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Sir, you misunderstand my comment. I mean that 'real Bond fans' KNOW who Tim is, whether they enjoy his Bond or not, whereas the general public are only aware of the highest profile actors in the role, because they do not seek out Bond movies, they stumble upon them.
Probably my favourite "tender" moment of his btw is when he leaves Della and Felix outside their house. Wonderfully played by him.
TLD holds up very well I agree. Kill I'm not so sure about as its style is a bit too 80s though that has some great moments.
You can't stereotype people like that. It's just not true that every Dalton fan hates Moore and Brosnan and vice versa. I'm new here too and I'm both fascinated and proud by the diversity people have when ranking their favorite Bond actors. Also, it's unfair to judge the whole Moore era and the whole Brosnan era just from MR and DAD.
Dalton & Brosnan are my two favourites (in that order), and I like Moore, so you're right pach!
Believe it or not I like both Dalton AND Moore
Though after AVTAK i agree that Dalton in the PTS of TLD feels like a real breath of fresh air.
My sincere apologies in that case.
When you say casual, you mean smooth. In the Fleming novels, Bond is far from the generic Americanised smooth, though knows his way around the world. He is far blander than the stereotyped character on screen. Connery changed the personality in the book with the help of Terence Young. Connery found the Bond in the books boring.
Now, that worked for Connery and made the films an easier sell for the studio. But the one-liners that Bond uses, have there roots in the British Carry on comedy series with Syd James. They existed before the Bond films and that is their uniqueness.
I know my culture. I will agree that the first two Bond films are generally faithful to the novels in terms of story, but, they needed to be hits, so embellishments were added.
Now, Dalton, went to the source for his portrayal and not what Connery and Moore had done. He was aware of those portrayals, and used the opportunity of creating his OWN STYLE. But Bond is not Hugh Hefner of Playboy fame, who is a sad old pervert and represents everything that makes America a disliked culture around the world. Sad, but, true!
So, with the above paragraph in mind, why are you still going in circles. What part of "Dalton was not attempting to be a clone of Connery or Moore", are you having difficulty with?
But, Dalton was a smooth operator just did it in smaller amounts. In TLD, he is perfectly at ease with Kara at the funfair. And he demonstrates how he ignores Kara's barriers by using body language to kiss her. That is very powerful.
What about the scene in TLD when Bond gets into the car with the hookers in his f'ingly in fact, motherf'ingly cool sunglasses. I mean, the scene when he offers to pay them for the ride, and she puts the gun to his head ; and he turns around slowly offering his wallet and says ; "Not enough? Here, take it all!". Come on, that is text book smooth, and so cool!
As for LTK, in my estimation, it is a killer film overall. Sanchez is no generic 80's villain. And LTK unlike CR, shows off better how Bond and the villain are similar. Because Robert Davi mentions that in his preparation of the role. In fact, that was missed in the 2006 CR film which was a shame. Silva from SF is as generic as can be. I am sure I have seen his type in other famous films. Very famous, I add!
LTK is psychologically brilliant, and shows that Bond fits in with the world of bastards like a glove. Him and Sanchez could easily be like brothers had Leiter not been maimed and his wife not murdered. And that is disturbing. There is an interview with Dalton, where he says Bond is as bad as his enemies. He is no better. And that sub-text in LTK is disturbing considering many casual observers see Bond as a clear-cut "Good guy".
As for cockiness, Dalton shows that very well in his meeting with Sanchez where he asks for work. Just watch how Bond is super confident when he walks into Sanchez's office for the first time and his slow movement tells you the audience, that he is very much communicating to the villain that he is his equal.
Yes, LTK has some moments which could have been better done. But, that is the case with any Bond film. But as a performance of Bond, Dalton is fantastic as is Davi. There are so many shading to be enjoyed on repeat viewing.
Dalton unlike Moore is not a talker. Dalton is a master of body language. He does not have to be cliche smooth to make a woman drop her knickers, or let a villain know he could kill him.
