POLL: Who was [Sir Roger Moore's] Bond's most serious love interest?

in Actors Posts: 11,119
I have been wondering this for quite some time now. Obviously George Lazenby's Bond had the wonderful Contessa Teresa Di Vicenzo. They even married, sadly for less than an hour. And Craig's Bond is currently in a very serious love relationship with Madeleine Swann. But what about the late Sir Roger Moore's Bond? Who do you consider Moore's Bond's love equal? Who do you think could have married Moore's Bond eventually?

A) Rosie Carver ["[i]Live And Let Die[/i]"]
B) Miss Solitaire ["[i]Live And Let Die[/i]"]
C) Andrea Anders ["[i]The Man With The Golden Gun[/i]"]
D) Mary Goodnight ["[i]The Man With The Golden Gun[/i]"]
E) Naomi ["[i]The Spy Who Loved Me[/i]"]
F) Major Anya Amasova, KGB Agent XXX ["[i]The Spy Who Loved Me[/i]"]
G) Corinne Dufour ["[i]Moonraker[/i]"]
H) Holly Goodhead, CIA Agent ["[i]Moonraker[/i]"]
I) Bibi Dahl ["[i]For Your Eyes Only[/i]"]
J) Countess Lisl Von Schlaff ["[i]For Your Eyes Only[/i]"]
K) Melina Havelock ["[i]For Your Eyes Only[/i]"]
L) Magda ["[i]Octopussy[/i]"]
M) Miss Octopussy ["[i]Octopussy[/i]"]
N) May Day ["[i]A View To A Kill[/i]"]
O) Stacey Sutton ["[i]A View To A Kill[/i]"]

My choice: It has to be L), Octopussy. No question about that. During the premiere of "Octopussy", Sir Roger Moore was 55 years old, and Maud Adams was not far away from reaching 40 years of age (38). Age-wise, the couple seemed to be a perfect match. And to be honest, it still feels that way when I see Moore and Adams acting in "Octopussy". Also, there's this backstory in "Octopussy" (Major Dexter Smythe) that draws Bond and Octopussy closer together. Their love affair, and even their bedding scenes, to me looked very realistic. Not as if Bond was dating another throw-away girl like Mary Goodnight. The writers could have expanded a bit more on the love affair between Bond and Octopussy, turning it into a more visible relationship. I think Octopussy could have returned then for another couple of scenes in "A View To A Kill", by giving Bond a more proper send-off with Octopussy. A bit like how it was done between Bondand Madeleine in "SPECTRE". So Octopussy it is for me. And for you?
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Comments

  • Posts: 6,432
    Octopussy and Bond has more depth than most think that's down to Roger and Maudes friendship.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,087
    Octopussy.
  • edited May 2017 Posts: 6,432
    I think it's a three horse race in fact possibly two, Anya, Melina and Octopussy are the only realistic contenders.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,032
    As Bond and as shown in the opening to FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, Tracy is clearly the most serious even if that didn't happen on screen for Roger Moore.

    Beyond that, it's Octopussy. Older characters, good chemistry, a shared backstory. That works for me on all three questions.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,551
    I would say Octopussy, but meta knowledge from the books would dictate that his romance with Goodnight has a fair chance too. Considering however that the film script did the book no service, I'll choose Octopussy. Anya? He did go back for her despite her death threat.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I'm going to be different and go with Anya. His equal and match in every way. She had his number.
  • Posts: 4,622
    I would say none of the above. Rog's Bond was dedicated bachelor, much like Sean's Bond.
    Loved the women but was predisposed to keep things friendly and move on.
    Not even a hint of entanglement.
  • Posts: 11,119
    bondjames wrote: »
    I'm going to be different and go with Anya. His equal and match in every way. She had his number.

    I always found Anya a bit too........much Bond's equal on a professional level. Not on a private level :-)
  • mattjoesmattjoes Kicking: Impossible
    Posts: 6,733
    I agree that Octopussy and Anya are the main contenders. Which of those can be considered to be the most serious love interest is something that depends on the criteria used.

