The various James Bonds (1 Viewer)

[Mike Hess]

I like all of the actors portraying Mr. Bond except Roger Moore. He's alright in other movies but when it comes to playing the immortal James Bond then forget it. He is just not the right type, especially the last few he shot. It really did look like he was just going through the motions. I realize this is probably not a very popular opinion especially given that I heard yesterday that Mr. Moore collapsed while performing in a play. Sorry old chap, nothing personal. Mr Epstein, thank you for the excellent review of the "Die Another Day" DVD. I will purchase it the day it is released. I agree, Pierce Brosnan is the right Bond for the job. One more and he's out and then we will be writing about the new guy. I think Hugh Jackman would make an excellent Bond.

 

[John Mansor]

Being born in the early 70's, I will always consider Roger Moore my James Bond. I guess not knowing the other actors that played Bond, he seemed perfect for the part. Pierce Brosnan's okay, but he doesn't act Bond any different from Remington Steele.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Thread moved to Movies (check out the descriptions of the various forums on the main page). I've also retitled the thread, since it's not primarily about Roger Moore and there's already a thread devoted to his recent health problems:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=139816

M.

 

[ArmandV]

Since the first James Bond films I was ever exposed to (at age 10) was a double-bill of Dr. No and From Russia With Love back around 1963, I am extremely partial to Sean Connery in the role of 007. The best!

The other actors (in order of preference) are:

Timothy Dalton (to me, his portrayal comes closest to Connery's)

Pierce Brosnan (I did not warm up to his portrayal until The World Is Not Enough as he seemed to be posing, not acting)

Roger Moore (For Your Eyes Only is my favorite of his)

George Lazenby (considering he really wasn't an actor at the time, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was a good film and he did okay all things considered)

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Pierce is a great Bond. Sean Connery was a great Bond.

I haven't seen all the Bond movies, but it seems like Moore is the least Bond-like of them all. He did a good enough job, but he's not the best.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I don't think it's Moore's fault as much as the scripts he was given. I personally find a lot of the Moore era films rather lame, period. The one exception for me is The Spy Who Loved Me, if only for the opening sequence (and of course Jaws).

 

[Joshua_Y]

I am a Bond fanatic and love all the Bond's...my fave Bond movie is probably On Her Majesty's Secret Service...

Favorite Bond...well...they were all excellent...but I'm gonna say Roger Moore...I dont know what it is...I just really liked him as Bond...Brosnan is second to Moore...

 

[Sathyan]

***may contain spoilers (for old movies) ***

Timothy Dalton is my favorite James Bond. He comes closest to the character in the Flemming novels which is not the playboy superstar Connery portrayed but a diliberate, if conflicted, hardened killer (the Orwellian guardian sort). We see this most vividly in the overlooked LTK in the confrontation with M before Bond's license is revoked. LTK is a powerful film because Dalton portrays the anti-Connery. He has abandoned his role as "England's most powerful weapon". He must find purpose and be resource (as the employed Bond was in DN). TLD is also a post-CW film and has these struggles in conversations with Kara particularly after the Prater park scene. The humanity of the Bond character is stressed by Dalton leaving out only the injury-conclusions of the novels. I wish he had more opportunities, specifically an official adaptation of Casino Royale.

My second choice is Connery. He had the best run of material. I should point out that the Bond films DN, FRWL and GF are not action but espionage-focused as are the novels. Later films have disasterously departed from this. Connery acquitted himself well in the first four (DN, FRWL, GF, TB) but gradually assumes a celebrity persona untenable for an effective spy. I see Bond as more "Noir" than "Rat Pack"; certainly Connery did not concur.

I can't rate George Lazenby as he only got one shot at the role (although with the best source material; OHMSS is the best novel, FRWL the best film). This was the most difficult of the films as it departed substantially from the essence of the franchise. Here we had character development! And a thinking Bond girl! It bombed commercially (which is often a good sign) which ended the foray. This was J6P's fault not Lazenby's.

For Moore and Brosnan the material has been weak (with a few scattered gems: TSWLM, GE) so it is not entirely the actor's fault. Moore has shown he can portray a serious character on occasion but he is too much the jester. Brosnan has yet to provide a worthy performance (and I include his non-Bond work here). I wonder if he's read any of the Bond novels? (I have not seen DAD - waiting for the DVD - so this view could change but right now I rank Brosnan last).

This will never happen but I would like to see all the Bond films remade as period-piece literary adaptations. Bond is the great fallible literary hero of the Cold War era. He should not be updated to compete for the mass market with XXX, etc.

Full disclosure: my first viewing of Bond was Octopussy (on TV) and Goldeneye (on the big screen). I've seen all except DAD, which is in my Netflix queue, at least a dozen times.

Sathyan

 

[Christian Behrens]

When they hired Dalton to be the next Bond, I was disappointed, possibly because rumours of Brosnan being a contender for the role existed and I kinda liked him in 'Remington Steele'.

Now, in retrospect, I really like Dalton's Bond films a whole lot better than I did as a teenager when I first saw them, and rank them among the top Bond films. I also agree with Sathyan that they used to be more about espionage than action. FRWL was blowing me away when I first saw it (on TV, but without commercials).

For the next Bond I'd like to see Clive Owen, as he has this edgy side to him that I like in Dalton so much now. But there has been a thread about possible Bond actors already.

