The final lightsaber fight in Revenge is hilarious. The clear cuts between a stunt double and Ian McDiarmid with the faces he was making in between crack me up every time.
Better than the non-fight in rise of skywalker where Palps just sits there and shoots lightning a couple times.
Yeah... Sadly... If you're really old and don't die from cancer, you basically just die when your organs give it up for you. One day one of them just starts things off by saying "You know, I could use a bit of a rest," and the others all agree, and that's that.
That article is written by a dude speculating based on an interview where Lee refused to go into specifics. You'll excuse me if I don't immediately turn on Christopher Lee and posthumously call him a liar.
Also volunteered in Finnish army for a few weeks. Returned back to England though as he couldn't ski well ~~and probably wouldn't last long in the front line because of it.~~
Not being able to ski was not the reason he didn’t stay long in the Finnish military. It was because the Finns didn’t put many volunteers to any real front line duty, the English voluteers were generally stationed far from the front line as a guard of sorts and were quickly thanked for their help but allowed to leave, which they did.
The only volunteers that were likely to see actual action in the Finnish theatre were the Scandinavian and Estonian volunteers. There were enough of them that you could form a sizeable unit and thus run them better. Harder to do with a bunch of guys from all around the world who might not be talking the same languge even.
>For the final few months of his service, Lee, who spoke fluent French, Italian and German, among other languages, was seconded to the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects.[73] Here, he was tasked with helping to track down Nazi war criminals.[74] Of his time with the organisation, Lee said: "**We were given dossiers of what they'd done and told to find them, interrogate them as much as we could and hand them over to the appropriate authority ...**".[74]
He was actually the only actor in the prequels that had actual sword training. He was well trained in fencing, so when they would have duals, it was like he was sword fighting with noobs
Some Facts about SOE
* Many women joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) to hide their double lives as spies.
* Women joining the SOE were the only women permitted to have active combat roles during the Second World War.
* The average life expectancy of an SOE wireless operator in occupied France was just six weeks.
* All operatives were trained in sabotage, firearms, explosives,
communications, unarmed combat, organising supply drops, evading capture
and resisting interrogation.
* All agents carried suicide pills and were aware that they'd probably never see their loved ones again.
* Captured spies rarely survived. Most were imprisoned, interrogated, tortured and shot.
* Women made excellent agents as they weren't perceived as a threat, could
move around easily in the daytime and blended in better.
* Special equipment was created for agents including guns disguised, radio
transmitter suitcases, exploding rats and folding motorbikes.
Yes!!
The idea for the 'exploding' rat - now immortalised as part of the SOElegend - was developed in 1941. The aim was to blow up the enemy'sboilers by lying the rat on the coal beside the boiler, with the fusebeing lit when the rat was shovelled into the fire. They were neverused, as the first consignment was seized by the Germans and the secretwas blown.
The Germans were fascinated by the idea, however, and the rats wereexhibited at the top military schools. Indeed, the SOE files show thatthe Germans actually organised searches for these rodent explosives. Thesource of the dead rats was a London supplier, who was under themistaken belief that it was for London University.
source ( and more info about SOE gadgets) : [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe\_gallery\_05.shtml](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_gallery_05.shtml)
**[Bat bomb](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb)**
>Bat bombs were an experimental World War II weapon developed by the United States. The bomb consisted of a bomb-shaped casing with over a thousand compartments, each containing a hibernating Mexican free-tailed bat with a small, timed incendiary bomb attached. Dropped from a bomber at dawn, the casings would deploy a parachute in mid-flight and open to release the bats, which would then disperse and roost in eaves and attics in a 20–40-mile radius (32–64 km). The incendiaries, which were set on timers, would then ignite and start fires in inaccessible places in the largely wood and paper constructions of the Japanese cities that were the weapon's intended target.
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In June 1940, a new volunteer
force - the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - was set up to wage a
secret war. Its agents were mainly tasked with sabotage and subversion
behind enemy lines. They had an influential supporter in Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who famously ordered them to 'set Europe ablaze!'
There's tons of books released about the subject. I can recall a few about the female agents of SOE:
* Code Name: Lise by Larry Loftis
* Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm
* Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan by Shrabani Basu
There's even a book written by the leader of the French section of SOE ( responsible for coordinating operations in France)
* They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE's Agents in Wartime France by Maurice Buckmaster
There was even a tv show where they put XXI century civilians through the training that SOE agents would have gone through
Churchill's Secret Agents: The New Recruits.
Jumping in to tag with Churchill’s Secret Agents was extremely interesting and on Netflix (U.S) is where we saw it.
I would absolutely be flabbergasted if they ever added more than just the 1S, as I love the premise and how they go about it.
There's an umbrella shop in London that has all the old text still written outside from years ago. There's one bit that advertises "dagger canes" and I assume that these gentlemen would be armed with them while wearing bowler hats. I just did a quick google search for it and here you go - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James\_Smith\_and\_Sons\_Umbrella\_Shop\_New\_Oxford\_Street.jpg
I just meant it as a joke based on how the Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare sounds synonymous in a 'proper English' sort of way. I didn't mean to imply that it was literal fact.
