The SEAN CONNERY Appreciation thread - Discuss His Life, His Career, His Bond Films

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  • I’m happy we finally have stages dedicated to both Sean and Roger now. May they’re legacies live on!
  • Posts: 6,682
    That's a cool video.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited August 2022 Posts: 14,861
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Quite a nice touch; Pinewood are naming a stage after Sir Sean


    And where's The Rock, Indiana Jones and The Untouchables?

    They weren’t made at Pinewood.
  • Posts: 1,478
    I don't waste time imagining what the series would have been like had SC not been the first Bond. He was and that's that. The Bonds who came after and those yet to come have always been and will always be compared to SC. From the start he seemed to inhabit the role. Even when one can arguably say he wasn't at his best, he wore the role like a well tailored suit. Whatever let down one might perceive seemed to be more the character than the actor. Unlike some of the Bonds who came after, Connery's appearance, physique, and physical qualities suited the character. His looks were dark, brooding, intense, and sometimes cruel. For me it has always been about the eyes. I've always been fascinated by his focus. Unlike RM, Connery wasn't an eyebrow raiser. You can look into his eyes and get a sense of what the character is thinking. Whether Connery was a better actor than his predecessors is really an evaluation of his non Bond films. As Bond, Connery is a far better actor than all of them. I like GL, TD, and DC as Bond, but Connery possesses qualities the others don't share.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    Posts: 1,053
    It's probably been spoken about already somewhere in the thread, but I was surprised to learn that Sean was offered a contract to play for Manchester United by it's then coach, Sir Matt Busby. He'd been spotted playing for some theatrical team while in rep but - and despite the pay on offer - decided to stick with acting.

    Man Utd's loss was our gain.
  • Posts: 12,506
    mtm wrote: »
    Quite a nice touch; Pinewood are naming a stage after Sir Sean


    Fair play to Pinewood! =D>
  • Posts: 1,637
    RIP Connery , Wiseman , Lord , Kitzmiller , Marshall , Lee , Maxwell among others. 007 is grandfather of todays action films.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,600
    For those of you in the US (and get Turner Classic Movies), ZARDOZ (1974) will get a rare screening on Saturday (12/3/2022) morning at 2:00 AM (EST).
    Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Zardoz.jpg
  • Posts: 2,887
    The Gun is good! The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and KILL! Zardoz has spoken.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 23,105
    UssAx6f.jpg
    Playing around with some colorizing software, this is a shot from Hell Drivers (1957)

    Gp9vaqp.jpg
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,600
    UssAx6f.jpg
    Playing around with some colorizing software, this is a shot from Hell Drivers (1957)

    Gp9vaqp.jpg

    A great cast, in addition to the future Sir Sean Connery, you had Patrick McGoohan, David McCallum, Herbert Lom, Stanley Baker, Sid James, Jill Ireland… and Peggy :x Cummins.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,600
    Revelator wrote: »
    The Gun is good! The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and KILL! Zardoz has spoken.

    Are you channeling Valerie Solanas? =))
  • UssAx6f.jpg
    Playing around with some colorizing software, this is a shot from Hell Drivers (1957)

    Gp9vaqp.jpg

    My Favorite Connery film from before he was Bond.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Gosh it's clever isn't it.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,449
    Revelator wrote: »
    The Gun is good! The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and KILL! Zardoz has spoken.

    Oh man, I am such a huge fan of this weird film! Whatever people were thinking when making this film, they certainly found a way to leave a lasting impression. Boorman gave us a deliciously nonsensical tree-hugging trip with all the joys of '70s sci-fi filmmaking thrown at it.
  • Posts: 2,887
    Yes, every time I watch Zardoz I grow even more fond of it. The first time around I marveled at how bat-sh*t crazy it was. Later viewings made me appreciate how many ideas the film has (when so few movies have even one real idea in their heads) and made take note of the lusciousness of the photography, the audacity of the story and conception, and how on earth the actors were able to go through it all with a straight face. Zardoz is one of the few films you can laugh at and admire at the same time and for the same reasons.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 23,105
    Dwayne wrote: »
    UssAx6f.jpg
    Playing around with some colorizing software, this is a shot from Hell Drivers (1957)

    Gp9vaqp.jpg

    A great cast, in addition to the future Sir Sean Connery, you had Patrick McGoohan, David McCallum, Herbert Lom, Stanley Baker, Sid James, Jill Ireland… and Peggy :x Cummins.

    I did a retrospective on many British films from 50's and early 60's over the last year or so there was some incredible talent around that time. It's tragic the likes of Stanley Baker and Lawerence Harvey lives were cut short.
    UssAx6f.jpg
    Playing around with some colorizing software, this is a shot from Hell Drivers (1957)

    Gp9vaqp.jpg

    My Favorite Connery film from before he was Bond.

    Same here Connery's screen presence and star quality in Hell Drivers is very apparent.
  • Posts: 6,728
    'Hell Drivers' is terrific film, great direction from Cy ('Zulu') Enfield, but my favourite Connery performance outside of Bond, is 'The Hill'
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 23,105
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    'Hell Drivers' is terrific film, great direction from Cy ('Zulu') Enfield, but my favourite Connery performance outside of Bond, is 'The Hill'

    IziT6Y8.jpg
    The Hill is a great film, I am long overdue for a re watch.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,600
    A bit of Connery (and Bond) content, from an interview with Michael Chow (YOLT).

