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Comments
Well put. I wish they could get someone who would be convincing as both.
I agree on O’Connell, I haven’t seen him play a gentleman before. I wouldn’t say he couldn’t do it yet though, I think the jury’s still out. The North Water was a promising step in that regard, he played a surgeon from a poor background, a working-class boy done good type. So, while he still kept his own accent, he had to move and carry himself like a gentleman, and I think he pulled it off. If he could manage an RP accent then I think he’d be great.
And I reckon Hardy could’ve nailed the gentleman side, he’s done that pretty well in a few different roles. He’s no Roger Moore, don’t get me wrong, but I think Moore was one in a million, and I generally prefer Bond to be slightly rougher round the edges. He should be suave and sophisticated, but not too posh and poncey imo. I know Fleming’s Bond was very public school boy, but I think Connery bought a rough edge to the character that they should always do their best to keep.
Agreed, Connery's portrayal in combining "the rough" and "the smooth" became the gold standard for future Bonds, and it is impressive how he could instantly switch between the killer and playboy modes. Moore was too smooth for me and while a natural playboy, I never bought him as a killer. I thought Dalton and (early) Brosnan were steps in the right direction, but IMO Craig took it too far to the killer side.
+1
Always visualise Dalton when reading the books!
I'm not sure I can see that; I don't see any reason why they couldn't do that. Hardy has played roles in that sort of ballpark before that I've seen (that slightly rubbishy spy thing he did with Chris Pine springs to mind), I don't think he'd have any problem being smooth.
Don't forget you could have easily said the same thing of Connery if all you'd seen was him playing a boxer or a lorry driver in his previous roles.
Most of the characters I have seen him play (admittedly about half a dozen) were of a muscle-man variety. Inception is where he is at his most Bond-like, true; but he seemed more of a natural for Mad Max-type roles. Maybe I was biased by the film selection.
Bingo. +1 for me too.
Most of us do. Him or Connery, the latter being the obvious choice because of the bigger proximity between the novels and his first four films. But Dalton was spot on casting. And has a huge fanbase in the Bond community.
Actually, just found this:
https://www.google.pt/amp/s/screenrant.com/james-bond-most-popular-actor-timothy-dalton-study/amp/
I don't really see any of the actors, but when I do it's often more likely to be Lazenby (right sort of period and a bit of a blank personality-wise); or actually Craig, although book Bond is more verbose than him. Tim always appears in my mind's eye to be a bit too weedy, even though I know he isn't really. And the massive bouffant doesn't really help with a 50s setting either! :D
Thank you for posting the link :) Good to see my favourite Dalton get the recognition he deserves!
I Agee with, Brosnan was the right man for the moment, and really did save the franchise; I’m just making an observation about Dalton’s appearance. He could have had a long run.
Yeah I tend to think of Dalton/Brosnan as the second incarnation of Bond - up until AVTAK it could have all been one guy, but at TLD he gets suddenly younger, and then you have to reset him again after DAD to Bond #3.
Well it depends on your POV, really. I tend to think that Bond is a movie character foremost- that’s how almost everyone knows him. This forum wouldn’t be here without the movies, and we’re even talking about them right now. He has his roots in the books, and they rightly refer back to them, but also it moved beyond them too. Brosnan embodied that role of Bond that most of the world is familiar with.
It’s so great to hear someone else say this; I’ve been saying this for years. Yes there are inconsistencies, but I see Connery, Lazenby and Moore as the same Bond; then there are Dalton and Brosnan and then Craig.
I also agree with this.
I cannot see Connery and Moore as the same Bond; the tonal difference is too big. Connery and Lazenby, yes, and Dalton and Brosnan, pretty much; so I guess I'd end up with four Bonds instead of three...
Well no doubt Moore played the role differently, but , in addition to age , there just too many other elements that point to it being the same timeline.
Also, Moore lighter tone didn’t really start to come out until his middle and later films. I can easily see Connery or Lazenby in LALD or TMWTGG, particularly this one . Just picture a Connery who was engaged, and in shape, going up against Christopher Lee.
And in Star Trek Nemesis, he was neither gentlemanly nor manly. Which is ironic since he played a clone of Picard.
You are teasing me with the missed opportunity here... I'd rather not see either Connery or Moore torment poor Mary Goodnight, but NSNA-form Connery would have made a real difference in that film. You are right, Moore and Lee were on different wavelengths. LALD, not so much IMO; to me it has too many weaknesses, and I am not sure Connery would fit well into its plot (Moore seducing Solitaire was cringeworthy enough; Connery would be no better). Perhaps a callow-youth, pre-OHMSS Lazenby would have been a marginal improvement.
My top three choices
I know some get tired of hearing about Turner but he deserves a screentest, if he hasn’t aged out at this point.
Because of his looks, Cavill will always be brought up in this thread, but that's all he has. And I'd hope it takes more than just looks to play Bond.
Not at all; I get that sometimes myself. His attitude and presence fits the best.