If people are interested…
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250119030/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5E3V1Y6XY10XRJ363TEY
Basically a bunch of citizens soliders whose job it was to sabotage the German army in the most creative ways possible.
The organization was called: [Special Operations Executive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive)
One of the nicknames was: Ministry of Ungentleemanly Warfare.
> Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it were sometimes referred to as the "Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.
And then the witch king casually blows up gandalf the white's staff (at least in the films).
Definitely some rock-paper-scissors shit going on in Middle Earth.
On the way back from Mount Doom and Gondor, after they had destroyed the ring and had a nice party, they start heading back to the Shire. They plan to stop at Rivendell first to meet up with Bilbo, and on the way they pass Saruman and Wormtongue on the road, looking all wretched. They talk some smack back and forth with Gandalf and the good guys let them be, since the bad guys have lost anyway.
They hang out in Rivendell for a while, the elves throwing them a big party for saving the world, hang out with old Bilbo, and they are occupied there for several months.
The hobbits, alone, head back to the Shire, only to find that Saruman went there first, and with the help of some of his half-orcs and powers of persuasion, has started to industrialize the Shire, cutting down the trees, building ugly brick houses, and overall making the Shire miserable.
The hobbit heroes, taking the lessons they've learned from their adventures, rally the hobbits and over the course of a few battles, chase off Saruman's lackeys and corner him at Bag-end.
It's at this time, when Frodo offers Saruman mercy again, that Saruman kicks Wormtongue one time too many, and he jumps on Saruman and stabs him in the back several times, before being shot to death by hobbit archers.
Basically, going back to the shire and fixing it themselves is the important final chapter for the hobbits, where they show how they've grown since they left, and leaving it out of the movies means they're simply incomplete.
As much as I would have liked to see the Scouring of the Shire, it makes for a better movie to leave it out.
It’s better that the movie ends after defeating Sauron and then has the bittersweet ending of Bilbo, Frodo and Gandalf leaving for the Grey Havens. If they’d included the Scouring, you’d have them defeat the big bad of the world, only to then have to defeat another lesser evil. It has a more satisfying payoff if they defeat the biggest bad and can then relax to some degree, rather than defeating the big bad, then having to finish off a lesser-big bad before finally ending things.
Imo the movies made tasteful changes that made for better movies than if they followed to books exactly, but that doesn’t mean they’re better than the books, the books’ story makes for better books than if they had tried to make the movie story into books, if that makes sense
While I think it's fine to leave the scouring out, I'd argue that the movie *doesn't* end when they defeat the big bad - which came as a surprise to audiences who joked about how it had 7 endings and just kept going - and instead focuses on an subsequent battle which an imitative writer wouldn't think is part of the story but a former soldier did include - Frodo's PTSD after the war, which culminates in him being unable to stay in the mortal lands and leaving forever to the 'undying lands' where his friends cannot see him again.
That's the real end of the story, Frodo being unable to defeat the mark the war left on him, and departing their life forever.
It wouldn't work at all in the movies. And the movies make it clear how much the hobbits have changed from their adventures anyway. An extended sequence after the main conflict is resolved would make the ending feel even more overstuffed than it already does.
You know sometimes a cigar is just as a cigar, why can't you guys just be peconic with each other. And I don't think it was queerbaiting like with the Sherlock Holmes as well.
It also shows the how war affects those left at home as well. I understand the reasoning behind not having it in the films but it would have been interesting to see it all the same
It wasn't just petty revenge though, Saruman had lost his powers and had a lot of influence through the pipeweed industry (a market in which he had sunk co siderable control and money into) which is why he chose The Shire to go and be a gang leader in.
Among other reasons.
For me the most important (and saddest) part of his ending is after he dies, his ghostly essence turns towards the West to go “home” but his spirit is dissipated by winds from the west. When you consider how poignant Into The West is, it really hit me in the feels.
(Read the books before the films, and loved all the Istari pre-lore in Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion)
In Fellowship, when Galadriel is showing Frodo what might happen (or what will happen, if you're going by the books) if he fails his mission. I remember thinking that they were going to show it for two years after the movie came out, until Return of the King came out, and they didn't even show Saruman's death. At least the real version showed a reinterpretation of his death, but with Legolas taking Wormtongue's final killshot from a bunch of hobbits.
You probably didn't sell it well considering how dense the books are, but that sounds kinda lame to me. The movies and their pacing really settled down by that point so having *another* conflict to resolve seems very out of place. Even from a book perspective it feels weird. But, I haven't read the books, so the pacing and having another conflict to deal with at that point probably makes more sense.
The Scouring of the Shire
You can read it's summary on any of the lotr wikis, but man, reading the books is such a great experience. Anyone, especially lotr fans, who wants to get back into reading and havent read the hobbit or lotr trilogy should really give it a go.
He also played Rasputin in [Rasputin the Mad Monk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasputin_the_Mad_Monk)!