    3. Back in your acting days, you and your sister, actress Tsai Chin, were both in the 007 adventure You Only Live Twice. What's your favorite Sean Connery memory?

    Well, he was Mr. Cool, wasn't he? He had an incredible sense of humor, and he got better and better looking as he got older. He was a giant and his very much missed. It was a great honor to work with him. Daniel [Craig] was a fantastic Bond, too. The Bond movies are fantastic. They're very operatic, right? Opera is on a grand scale, and so are those movies.

    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mr-chow-restaurant-chinese-food-hbo-doc-3-questions-interview-140021624.html
  • edited November 2023 Posts: 6,682
    I was looking for some info on the 1976 production titled Circasia, with Connery performing in clown makeup, and I ran into this lengthy article on his career, which also covers Circasia.

    https://haphazardstuff.com/sean-connery-life-films-gossip/

    Sean-Connery-circus-clown-costume-Circusia-1976-short-film-300x226.jpg


    Mathis1 wrote: »
    'Hell Drivers' is terrific film, great direction from Cy ('Zulu') Enfield, but my favourite Connery performance outside of Bond, is 'The Hill'

    IziT6Y8.jpg
    The Hill is a great film, I am long overdue for a re watch.
    Colorized version!
  • edited November 2023 Posts: 6,728
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I was looking for some info on the 1976 production titled Circasia, with Connery performing in clown makeup, and I ran into this lengthy article on his career, which also covers Circasia.

    https://haphazardstuff.com/sean-connery-life-films-gossip/

    Sean-Connery-circus-clown-costume-Circusia-1976-short-film-300x226.jpg


    Mathis1 wrote: »
    'Hell Drivers' is terrific film, great direction from Cy ('Zulu') Enfield, but my favourite Connery performance outside of Bond, is 'The Hill'

    IziT6Y8.jpg
    The Hill is a great film, I am long overdue for a re watch.
    Colorized version!

    I would never watch a colourized version of 'The Hill'. The B+W actually adds to the atmosphere of the film!
  • Posts: 6,682
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I was looking for some info on the 1976 production titled Circasia, with Connery performing in clown makeup, and I ran into this lengthy article on his career, which also covers Circasia.

    https://haphazardstuff.com/sean-connery-life-films-gossip/

    Sean-Connery-circus-clown-costume-Circusia-1976-short-film-300x226.jpg


    Mathis1 wrote: »
    'Hell Drivers' is terrific film, great direction from Cy ('Zulu') Enfield, but my favourite Connery performance outside of Bond, is 'The Hill'

    IziT6Y8.jpg
    The Hill is a great film, I am long overdue for a re watch.
    Colorized version!

    I would never watch a colourized version of 'The Hill'. The B+W actually adds to the atmosphere of the film!

    B&W is definitely ideal for The Hill. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see another version exists.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 23,105
    The colorized image of Sir Sean in The Hill above was just me playing around with some software.
  • Posts: 6,728
    The colorized image of Sir Sean in The Hill above was just me playing around with some software.

    I forgive you! 😅
  • Posts: 6,682
    I don't. You won't do much better than Roberts on that hill. ;)

    Ian%2BHendry%2BThe%2BHill.PNG
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,600
    Happy 50th Birthday to ZARDOZ. For those that celebrate, the off-beat sci-fi film opened on February 6, 1974. Come on .... it's not that bad, plus it has Charlotte Rampling. :x
    zardoz-year-1974-uk-director-john-boorman-sean-connery-charlotte-rampling-J3F0FR.jpg

    A recent retrospective on the film: https://crookedmarquee.com/zardoz-demands-your-respect-even-if-you-dont-like-it/
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited February 8 Posts: 23,105
    Dwayne wrote: »
    Happy 50th Birthday to ZARDOZ. For those that celebrate, the off-beat sci-fi film opened on February 6, 1974. Come on .... it's not that bad, plus it has Charlotte Rampling. :x
    zardoz-year-1974-uk-director-john-boorman-sean-connery-charlotte-rampling-J3F0FR.jpg

    A recent retrospective on the film: https://crookedmarquee.com/zardoz-demands-your-respect-even-if-you-dont-like-it/

    No body quite makes films like John Boorman, if memory serves and its been a long time since i watched my DVD of Zardoz there is an out there commentary by John Boorman.

    Charlotte Rampling was great in Farewell, My Lovely.
  • edited February 9 Posts: 2,887
    Zardoz is frequently silly and easy to laugh at, but it's also a genuinely imaginative and daring film, loaded with incredible imagery. I'd say it's actually improved with age, and its philosophical concerns with aging, elitism, transhumanism, and literacy seem even more relevant today. I can see why people would be put off by Connery's wardrobe, but Zardoz is very much worth seeing. I'd even place it among Connery's better non-Bond films. (The best would be The Man Who Would Be King, The Offence, and Robin and Marian.)
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