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Comments
That's the fickle press for you.
The press at the time said he was a good combination of the hardness of Connery and the smoothness of Moore. The truth is that he falls short on both counts and wasn't as good as either actor.
(In Moore's case I suspect playing a version of himself contributed to his confidence as, for him, he was in safe territory and could "do his thing")
The single criticism I have is that after 1965, he let himself go. In You Only Live Twice you could see that he had added on a fair bit of belly weight, and by Diamonds Are Forever that pudginess carried into his face too. He wasn't aging gracefully, and because of that he feels less Bondian than in his first four. It's very important for a Bond actor to look the part as well as act it, and while he had all of the latter, the former was hurting his portrayal and overall effectiveness. Gone was the sleek, athletic and panther like fiend, replaced by a man who looked like a copper close to retirement who'd taken the liberty of a few too many on-duty donuts.
Hovering? I would have thought it would have come crashing down by now...
I get the sense that the Bond loving public also thought Brosnan was cheated out of it the first time around (which he kind of was), so when he finally got the role it was a bit of a victory worth celebrating and, in their minds, long overdue.
I realize it's a fine line, but I prefer 'film' Bond to retain a little 'stylish calm' while doing what he does, and I think Connery, early Moore and early Craig best capture that.
Well, yes, the man Pierce plays is a far different man than Bond, so the performances will fluctuate. Peter is frayed and annoyed because he's been thrown into a conspiracy he didn't ask for while trying to enjoy a quiet retirement, and on top of that he's got past allies turning on him. He'd be a robot if that didn't get him losing his cool.
Agreed. Lots of good things about SF but bad plot
Bond and Devereaux have the same commitment to duty, resourcefulness, compassion and hint of hardness, but the latter also lacks the snobbiness, sophistication, elegance of movement and carnal addictions that the former does. None of these make Devereaux worse or weaker, thougj, as I'd quicker watch more November Man movies than most of Brosnan's Bonds, it just makes him different.
We can even see in the clothes Devereaux wears-suit coats with jeans and shirts with heavy wrinkling in them-that he doesn't care for looking his best or taking the risk of standing out while on the job. He just puts on what's around him while in the field and calls it a day.
The suit Pierce wears at the end of the film though, the gray suit with black dress shirt, is one of my favorite ensembles I've seen him in. It reminds me of the linen suit he wears at the end of TWINE and another tweak on a similar look in DAD. Pierce actually looks better as Bond with an open collar sans tie, which can't be said for any other Bond actor in my mind.
Very well put, if I may say so. Dalton played Bond as in the spirit of the books. He did not copy the previous actors. Sadly, the public by then, thought Bond was a pretty boy in a suit. Always perfect.
Those who question Dalton's acting chops are doing themselves a disservice. He did a lot of theatre forgoing movies to build his reputation. Theatre is challenging to say the least, being a live experience. He was not about the fame and always had integrity. Watch him in Jane Eyre, and that is a complicated role to carry. The dialogue is intense, with sometimes long takes. And Penny Dreadful anyone?
He had little time to prepare for Bond, due to the last minute casting and should be f**king applauded for doing a great job!
I love the roughness he showed in the character. Bond being a spy, is like an actor, and will adapt his personality as the situation calls. Some Bond actors played Bond as if they had an audience watching them, requiring them to be on form all the time!
Bond is not this perfect man image, that some hold onto. And Dalton really challenged that first. Before Craig. He was a building block for the series.
I certainly admire those that can do theatre. It looks tough and challenging industry, but I can't help but feel that Dalton's style is perhaps a bit too theatre-orientated and dramatic.
Compare him to someone like Dench for instance who also had a very distinguished theatre background and has transferred to film very successfully. Her performances on film seem a bit more subtle and less "in your face".
Have you seen him in Framed? He gives a great performance in that and certainly not stagey. He has the wolf in him.
Judi Dench is playing a completely different role. Unfair comparisson. See Dalton playing an M type role in The Tourist opposite Paul Bettany. Certainly not theatrical and he shows how capable he is in whatever you present to him.
I'd take a Dench/Craig dialogue scene over a Harris/Fiennes/Whishaw/Craig scene any day of the week and twice on Sunday. There was 'dramatic heft' in those encounters.
I've heard of Framed and that he's good in that. I know its on YouTube and have tried watching it but the quality is really bad.
One point I agree on is a fine actor helps other actors elevate their performance. The best actor Dalton had was Robert Davi. They learned to only cast good actors around Craig to elevate him, and that included the Bond girls. Denise Richards opposite Brosnan is asking for trouble. Imagine CR with Richards instead of Green, and the execution of the scene would have been watered down.