The TIMOTHY DALTON Appreciation thread - Discuss His Life, His Career, His Bond Films

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited April 2018 Posts: 13,978
    Dalton may not be the most charming of Bond actors, but Moore had a tendency to veer into being smarmy (see TMWTGG). And don't get me started on that expression he always pulled before saying a one liner. He couldn't signpost it Moore, if he had a neon sign above his head saying "Bad pun incoming". Dalton was charming as Bond, just in smaller doses that most other Bonds.
  • edited April 2018 Posts: 2,915
    By adding the way how bond ruthlessly uses Taro ( pun intended) and snuffs Dent go along way to make bond an interesting and professionally appearing secret agent.

    The Taro scene was cliched even back in 1962 (it's film noir lite), and the Dent scene doesn't add much to Bond's character beyond suggesting a level of sadism that wasn't in the original or in the succeeding movies, which shows what a dead-end the scene was. Making a character more inhuman doesn't make him more interesting.
    The humor was of course needed at least just as much, since in all of Flemings novels together there’s hardly enough to fill five pages.

    Starting with DAF you can find plenty of wisecracks and humor in the Bond novels. You just won't find many dumb puns.
    Moore’s eyebrow from AVTAK, located in the next room has way more Carisma then everything that Dalton displays in all of his career put together. And that’s not only when compared to Roger Moore.

    A mechanical acting habit (or as Anthony Lane once put it, Moore's "trick eyebrows") doesn't have anything to do with charisma. Compare the scene of Dalton finding Leiter's mutilated body with any of Moore's dramatic scenes and you will see why Dalton was such a breath of fresh air.
    He simply hasn’t got it. I sell it still remember when he starred in the sequel to gone with the wind. He as Rhett Butler was like a black hole compared to Clark Gable, almost embarrassing.

    Not Dalton's finest hour (though a gutsy move), but then we wouldn't judge Moore's talent by his performance in Bullseye!, would we?
  • Posts: 1,162
    Revelator wrote: »
    By adding the way how bond ruthlessly uses Taro ( pun intended) and snuffs Dent go along way to make bond an interesting and professionally appearing secret agent.

    The Taro scene was cliched even back in 1962 (it's film noir lite), and the Dent scene doesn't add much to Bond's character beyond suggesting a level of sadism that wasn't in the original or in the succeeding movies, which shows what a dead-end the scene was. Making a character more inhuman doesn't make him more interesting.
    The humor was of course needed at least just as much, since in all of Flemings novels together there’s hardly enough to fill five pages.

    Starting with DAF you can find plenty of wisecracks and humor in the Bond novels. You just won't find many dumb puns.
    Moore’s eyebrow from AVTAK, located in the next room has way more Carisma then everything that Dalton displays in all of his career put together. And that’s not only when compared to Roger Moore.

    A mechanical acting habit (or as Anthony Lane once put it, Moore's "trick eyebrows") doesn't have anything to do with charisma. Compare the scene of Dalton finding Leiter's mutilated body with any of Moore's dramatic scenes and you will see why Dalton was such a breath of fresh air.
    He simply hasn’t got it. I sell it still remember when he starred in the sequel to gone with the wind. He as Rhett Butler was like a black hole compared to Clark Gable, almost embarrassing.

    Not Dalton's finest hour (though a gutsy move), but then we wouldn't judge Moore's talent by his performance in Bullseye!, would we?

    The Taro scene cliched even back in 1962? I don’t think so. Perhaps you could point out similar scenes in other movies made before (or even after)? The dent scene by the way just serves to make him tougher. At least a 100%.After all Flemings bond was not really a cold hearted professional. He was much much closer to Richard Hannay of 39 steps fame then to the professional and cunning spies of the 60s and 70s.
    About Dalton having charisma - the girl I went with in TLD considered him excellent looking from the pictures and movies snippets she had seen. When we left the cinema she said ‘this guy is boring beyond belief’. And coincidentally this mirrors the opinions of every other woman I ever heard judging him. Mind you when they announced him, when I saw pictures of him, when I heard he was a trained stage actor and they wanted to make bond tough and believable again I was all for it. I still happen to think he looks just like the Bond from the novels (apart from the scar that is). I will never forget how disappointing the experience was.
  • Posts: 2,915
    The Taro scene cliched even back in 1962? I don’t think so. Perhaps you could point out similar scenes in other movies made before (or even after)? The dent scene by the way just serves to make him tougher. At least a 100%.After all Flemings bond was not really a cold hearted professional. He was much much closer to Richard Hannay of 39 steps fame then to the professional and cunning spies of the 60s and 70s.

