CLASSIC IMAGE: SPRINGING THE TRAP!

On the top level observation spire of General Grievous's command warship, The Invisible Hand, which is immersed in a huge orbital battle above the Republic homeworld of Coruscant, legendary Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker engage in their final (all too brief on screen) lightsaber duel with the evil Count Dooku, so as to rescue the captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

It will be a conflict with tremendous consequences for young Anakin Skywalker...

CLASSIC IMAGE: SITH SWORDSMANSHIP!

An interesting EPISODE II image used online for a devoted STAR WARS fans desktop wallpaper, showing Christopher Lee as the evil Count Dooku flexing two lightsabers for part of a filmed but ultimately deleted duel sequence between the Sith Lord and Yoda in the Geonosian Hangar. Let's hope that one day the entire action sequence will appear on Blu-ray.

Outside of playing Count Dooku, our best wishes go out to Christopher Lee on his accepting his BAFTA fellowship award for his life and career in movies this weekend in London. It's well deserved and great to see him properly acknowledged.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE TWO MASTERS OF DARKNESS!

From the EPISODE II DVD special features, here's some fun images showing legendary actor Christopher Lee- Count Dooku himself- at FOX STUDIOS AUSTRALIA in 2000, getting ready to film the next part of his lightsaber duel (with double Kyle Rowling) in the Geonosian hangar for EPISODE II, and this time up against his old Jedi Master, Yoda. Only, his opponent's looking a little bit different today!

The reference Yoda dummy used on that days filming would be given some vampire fangs by the behind the scenes crew in an amusing DRACULA joke/honorable homage. Despite Lee's seriousness on set to Lucas that he didn't find the improvised visual gag funny, we secretly hope that he eventually saw the lighter side of it all!

CHRISTOPHER LEE : THE TYRANNY AND DECEIT OF COUNT DOOKU

Christopher Lee has always been a fine actor, with his iconic role as Dracula, alongside his many other classic HAMMER horror/ sci-fi fantasy film credits, adding to a fine pedigree of projects that have been a continuing staple of my viewing habits in watching great film and TV. As the corrupted Jedi turned Sith, Count Dooku, in EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, he was terrific, and made what could have been a small role even larger and more satsifying to watch with his commanding presence-the role demanding, and getting, an actor possessing an eloquent voice and a demeanour of sophistication and evil that was to be a great addition to the STAR WARS saga. Sadly, Christopher's appearance in EPISODE III a few years later was all too brief-I was hoping he'd have a larger part in proceedings related to the death of the Jedi Order- but we can at least savour a strong opening to the film, where his character finally gets his just desserts from the now more skilled and dangerous force that is Anakin Skywalker, egged on in his actions by Dooku's duplicitous Master, Darth Sidious.

Even as he approaches his nineties, Lee's acting credentials continue to grow longer and more intriguing, and the film and TV world is a lot better place for it with his presence.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ANAKIN ATTACK!

In a classic sequence from EPISODE II (which got lots of cheers from UK and US audiences on its premiere screening nights), though heavily truncated down from what was originally choreographed and filmed in 2000, the brave Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) goes on the attack against the fiendish Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Note the digital face of Lee superimposed by ILM onto his excellent double, Australian stuntman and swordsman, Kyle Rowling.