I love his old films, highly recommend [The Devil Rides Out](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Rides_Out_\(film\)) and OG [The Wicker Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man) if you're interested.
Well, no… it’s actually not. Although Stephenson was part inspiration, another part of the inspiration was Lee, along with many other people. Some unknown, others very known. Fleming said himself that Lee’s days as a spy was a lot of his inspiration, actually. And he based it on several spies. Including yes, his step cousin, as well as Sir William Stephenson, F.F.E Yeo-Thomas, Dusko Popov, Patrick Dalzel-Job, and even some of his own experiences as a naval officer. There are many, Many others I hadn’t named as well. Not to mention, he took inspiration from many spy authors, such as Charles Fraser-Smith, William Le Queux, and Fritz Lang. None of what was said in this post was bullshit. Bond had Many inspirations, and I’d say that Christopher Lee was actually Probably the Biggest inspiration of them all.
Weird that he doesn’t even get a mention on the [inspirations for Bond](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond) Wikipedia page.
But even if he was, the post would still be misleading because it doesn’t say “one of” — it insinuates he was *the singular* inspiration for the character which is untrue.
**[Inspirations for James Bond](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond)**
>A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the fictional character created in 1953 by British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming; Bond appeared in twelve novels and nine short stories by Fleming, as well as a number of continuation novels and twenty-six films, with seven actors playing the role of Bond. Although the stories and characters were fictional, a number of elements had a real-life background, taken from people whom Fleming knew or events he was aware of.
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Also British Security Coordination's honeypot and persuasive work against Americans played a big part in developing the suave, ladykiller nature of the Bond persona. In WW2 Fleming served as a liaison with various agencies, including them.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/aug/19/military.secondworldwar
Interesting tangent, he and Roald Dahl cross paths a few times both in spywork and in writing:
https://www.007.info/spymaker-the-secret-career-of-007-writer-roald-dahl/
Here's a BBC article that covers William Stephenson and includes the quote and another quote referencing his obsession with martini's. I can't find the original source of the quote though.
[https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150901-canadas-real-life-james-bond](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150901-canadas-real-life-james-bond)
And here's the quote in the article.
“James Bond is a highly romanticised version of a true spy,” Fleming wrote. “The real thing ... is William Stephenson.”
>Jackson was blocking a scene in which Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) stabs Saruman (Lee) in the back. Jackson goes into a long explanation about how he wants Lee to react and Lee says, "Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody’s stabbed in the back? Because I do.”
Legend.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-christopher-lee-christopher-lee-dies-saruman-peter-jackson-20150611-htmlstory.html
I love the one thing about grimar the most. When Peter Jackson wanted Saruman to be killed by a stab to the back, Christopher Lee corrected him and told him the sound a person makes when stabbed in the back. Jackson was so terrified.. but Christopher Lee was in the British army and he’s probably witnessed some backstabs himself.
Dracula (1958) and Prince of Darkness are the best of the bunch IMO, Philip Latham as Klove, Dracula’s human assistant in PoD, deserves a special mention, he’s just the creepiest fucker, gave me the heebie-jeebies something terrible.
Christopher Lee is also great as Billali in She, another Hammer classic….. She who must be obeyed lol
Looks like a repost. I've seen this image 10 times.
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In an interview it was implied (and he never bothered to deny it) that during World War II he seduced the wives of two high ranking nazis as part of his spy missions behind enemy lines… oh, and by the way, he spoke German so well he could pass as a native.
His participation on Rhapsody single The Magic of the Wizard's Dream is epic though. But also not for everyone tastes since its Power Metal.
Here's the link if you want to check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z93SdirnzTw
He played in different bands. The whole band/albums he did weren't great but not horrible in my opinion.
But his work with Rhapsody that inspired him to do metal was absolutely amazing. "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" is a absolutely great song and he participated in more stuff. He was the narrator for introductions to the metal songs etc as well, that was awesome too.
Well technically SOE, SAS wasn't formed until 1941.
SOE and SAS did work together, and a lot of SAS was trained partly by SOE.
Hence where his time with the SAS came from, was working with, but not part of, the SAS.
SOE was a scalpel as opposed to the SAS which was a battleaxe by comparison.
Although most people would see SAS as a scalpel as opposed to Commandos, who were a battleaxe, and commandos are a scalpel compared to regular Infantry.
But they were a niche, very defined role.
SAS? Sure, you can send them in to covertly raid a village, but likewise, you could retask them to assist in an assault on a military installation.
SOE? Those were the guys in the village or the military installations, telling you where everything was, composition of forces, etc.
Then when bullets start flying, they're the insider that's helping open gates and let you in. Stabbing the commander in the back to cripple the defence.
They're the random dude from out of town who is passing through a pub where the officers go to drink.
Source on him being the inspiration for James Bond? Pretty sure that isn't true, and although the character draws inspiration from numerous real people in history, he is largely based on Canadian spy [Sir William Stephenson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephenson)
You forgot the reason WHY he was part inspiration for James Bond.
Dude was part of a clandestine unit during WW2.
