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The SEAN CONNERY Appreciation thread - Discuss His Life, His Career, His Bond Films
AgentJamesBond007
Vesper’s grave
Show your appreciation for Sir Sean here :)
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What would have happened to Seans career if he, Bond and Broccoli and Saltzman had crossed paths in 1961. Maybe his career would have taken off in movies? Or maybe he would have been stuck in TV..we don't know. All we know that it catapulted him into international superstardom.
There was something about him that fitted the character. Personally I think it is down to his machismo. Connery was brought up in a very tough area of Edinburgh. There are endless anecdotes of him using his fists in real life. He was a veteran of the Royal Navy and it is rumoured that his support for the SNP may have been sparked by snobby English officers when he was at a tender age.
They had to force this actor who had been portraying boxers and harddrinkers (although he had done Shakespeare and Tolstoy) was down to Terence Young. He made Connery sleep in the savile row suit and was responsible for ironing out his rough edges. Occasionally the Scottish burr came through but for the first four films he was a portrayal of Bond which reaches deity status. His Bond bestrode the world like a colossus.
His last two are debatable but the world was so in love with Sean Connery they would have gone to see him in Aladdin at the Maidstone hippodrome. His films always made money which has always been the achilles heel of Connery. He discovered the filthy lucre. He discovered the joy of wonga and he never looked back.
He did do some good roles in the seventies and eighties and won an oscar. But towards the end of his career he charged so much that only the big studios could afford him. Therefore he was in trashy blockbuster hell such as The Rock and Entrapment. Gone were the days when he did a film (ie Time Bandits) because he liked the script.
He became Creosus like rich. When he finished Diamonds he stated he had his own bank. He lives in a maximum security twilight home in the Bahamas. Not just a house in the Bahamas but the peninsula he lives on is cut off from the world with its own private security.
Who can blame him? He has made his money he can enjoy it.
He used to be a hero of mine in the eighties but has time has gone on and more stories emerge about him, he isn't the hero he was. Oh Sean, I love you but you could be so much better.
In any event, and being quick, Connery is obviously one of the best James Bond's ever, not my personal favorite, but between 1962-65 was hard to beat, the very epitome of the Ian Fleming creation sometimes, only Dalton has come close on occasion, also Craig has done very sporadic similarities but still has something to prove. Connery should of quit after 1965, or at least after YOLT and even then had simply lost interest with the part and it showed whenever you watch it, but still a very good Bond for the most part
Anyway, he's not my favourite but he is a great Bond, and without Connery, we probably wouldn't even have the series today.
I did look (even though I thought there was not one) and nothing like this has ever been done before - not on these forums anyway.
Might as well get the Lazenby, Dalton and Craig threads started now.
I saw a double feature of GF and DAF on TV when I was 11 or 12 and I was hooked. I had never seen anything like those films and they struck me - and all the other guys at my school - they way that Star Wars did for so many kids.
After just a year or two all the guys my age jumped on the Moore bandwagon. Connery and his films were considered old-fashioned and goofy; everyone save me and one friend thought that Connery was embarrassingly stupid with his ridiculous greased hair and ugly clothes. But they didn't bother me because of how cool Connery was.
Other than maybe Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Indy no other combination of character and actor influenced me as much as Connery as Bond did. He was quite simply exactly the man that I wanted to be when I grew up. He had the confidence, the charm, the physicality, the class, and the way with women that I coveted. And best of all he made it all so effortless and natural, unlike Moore who seemed to be tough and attractive to women only because the script said that he was.
As I grew older and started to become the man I wanted to be I needed role models less. That in addition to learning some...well, less than flattering things about Connery as a person really took the bloom off the rose. But the interesting thing is that the less I hero-worshiped Connery/Bond the more I could objectively see just how great Connery's performance was. The combination of actor, character, and performance is one of the greatest ones in the history of film and one of the main reasons that the film series continues today. Imagine if David Niven had been cast as per Fleming's wish!
