Bond Performance - This week; Roger Moore as James Bond, 007 in A View To A Kill

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  • edited November 2014 Posts: 4,622
    Maybe Sean's best performance as Bond tied with his other 5 performances of pure perfection.
    His relaxed self assured performance in GF is heavily influenced by his Hitchcock-coached turn in Marnie, the movie that he did immediately prior.
  • Posts: 11,189
    For me this is Connery at his best. Laid back, cool and confident.

    His delivery of the "man talk" comment alone surely explains why many consider this to be the definitive Sean performance.
  • Posts: 1,146
    timmer wrote: »
    Maybe Sean's best performance as Bond tied with his other 5 performances of pure perfection!!!
    His relaxed self assured performance in GF is heavily influenced by his Hitchcock-coached turn in Marnie, the movie that he did immediately prior.

    He's pretty cool in Thunderball as well.

    The only performance that's below his others is DAF. He seems old, out of shape and disinterested at that point.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Goldfinger is what made Connery my favourite Bond. (I saw GF before FRWL)
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Any more thoughts of Connery's GF?

    I'll play the devils advocate; does Connery seems less intense to you?
  • Posts: 11,189
    royale65 wrote: »
    Any more thoughts of Connery's GF?

    I'll play the devils advocate; does Connery seems less intense to you?

    Yes, that's why I like him. He's more laid back.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Ah, I see, perhaps that is what makes Connery's performance so achingly cool, and perhaps that is why the general public love GF so.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Connery's pretty relaxed in FRWL too I think. The notion of walking into a trap doesn't particularly bother him. His demeanour in M's office seems very laid back ("well I'm not...too busy at the moment sir").

    Even after realising the true nature of SPECTRE's plan he still has time to crack a few one liners convincingly.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Well, I think we had our say on Goldfinger, so lets move on to Thunderball.

    Connery's 007 performance in Thunderball is particularly well characterized; we see him at his most blunt instrument best when he and Largo, the villain of the piece, are playing Chemin de Fer, provoking Largo, and paradoxically, 007 is at his most suave and achingly cool in this scene.

    We also see some rare emotion from said “blunt instrument”, when Bond tells Domino, the villains “kept woman”, about her brother, who'd been stabbed. In a moving scene, Bond, much to his chagrin, was very harsh on Domino. 007, after all, has a job to do, as much as he wanted to protect Domino. To avoid betraying his emotion’s, Bond covered his eyes with sunglasses; secret agent first, human second.

    It's a multi-faceted Bond performance, all carried of with great panache, great virility and undeniable charisma by Sean Connery, who is at his zenith playing James Bond, 007.

    Terence Young ensured Thunderball would be brutal, visceral and very stylish and sophisticated, just like his two previous entries. What is more Young, and indeed Connery, who had a distaste for “gimmicks”, (and there were a lot of “gimmicks” in Thunderball) would not overwhelm the story.

    Hence, for me, Connery came up with the ideal blend of Fleming's 007, as perfected in From Russia With Love, and the cinematic 007 of Goldfinger.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    @royale65, you pretty much nailed it for me.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    @Birdleson, This was the film where I could see Connery gaining a bit of weight, not in a bad way, he was just beginning to lose that lean of youth. That which you call casual boredom I would call the ageing process.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Maybe, but has been noted elsewhere, he seems to find a certain spark 18 years later in NSNA that is lacking here.
    Can you cite specific moments in NSNA where he seems to outshine himself in TB? I honestly don't see it.... the hand-me-something-to-wear scene is historically awesome.
  • edited November 2014 Posts: 4,622
    I think Connery mastered Bond by GF. Acutually I think he had it nailed by FRWL and just added some touches with GF and then carried that over into TB. Personally I think he carried it over quite well into YOLT too, but he plateaued with TB. The character was fully mastered and evolved in TB. Nothing to add really for YOLT.
    4 years later in DAF, he was reprising a role that was fully created. It was an homage of sorts to his own creation. I thought he carried it brilliantly, despite being a little heavier. He was still as smooth and tough as ever.
    Back to TB I think @royale65, has very well articulated the Connery-Bond circa TB.