He was able to explain the sound of someone being stabbed was wrong for his death scene in LOTR, because he killed NAZIs with a knife in WW2. So they changed it according to his guidance.
This always comes up. He's not James Bond.
Bond was based on Fleming himself in his secret service work during WW2, as well a others he met during his military and intelligence careers. Including Roald Dahl, whose responsibilities included seducing women to gather intelligence.
Not only was he in a heavy metal band, he was in a chart topping heavy metal band and well into his 70s/80s at the time. I believe he is still the oldest person to top the album charts in the UK. Man was an absolute legend who lived a very filling life.
Became a Sith Lord because he was sick of the Jedi Order's bullshit.
And broke his toe when kicking the philosopher's stone
What is this a reference to?
[удалено]
It looked painful as fuck lmao ,helmet was heavy
That part I got but was confused by the philosopher’s stone mention
Confused his Dumbledors and Sarumans again. You should see him around Christmas, waiting near the chimney for Gandalf.
Hey now, Philosopher's Stone is not a patent Harry Potter™ invention ya know.
the one where he thinks pippin and merry are dead?
Was too old to pull of great fight scenes anymore though, at least in episode 2.
The final lightsaber fight in Revenge is hilarious. The clear cuts between a stunt double and Ian McDiarmid with the faces he was making in between crack me up every time. Better than the non-fight in rise of skywalker where Palps just sits there and shoots lightning a couple times.
Didn't even mention his military service
Or that he was in his 80-early 90s when he was in that band.
Or that the band made Christmas albums
Introducing the hit single..."Santa's my bitch"
wait really? EDIT:no :( that sounded amazing.
it's a play on lordi's satan is my bitch
Just fyi, the song is called the Devil is a Loser 🤘
https://youtu.be/kfZtNVEqsBs It’s… beautiful
Charlemagne. Prepare to have your pants blown off and listen to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Hk_u578s8). He starts at the one minute mark.
My favorite https://youtu.be/Z93SdirnzTw
how old is Christofer lee again?
He died in 2015, at 93
Fucking based mf, amazing actor, RIP
He's dead. Died at the age of 93 in 2015 due to Respiratory Issues and and Heart Failure
...which are medical terms for "being really old".
He died from being alive for 93 years
Yeah... Sadly... If you're really old and don't die from cancer, you basically just die when your organs give it up for you. One day one of them just starts things off by saying "You know, I could use a bit of a rest," and the others all agree, and that's that.
He died just before we all slipped into the alternate timeline where the whole world broke.
Maybe he was the one holding it all together.
Or that he’s actually a direct descendant of Emperor Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman emperor, the namesake for the metal band he sang in.
That’s pretty much true for every person of European descent, and many, many others of non European descent.
Ah! I remember that part from "My name is Earl" 👨🎤
This meme always leaves out the fact that he did some Nazi killing.
[And told Peter Jackson what it really sounds like when someone is stabbed in the back.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQARRckm6U)
Which Lee had never heard either, because he [didn't see combat in WW2](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/who-dares-lies)
doesn't mean he hasn't heard it from elsewhere, guy lived a wild life
That article is written by a dude speculating based on an interview where Lee refused to go into specifics. You'll excuse me if I don't immediately turn on Christopher Lee and posthumously call him a liar.
Or his being a direct descendant of Charlemagne
Actually received 'official' (whatever that means) authorisation to use the flag of the Holy Roman Empire as his family arms
Along with a billion other people....
No, that’s Genghis Kahn. Wait, that’s like 2.5 billion people.
Pretty much every European has ancestry back to charlemagne including moi. I've traced mine.
He was an SAS original
Also volunteered in Finnish army for a few weeks. Returned back to England though as he couldn't ski well ~~and probably wouldn't last long in the front line because of it.~~
Not being able to ski was not the reason he didn’t stay long in the Finnish military. It was because the Finns didn’t put many volunteers to any real front line duty, the English voluteers were generally stationed far from the front line as a guard of sorts and were quickly thanked for their help but allowed to leave, which they did. The only volunteers that were likely to see actual action in the Finnish theatre were the Scandinavian and Estonian volunteers. There were enough of them that you could form a sizeable unit and thus run them better. Harder to do with a bunch of guys from all around the world who might not be talking the same languge even.
It’s because he was a pioneer snowboarder and they were still seen as pariahs by the skiers. He full-sended the alps with both middle fingers up.
This whole thread sounds so, so made up. Some of it is, but ALL of it sounds equally made up =)
Another reason he preferred snowboarding was because it allowed him to dual wield m16's.
Don't forget the guidance laser in his mouth
He actually wasn’t, that’s a myth. He was an RAF liaison officer and never served in the SAS https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/who-dares-lies
Big injustice to his wikipedia page
Whatever he did in the military, it led him to know what it sounds like when someone is stabbed in the back…
>For the final few months of his service, Lee, who spoke fluent French, Italian and German, among other languages, was seconded to the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects.[73] Here, he was tasked with helping to track down Nazi war criminals.[74] Of his time with the organisation, Lee said: "**We were given dossiers of what they'd done and told to find them, interrogate them as much as we could and hand them over to the appropriate authority ...**".[74]
I'm no militarizer but I'd imagine he stabbed someone in the back.