    Bond and Octopussy had a clear emotional connection. In a scene in Octopussy's palace, Octopussy asks Bond to work with her, but it's obvious she wants him to stay with her, not only because of what he did for her father, but because she is attracted to him and admires his character, resourcefulness and, despite criticizing him for it, his integrity ("a man of principle"). And Bond has feelings for her, too ("we're two of a kind"). He too admires her resourcefulness and her talent for business, criminal or otherwise. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but they share the most passionate kiss in the entire Moore era.

    The relationship between Bond and Anya strikes me as more superficial. I don't get the impression they would want to stay together for too long. They have empathy for each other because they share a profession, but their romance doesn't seem to have significant long-term prospects: they have fun competing with each other in their work, but there is not enough beyond that, on a personal level.

    So that tells us Octopussy is a more serious love interest.

    However, if we think of the viability of a relationship between Bond and the respective love interest, I'd say that, as unlikely as it is, Anya is a more viable relationship, simply because I can't see Bond joining Octopussy in a life of crime!
  • Posts: 676
    Octopussy. Moore's era should have ended with her and Bond on a boat drifting towards the sunset.

    Instead... A View to a Kill happened.
    And Craig's Bond is currently in a very serious love relationship with Madeleine Swann.
    I wish them all the best.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    And Craig's Bond is currently in a very serious love relationship with Madeleine Swann.
    Could have fooled me.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,087
    bondjames wrote: »
    And Craig's Bond is currently in a very serious love relationship with Madeleine Swann.
    Could have fooled me.

    :D brilliant!!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    timmer wrote: »
    I would say none of the above. Rog's Bond was dedicated bachelor, much like Sean's Bond.
    Loved the women but was predisposed to keep things friendly and move on.
    Not even a hint of entanglement.

    My thoughts as well.
  • edited May 2017 Posts: 12,837
    As Bond and as shown in the opening to FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, Tracy is clearly the most serious even if that didn't happen on screen for Roger Moore.

    That's a nice way of looking at it actually. It's clear that while Moore's Bond had managed to move on from Tracy, no other woman could hold a candle to her for him. There's something quite sweet about that. He's the playboy lady killer Bond but the reason he doesn't even pretend to want to settle with any of these girls is because he's still mourning his wife, adds a bit of depth to Moore's take imo.

    On screen I'd say it was Anya. I think the mention of Tracy, Bond going back for her despite her threatening to kill him and her being written as the Russian Bond all add up and make their scenes come across as a bit more meaningful and serious (well, about as meaningful or serious as the relationship in a Roger Moore Bond film would ever be).
  • Posts: 170
    Stacey Sutton.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,554
    I can't believe Bond passed up Magda for Octopussy. So there had to be something there.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I'd say either Melina or Octopussy were the most convincing "love interests".
  • Posts: 7,653
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    I'd say either Melina or Octopussy were the most convincing "love interests".

    I agree.
  • Posts: 676
    Why Melina? There was nothing romantic or sexual between them until the last scene.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Milovy wrote: »
    Why Melina? There was nothing romantic or sexual between them until the last scene.

    She was dead-sexy throughout the whole movie and in the end they seemed to enjoy each other a lot, two consenting adults enjoying closure. I found her one of the best looking ladies from the Roger period.
  • Posts: 676
    She is attractive for sure.
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    Posts: 1,263
    Octopussy.



    One of the most genuine and serious love interests in the whole series.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Milovy wrote: »
    Why Melina? There was nothing romantic or sexual between them until the last scene.

    Maybe not, but there was more to the relationship than Roger just smooth-talking her. They actually had something of a "journey" together.

  • mattjoesmattjoes Kicking: Impossible
    Posts: 6,733
    Well, Melina and Bond clearly did have something special together, with Bond feeling empathy toward Melina, since she was facing the same situation he did when Tracy was killed (of course, this subject was cleverly brought up once again for the PTS). That said, while they shared that connection, there truly didn't seem to be nearly enough romantic or sexual tension between them, and I think that was necessary for fully justifying their falling for each other at the end. A scene that wound up being deleted, with them talking on the boat, would've emphasized that aspect, but it wasn't well written, in my view. As it is, their romance at the end seems to happen mainly because it's the tradition. It would've been more natural for them to remain mere friends.

