Last year Severin's THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE Blu-ray box set was my pick for home video release of the year. The company is back with THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE 2, a seven-disc collection containing six rare films featuring Lee. (This set is not available yet for general release, but I received it early due to my ordering it direct from Severin.)
The films are UNCLE WAS A VAMPIRE, THE SECRET OF THE RED ORCHID, DARK PLACES, MURDER STORY, and DRACULA AND SON. The disc for MURDER STORY also includes a bonus film with Lee, MASK OF MURDER. DRACULA AND SON has three discs: the original director's cut, the American theatrical version, and a CD of the movie's music score.
Each movie has an audio commentary (a few have more than one), and various other extras. Each film also gets its own case, with a special cover design.
Just like the first Eurocrypt collection, this one also has a 100 page booklet written by Lee biographer and English-Euro Gothic expert Jonathan Rigby, which I have already read. If you are wondering what more Rigby can say about Lee and his films (especially to the actor's hardcore fans), don't worry. Rigby is still able to come up with new angles and perspectives on Lee's acting career and the man's personality. The title of the booklet is "Christopher Lee--A Career In Six Snapshots". Rigby examines Lee's life and acting persona at six different times--or "snapshots"--throughout the years. Rigby's views, and his standout analysis, are always informative and interesting to read, and the booklet is enlivened by several stills, many of which I have never seen before.
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I've noticed that there has been a few complaints on the internet about the films included in this set. First of all, one has to realize that a company like Severin can't just pick and choose at random what movies they can release. I'm also sure that Lee's filmography--which encompasses hundreds and hundreds of films, many of them quite obscure--has all sorts of various rights issues attached to it. Most of the better known films Lee appeared in have received plenty of attention on home video. I would much rather have rare films that I do not have much knowledge of get home video debuts, even if they are not the greatest movies in the world.
If I have a quibble with any of the selections for this second Eurocrypt, it would be DARK PLACES. I assumed that Eurocrypt meant films made in continental Europe--but DARK PLACES was made in England, and Lee just has a supporting role in it. It's also not very notable (I wrote a blog post on it not that long ago).
Nevertheless, this is a great set to have, and it will take me a while to delve into all of it. Like the first Eurocrypt collection, I'll be doing blog posts on some of the individual films in the set.
I didn't expect Severin to even come up with a second Christopher Lee Eurocrypt set. So the question has to be asked--will there be a Eurocrypt 3?? There's still plenty of films that Lee appeared in that would fit the parameters of such a collection, and the fact that Severin included an English film in the second set really opens up the field. For now let's just enjoy this current set, and appreciate the fact that Severin is still making product like this.
My package arrived in the mail today. Looking forward to digging into it. I already have copies of Uncle Was a Vampire and Dracula's Son, but it will be a treat to see them in pristine condition. I hope someday Severin does this for Barbara Steele.
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