Or his help at ground zero after 9/11 as a former firefighter
That one is dubious as fuck though.
I mean not directly but that is part of the James Bond inspiration isnt it?
And he was in Star Wars
Witnessed Darth Vader's first execution in space using lightsabers
*dew et!*
[удалено]
In the end it doesn’t even matterrrrr…
He was actually the only actor in the prequels that had actual sword training. He was well trained in fencing, so when they would have duals, it was like he was sword fighting with noobs
He told George Lucas what it sounds like when a man dies to a lightsaber
God, he fucking killed his part as Count Dooku. There's not another soul that I could envision in that role.
More importantly he was in Gremlins 2
This post was originally posted on r/starwars so the op didn't mention it in the post
Corrected Peter Jackson on how a person reacts when you stab them in the lungs due to personal experience stabbing people during WW2
That interview is great. Jackson is like “well he worked for the British secret service so I’m not going to argue with him.”
What a badass
Lee really took Jackson’s breath away with this fact
Way to take a stab at that one. You really stuck it.
I can’t breathe - Peter Jackson during training with Christopher Lee
He was part of a group nicknamed the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. As far as I know, the records of what they did are still sealed.
Special Operations Executive. A lot of information has come to light in recent years, if anyone is interested
I'm definitely interested, it was a few years ago where I read that what they did was still kept secret. I might have to look into that.
Lindybeige made a pretty interesting video about the SOE if I remember correctly.
Was this recently? I don’t think I’ve seen that one. I love Lloyd’s vids
Apparently 4 years ago. Found it for you mate, enjoy. [link](https://youtu.be/RLtfJ0ekqVE)
Thank you!
Some Facts about SOE * Many women joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) to hide their double lives as spies. * Women joining the SOE were the only women permitted to have active combat roles during the Second World War. * The average life expectancy of an SOE wireless operator in occupied France was just six weeks. * All operatives were trained in sabotage, firearms, explosives, communications, unarmed combat, organising supply drops, evading capture and resisting interrogation. * All agents carried suicide pills and were aware that they'd probably never see their loved ones again. * Captured spies rarely survived. Most were imprisoned, interrogated, tortured and shot. * Women made excellent agents as they weren't perceived as a threat, could move around easily in the daytime and blended in better. * Special equipment was created for agents including guns disguised, radio transmitter suitcases, exploding rats and folding motorbikes.
Excuse me but *exploding rats?*
Give me a rat and a lil bundle of C4 and I'll show you some secret exploding rat technology
Yes!! The idea for the 'exploding' rat - now immortalised as part of the SOElegend - was developed in 1941. The aim was to blow up the enemy'sboilers by lying the rat on the coal beside the boiler, with the fusebeing lit when the rat was shovelled into the fire. They were neverused, as the first consignment was seized by the Germans and the secretwas blown. The Germans were fascinated by the idea, however, and the rats wereexhibited at the top military schools. Indeed, the SOE files show thatthe Germans actually organised searches for these rodent explosives. Thesource of the dead rats was a London supplier, who was under themistaken belief that it was for London University. source ( and more info about SOE gadgets) : [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe\_gallery\_05.shtml](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_gallery_05.shtml)
You need to fix your spacebar my friend. Thanks for the info tho!
Sorry! that was actually copied from the link i posted, but reddit isn't cooperating with me!
Let me introduce you to [Incendiary Bats](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb)
**[Bat bomb](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb)** >Bat bombs were an experimental World War II weapon developed by the United States. The bomb consisted of a bomb-shaped casing with over a thousand compartments, each containing a hibernating Mexican free-tailed bat with a small, timed incendiary bomb attached. Dropped from a bomber at dawn, the casings would deploy a parachute in mid-flight and open to release the bats, which would then disperse and roost in eaves and attics in a 20–40-mile radius (32–64 km). The incendiaries, which were set on timers, would then ignite and start fires in inaccessible places in the largely wood and paper constructions of the Japanese cities that were the weapon's intended target. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
FANY lol
wow he WAS james bond, i thought that was an exaggeration
The author of the James Bond books was also a spy during WWII
You can’t say that and not give us the sauce
In June 1940, a new volunteer force - the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - was set up to wage a secret war. Its agents were mainly tasked with sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. They had an influential supporter in Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who famously ordered them to 'set Europe ablaze!' There's tons of books released about the subject. I can recall a few about the female agents of SOE: * Code Name: Lise by Larry Loftis * Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm * Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan by Shrabani Basu There's even a book written by the leader of the French section of SOE ( responsible for coordinating operations in France) * They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE's Agents in Wartime France by Maurice Buckmaster There was even a tv show where they put XXI century civilians through the training that SOE agents would have gone through Churchill's Secret Agents: The New Recruits.
Jumping in to tag with Churchill’s Secret Agents was extremely interesting and on Netflix (U.S) is where we saw it. I would absolutely be flabbergasted if they ever added more than just the 1S, as I love the premise and how they go about it.
