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Peter Hunt has his fans, but with Connery it would have been better to hire Terence Young.
Also, Rog looks human in Octopussy.
In avtak, he resembles a possessed turkey. His eyes frighten me and the gleam has left his famous smile.
Very much agree, and it was a similar problem for Pierce Brosnan: his Bond was rarely rattled.
Moore's acting in Octopussy has a great deal of range. From the jovial tomfoolery of the dinner sequence, his careful and concerned exposition of Orlov's scheme all the way to the sheer terror of 'that's ninety seconds from now!'
As for OHMSS, I just cannot see Roger Moore displaying the correct level of vulnerability. Connery could not, either. Craig definitely would.
The producers could only have persuaded Connery to stay for OHMSS by giving him the sort of deal they ultimately made for DAF, which provided ample compensation for the long shooting time (and shooting in the Swiss alps would have been easier for him than Japan). Connery was usually hard on directors who didn't know what they were doing but Hunt clearly did, and Connery knew he was a vital part of the series' success. Terence Young would not have been an option since he wasn't in good standing with the producers after having abandoned Thunderball in post-production.
Of all the elements of OHMSS, it's unimaginable to me without Hunt, Rigg, and Barry.
I think Moore was more than capable in dramatic scenes; OP gives him perhaps the greatest share of them. He is great opposite Berkoff, for one thing. Like Brosnan after him, Moore didn't always get good scripts. FYEO also had its dramatic scenes but OP's ones land more strongly for me. I just think the story's better.
Young could also be an option. I don't think he would be any harder to get than Connery. :D
Oh, come on, he's clearly terrified when Blofeld's goons corner him at the skating park. Cold, tired, beaten and alone, with a musical interlude reminding us 'he needs love'. Tracy to the rescue.
Also, I'm sure all the Bonds could do 'vulnerable' but would it work in OHMSS is the question.
It wouldn't work with Connery because the audience would expect him to fight on, Rog would quip his way out whilst Dalton wouldn't have been in such a position to begin with. Brosnan, perhaps, but his 'vulnerable' range usually was concealed under an impeccably demure exterior. Craig would be rather forced and the impact reduced.
Lazenby was perfect insofar he was new and his Bond introduced as a frivolous bachelor, bowdlerised by the series first encounter with love.
Yeah, for a couple of seconds, maybe. It's quite hard to tell from Lazenby's performance to be fair. I'm not sure that one short sequence would mean you'd be looking primarily for someone who can do 'vulnerable', but regardless look at Rog at the circus climax of OP where he's very good at being scared and panicked, or when he's properly shaken up and angry after the centrifuge in MR etc.
I agree partly about Connery, it would feel out of character to some extent because he'd been the superman for so long, but I'm sure we'd accept it. All the others I'm not sure what you mean, they'd have been absolutely fine in it, better than Lazenby because they're all actually actors (not sure what you mean about Dalton; look at him when he's worried he's about to be sussed out by Dario). If we're just talking about the ice rink bit, all of the Bonds have played scenes where the odds are against them and they're feeling concerned.
My opinion is Roger was better suited; if you want frivolous bachelor it's hard to beat The Saint or Brett Sinclair, and he was more than capable of the romantic stuff, plus he'd have been very confident in the Hilly comedy stuff.
I’m okay with varied debate, but the thread is titled Octopussy appreciation
He wasn't very happy with Never Say Never Again...that's for sure 😉 ...
Personally it would have been nice for Roger to have ended his tenure with OP. It's an incredibly fun Bond adventure, wipes the floor with NSNA, and seeing Roger-Bond sail away with Octoppussy would have been the sweetest conclusion to his era.
Aye, maybe with Rog.
As for Lazenby, it is the most telling sequence of his performance. He must have been directed to.
It would be interesting to see Connery in a kilt.
Not anywhere near as interesting as Roger Moore in the gorilla outfit. His escape from it is beautifully balanced: he's in the circus car so 'how'd he do it' is expected to produce wonder.
It's incredibly good.
Save for the theme song. It makes great incidental music.
Also, for OP appreciation, who doesn't love Vijay? One of the better sidekicks in the series.
The Indiana Jones-ification of Bond in OP played to Moore's strengths.
One heck of a stunt cast and a most excellent, worthy fellow: Vijay!