THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION 3 On Blu-ray From Severin

 

Severin once again delves into the voluminous career of screen legend Sir Christopher Lee with THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION 3, a massive set featuring six movies. 

This set arrived earlier this week, and I've barely been able to wade into it. I'll be writing blog posts on some of the individual films eventually, but for now I'll give a brief summation of what the set entails. 

The movies contained herein are BEAT GIRL, a late 1950s juvenile delinquency tale with Lee as a predatory strip joint proprietor, along with THE HANDS OF ORLAC, the third version of Maurice Renard's story of a famed pianist who suffers a gruesome hand transplant. Lee plays a shady blackmailer in this one. 

Also included are two family-friendly features: ARABIAN ADVENTURE, a late 1970s sword & sorcery fairy tale with Lee as a powerful wizard, and A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT, a mid-1980s lighthearted story about an outcast at a British boys boarding school. Lee portrays an intimidating teacher. 

The title in this set which has been getting the biggest buzz is the 1963 Italian Gothic THE VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG, which is making its HD home video debut. Severin has included 4K and Blu-ray discs of the film, which has Lee as a mysterious disfigured servant. 

Finally, the set contains a full-length recent documentary entitled THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE. This is a picture I have not seen, and I'm particularly enthused to view it. 

As usual with Severin, each title gets plenty of extras, including audio commentaries. There are two different versions of  BEAT GIRL and THE HANDS OF ORLAC. 

The most notable extra is a booklet, written by English Gothic historian Jonathan Rigby, that clocks in at 142 pages! The booklet, which is fully illustrated with various stills of Lee throughout his career, is titled CHRISTOPHER LEE: EIGHT DECADES OF A DARK HORSE. The "Dark Horse" element has a double meaning: dark horse as in not much was expected of Lee's acting career, and in the sense that Lee made his reputation playing dark, dastardly characters. Each of the three Christopher Lee Blu-ray sets from Severin has an extensive booklet written by Rigby, and one would think that the author (who also wrote an excellent biography of the actor) doesn't have much left to say about his subject. Rigby however still manages to bring perceptive analysis and insight into Lee the man and Lee the performer. (I also think Severin is passing up a major marketing opportunity by not reprinting these booklets in full-size hardback editions.) 

I've noticed some fan internet sniping about the titles included in this set. One has to factor in that nearly all the more famous of Lee's screen appearances have been already released on home video multiple times. These sets are designed more for the serious film geek. Independent companies like Severin can't just pick and choose what titles they do release, and I personally would much rather purchase a lesser-known film that hasn't been given a high-class release instead of a movie I've bought over and over again. If you're not a major Christopher Lee fan, you're not going to splurge for this set anyway. 

For those that are so inclined to splurge, I highly recommend you do so. These Eurocrypt Lee sets are incredible presentations, and considering the depth and scope of Lee's amazing acting career, I wouldn't be surprised if Severin has more goodies in store for us in the future.