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We were having a bit of fun discussing an idea that we thought was a good one. No it's not going to happen and no it probably wouldn't go down well with audiences, but so what?
And he might not have been as popular as Connery, Moore, Brosnan or Craig, but lots of people liked the younger one (and still do as you can see from this thread). If he was as unpopular as you're claiming then the producers would've ditched him after TLD.
I never understood why they didn't do this. Instead of having Toby Stephens doing the audios, why not have Dalton, Lazenby or Moore (Brosnan is probably too big a star)? I'm sure they would be up for it.
I could see the Dalts coming back and doing two or three more Bonds, easily.
Bingo, old friend.. ;;) let this old Lady have some fun, too.
Just one more! He can do it!
I think lots of people forget how successful Brosnan was in the part. GE needed to be a massive hit to get the franchise back on track after all the legal bollocks that put the series on hiatus. Like him or not, Brosnan was popular, and he made GE the success that it needed to be. I do love him but Dalton didn't have the star power to do that.
Plus, after the mixed reception that Dalton's world weary spy got, Brosnan was just what the series needed: a likeable, charismatic action hero.
Onscreen, we'll never see Dalton return, but I don't see what would stop him from returning in another medium. Imagine <a href=http://www.bigfinish.com/>Big Finish Productions</a> making James Bond audio dramas like they do for Doctor Who. 'Classic Bonds, Brand New Missions'. They could either write new stories, or adapt the continuation books. Maybe then I could have my ideal MI6 Team of Dalton as Bond, Ken Stott as M and Jaime Murray as Miss Moneypenny.
Well my comment certainly isn't meant to blame Brosnan for anything but rather to express my deeper desires to see more of Dalton, albeit in an appropriate age range. ;-)
The fact the USA didn't take to him (notice I say 'him' and not 'his Bond'), was a major factor for the shakeup of actors in the 90s. I don't buy it that he jumped rather than being pushed. He was up for his third, then suddenly he 'moved on'.
And this stuff about being ahead of his time and Craig got lucky in the current era. Well, a serious Bond was very welcome in the late 80s believe you me. I was there and we couldn't wait. Dalton..simply didn't light the screen up, he really didn't. TLD was a fine film in spite of him. Craig has got star quality, and will remain a star. Dalton, after Bond, went back to where he was and can currently be heard voicing Mr Pricklepants.
Can I add this is just my opinion. ;-)
Isn't the truth that most of the Bond actors have struggled outside of the series? DC's efforts outside of Bond have hardly been roaring successes. Every attempt to create new franchises using DC in the lead role seem to have hit the dust. TGWTDT was a big disappointment IMHO and the Golden Compass was apparently abysmal (haven't seen it). I watched Cowboys and Aliens once on a long haul flight - I think Dalt's apppearance in Flash Gordon is less of an embarassment.
Prior to Bond DC was a character actor in a few big Hollywood flicks and lead in some decent but unspectacular Brit-flicks. Post-Bond, who knows what he'll manage to do? I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him doing a lot more stage work.
Of all the actors I think Brosnan has had one of the most impressive careers outside of Bond. He's a limited and lightweight actor, but has made the most of his celebrity and looks and turned in some decent performances - extending his longevity and maintining his profile. Dalton's post Bond career has, I agree, been abysmal. But so has Laz's, but I still rate his performance as Bond above Brosnan's.
Crikey yes, I remember The Rocketeer. He does, but it isn't exactly what I meant.
Timothy Dalton is the actor more than any I would love to see on stage. It's his medium. Cinema is different. Great film actors understand that less is more. Dalton does tend to bring a bit of his stage craft to film, IMHO. His fans think his performance as Bond is subtle, but I see it differently. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. Jack Nicholson can play 'human', so can Jeff Bridges, and many other actors. But as great film actors they still light the screen up.
@Getafix, it's a point I thought about, and hoped no one would bring it up! But Craig is a successful film actor, as Connery was before him (another one who suffered from endless flops). They both have the charisma and skill to have careers as leading stars.
I'm in the minority I know, and it really doesn't matter what I think. Having said all this though, I'm pleased as punch that Dalton has such strong support.
Didn't think so...
;)
I have to admit I did watch Layer Cake before DC was announced as Bond and that's what convinced me that he was good casting. For me though his actual performance as Bond has been a little disappointing. Not bad, but slightly less nuanced than I was hoping for.