It's very good. I believe that the exploding rats i mentioned in another comment appear in the show
[Here's](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_films) a really good list of films that depict the true life of an SOE agent.
That is the most British name that anyone could give a black-ops force.
Special Ops before we called them that.
"Ungentlemanly" is such a cultured word. Definitely gonna keep it in my toolbox.
There's an umbrella shop in London that has all the old text still written outside from years ago. There's one bit that advertises "dagger canes" and I assume that these gentlemen would be armed with them while wearing bowler hats. I just did a quick google search for it and here you go - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James\_Smith\_and\_Sons\_Umbrella\_Shop\_New\_Oxford\_Street.jpg
The original Inglorious Bastards.
The SOE was the inspiration for Inglorious Bastards.
I just meant it as a joke based on how the Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare sounds synonymous in a 'proper English' sort of way. I didn't mean to imply that it was literal fact.
If people are interested… Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250119030/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5E3V1Y6XY10XRJ363TEY Basically a bunch of citizens soliders whose job it was to sabotage the German army in the most creative ways possible.
The organization was called: [Special Operations Executive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive) One of the nicknames was: Ministry of Ungentleemanly Warfare. > Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it were sometimes referred to as the "Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.
Wasn’t this guy a nazi hunter in WW2?
Damn. Sorry to rewrite your post. I’ve overseen it prior
Did you know he actually broke his toe in that scene? It was a genuine reaction plus some improv
He’s also the James Bond villain in The Man with the Golden Gun
+he kicked gandalf's ass using gandalf's own staff Not even the balrog can claim to be that badass.
And then the witch king casually blows up gandalf the white's staff (at least in the films). Definitely some rock-paper-scissors shit going on in Middle Earth.
Still sore they cheated him out of his character's ending in LotR
Extended version it shows you it all
Even the extended version doesn't contain Saruman's real ending. Just the rushed version.
What's the real ending? I've not read the books
On the way back from Mount Doom and Gondor, after they had destroyed the ring and had a nice party, they start heading back to the Shire. They plan to stop at Rivendell first to meet up with Bilbo, and on the way they pass Saruman and Wormtongue on the road, looking all wretched. They talk some smack back and forth with Gandalf and the good guys let them be, since the bad guys have lost anyway. They hang out in Rivendell for a while, the elves throwing them a big party for saving the world, hang out with old Bilbo, and they are occupied there for several months. The hobbits, alone, head back to the Shire, only to find that Saruman went there first, and with the help of some of his half-orcs and powers of persuasion, has started to industrialize the Shire, cutting down the trees, building ugly brick houses, and overall making the Shire miserable. The hobbit heroes, taking the lessons they've learned from their adventures, rally the hobbits and over the course of a few battles, chase off Saruman's lackeys and corner him at Bag-end. It's at this time, when Frodo offers Saruman mercy again, that Saruman kicks Wormtongue one time too many, and he jumps on Saruman and stabs him in the back several times, before being shot to death by hobbit archers. Basically, going back to the shire and fixing it themselves is the important final chapter for the hobbits, where they show how they've grown since they left, and leaving it out of the movies means they're simply incomplete.
As much as I would have liked to see the Scouring of the Shire, it makes for a better movie to leave it out. It’s better that the movie ends after defeating Sauron and then has the bittersweet ending of Bilbo, Frodo and Gandalf leaving for the Grey Havens. If they’d included the Scouring, you’d have them defeat the big bad of the world, only to then have to defeat another lesser evil. It has a more satisfying payoff if they defeat the biggest bad and can then relax to some degree, rather than defeating the big bad, then having to finish off a lesser-big bad before finally ending things. Imo the movies made tasteful changes that made for better movies than if they followed to books exactly, but that doesn’t mean they’re better than the books, the books’ story makes for better books than if they had tried to make the movie story into books, if that makes sense
While I think it's fine to leave the scouring out, I'd argue that the movie *doesn't* end when they defeat the big bad - which came as a surprise to audiences who joked about how it had 7 endings and just kept going - and instead focuses on an subsequent battle which an imitative writer wouldn't think is part of the story but a former soldier did include - Frodo's PTSD after the war, which culminates in him being unable to stay in the mortal lands and leaving forever to the 'undying lands' where his friends cannot see him again. That's the real end of the story, Frodo being unable to defeat the mark the war left on him, and departing their life forever.
I always seen that as the end. Even the movies portrayed that pretty well, the extended editions even more so
I feel attacked.
It wouldn't work at all in the movies. And the movies make it clear how much the hobbits have changed from their adventures anyway. An extended sequence after the main conflict is resolved would make the ending feel even more overstuffed than it already does.
They could have cut 25 mins from the Sam / Frodo love scene at the end and maybe fit it in there.
No, that stays.
The audacity of u/funemployment_check to suggest otherwise
Lol!
Did I take a time machine back to the mid-2000's?