    Back to GF, if anyone gets a chance, watch Hitchcocks Marnie starring Connery. You'd swear he was carrying over his GF Bond, until you realize, that he did Marnie first.
    In actuality, what he learned from Hitch, he used to perfect GF Bond.
    The two characters, Connery in Marnie and Connery in GF, are almost identical, in so far as how they move, body language, posturing, manner of speech. Connery I think even admits to carrying over some wardrobe.
    The resemblance is uncanny.
  • Posts: 3,336
    I think that Connery in Thunderball is possibly the best bond performance ever
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Any one else want to chip in?

    Devil's Advocate; Connery is bored in Thunderball.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    Craig's performance in CR is the best Bond performance. I guess that would also make it the most "definitive." Connery's one-two in GF and TB are right up there, as well.
  • Posts: 1,146
    Sir Sean is just awesome in this film.
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    Posts: 2,138
    I agree with both Dan in Casino & Sean in FRWL. I find it hard to decide, but if pushed Dan just because it was his first movie, his physical transformation and the way he convinced so many doubters. It made Bond cool again in young persons eyes introduced a new generation who have gone back to check out the older movies who may have not done so before. Location, clothing, supporting cast and theme song it was a baptism of fire & I hope Bond 24 can follow the same recipe.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Right then. We've had our say about Connery's Thunderball, and there's already a thread dedicated to Connery's performance in YOLT, lets move onto Lazenby's Performance in On Her Majesty's Secret Service

    George Lazenby is exceptional during the action scenes, which, when added to the fact he was good looking, he moved very well, almost in a Connery-esque manner, and arrogant, Lazenby was an ideal template for portraying Bond.

    With no prior acting experience Lazenby does remarkably well. At times, it must be said, Lazenby is rather wooden, but at other times, he is terrific, such as when Lazenby confronts M and Blofeld.

    One can see him growing in stature throughout the movie, and by the end of it, Lazenby makes one care for Bond; he is a human Bond, much more akin to Ian Fleming's novels.

    Remember Lazenby was acting on instinct, and when his instinct is so true to the novels, one can imagine Lazenby developing, evolving into the role, with future efforts.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    All I can say is that he should have done the following four films at least. Alas, he was too much of a free spirit.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2014 Posts: 23,883
    Lazenby was outstanding, and I personally feel that his introduction rivals Sean Connery's in Dr. No. The drive in the Aston followed by the fight followed by breaking the 4th wall. All played to one of Barry's best.

    Yes, agreed, he was best in the fight sequences, made all the more effective by Moore's rather tepid fights that followed.

    He was physically very fit and to my eyes, along with young Connery & Dalton had the best physique for Bond. Lean and spy like. Craig seemed a little beefcake-like in CR IMO, although I'm sure the ladies will disagree.

    His acting was a little wooden, but I'll give him credit: he kept his composure on screen when faced with Bond's greatest personal trauma - his performance at that point was most Bond-like - there was no hint of the melodrama that was to follow in similar affairs of the heart in much later installments. One of course wonders how Connery would have handled that scene, but we will never really know.

    I think Lazenby could have grown into the role, but I'm unsure if he would have ever got that chance.....any future Bond movie that he would have done would have been made in the 70's , a decade in which audience's tastes and demands were changing rapidly. It's uncertain if Lazenby would have been able to make the role his own, or if he would have always lived in the shadow of Connery in the public's mind. His performance has a nostalgic effect today, but at the time, it may have not caught on, even with a 2nd movie. I guess we'll never know. Similar in some degree to Dalton, who today is also facing a renaissance of sorts.

    I think in Moore & in Brosnan, we got the Bonds we needed to keep the series alive, until the time was right for more adventurous fare.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Yes, you can't have a discussion of Majesty's without talking about Connery. If Connery was focused, and on prime form, a'la FRWL, then I would have liked to see him in Majesty's. Would we have lost some of that vulnerability that Laz brought to the role? Hmm, tricky. If you look to other Connery portrayals, in other films, then he could have pulled it off, IMO.