And LTK is the most Latino Bond film ever. I think it is exotic and the Mexican location is beautiful. I prefer the locations to the ones in Skyfall way more. Dalton is the perfect Bond actor for the Latin setting with his dark looks and attitude.
Trust me on this @Bain123, I used to be in a band many years back, and we played once to 300 people. In the audience was a young woman that everyone in the band said is the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. So beautiful, that the singer noticed her in the crowd of 300 during the song. And she was my friend's girlfriend's step-sister. And she had the biggest crush on Dalton. I mean, she thought he was so attractive by not being an obvious hitter on women. And she was obsessed with him. She was even prettier than Benerice in Skyfall.
And I know a stunningly beautiful Latina that thinks the same as her. Why is it that those types of women get Dalton more than the guys. The smoothy Bond is more for men to be gratified with. Smooth plays into the generic male fantasy.
So, if I could be Bond with the above two paragraphs in mind, believe me, I
would want to be Dalton. If you saw those women, so would you! :)
Thank you for reading! @chrisisall Dalton is as great a Bond as Monica Bellucci is jaw-droppingly beautiful and classy! :) How the public hated him beggars belief. But then again, this is the same public that went to see Transformers 2 : Revenge Of The Fallen in droves. What do we expect.
Ooooo, what a dream team!
I could easily believe a younger Dalton with Miss Bellucci. No problems with believability. I don't think she would kick him out of bed. I could imagine Dalton having sex with her whilst holding a cigarette in his mouth. Dalton is a rough customer as demonstrated in LTK. :)
All the 007's are great. Not a weak link in the chain.
But Timbo Daltonator was the only Bond who dared us not to like him. And THAT quality is the enduring legacy of his short tenure.
Dark as each Bond could be, Dalton was the closest to portraying the Fleming Bond that didn't give a damn about the sympathy vote.
"Stuff my orders" Any Bond fan old enough to remember TLD in its first run will recall this moment as the tip of the hat to Fleming. In 25 years, Sean, the Laz and Sir Rog had NEVER indicated such a contempt for their profession.
Dalton is still the closest interpretation of Fleming's tarnished hero we have ever seen, altough there are moments and scenes with every other 007 which are Flemingesque.
Before Pete Best was kicked out the Beatles he was described by a magazine as mean, moody and magnificent. That sums up Dalton as 007.
As long Bond movies are appreciated, Dalton will become the cult Bond. Daltonites have a legitimate case in claiming he is pound-for-pound the best Bond ever. In a way...he is. And this is coming from a Bond fan who thinks Connery is still the champ.
As I said, Timbo looked like he didn't give a damn if you liked him or not.
If I could take one moment from 23 films which is the essence of Flemings Bond it is in TLD where he is smoking casually and delivers the line: "Death to spies, Minister."
Mean. Moody. Magnificent. All hail the Daltonator.
"Yes...I got the message."
Super! @bigzilcho I liked the Pete Best comment too. Dalton is an anti-hero in the true sense. They never care what anyone thinks of them!
I grew up with Moore, but, after seeing The Living Daylights in a cinema, I was knocked down. Dalton was unbelievably good, and he had his characterisation accomplished in his first film. Moore took three films to find his feet. Dalton was Bond instantly.
The Bond franchise lost a huge opportunity with Dalton only doing 2. A crying shame for those who know the books and who this Bond character really is!
Believe me I GET what Dalton was trying to do in that regard - a less "suave" but confident character. I just think Craig pulls it off a bit better. I believe him more as an indulgent, arrogant bastard who enjoys the pleasures of life. Same goes for Connery in that both their Bonds have a "I don't give a ****"attitude.
That said I have grown to like Dalton more as I've got a bit older.
Besides this may sound a little sad but I'm not entirely sure people (at least these days) care for Fleming.
I didn't mean to say every single person is like that, but I do find it to be the norm outside of MI6. Dalton at the bottom, Moore/Brosnan at the top, or vice versa. Also, I was only using MR and DAD as examples. I find most of Moore's era to be horrible, same with 2/4 of Brosnan's.
