#may special

[twistedtummies2]

Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary - Number 8

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I will be counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy! Today’s Subject, My 8th Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: King Haggard, from The Last Unicorn.

In the 1980s, classical fantasy films were pretty popular. Movies like “Labyrinth,” “Legend,” and “Dragonslayer” were all over the place, and most of these movies remain cult classics (if not outright “classics”) to this day. There was a certain charm to fantasy of the 1980s, both during that time and now, when looking back, that you just don’t find in other movies of a similar sort. One of the earliest of these 80s fantasy flicks, and one of my personal favorites, is 1982’s “The Last Unicorn.”

Based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle (who also wrote the screenplay, and had a hand in casting), this movie was a theatrical release by Rankin/Bass. I mentioned them before on the very first entry of the countdown, as the people who made classic Christmas specials like “The Year Without a Santa Claus” and “Frosty the Snowman.” They actually released several classic fantasy pieces, too, most of which were TV films…but “The Last Unicorn” was a rare cinematic production. Typical of Rankin/Bass, the movie boasts an all-star cast, prime among them Christopher Lee as the main antagonist: the mysterious and menacing King Haggard. The story of “The Last Unicorn” focuses on the titular Unicorn, who has learned she may be the last of her kind. Deciding to find out if this is true, she goes on an adventure to try and find the other Unicorns. She soon learns that a creature called the Red Bull (which does NOT give you wings, for the record) has captured all the unicorns, and hidden them somewhere under the command of the tyrannical Haggard. Haggard is a perennially miserable figure: it’s revealed that, for unknown reasons (at least in the film), he has essentially lost all zest for life. Nothing makes him happy: he desperately seeks anything that can give him the smallest amount of joy, but nothing works. Nothing…but the Unicorns. Haggard has discovered that only the enchanting presence of the Unicorns gives him pleasure of any kind, and makes him feel, in his own words, “truly young again, in spite of himself.” He quickly comes to suspect that the “Lady Amalthea” who visits him (the Unicorn, disguised as a human) is the one missing unicorn he has never been able to track down, and tries to figure out a way to get her to reveal herself, and thus capture her, too. Lee claimed that Haggard was one of his favorite roles. He loved it so much that he volunteered to do the German dub of the film (Lee spoke fluent German), just because he enjoyed the character so much. He likened the character to Shakespeare’s King Lear; I have to admit, a while back, I had no idea what he meant by that. Nowadays, I can KIND OF see it. Shakespearean allusions aside, however, Lee’s performance is largely what makes Haggard a compelling villain: he, of course, is able to bring a sense of command and sinister power to the character. That’s honestly to be expected. But what I love most about Haggard are his softer moments. This character so easily could have been depicted as a cartoonish, crotchety figure: Just some old sourpuss who hates everyone and who everyone hates – a slightly more evil Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog, if you will. That’s not what Lee does: you don’t really know WHY Haggard is so utterly depressed throughout the movie, but you really do feel “depression” is the word for it. There are moments where you feel sort of sorry for him, because the overwhelming sadness is so palpable. The way he talks about the Unicorns is almost touching; he sees them like angels, saviors to his eternal dreariness. At the same time, however, you never forget he’s the bad guy, his moods swinging rapidly, giving him a sense of leaning heavily towards total madness. He also has some of my favorite, most quotable lines any Lee character has ever had. Just for one example: “I can wait. The end will be the same: I can wait.” A cartoon baddy played by Christopher Lee just gave you one of the best quotes about patience you’ll ever hear. I love this movie. ^^ The time has come to move into the final week of the countdown. Tomorrow, I present my choice for Number 7!

[poolboyatthegiovannimansion]

Reject Autism Speaks, embrace ultra-realistic and occasionally unintentionally autism-coded characters

[hg-aneh]

peruvian croli brainrot 🇵🇪🦙💥

[pensbridgertons]

i would not be angry if you found me to be a lost cause. you must not say such things. you are penelope featherington. do not forget that.

[crowley1990]

I’m opening a tumblr restaurant. How much of a headache is my chef going to have?