I've not really seen Dalton in much else, but have always thought his performance as Bond was excellent. I'm not even a particularly big fan of LTK, but still think he turns in a good performance. For me he nailed Bond right from the first moments of TLD.
The role brings an extra stature to the actor when the casting is right. EON saw this in Connery and the results attest to one of the most inspired casting decisions of all time. But it took Connery a long time to find other roles that came close to matching his strengths. May be DC will suffer the same issue. Has he done anything outside Bond since CR that has been particularly well received? Not that I'm aware of.
Unlike Sean, I don't regard Dalton as great star material, I just think he was excellent in the role. I don't personally think any actor since Sean has quite the same presence or star quality. May be it was just a generational thing - the actor's from that generation just had something extra about them. Roger had it to an extent, but much less so.
Hey now, you answered for me! [-X
Could I imagine Connery popping the balloon..well yes I could.
Connery brought so much cool subtlety to the role that is often missing from other actors. Watch him in the scene with Robert Shaw when they dine together in FRWL. Just watch Connery when heisn'tspeaking. That's what I mean about great film acting.
I think Dalton suffered from maybe not getting the opportunity to work with a great film director, because the promise he showed in Wuthering Heights and one or two early roles was huge.
Brosnan is the opposite. Didn't do much before Bond apart from Remington Steele but he's made some really good films since he took the part.
Yes. They seem to have inverse career trajectories. I can't personally see DC going on to great things after Bond. I'm sure he'll do fine, but his non-Bond flops suggest he will struggle to match his current success. Like I say, the stage beckons. Pierce on the other hand has done his best work outside of Bond.
This is an interesting point and I always thought the same. Nowadays I'm not so sure, because the point about Bond is that he is a cinematic super spy. The series is all about excess.
Bond of course made a reasonably well known actor (Craig) into a star, and his star has continued to rise because of it. Just as it did Connery.
Both Moore and Brosnan were more famous pre-Bond because they had Internationally successful TV shows. With Bond their stars rose even more, and their film careers took off in a way they never would have without Bond.
All four of them became big stars as their Bond careers progressed, so they did bring star quality to the role.
Lazenby and Dalton had much shorter tenures so it was never so easy to say what effect the series had on them (other than the fact they became famous for playing the part).
The Bond films themselves are the stars. They are bigger than any individual actor, but that doesn't mean the wrong actor won't bring the whole thing crashing down.
Presumably you're impying that Dalton brought it crashing down? Is that fair? Moore had his share of wobbly moments, especially during the early years. And did AVTAK leave the audiences begging for more? Hardly. My understanding is that TLD was pretty well received and that actually the vast majority of reviewers welcomed his performance after Moore's last outing. LTK is another story, but for a whole range of reasons, most of which have nothing to do with Dalton himself or his performance.
http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2012-11/08/timothy-dalton-the-best-james-bond-007
http://www.totalfilm.com/features/is-timothy-dalton-the-best-bond
http://whatculture.com/film/why-timothy-dalton-is-actually-the-greatest-james-bond.php
http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2006/nov/03/timothydalton
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/content/5-reasons-why-timothy-dalton-might-have-been-best-james-bond-ever/2057203
http://fandangogroovers.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/timothy-dalton-the-best-james-bond/
http://twitchfilm.com/2012/10/twitch-in-bondage-why-timothy-dalton-was-the-best-bond.html
I like that banner in the last one '1987 - 1989 Never Forget'.
For me the name is Dalton, Timothy Dalton.
He was dark, he was ruthless, and he managed to show precisely what Bond was all about: a merciless, calculating, professional assassin. Is it inappropriate to mention that he was also unbelievably good-looking and charismatic?
Sure, Connery was the coolest and Brosnan brilliant. But following on from Moore's orange tan, Dalton was a huge step up. So why is he still treated as though he massacred the role? Timothy Dalton was a great 007.
People did go and see The Living Daylights when it came out in 1987: it apparently earned more money than the two previous Bond films put together, and more than Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, which were released at around the same time. Fair enough, License to Kill put less bums on seats. But surely 007 should be allowed to fail an assignment once in a while (Moonraker, anyone?).
Ironically, the very characteristics that got Dalton slammed are the very same things that the Bond producers are praising Daniel Craig for.
On and on, they have said they want Bond to be closer to the original Ian Fleming character. They want him to be grittier, darker and less jokey. What they really want, it seems, is to have Dalton back.
Watching the trailer for Casino Royale, Craig reminds me of his Welsh-born predecessor, only blonder and buffer. I am sure Craig is going to be great. Just like Dalton.