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Timothy Dalton or Sean Connery ?

barryt007barryt007
edited March 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 19,339
This is one for the Connery and Dalton purists to get their teeth into.

For me personally,Connery is my 3rd favourite Bond and Dalton is 5th .
Comment away Bondites.
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Comments

  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Connery for me. I've posted this quote on MI6 before but it might be appropriate here. Its Connery talking about Dalton. Interesting considering he was the only actor out of the 6 to have met Fleming.


    'Timothy Dalton has Shakespearean training, but he underestimated the role. The character has to be graceful and move well and have a certain measure of charm as well as be dangerous. Pierce Brosnan’s a good actor. He’s added some new elements to it'.

    Read more: Film features: The Icon - Sean Connery | TotalFilm.com
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,108
    That's like chosing between an Aston Martin and a Bentley.
  • CISCIS Suspended
    Posts: 52
    Connery is my favorite of all the Bond actors, and Dalton is around 4th place or so.
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    Connery for sure, even if Dalton is my 2nd favourite Bond, he is no Seanery!
  • TubesTubes The Hebrew Hammer
    Posts: 158
    Connery, pretty easily. While Dalton was good for bringing Bond's edge back, he lacked the sheer charisma and presence Connery had. Connery could potray the edge Dalton had, sell humor better than Dalton, and conceivably bed 2-4 women per picture without batting an eye.

    The womanizing aspect never really hit home for Dalton (or Brosnan, for that matter).
  • jaguar007jaguar007
    Posts: 638
    I have to agree with Tubes. While Dalton is my 3rd favorite Bond and have the utmost respect for his portrayal of Bond, nobody does it like Connery.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    "The womanizing aspect never really hit home for Dalton"

    Thats really my issue I have with Dalton. He never seemed that comfortable with the sexual side of Bond. Take the Bond/Monneypenny scene for instance. The James Bond Encyclopedia sums it up best:

    "Dalton's Bond doesn't even seem aware of her affections and his relationship with Monneypenny is not in the least suggestive.

    Contrast that with Connery, Moore and Brosnan, each of whom I could believe had a soft spot for her.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    Sean Connery for me, but by a hair. Dalton is very close behind. However, I've recently watched some Connery flicks, so I tend to lean toward him. When I will re-watch TLD and LTK, I'll see if I still say Connery as the answer for this question.
  • DaltonRulesDaltonRules
    Posts: 1
    As my first post to the new community, easily Dalton. Connery, though he has loads of charisma, he later got too fat, and bored of the role. Dalton brought back the edge, after one to many clown films of Roger Moore. (not to say there bad, just you want something different after seven films) DAF and YOLT are some of the weakest Bond films
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Even though I rank Connery at 2nd place, that's only becase I view him as the best of the other fella's. Dalton claims the top spot easily.
  • timmertimmer
    Posts: 4,622
    Sean is the Bond above all other Bonds. Sean is the original, the only, the one true...
    Sounds almost biblical. Appropos methinks ( to borrow the English colloquialism)
  • WillardWhyteWillardWhyte Midnight Society #ProjectMoon
    Posts: 784
    Very tough decision, but ultimetly Connery will always win this battle in my eye. Connery and Dalton are very similar both playing the type of Bond I love. Thats why both are in my top 3 easily.
  • GeneralGogolGeneralGogol
    Posts: 928
    Dalton was excellent, but nobody beats Connery at his peak. ;)
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Connery wins in his early films but Dalton is able to beat him in the later films in my opinion.
  • JobeGDGJobeGDG
    edited March 2011 Posts: 107
    For all the things Connery could do better than Dalton, he often chose to do so few of them. If the Connery that cared and the Connery that coasted were different people, I'd call the former the greatest Bond. But they're not, and if the smartest kid in the class turns in a mediocre paper, you don't give it a good grade just cause he's the smartest kid. The smart kid's average comes down and you think a little less of him. Dalton wins.
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    wow connery is 3rd?who are first 2?anyway i think this is easy Connery is the winner altough i like Talton movies i dont think that he is looking like someone who should be James Bond
  • AgentJM7AgentJM7
    edited March 2011 Posts: 421
    Quoting Samuel001: Connery wins in his early films but Dalton is able to beat him in the later
    films in my opinion.
    True, certainly DN to TB, and possibly YOLT - Connery would win hands down. But in DAF, well, it was almost painful to watch Connery in that, so Dalton would probably win. Overall, you can't really beat a bit of Sean.
  • UndiscoveredCountryUndiscoveredCountry
    edited March 2011 Posts: 50
    Connery definitely had more charisma at his peak, but I'd say I found Dalton to be more consistent and interesting overall. I don't see the fact that Dalton's Bond was more sexually reserved as being a disadvantage for him, either -- times change, and a overly promiscuous Bond might have felt a bit silly in the late 80's.
  • rjh121rjh121
    Posts: 3
    Connery was/ is the ultimate Bond. He had the sexual charisma, the intelligence, and the fact that he actually could do action scenes well!! Dalton is my third favorite Bond, (C,C, D,M, L, B) The Living Daylights is a classic Bond flick. It's unfortunate that Dalton wasn't given material to work with after TLD. I greatly respect Dalton's efforts to make the character his own.
  • ShakenNotStirredShakenNotStirred
    Posts: 1,397
    Connery #1, Dalton #2... always!
  • SharkySharky
    Posts: 266
    Connery for me, his portrayl from DN-TB is brilliant. In YOLT and DAF the quality dips but imo he is still great in those too.
  • UnivexUnivex
    Posts: 6,709
    Luds wrote:
    Connery for sure, even if Dalton is my 2nd favourite Bond, he is no Seanery!