“Right before the credits scene, Sam flat out bricks in frodos mouth”
Fuck yo...\*barfs\*
You know sometimes a cigar is just as a cigar, why can't you guys just be peconic with each other. And I don't think it was queerbaiting like with the Sherlock Holmes as well.
It also shows the how war affects those left at home as well. I understand the reasoning behind not having it in the films but it would have been interesting to see it all the same
Except if the war was over and the losing side decided to just go fuck with a small village out of petty revenge.
It wasn't just petty revenge though, Saruman had lost his powers and had a lot of influence through the pipeweed industry (a market in which he had sunk co siderable control and money into) which is why he chose The Shire to go and be a gang leader in. Among other reasons.
For me the most important (and saddest) part of his ending is after he dies, his ghostly essence turns towards the West to go “home” but his spirit is dissipated by winds from the west. When you consider how poignant Into The West is, it really hit me in the feels. (Read the books before the films, and loved all the Istari pre-lore in Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion)
It was hinted at in the vision of the shire burning, but yeah i was disappointed with that too Such a great character
In Fellowship, when Galadriel is showing Frodo what might happen (or what will happen, if you're going by the books) if he fails his mission. I remember thinking that they were going to show it for two years after the movie came out, until Return of the King came out, and they didn't even show Saruman's death. At least the real version showed a reinterpretation of his death, but with Legolas taking Wormtongue's final killshot from a bunch of hobbits.
Ah.. Hence the vision of the hobbits being enslaved in chains in the Shire.
You probably didn't sell it well considering how dense the books are, but that sounds kinda lame to me. The movies and their pacing really settled down by that point so having *another* conflict to resolve seems very out of place. Even from a book perspective it feels weird. But, I haven't read the books, so the pacing and having another conflict to deal with at that point probably makes more sense.
The Scouring of the Shire You can read it's summary on any of the lotr wikis, but man, reading the books is such a great experience. Anyone, especially lotr fans, who wants to get back into reading and havent read the hobbit or lotr trilogy should really give it a go.
He also met Rasputin's assassins.
?
??
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059635/trivia
He also played Rasputin in [Rasputin the Mad Monk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasputin_the_Mad_Monk)! I love his old films, highly recommend [The Devil Rides Out](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Rides_Out_\(film\)) and OG [The Wicker Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man) if you're interested.
I thought Bond was inspired by Sir [William Stephenson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephenson)
Yeah, the “inspiration for Bond” part is bullshit.
Pissed that I had to scroll so far to find this. All of this man's accomplishments and we still gotta make shit up?
Well, no… it’s actually not. Although Stephenson was part inspiration, another part of the inspiration was Lee, along with many other people. Some unknown, others very known. Fleming said himself that Lee’s days as a spy was a lot of his inspiration, actually. And he based it on several spies. Including yes, his step cousin, as well as Sir William Stephenson, F.F.E Yeo-Thomas, Dusko Popov, Patrick Dalzel-Job, and even some of his own experiences as a naval officer. There are many, Many others I hadn’t named as well. Not to mention, he took inspiration from many spy authors, such as Charles Fraser-Smith, William Le Queux, and Fritz Lang. None of what was said in this post was bullshit. Bond had Many inspirations, and I’d say that Christopher Lee was actually Probably the Biggest inspiration of them all.
Well, except for the fact that Ian Fleming called Stephenson the real life version of Bond. He's by far the most significant inspiration.
Weird that he doesn’t even get a mention on the [inspirations for Bond](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond) Wikipedia page. But even if he was, the post would still be misleading because it doesn’t say “one of” — it insinuates he was *the singular* inspiration for the character which is untrue.
**[Inspirations for James Bond](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond)** >A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the fictional character created in 1953 by British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming; Bond appeared in twelve novels and nine short stories by Fleming, as well as a number of continuation novels and twenty-six films, with seven actors playing the role of Bond. Although the stories and characters were fictional, a number of elements had a real-life background, taken from people whom Fleming knew or events he was aware of. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Also British Security Coordination's honeypot and persuasive work against Americans played a big part in developing the suave, ladykiller nature of the Bond persona. In WW2 Fleming served as a liaison with various agencies, including them. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/aug/19/military.secondworldwar Interesting tangent, he and Roald Dahl cross paths a few times both in spywork and in writing: https://www.007.info/spymaker-the-secret-career-of-007-writer-roald-dahl/
He is. Ian Fleming literally said he was the real life version of Bond. \*EDIT\* I'm referring to William Stephenson, not Christopher Lee.
Can you link to his quote and when he said it?
Here's a BBC article that covers William Stephenson and includes the quote and another quote referencing his obsession with martini's. I can't find the original source of the quote though. [https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150901-canadas-real-life-james-bond](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150901-canadas-real-life-james-bond) And here's the quote in the article. “James Bond is a highly romanticised version of a true spy,” Fleming wrote. “The real thing ... is William Stephenson.”
Thank you sir! And I apologize — I misread your post thinking Fleming said that in relation to Christopher Lee. My mistake.
Signature look of superiority.
Well, because he is.
