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Moore's Bond was more realistic than Connery's

M16_CartM16_Cart Craig fanboy?
edited December 2016 in Actors Posts: 541
Moore is known as the funny Bond and, yes, he does have a lot of gags, but in many ways, I see him, ironically, as a more serious Bond than Connery's. Connery's Bond is cavalier, sees his job as a joke and doesn't seem to care about anything half of the time.

Moore's Bond takes pride in his work, duty and mission at hand. He seems genuinely disgusted by violence and abhorred by the evilness of the villains. He genuinely tries to resolve matters peacefully, but whenever he does dispose of his villains , it seems more vicious and personal.

Comments

  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited December 2016 Posts: 2,252
    He shows it very well in FYEO and OP, despite the silliness in OP he's deadly serious in many scenes most notably (and infamously) the bomb defusing bit
  • M16_CartM16_Cart Craig fanboy?
    Posts: 541
    I hate how Octopussy is unfairly maligned as being too silly.

    Mostly mudslinging coming from the Connery fanboy camp.

    A terrorist plot at a highly populated event is unrealistic!

    But stealing nuclear warheads, breaking into fort knox and assaulting a volcano lair with a oversized toy helicopter and 400 ninjas isn't?
  • M16_CartM16_Cart Craig fanboy?
    Posts: 541
    I meant it playfully. Vast majority of the people on this forum are reasonable. I know some folks in real life who are blatantly biased toward Connery, and it bugs me a little bit, but when I say there's a war between me and the Connery fans, it's only in good fun.

    Octopussy probably could've been darkened and balanced in its overall tone had some scenes been cut. It would've been interesting to see a more serious Octopussy and what that would've looked like, but overall, I think Octopussy is a great Bond movie as it stands.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    OP is a special film to me,the first Bond film I saw in the cinema back in 1983...may favourite Sir Roger film.
  • IncompetentHenchmanIncompetentHenchman
    Posts: 1,817
    He shows it the most in TMWTGG:

    "When I kill, it's on the specific orders of my government, and those I kill are themselves killers."
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Birdleson wrote: »
    You are not alone in that regard. @Benny in particular seems to have a strong connection to OP.

    Indeed...it does seem to have a lot of affection in here....deservedly IMO.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2016 Posts: 23,883
    I tend to agree. I think Moore balanced the seriousness of his deadly chosen profession with the dismissiveness of a man who has killed too many times before quite well.

    Given he was less obviously alpha-male than Connery, I think it came easier, because the serious moments were such a contrast to his more general casual playful demeanor. He is a very underrated Bond actor imho.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Stand-out Moore serious scenes

    - Slapping Andrea about (TMTGG)
    - Dinner with Scaramanga (TMWTGG)
    - Scene with Amasova when they discover he's killed her boyfriend (TSWLM)
    - Kicking Locque off the cliff (FYEO)
    - Scene with Orlov on the train (OP)
    - Disarming the bomb - even in full clown costume! (OP)
    - Scenes with Zorin (AVTAK)
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2016 Posts: 23,883
    All excellent choices. I'll also add:

    -killing Stromberg (TSWLM)
    -threatening Lazar (TMWTGG)
    -telling Melina about the perils of revenge (FYEO)
    -killing Mishka....or was that Grishka, at the cabin (OP)
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    @bondjames What I love about Moore is when you analyze his performances with a closer look, you start to notice a tons of very cool 'subtle' moments. For example I always get a kick out of his facial expression when the helicopter leaves the building in FYEO'S PTS. And in the same film I just love Moore checking his map as he drives the Lotus, and throws it on the passenger seat once he finds the correct road. Or Moore telling the villagers to push the 2CV (in Spanish!). Or all his signature winks (to Naomi during the ca chase, to the goons during the 2CV chase).
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Totally agree on all your examples @DaltonCraig007. I don't think some realize how subtly effective he was with some of these expressions and mannerisms. They were entirely his own, but they became part of Bond as well. Some of his successors have tried to emulate this, but they have not been successful (imho) because they don't emanate from them as genuinely as they did from Moore. They are signature moments from him.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited December 2016 Posts: 15,718
    @bondjames It's like the tie straightening. Most complain that it's a 'cliché', but we shouldn't forget that it all started with Connery doing it a couple of times in his early films. Connery was so damn cool and moved like a panther so from him it looked natural, but all the following actors doing the tie straightening just can not make it look as effortless and natural as Connery. Craig checking his cufflinks in the PTS of SF, no matter now cool it was to see Craig finally doing it, just does not come off as natural and effortless like Connery.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    bondjames wrote: »
    All excellent choices. I'll also add:

    -killing Stromberg (TSWLM)
    -threatening Lazar (TMWTGG)
    -telling Melina about the perils of revenge (FYEO)
    -killing Mishka....or was that Grishka, at the cabin (OP)

    Yes, of course, how could I forget these?!
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Perfectly said @DaltonCraig007

    Craig in CR looking at Vesper in the shower and then later in the mirror. That's his signature move, which he did again in QoS after killing Slate and in SF checking out his wound. With him, that just works, because he's the introspective Bond.
  • M16_CartM16_Cart Craig fanboy?
    Posts: 541
    bondjames wrote: »
    Totally agree on all your examples @DaltonCraig007. I don't think some realize how subtly effective he was with some of these expressions and mannerisms. They were entirely his own, but they became part of Bond as well. Some of his successors have tried to emulate this, but they have not been successful (imho) because they don't emanate from them as genuinely as they did from Moore. They are signature moments from him.

    The subtlety was the most important part of his realism. Most ostensibly, he was the comedian Bond, of course. However, his mannerisms, tone of voice, body language and the degree to which he took the role seriously all gave his character credibility.
  • RobertsonRobertson
    edited June 2017 Posts: 170
    delete
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