    But, Majesty's as it is, is pretty fantastic :-)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited December 2014 Posts: 17,687
    I want to discuss the physicality mentioned constantly concerning Laz. Was he REALLY all that far above most? What did he really do that was all that spectacular? Have you seen him in his Hong Kong kung fu movies? He pretty much comes off as a novice in those IMO. Concerning Bond, I think he had a natural rhythm, and a nice physique (cool abs), but in the end what did he really do? He had good timing when tossing professional stuntmen about. No other film I've seen him in makes him look that great. I'm not trying to shoot him down here, he was definitely good, but he was no Connery or Craig.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2014 Posts: 23,883
    Agreed @Birdleson.

    For me there was something more too: Lazenby just looked fit - super fit. One believed he could throw those guys around in the pretitles. Not overly thin or undernourished, as Brozza looked in GE, nor undermuscled, like Moore looked in LALD.

    Connery brought physicality too, in the first two (he was already putting on the pounds by time GF came along) as did Dalton for sure, but Lazenby just looked the part to me.

    Maybe it was the conservative cut of his suits combined with his physique and height.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Lazenby's come off as more real and visceral to me. As good as the Connery and Craig fights are, they seem more overtly choreographed.
    Laz had the luxury of great photography and super-creative editing. He moved very fluidly, but couldn't handle extended sequences which is why his fights are all in multiple shots. His natural awkwardness at doing multiple moves proved to actually be an advantage in the final product with Bond! Look at any of his Hong Kong movies where he did many moves per shot, and you'll see some severely unnatural looking stuff. He was particularly bad at convincingly powerful kicks. But his punching was usually spot on.

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Birdleson wrote: »
    He would have kicked the living shit out of you @chrisisall.
    In 1969? Yes, you are correct.

  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Flak heading my way, but I don't care. Here is my honest opinion of Laz:

    I like certain aspects of OHMSS very much indeed: the cinematography, the score, Diana Rigg's superb performance, Telly as Blofeld ... but Lazenby is the lowest of low points in the film for me. I do think his only two strengths are his physicality/fighting ability and good looks. That's it. For me, every time I have seen the film, I do not buy him as James Bond. And that is crucial. He is lacking severely. I never see him as Bond and find his performance mostly a downer. The only scenes that I feel were actually well acted at all were the final wedding scenes with Moneypenny and Tracy. That's it. So no, he was not James Bond for me in this one and therefore I have to be one of the few (on this forum anyway) who feel that he was not believable and did not give a convincing or even very enjoyable performance. It took away from the film a lot having him in the lead role.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    So no, he was not James Bond for me in this one and therefore I have to be one of the few (on this forum anyway) who feel that he was not believable and did not give a convincing or even very enjoyable performance. It took away from the film a lot having him in the lead role.
    I've said that he would have grown in the role had he continued, and THEN, in retrospect we all might have forgiven his 'green-ness' nearly entirely, but it didn't happen. Why don't I own OHMSS on Blu Ray when I leaped on the Connery, Dalton & (two)Brosnan ones? Deep down I guess I agree with you @4EverBonded. There were moments when George seemed... vacuous. It's still a marvellous production, and very far from a bad Bond movie, but I get your dissatisfaction with it.

  • edited December 2014 Posts: 1,146
    George in OHMSS is impressive, and in my mind he's the second-best Bond ever, after Connery. He completely embarrasses the wink/wink/tickle/pinch/nudge/half-drunk embarrassment that was Roger Moore, who could not fight his way out of a cardboard box.

    Too bad George was a complete jerk and forced EON's hand into the mediocre-to-bad Bond films of the 70's and 80's.

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Too bad George was a complete jerk and forced EON's hand into the mediocre-to-bad Bond films of the 70's and 80's.
    Well isn't it lucky for YOU then that we got the badass Daltonator beating Sanchez silly with his bear hands & incinerating him, and the Rambo-like Brosnan mowing down peeps with machine guns and beating Alec silly with his bear hands before dropping a radar dish on his ass to finish him off, then the terminator Craig bashing all who stood in his way?
    Oh, and some character moments thrown here & there...

    :))
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