That being said, Connery IMO is the best and my favourite Bond and although other actors may come close, Connery can never be surpassed. His Bond films are the most iconic and he brought the most organic Bond performances out of the 6 actors. His slick and suave style, the snobbery and pinache, the aggression and sexual magnetism he was able to command was awe-inspiring. The series owes alot to Sean's talent and that's why he's the benchmark and not because he was the first as some peole would have others believe.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It is no secret that the man is pure Bond. He set the tone with his suave, ruthless, and dangerous Bond, and left behind a blueprint that each actor can and should base their portrayal on. Outside of Bond, we have a moviestar, maybe, but a moviestar with incredible talents. These shine in The Untouchables, my favorite role of his, where we see not only how amazing the man's acting is, but also his intimidating presence on screen that carries into his life off screen. If I ever met him in public I've no idea what would happen. I imagine getting sweaty head to foot, and shaking uncontrollably with nervous tension. Not many men have such an intimidation that carries with them through their age, but Sean is just as amazing a presence to behold now in his 80s as he was in his early 30s, getting his Bond legs. The man is more than just a man, he is a legend. I could never truly pay enough tribute to him with just a post, because he defies the English language. He is the whole reason I am here, and a Bond fan, and the world is brighter for having him. I bet even the Queen was shaking when she knighted him. :)
Thank you for coming into my life, you amazing man. ^:)^
"As long as the carpet matches the drapes."
lol
Happy birthday Sean Connery <:-P
"I don't know who's left (to include in a third film). Sean Connery would be great to bring back from retirement. I don't know if he wants to do it, but I'd love to have Sean Connery," he told the Press Association.
Wow! I heard about hopes to get Connery? But Eastwood and Ford too?!!! That would be mind blowing! :O
Jackie Chan (anyone who's done the amount of stunts he's done deserves a spot)
Steven Seagal (old school action hero, not sure why he hasn't been hired for the 1st o 2nd)
Mel Gibson (yes he's anti semetic and bat sh*t insane but he's f*cking Mad Max!!!, that trilogy is one of the greatest action trilogies of all time, then there's lethal weapon, he deserves a spot)
Chow Yun Fat (watch anything involving him and John Woo to see why)
Liam Neeson (Taken, nuff said)
Vin Diesel (bit like Statham, young, pretty new, but badass)
Samuel L Jackson (he's been in tons of action films, I'm thinking maybe he could play the bad guy)
Mr T (lets face it, the only reason Dolph Lundgren was in the first two was because he fought Rocky, well so did Mr T)
And a few more but I'm lazy. And maybe they could try and get Jet Li in it for more than 5 minutes!!! (that's one of the only major problems I have with Expendables 2: it promises more Jet Li than it gies)
And yes, Chow Yun Fat should be in the next one. The, A better tomorrow series, hard boiled, the killer, God of gamblers movies are amazing.
I think there will definetly be a 3rd but 4 might be pushing it.
I appreciate that younger fans now look at Connery without any bias and can compare him with other Bonds more objectively. However watching him was a real lesson in understated film acting. In non of his films was he anything other than mesmeric. He never over emphasised the tough guy act like some have since him, and yet he always looked like a guy who could handle himself in a scrap. And the expressions on his face during a) the gypsy girl fight and b) following the explosion at the Russian embassy ( his look of confused amusement) were early signs of the great film actor he became.
I always enjoy watching Connery in any film he has been in, but as Bond, regardless of the benefits of 'being the first one', he was sublime.
Bond: "Don't worry...all I want is that Lecktor.
Kerim: "all? Are you sure that's all you want?"
Bond: Well? (Smiles at Kerim and the two laugh).
Always makes me chuckle. You can smell the confidence and testosterone.
Personally I can't take my eye of Connery is his first three Bond films, as you said he's mesmeric; he is quite magnetic, chuffing cool and so virlie. Connery has the sense of purpose that Fleming's Bond had as well. Bloody brilliant.
Agree with that. The screen presence, charisma and sex appeal of Connery in the first three films is pretty much unrivalled by anyone else in cinema. Only the likes of Cary Grant and Paul Newman come close.
By TB though he's starting to look a little bit bored with the whole thing and due to a relationship breakdown with Cubby and Harry, he was just downright fed up by YOLT and it clearly shows.
Funny how there is so little discussion about Connery on these threads. I guess he's so uncontroversial. What's there to say? He was the best, right? Yeah. The controversy is always about second place and bottom rankers in the Bond ratings.
I don't mind Connery in YOLT (I remember cheering to myself at "the things I do for England" line).