    Compare Melina with Camille, a character also seeking revenge. She cooperates with Bond and is friendly with him, but she's too focused on her emotional situation to think of Bond in romantic terms. And so it makes sense that, at the end, they don't wind up together. I think, ending scene aside, the character of Melina is presented in the same way. A friendship emerges between Bond and her, certainly a more developed one than with Camille, but that's it; we don't get enough hints of an attraction growing between the two of them. So the romance at the end does feel slightly shoehorned.

    Anya and Octopussy are stronger candidates, for this reason.
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    I'd go with Octopussy. I think there was a lot of affection there straight away and the first kiss showed a lot of passion, even with her reluctance at the beginning.

    I also feel that his 007 felt some affect for Lisl. Their walk on the beach, holding hands like any other couple was a nice moment. We know this didn't end well, but up until then, there were certainly some sort of feelings between them both.

    In all fairness, I feel that Roger Moore's Bond had more affection, for more ladies, during his tenure, than Connery's did. Maybe with the exception of Aki.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    mattjoes wrote: »
    As it is, their romance at the end seems to happen mainly because it's the tradition. It would've been more natural for them to remain mere friends.

    .

    "James, you are too old for me. I think of you more as a friend."

    "But...it is tradition."
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Well, Melina and Bond clearly did have something special together, with Bond feeling empathy toward Melina, since she was facing the same situation he did when Tracy was killed (of course, this subject was cleverly brought up once again for the PTS). That said, while they shared that connection, there truly didn't seem to be nearly enough romantic or sexual tension between them, and I think that was necessary for fully justifying their falling for each other at the end. A scene that wound up being deleted, with them talking on the boat, would've emphasized that aspect, but it wasn't well written, in my view. As it is, their romance at the end seems to happen mainly because it's the tradition. It would've been more natural for them to remain mere friends.

    Melina's character seemed in this way more like one of the female guest star characters that would appear opposite Roger Moore's Simon Templar on his "The Saint" TV series than the usual Bond girl. I wonder if they wrote the script that way since Moore was 30 years older than Carole Bouquet. It's one reason I wish Dalton's Bond had played opposite Miss Bouquet's Melina instead. I think especially LTK's Dalton Bond paired with FYEO's Melina would've made a memorable and moody pair.
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Compare Melina with Camille, a character also seeking revenge. She cooperates with Bond and is friendly with him, but she's too focused on her emotional situation to think of Bond in romantic terms. And so it makes sense that, at the end, they don't wind up together. I think, ending scene aside, the character of Melina is presented in the same way. A friendship emerges between Bond and her, certainly a more developed one than with Camille, but that's it; we don't get enough hints of an attraction growing between the two of them. So the romance at the end does feel slightly shoehorned.

    Agreed. It seems tacked on because the standard Bond movie formula required it.
    I also feel that his 007 felt some affect for Lisl. Their walk on the beach, holding hands like any other couple was a nice moment. We know this didn't end well, but up until then, there were certainly some sort of feelings between them both.

    Much more affection and chemistry between Moore Bond & Countess Lisl(Mrs. Pierce Brosnan) in FYEO than between Moore Bond & Melina in the same film IMHO.
    I'd go with Octopussy. I think there was a lot of affection there straight away and the first kiss showed a lot of passion, even with her reluctance at the beginning.

    Agreed. I also think the fact that we'd already seen Roger Moore and Maud Adams together previously in TWMTGG helped solidify their onscreen chemistry together when the two of them reunited in OP.
    Milovy wrote: »
    Octopussy. Moore's era should have ended with her and Bond on a boat drifting towards the sunset.

    ITA.
    Milovy wrote: »
    Instead... A View to a Kill happened.

    Sad but true.

    Anyway, I join with the others who voted for Miss Octavia Charlotte Smythe a.k.a. Octopussy to be the love of Moore Bond's life.


  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 8,504
    yes, Octopussy
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    Milovy wrote: »
    Why Melina? There was nothing romantic or sexual between them until the last scene.

    Just no chemistry. Kind of like Wai Lin.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,554
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I don't really care for the character, but the obvious answer is Octopussy.

    +1
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