bitten. Only Moulin Rouge could possibly hold a candle with its flash and detail come March 24th when the Oscars are announced.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a definite win on this nomination!
I snapped some shots before being stopped by security. I would have gotten some closer shots had it been allowed. Hopefully these shots will encourage folks in the LA area to go see the exhibit – it is well worth it.
Another teaser trailer has been released, this time with a brief flash of Martin Csokas as the film’s main baddie, of Vin Diesel’s xXx or Triple X. [More]