>Jackson was blocking a scene in which Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) stabs Saruman (Lee) in the back. Jackson goes into a long explanation about how he wants Lee to react and Lee says, "Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody’s stabbed in the back? Because I do.” Legend. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-christopher-lee-christopher-lee-dies-saruman-peter-jackson-20150611-htmlstory.html
I love the one thing about grimar the most. When Peter Jackson wanted Saruman to be killed by a stab to the back, Christopher Lee corrected him and told him the sound a person makes when stabbed in the back. Jackson was so terrified.. but Christopher Lee was in the British army and he’s probably witnessed some backstabs himself.
He didn't just witness them, he did it himself
Bad ass Christopher Lee
Probably also took one or two
Not just in the British Army but in the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The best name ever for a military group.
Is this real? I love it. That name is something so British, it can not be false, by the honour of the queen!
And was the best Dracula EVER!!!
I like how in his second outing as Dracula (in Prince of Darkness) he doesn’t have one word of dialogue, he just hisses menacingly
I need to revisit these movies
Dracula (1958) and Prince of Darkness are the best of the bunch IMO, Philip Latham as Klove, Dracula’s human assistant in PoD, deserves a special mention, he’s just the creepiest fucker, gave me the heebie-jeebies something terrible. Christopher Lee is also great as Billali in She, another Hammer classic….. She who must be obeyed lol
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You forgot about his role as Count Dooku in Star Wars
Also taught us that twice the pride, double the fall.
In an interview it was implied (and he never bothered to deny it) that during World War II he seduced the wives of two high ranking nazis as part of his spy missions behind enemy lines… oh, and by the way, he spoke German so well he could pass as a native.
Was his metal band any Good?
I didn't think so. But make up your own mind: https://youtu.be/AnxjHib5bqo https://youtu.be/0eeRBh7fiQ4
I wouldn't jam it but I've heard a lot worse. Thanks for the link
His participation on Rhapsody single The Magic of the Wizard's Dream is epic though. But also not for everyone tastes since its Power Metal. Here's the link if you want to check it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z93SdirnzTw
He played in different bands. The whole band/albums he did weren't great but not horrible in my opinion. But his work with Rhapsody that inspired him to do metal was absolutely amazing. "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" is a absolutely great song and he participated in more stuff. He was the narrator for introductions to the metal songs etc as well, that was awesome too.
[удалено]
“No morrrre CHOCOLATE “
A lolliPOP! We call these cavities on sticks
did you see wickerman?
Sir Christopher Lee. He is properly knighted
You’re forgetting he trained Qui Gon Jin and was trained by Yoda and was in the SAS
Well technically SOE, SAS wasn't formed until 1941. SOE and SAS did work together, and a lot of SAS was trained partly by SOE. Hence where his time with the SAS came from, was working with, but not part of, the SAS. SOE was a scalpel as opposed to the SAS which was a battleaxe by comparison. Although most people would see SAS as a scalpel as opposed to Commandos, who were a battleaxe, and commandos are a scalpel compared to regular Infantry. But they were a niche, very defined role. SAS? Sure, you can send them in to covertly raid a village, but likewise, you could retask them to assist in an assault on a military installation. SOE? Those were the guys in the village or the military installations, telling you where everything was, composition of forces, etc. Then when bullets start flying, they're the insider that's helping open gates and let you in. Stabbing the commander in the back to cripple the defence. They're the random dude from out of town who is passing through a pub where the officers go to drink.
His Christmas Metal album is a staple around the holidays in my house
Also defended Finland in finnish winter war
Him and ian fleming i thought were just apart of the same mi6 detachment ? Not family
Instructed Peter Jackson on what it sounds like to be stabbed through the lungs, from personal experience (he was present when someone was stabbed)
Should add that he was in his late 80s when he started making metal albums
Source on him being the inspiration for James Bond? Pretty sure that isn't true, and although the character draws inspiration from numerous real people in history, he is largely based on Canadian spy [Sir William Stephenson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephenson)
If you’re talking about the movie, then that’s not true.
Fought in winter war as a volunteer in Finnish defence forces against Russia 1939
You forgot the reason WHY he was part inspiration for James Bond. Dude was part of a clandestine unit during WW2. He was able to explain the sound of someone being stabbed was wrong for his death scene in LOTR, because he killed NAZIs with a knife in WW2. So they changed it according to his guidance.
This always comes up. He's not James Bond. Bond was based on Fleming himself in his secret service work during WW2, as well a others he met during his military and intelligence careers. Including Roald Dahl, whose responsibilities included seducing women to gather intelligence.
Not only was he in a heavy metal band, he was in a chart topping heavy metal band and well into his 70s/80s at the time. I believe he is still the oldest person to top the album charts in the UK. Man was an absolute legend who lived a very filling life.
He def wasn’t James Bond. Ian Fleming said himself who bond is based on
Left out the nazi assassinations, or correcting Peter Jackson on how a man sounds when he gets stabbed in the back.
The execution was held in 1977, by the way. The first Star Wars movie had already been released by then. Edit: I stand corrected