    Hardboiled hero turning the tables on a temptress has been a noir trope since The Maltese Falcon.
    Fleming's Bond earned his professional status through the two assassinations and was a definite company man next to Hannay. Fleming's Bond also survived a much more rigorous obstacle course than the movie version (he even fought a giant squid--beat that Sean!), so the toughness award still goes to book Bond.
    About Dalton having charisma - the girl I went with in TLD considered him excellent looking from the pictures and movies snippets she had seen. When we left the cinema she said ‘this guy is boring beyond belief’. And coincidentally this mirrors the opinions of every other woman I ever heard judging him.

    I'm afraid it would take more than an anecdote to swing the balance, especially since in my circle of friends and family Dalton was highly regarded. And unless you've canvassed the opinions of thousands or millions of women on Timothy Dalton, I'm not sure why the opinions of other women you've asked rise above anecdotal status.
  • Posts: 1,162
    I somehow knew you would mentioned the Maltese falcon. But actually there is no comparison here. Sam spade indeed falls for her, but manages to straighten himself out at the end. That makes him such a tough and clever sleuth. But Bond deciding ‘hey why don’t I screw her a little as long we are waiting for my would be killer’ was indeed upping up the ante considerably and way way more than Hollywood would have allowed it’s directors.

    About Dalton’s charismatic ways ... I really wonder why he never made any real career if he is such a magnet.
  • edited April 2018 Posts: 628
    About Dalton’s charismatic ways ... I really wonder why he never made any real career if he is such a magnet.

    He was successful enough to make a comfortable living, and he seems very happy.

    I'm sure he would be disappointed to learn that he didn't live up to your high standards, though. LOL.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    About Dalton having charisma - the girl I went with in TLD considered him excellent looking from the pictures and movies snippets she had seen. When we left the cinema she said ‘this guy is boring beyond belief’. And coincidentally this mirrors the opinions of every other woman I ever heard judging him.

    Hi there! I am a woman and that is not my opinion.
  • Posts: 2,915
    But Bond deciding ‘hey why don’t I screw her a little as long we are waiting for my would be killer’ was indeed upping up the ante considerably

    Yeah, making Bond occasionally act like a sleazy prick really enriched the character, leading to such immortal scenes as forcing his affections on Pussy Galore and blackmailing therapists into sex. Poor Fleming never knew what he was missing!
    About Dalton’s charismatic ways ... I really wonder why he never made any real career if he is such a magnet.

    That is both pissy and inaccurate, given that we're discussing an actor who's appeared in The Lion in Winter, Wuthering Heights, Flash Gordon, Antony and Cleopatra, The Rocketeer, Hot Fuzz, Toy Story 3, and Penny Dreadful. If he never became a superstar leading man outside of Bond, neither did any other Bond actor besides Connery. You are coming dangerously close to trollery.
  • Posts: 1,162
    Sleazy prick? Not to me! The Galore “thing” is a different matter though.

    I guess it’s fair to say that someone who played in Trainwreck movies like flash Gordon was keen on a major movie career. Still it didn’t happen. And I’m not arguing the quality of movies like the lion in winter.
  • edited April 2018 Posts: 2,915
    I guess it’s fair to say that someone who played in Trainwreck movies like flash Gordon was keen on a major movie career. Still it didn’t happen. And I’m not arguing the quality of movies like the lion in winter.

    A trainwreck that became a cult classic, for what it's worth. Dalton's had a fine movie career as a character actor. Faulting him for not having a bigger leading one ignores that none of the other Bonds aside from Connery became superstars outside the series (as I previously noted). It also assumes that super-stardom automatically implies charisma and great talent, and that is not wise: Brad Pitt is nowhere as charismatic as someone like Clark Gable was, and there are plenty of more talented actors than him who never achieved leading man status.
  • Posts: 520

    About Dalton’s charismatic ways ... I really wonder why he never made any real career if he is such a magnet.

    This has PussyNoMore scratching his well coiffured head.
    What a bizarre and unnecessary thing to say.
    Timothy Dalton is a fine Shakespearean actor who has had and still enjoys a great career on and off the stage. More importantly, he is also a hell of a nice guy.
    His Bond is well appreciated by many. Particularly by those who love Fleming’s novels.
    The Pussy was never a fan of Sir Roger as Bond. He was completely miscast. That wasn’t his fault and he was a magnificent Saint. He too was a hell of a nice guy.
    Surely we can have these conversations without personalising them beyond their Bond involvement?

