Sir Christopher Lee … A Man of La Mancha

Ghost Riders in the Sky / Christopher Lee

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee
(1922 – 2015)

Christopher Lee

‘The Impossible Dream’ (from The Man from La Mancha) is, in my opinion, one of the greatest songs ever written. Here is a man, an old man, a very old man full of daring, bravery, courage, determination, romanticism and dreams.
– Christopher Lee.

Christopher Lee young

Christopher Lee 2

“We don’t always get the kind of work we want, but we always have a choice of whether to do it with good grace or not.”

Sir Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing
Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing (bottom)
Christopher Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Cushing
Christopher Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Cushing

As far as I know (?) (feel free to correct me), Sir Christopher Lee only appeared in one Western: ‘Hannie Caulder‘ (1971) – not regarded as an epic or Western Classic. Possibly worth a watch though, due to it’s great cast: Lee, Robert Culp, Strother Martin, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Raquel Welsh

guns of hannie caulder

In his early film work, Lee was not a good actor. But he was not there to win awards – his chiselled features held charisma. Ironically, by the time he appeared in Hannie Caulder he had become a very good actor and could deliver any line with Shakespearean impact and resonance. He had achieved iconic stature. His role in the ‘Hannie Caulder’ was small, yet excellent – but he was still billed down on the marquee.  That’s Hollywood.

Hannie Caulder poster

In later DVD packages, he moved up the ladder.

Hannie Caulder DVD

Reviews

Hannie Caulder IMDB Review

Hannie Caulder Rotten Tomatoes Review

Christopher Lee in Hannie Caulder

Christopher Lee and Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch and Lee
Christopher Lee and Robert Culp
Robert Culp and Christopher Lee
Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Christopher Lee
Hannie gets her gun.
Christopher Lee - Time for action
Time for action !

The Notable Badguys: 

Strother Martin, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam
Strother Martin, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam

guns of hannie caulder

Later Lee finally got roles he could really sink his teeth into.
– if you’ll excuse the expression.

Christopher Lee Dracula

Christopher Lee Priest

“A whole new career opened up for me when I was in ‘Lord Of The Rings’ and ‘Star Wars.”

Christopher Lee LOTR

Christopher Lee LOTR 2

Christopher Lee LOTR 3

Christopher Lee 4 Musketeers

Christopher Lee 4 Musketeers 2

Christopher Lee 4 Musketeers 3

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Christopher Lee Star Wars

Christopher Lee Star Wars 2

Christopher Lee Star Wars 3

Christopher Lee Star Wars 4

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Awards

Christopher Lee Awards

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“As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. Single handed, he is trying to change the world, regardless of any personal consequences.”

Christopher Lee Heavy Metal

Christopher Lee Pop Star
Sir Christopher Lee – Pop Star

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‘The Impossible Dream’
composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion.
It was written for the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha
Elvis

‘The Impossible Dream’

composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion.
It was written for the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there’s no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live
And I know if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I’m laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

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Author: jcalberta

Howdy! I love Westerns. ... and the intent of MyFavoriteWesterns.com is to celebrate Western Movies/Film - old and new. This site will eventually show my top 30 favorite Westerns - or more. I will have original graphic work with regular updates. All this - and more ... Yee Haw ... !! - jcablerta / Moderator / Administrator

5 thoughts on “Sir Christopher Lee … A Man of La Mancha”

    1. Absolutely correct. One of those rare British actors that achieved an acting authority, yet didn’t come up through the Shakespearean fraternity. Became a joy to watch.

      1. I didn’t watch much of his early work – those B Horror Movies – which are sort of fun to watch now. But when he appeared in Star Wars and Lord of the Rings he really showed what he could do dramatically.

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