An ode to Lord Summerisle
The Falling Upwards May Day Special
With every May Day that passes, I am increasingly struck by how rewatchable I find The Wicker Man. A tight 88 minutes, it’s a fun exploration of ‘paganism', has some funky cakes and an ending that always makes me smile. Perhaps it’s a little problematic and/or sociopathic to admit that, but I have a much bigger problem than getting a kick out Sergeant Howie’s feeble little ‘No’s!’ and that is just how attractive I find Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle.
Prior to The Wicker Man, I have never watched Christopher Lee in a film and found him attractive, be he Scaramanga or Saruman. He’s elegant and refined, and because of his long, narrow frame, clothes always sat on him beautifully, but, speaking as a vampire enthusiast, his Dracula doesn’t really do anything for me (I’m more of a Lugosi girl) and I think his Hammer Horror films are schlocky cash grabs. They bore me, and in the early 70s, they bored Christopher Lee too.
By 1972, Christopher Lee had played Dracula nine times and was heartily sick of it. At a press conference to announce the latest installment, The Satanic Rites of Dracula1, Lee said, "I'm doing it under protest. I think it is fatuous. I can think of twenty adjectives – fatuous, pointless, absurd.”
Thankfully, Lord Summerisle, a part written for Lee, was a departure for many reasons. When we meet the character nearly halfway through The Wicker Man, he is not an obvious villain2; he wears bland, neutral colours, is softly-spoken3 and smiles blithely, positioning himself as a voice of reason who merely endures Sergeant Howie’s histrionics.
Even at the film’s end, when Howie has no choice but to die, there’s a queer gentleness to Summerisle comforting him, affirming the importance of Howie’s faith as he promises him a martyr’s death. Of course, the show must go on and Lord Summerisle is a man with a song in his heart, so he really gives it his all, eyes and teeth like a true showman as he sings Summer is icumen in! as the film concludes and Sergeant Howie burns.
The Wicker Man’s distributors, British Lion, did not like the film and, unconvinced of its success, stuck it to the back of a double-bill with Don’t Look Now. There are multiple shorter cuts of the film which existed to be tacked onto the end of a triple, or even quadruple bill, with a particularly harsh seventeen-minute cut which had Sergeant Howie arrive on Summerisle only to be led straight to the wicker man.
But Christopher Lee knew better, and was such a passionate champion of the film that he worked on it for free and, when British Lion weren’t forthcoming with materials or funds to promote the film, he paid for critics to attend screenings and funded a trip to America to publicise the film’s release.
Lee considered Lord Summerisle his finest performance, and I agree, he looked pretty damn fine. The last time I watched it, I physically groaned when he came on screen, but I seem to be alone in my yearning. Much like Summerisle’s harvests, my searches for Lord Summerisle hot, Lord Summerisle fancam, Lord Summerisle edit yield nothing.
Am I a pioneer or mentally ill? Why am I so thoroughly under Lord Summerisle’s spell? Is Summerisle’s sub-tropical clime gone to my head? Through the convenience a list, I will attempt to explain this attraction. It will either leave you understanding my thinking, or have you reacting like Sergeant Howie when he first sees the wicker man, “Oh God! Oh, Jesus Christ!”
His general vibe
Lord Summerisle has an air of powerful menace that is both seductive and aspirational. Like, yes, he’s burning men alive, but he’s probably also great in bed and I want that, but I also want to be burning men alive and be great in bed, you know?
This isn’t exactly a departure from a certain type I have, and Christopher Lee certainly isn’t the only actor to bring this vibe to a role, and just to prove how self-aware I am about what I like, I would invite you to explore the work of Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, James Mason, Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Mouglalis and Alicia Vikander4 (especially in The Green Knight).
He has great hair
I hate to confirm bad news to the boys, but hair is everything. Christopher Lee was never blessed with a full hairline, and whilst a widow’s peak is ideal if you’re making ten Dracula films5, it’s not for me.
Christopher Lee wears a wig as Lord Summerisle, and on a creative level, I can see clear creative justifications for why he does - its mousiness adds to the general blandness of Lord Summerisle’s initial, unassuming aesthetic (he wears richer colours as the film progresses) and it creates a physical distinction between Lee in other roles.
On an aesthetic level, I hate this wig. It is such a strange shade of brown, it washes Lee out and it doesn’t blend with what I think are Lee’s actual sideburns, which are not only a different colour, but a completely different texture to the wig.
But, like I said, hair is everything and the wig takes years off Lee and looks great manically blowing in the wind.
He has great garms
Lord Summerisle is always beautifully turned out. He has four costumes in the film, and they’re all winners. The first suit he wears is a houndstooth tweed two-piece suit in muted colours of soft brown, beige and olive. He’s then looking resplendent in Highland dress wear for a dinner and sing-song with Miss Rose, and for May Day, he’s rocking a gun club check sports jacket, a bright yellow turtleneck, slim-fitting trousers and black leather trainers that are both stylish and practical - the costume change into a purple lacy dress, black wig and white face paint is optional.
He’s an excellent host
Manners maketh man, and not only does Lord Summerisle have a beautiful house, he puts it to good use. His dining table is set and the fires are lit, ready to host his guests at a minute’s notice.
A raconteur and bon vivant, he’s ready to shine during the after-dinner entertainment (see below), which of course, comes with a digestif. Even when his guest is unannounced and outright hostile, Lord Summerisle stays calm and collected, trying his best to assuage Sergeant Howie’s uppity righteousness.
I just want whatever this is
I just want to lie on a fur rug in evening dress with a goblet of wine whilst having a sing-song with Lord Summerisle on the keys, and to blithely nod and make ominous statements when questioned by a Police Officer - is that a crime? In Sergeant Howie’s eyes, yes. I think it is time for someone to keep his appointment with the wicker man.
Thanks so much for reading and supporting my work. All hail the Queen of the May!
This piece didn’t require the most extensive research, but I really enjoyed BAMF Style’s breakdowns of Lord Summerisle’s costumes, which you can read here and here, as well this video about the many versions of The Wicker Man by my Dad, Mark Kermode.
I’ll be back with another piece next week, but hold strong, Summer is icumen in!
The Satanic Rites of Dracula was initially titled Dracula Is Dead... and Well and Living in London, a parody of the stage and film musical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Said Lee at the press conference, “It's not a comedy, but it's got a comic title. I don't see the point."
Though in the Director’s cut, he appears earlier to solicit sex on behalf of a teenage boy and speak to snails which I like less, even if Gently Johnny slaps
Rather than merely hissing, which was all he got by way of dialogue in Dracula: Prince of Darkness
It doesn’t escape my notice that all these actors have brown eyes - read into that what you will
He would play Dracula again in 1976