  • Posts: 825
    I saw that you can do one that article of him stepping down in 1n 1994. I was glad he got in as James Bond 007 as 4th actor to the role. He was good to me. I understand why he decline because he was close to 50. After Licence to Kill delay for 6 year where I see Bond 25 heading. He move on with his Career with good manner way then Brosnan who came after him to role although didn't get the chance in 1987. If his Third was done in 1990 & film he would had few more then retire from the role.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    This is not quite what I was googling for, but I'm glad Tim has fans among the Russian miniature wirehaired dachshund-breeding community:

    246423_original.png
  • Posts: 11,425
    funny how Dalts ended up living in L.A. I would never have predicted that. he seems a rather in west coast type. wonder what he does with his time
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Goes shopping, judging by the number of tweets I see about people spotting him in supermarkets!
  • Posts: 11,425
    reliving his hot fuzz highlights
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Ha!
  • Posts: 11,425
    he always seems slightly highly strung in interviews.

  • Posts: 6,601
    I believe, its so easy. I was young, when he started to be Bond and was just disappointed by how the man looked, they tried to sell us ss Bond. Just didnt quite match. In no department and imo, exactly that killed him as Bond.
  • Posts: 11,425
    what killer him? the looks?
  • edited June 2018 Posts: 6,601
    What killed him as Bond? Yes, his looks that was just not attractive Enough and no charisma to make up for it or body or....anything.
  • Posts: 2,915
    Not sure how anyone can knock Dalton in the looks department. Dalton appeared in the Gone With the Wind sequel because he closely resembled Clark Gable. Out of all the Bonds he has the most classical looks.
  • Posts: 6,601
    Revelator wrote: »
    Not sure how anyone can knock Dalton in the looks department. Dalton appeared in the Gone With the Wind sequel because he closely resembled Clark Gable. Out of all the Bonds he has the most classical looks.

    He was terribly miscast as Rhett, as was Scarlett. The non sucess or disaster it was spoke for itsself. No, hf is not a man, women get into. Sorry. Its just not there
  • Posts: 3,333
    From recollection it wasn't Dalton that was the problem with Scarlett, but the fact that the story up-sticks from Atlanta and moves to Ireland. Despite this, I wouldn't call it unsuccessful. It pulled down solid ratings overall, drawing an average of 17.6 million households a night on television, for which it was made (it wasn't made for the cinema). It wasn't considered a success by the ABC execs because it failed to draw in the male viewers, which still stuck with blokey TV shows. However, it was very popular with women.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Germanlady wrote: »
    Revelator wrote: »
    Not sure how anyone can knock Dalton in the looks department. Dalton appeared in the Gone With the Wind sequel because he closely resembled Clark Gable. Out of all the Bonds he has the most classical looks.

    He was terribly miscast as Rhett, as was Scarlett. The non sucess or disaster it was spoke for itsself. No, hf is not a man, women get into. Sorry. Its just not there

    I didn't know you are a Bond fan @Germanlady. I figured you were here for the duration of Craig's casting.

    And he is not a man that you "get into". Other women are/were attracted to his classically handsome looks. Looking at most of the Bond actors, I would go out on a limb and say they were handsome in their respective younger days.
  • Posts: 1,916
    Dalton is the closest to the image of Bond as I've imagined him in the books. He just looked right in the part. For years I had the teaser poster of him in TLD saying "The most dangers Bond...ever" on my bedroom wall when I lived in my parents' house.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Germanlady wrote: »
    No, hf is not a man, women get into.

    Some women would like Dalton to get into them.

    (This post brought to you by slightly too much gin.)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Germanlady wrote: »
    No, hf is not a man, women get into.

    Some women would like Dalton to get into them.

    (This post brought to you by slightly too much gin.)

    Gin all around! ;)
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Germanlady wrote: »
    No, hf is not a man, women get into.

    Some women would like Dalton to get into them.

    (This post brought to you by slightly too much gin.)

    Gin all around! ;)

    Hashish or red wine also has that effect.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Germanlady wrote: »
    No, hf is not a man, women get into.

    Some women would like Dalton to get into them.

    (This post brought to you by slightly too much gin.)

    Gin all around! ;)

    Hashish or red wine also has that effect.

    Why's the rum gone?
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