[maulfucker]

racism in star wars will have wikis saying shit like "this species that is inspired on a real life non-white people is just too stupid to use the Force"

[cranity]

Let's sail!🌊

[snoopysnose]

How did you know?

TWIN PEAKS

S02 E09 Arbitrary Law

[fizpup]

the birthday girls! 🥳

[love-is-a-pearl]

HERE THEY ARE!!! FINALLY!!!

My designs for everyone's aged up looks! As well as their bios here👀

[thetisming]

"wow you must be so focused on school without crushes" incorrect! instead i am thinking about my special interest.

[twistedtummies2]

Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary - Number 2

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I have been counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy! It's time for the penultimate entry of this special countdown. Today’s Subject, My 2nd Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: Lord Summerisle, from The Wicker Man.

SCREW THE NICOLAS CAGE REMAKE!!! Ahem…sorry, I…seem to be programmed to say that anytime I mention The Wicker Man-SCREW THE NICOLAS CAGE REMAKE!!! Ahem-hem…sorry again. From this point on, I’ll just call “Wicker Man” for safety’s sake. It helps if I don’t say “the.” :P ANYWAY…alongside “Jinnah,” Lee considered “Wicker Man” to be his single favorite and best film, and it’s hard to disagree there. This very strange, surreal, and EXTREMELY dark picture is a genre-blending, one-of-a-kind thriller. It’s part horror film, part twist-turning murder mystery, part musical…and all around HIGHLY disturbing, even nowadays. The story follows a police officer, Neil Howie, who attempts to solve the mystery of a small girl’s strange disappearance on the island colony of Summerisle. A faithful Christian, Howie is appalled to discover the island’s residents practice rituals resembling a form of Celtic Paganism. As the story goes on, he discovers a massive conspiracy…a conspiracy that ends in his EXTREMELY horrifying downfall. A central figure in the unfolding madness is Christopher Lee as the leader of the colony, and a descendant of the island’s founders, Lord Summerisle. Summerisle is a mysterious, strange figure, one who – even all the way up to the end – we’re never able to fully unravel. He is a walking enigma; in some ways a civilized gentleman, reasonable and rational, and really quite friendly. But the fervor with which he commits his crimes and practices the dark rituals of the story creates an air of deep unease. It’s also not entirely clear how truthfully Summerisle BELIEVES in the pagan trials, or even how true they are to any kind of spiritual following: is he a mad cultist, a charlatan leading a band of disillusioned followers, or something else entirely? Perhaps the most disturbing question is if Summerisle is actually RIGHT in what he does, since it's left unclear if all his wicked workings even have the desired effect in the end or not. Only the audience can truly decide for themselves what is true and what is false. This role, in essence, gives one EVERYTHING they could want out of a great Christopher Lee performance, giving the actor a chance to show nearly the full breadth of his range as a performer all in one shot: he gets to sing, and he gets to dance. He has scenes of manic, wild power, and scenes of subtlety and softness. He has scenes where he is terrifying and intimidating, and scenes where you almost forget to be scared at all. The ambiguities of the character only help to add to the power of the part. It’s easy to see why this was one of Lee’s personal favorite roles, and I actually very, VERY nearly gave Lord Summerisle the number one slot…but the more I thought about it and inspected the situation, the more I felt that wasn’t quite right. Lord Summerisle is phenomenal, but there’s one Lee performance I like more…but I mustn’t say more, or I shall spoil what’s coming next. On that note…tomorrow, we reach the end of the countdown. Who will be my number one favorite? You’ll have to stick around to find out! ;)

[ladeldee]

Nooo shot I had this in my drafts and thought I was being too forward with having Phil say "We have another kid to take care of" Only for him to say "We have another egg now" "I might be able to introduce you to our daughter" oUGh.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

As an Autistic Person, I Often Need Time Alone…

It doesn’t mean I don’t like you!

Neurodivergent_lou

[willczek-art]

Seventh day of spontaneous Starkid sketchdump streak! How about a little meltdown as a treat? ✨

just the bottom panel:

[beskarfrog]

but that's fine, i'd still do it all over again if you asked me to