Also, to the earlier comment about the Moneypenny scenes, how can you blame Dalton for the fact that Bliss was absolute shit in the role?
Dalton's and Craig's Bonds are both from different cultural eras. Craig would not have even made it past one film if he had been cast in 1987. That I can tell you for free. Dalton played a cold-war Bond, and captured how a real spy would be. He had disdain for his job like the Fleming character, whilst Craig is a bruiser and shows little emotion. That is the Bourne influence. Pure and simple. Because Bond was never like that to such an extent until the Matt Damon films. Casually, they even dress similar. Personality too, as in, silent-types that have that blankly cold expression!
Bond is a naval Commander, and I have yet to see that in Craig's portrayal. Craig is more a special forces type, like someone who was in the British SAS. No doubt, written in because of Iraq and Afghanistan, though I shall spare my thoughts on foreign policy.
And Craig's era was forensically planned because Eon learned from what happened when an excellent actor is not adjusted to properly as was the case with Dalton who still had the baggage of Glen's Moore-styled approach in some scenes. Dalton's was rushed.
We have to be fair, and see how would Craig have been in the conditions Dalton had to play Bond. Budget cuts and a studio that stopped caring about the franchise. Those things make a difference.
Had you given Dalton those scripts Craig had, and the proper studio backing, where everyone was on the same page ; then his portrayal would have been markedly different. In fact, he said himself that he would have killed to have the fight Craig does in the toilet with the man in the CR pts. Dalton said he was not permitted to go that far.
Craig's Bond has those added suave aspects to appease fans, and play into the mass public's love of Bond's facile aspects. In a sense that is a compromise, and a compromise is a weakness by any stretch. And in all honesty, Brosnan can do that Bond way better than Craig ever will. And I mean, ever! Because in Goldeneye he proved that, and he was fantastic. Craig is too different a personality for that.
Eon knew that the Dalton version lost it's wide acceptance because of that. But, that is what makes Dalton so AMAZING! He knew the backlash he would get and still did it!
That takes "Big cajones!" as Sanchez would say. And that is Bond! And time will tell, as the public thanks to social media are more fickle than ever. You can only keep repeating those "suave" elements until they become so over-used that the audience gets bored. And Connery and Craig are not that similar in any way. Connery is Connery, and it is a fools errand to try and be him. I would sooner say I see more Steve McQueen in Craig.
Reading :- If people choose not to read the original source, then that is their loss. Bram Stoker's Dracula is still the best version of the character, and it is a sad reflection on our society that most spend their lives in front of a television, filling their feeble minds with trash.
Recently, I worked in political research and let me tell you, that most of our interview panel had no idea what was going on. You could make them agree to anything. Dalton's public disapproval has a lot to do with pre-conditioning, and mass media control.
Because if the media hailed Dalton like they did Craig, then you would notice a paradigm shift in acceptance to him. We are a herded society. The same media who made people hate Craig at the beginning, made them love him. I am sure the money coming in made it a little easier for their U-turns. Like tabloids give a shit about acting skill!
Now, imagine if Dalton had three different directors like Craig had or four like Brosnan? You need to take that into account. Dalton's sadly cancelled third film was going for a new director, and, believe me, he would have been unstoppable had it been made.
Dalton's tenure was the biggest wasted opportunity due to idiots running the studio. Cubby's book makes for a sad account. And Cubby who discovered Connery, wanted to build on Dalton. He admired him, and respected his craft.
In the end, for true to Fleming, and sticking to his guns, Dalton is the man! Because you will never get as accurate a portrayal from the psychological point of view. Bond is more bitter than sweet.
I've got a lot of respect for Dalton believe it or not but I'd be lying if I said he was one of my absolute favourite actors to play the role. I watched Skyfall again the other night and it really made me like Craig even more. I just think that Craig has that special "something" Dalton didn't. His potrayal just seems a bit more...complete in my eyes and Craig himself has a slightly more alluring quality to him onscreen (as you say he's a bit like Steve McQueen) But I have a lot of admiration for both men.