-Christian

 

[Chad R]

Poor George. He only got one go around, but it also happened to be in one of the best Bond films. If he had more to do, who knows--but it was a promising beginning.

 

[Holadem]

Excellent Bond thread, especially the first post.

--
Holadem

 

[Paul_Scott]

big fan of Dalton here.
i also agree that LTK is criminally underrated.
that film portrays the way i believe a real agent operating in the real world, would act and behave.
unfortunately, i missed both of Daltons turns at the theater and first caught them on pan and scan tapes after wards.
both times i wasn't expecting much, and was pretty impressed when the end credits rolled.
the 'assassination' of Pushkin is still one of the all-time coolest Bond moments ever.

Brosnan hasn't done anything for me.
something about his portrayal just seems to rub me the wrong way (the way i expect Dalton does for other people).
i find him pretty saccharine.
it doesn't help that his material has been so weak either.

i grew up with Moore, so i will always have a soft spot for FYEO and his earlier work.
Connery is always fun to watch, but secret agent Bond getting a front page obit in YOLT i find to be on par with much of the silliness from the Moore era.
i wouldn't have expected a secret agent to be that much of a celebrity.
recently watched DAF again, and couldn't believe how contrived that was (Blofeld not offing Bond when he has the chance several times- the CIA taking orders from a British agent on US soil). used to have a much higher opinion of it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'd rate them as:

Sean Connery
Pierce Brosnan

They're the most bad ass of the bunch, IMO. They have the style going on, but they're tough as nails when they need to be, too.

Roger Moore

All style, very little substance. I just don't picture him as Her Majesty's hitman.

Timothy Dalton.

He just doesn't have the charisma that I look for in Bond. True, it might be a more accurate portrayal to the novels, but the films have become a cultural entity in and of themselves.

I haven't seen OHMSS, so I can't comment on where Lazenby fits into the picture.

 

[ArmandV]

Connery is always fun to watch, but secret agent Bond getting a front page obit in YOLT i find to be on par with much of the silliness from the Moore era.

Actually, it was all plausible as the obit stated that a "British commander was assassinated, " with no reference to Bond being a secret agent, spy or assassin. The idea was to take some heat off of Bond by his enemies for awhile.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think that the book Bond and movie Bond are (and should be looked at) as two different characters. The book Bond has flaws; he's a drunk womanizer with internal crises (I think, I haven't read the books, but a friend of mine has read a bunch of them and he and I discussed this once). The movie Bond is immortal; he's suave, tough, and always wins.

With that in mind, Pierce and Sean are definitely the best Bonds.

 

[Glenn L]

I'd feel for George except it was his choice. From the Link Removed:

Lazenby turned down an offer to appear in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) because he was led to believe that the tuxedo-clad superspy would soon become an anachronism in the age of Woodstock

 

[Paul_Scott]

if thats the case, Armand, i should probably go back and give it another shot.
"little Nelly" seemed a little gratuitous to me, and i had some other nit-picks, but i do have to agree that it has one of Barrys best scores for the series.

as the years go by, my opinions on the differnt films has swung wildly.
10 years a go i watched Thunderball and thought it was a ponderous dud, while i loved DAF.
i loved Thunderball the last time i watched it, and couldn't stand DAF this time...so who knows what the future will bring

 

[Tim Glover]

Grew up on James Bond and Star Wars....how's that for extreme opposites! Well actually, one uses a lightsaber and the other just uses his saber.

I could write forever all the famous one liners, innuendos etc....from the Bond franchise.

There have been some real weak entries as well as some great ones. For me the ones that stick out are:

Weak
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesties Secret Service
The Man With The Golden Gun
A View To A Kill
Die Another Day (hated it)

Great
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever
Live & Let Die
The Spy Who Love Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only (2nd favorite)
Octopussy (favorite)
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies

Good, but not great was The World Is Not Enough.

Just my humble opinions.

 

[TheLongshot]

What I think:

Connery: In a lot of ways, considered the definitive Bond. Charming, though, and probably the best material of the bunch.

Lazenby: Probably one of the best stories in the Bond franchice, kinda screwed by this stiff of an actor. Attractive, but not really a lot of acting chops here. Goes on the bottom.

Moore: I have a soft spot for him, since he's the one I grew up with. Did well with the silly direction the Bond franchise went. Was able to get by on his charm and foppishness rather than toughness, which worked well for him. He was getting long in the tooth towards the end, tho.

Dalton: Probably the most like the book Bond. Tough, uncompromising, and determined. He had no problem slugging a woman to get the job done. Probably wasn't good looking or charming enough for the general audience. Was also hurt by the end of the Cold War, which made Bond irrelavent for a while. One of my favorites.

Brosnan: The guy I originally wanted when Dalton was hired. He's a conumdrum. On one hand, he seems to be a good combination of the above: Charming, tough, good looking, determined. On the other, he has yet to make a great Bond film. They have all been lacking in some way. It is kinda sad that GoldenEye is probably the best one, when I thought it was a good start at the time. Maybe it is the idea to make them "Blockbuster Event Films" rather than Bond films that bothers me.

Jason

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Weak
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesties Secret Service
The Man With The Golden Gun
A View To A Kill
Die Another Day (hated it)

Great
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever
Live & Let Die
The Spy Who Love Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only (2nd favorite)
Octopussy (favorite)
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies

Thunderball weak, Moonraker and Live and Let Die great??? What is this, Opposite Day?