    Exactly. Wouldn´t put it any other way Luds.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    If we're talking the cinematic Bond then its Sean all the way. But Flemings Bond? A different story.

    If you just take DN and FRWL then Sean probably shades it again, although its important to remember that he had the benefit of working with Fleming material for his first 4. However Seans Bond of TB onward is nowhere near as good as Daltons and it would be fascinating to see Dalton in films made up of mostly Fleming material. In his moments of Fleming stuff (TLD opening act, Felixes maiming) he is very good and moments like popping the balloon surpass anything Sean did in terms of acting.

    Where Dalton fails is in charisma but thats a movie Bond trait so it depends which angle you are coming at it from.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    See, to me Sean Connery is the only actor to take on the role that was the character, everyone else were simply doing their beat to try and be the character.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    How did this pass me by? My two favorite Bonds for sure. It's a tough choice, Sean of 1962-65 is a hard act to top, but Dalton will always be best for me. The closest I have seen to what Fleming intended, only Connery comes close in his earliest appearances, this is such a close contest, but I just liked Daltons portrayal better
  • HenryJonesVictorHenryJonesVictor
    edited November 2017 Posts: 236
    .
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    How did this pass me by? My two favorite Bonds for sure. It's a tough choice, Sean of 1962-65 is a hard act to top, but Dalton will always be best for me. The closest I have seen to what Fleming intended, only Connery comes close in his earliest appearances, this is such a close contest, but I just liked Daltons portrayal better

    You could well be right. Lets remember Sean had the advantage of being first and using up all of the most Flemingian screenplays.

    Stick Dalton in for DN and FRWL (at the same age he was in TLD obviously) and give Sean TMWTGG and DAD and I wonder who would be regarded as a Bondian legend?
  • FromCanadaWithLoveFromCanadaWithLove Canada
    Posts: 612
    Connery in FRWL versus either of Daltons makes Connery a winner. Connery in DAF and YOLT makes Dalton win. I'm going to have to opt with Dalton, just for the sake of the vote.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Connery 62 vs Dalton 87 - Connery wins
    Connery 63 vs Dalton 87 - Connery wins
    Connery 64 vs Dalton 87 - Dalton wins
    Connery 65 vs Dalton 87 - Dalton wins
    Connery 67 vs Dalton 87 - Dalton wins
    Connery 71 vs Dalton 87 - Dalton wins
    Connery 62 vs Dalton 89 - Connery wins
    Connery 63 vs Dalton 89 - Connery wins
    Connery 64 vs Dalton 89 - Dalton wins
    Connery 65 vs Dalton 89 - Connery wins
    Connery 67 vs Dalton 89 - Dalton wins
    Connery 71 vs Dalton 89 - Dalton wins

    Dalton out in front..
  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    Dalton wins this one.
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