Thanks @Bain123. In the end, what makes Bond so enduring is the change of actor. They all are different men. And I suspect, that the money men behind the franchise know that the controversy is the best publicity.
For me, Skyfall has strengths and weakness. True of anything in life. I think the hype slightly killed off the film for me. Sure, it beats TWINE, and DAD without breaking a sweat as well as the second half of TND. It was well done, but, is it really the best Bond film of all? And I lived through the Brosnan era, which now looks unpublicized in comparison.
As for special something ; Oh, Dalton had that, and the nuancing is tasty. Dalton's look was devilish. He looks sometimes like a man who was begotten by the devil. His face is preternatural. You bet, he has that specialness. Dalton has those snakey eyes when he is angry.
And all anyone has to do is open a Fleming book. Dalton looks like Bond, and image of the character comes into play. I do like Craig, but, I just cannot get Robert Shaw out of my head in FRWL. And that pisses me off. Red Grant just happens to be a hugely memorable character in both the novel and film. I never made a secret on MI6, that I wanted Clive Owen for Bond, and his image suits the Fleming description. Owen would have been a KILLER Bond. He looks like Dalton's brother and I like the tall, dark and handsome cliche.
I actually prefer Brosnan in Goldneye over Craig's three films. I watched that a hundred times. I am just so used to that classic image from a young age.
In terms of Bond's look, then I am sure I have said last year on MI6, that both Dalton and Brosnan are my favourites of the six.
Or to make it easier, some prefer Gwyneth Paltrow, but, me, I just prefer the Monica Bellucci type of woman. Brunettes over blondes. :)
I get what you mean about Craig in relation to Grant but that's never really bothered me.
Daltonian darkness exists in the pre-digitalised political world of the Cold War and the tough Miami Vice-ish war on drugs. His Bond has grown up a long time ago and understands both the reasons and consequences of certain actions. He thinks things through and makes calculated decisions. His superiors say no sometimes but he knows they are correct in doing so. He just occasionally allows personal reasons to overrule his instructions. He questions things but isn't too cynical about them. More sarcastic. Stuff M's orders, if he fires me I'll thank him for it but I have to do this even if I might not like it.
Craigish darkness exists in a world where speed is everything and the faster you move, the better chance you have of winning a fight, but you'll never come out totally unscathed. His Bond is still exploring the chaotic political cosmos of today and has to fight a lot of red tape. But, in doing so he doesn't agree with his superiors and is arrogant enough to think that they are downright wrong. He is very cynical, doesn't worry over one more body on his path. The death of some motivates him strongly but the death of others isn't the least bit of concern to him. In fact, death is both a driving force, a tool and a side-effect of his methods. His motto is that if you don't see things the same way I do, you're a bloody idiot.
See, that's the problem. Because they all contributed, and Craig has the benefit of his predecessors mistakes whatever they may be. That gives huge advantage. You think Craig didn't slyly steal something here and there from them? He's human.
I actually do not think Craig is superior to either Brosnan in his first two films, or Dalton's two. He is just a more adapted to our times Bond.
Craig's strong era was made possible by all the mistakes of the franchise's past. Eon, had to adapt or die. And so Eon took more risk with the Bond character than they would have 25 years ago or even 11. It was what the market demanded, because DAD was where their heads were at whilst Bourne is where the fashion of the spy genre was heading.
That's a fairer assessment in terms of context of portrayal.
P.S. I concur much of what @DarthDimi said. I think Craig is a very good actor in his own right but he has the benefit of looking back at what all the other Bond actors did. Plus he has had two very good scripts (2 out of 3).
Nice article but I'm sick of hearing how LTK flopped. It did nothing of the sort. Its budget was 32 million. It grossed that alone in the US and almost four times that amount worldwide. That's an amazing return, no matter how you look at it.
When there is a list there is always going to be something at the bottom of it, LTK is that film but it's still a great film and made money.
Damn, I JUST found this and was about to post it! Fantastic article and this expresses every single reason why I think Dalton cannot be matched as Bond.