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Actually, I can't see it. :) Dalton opposite Sean Bean, yes; opposite Judy Dench, no. Why? I don't know to be honest. Perhaps I think of the Dalton Bond as rather old-fashioned, a symbol of the United Kingdom of Used-to-Be-Britain and not so much of the hip, 90's Britain. Also, Dalton's Bond would not have driven a tank through St-Petersburg with a smile on his face. He would have meant it; every brick knocked out would have been personal. But I'm sure Dalton would have rocked opposite 006. Because that indeed is personal. He would have gotten his eyes blood-red as if ready to shoot Alec with his anger. Going soft over Natalya wouldn't be a problem. Bedding Xenia, however, would have been anything but pleasant.
Even worse, Brosnan in LTK. Brosnan can sell me on many things, just not on the believable vendetta thing. Brosnan tried anger when he had Renard at gun point and then once more when he caught Zao in the gene therapy machine. I'm never convinced it's more than just his job.
So ... would you try putting a different Bond in a film, that you might want to see? What would be interesting or fun? You raised good points about not having Brosnan in LTK and not having Dalton in GE. (Though I politely find Brosnan's take on coldheartedness and revenge to be fine) But ... if you would switch a Bond, even just for fun, what might that be?
Would have liked to see more of him, but I always liked Dench as M. Just another reason why it would have been splendid to get Dalton Bond films in '91 and '93. Brown could have reprised the role as well.
Funny you should say that @chrisisall I thought about Dalton in AVTAK, and wondered how it would be. And despite maybe needing a few changes here and there. I thought it might have been better than you might think. Daltons darker take could've helped. And just imagine, Dalton and Chris Walken together!
OMG!
Another one would be Connery in LALD. I love the thought of a second Lazenby film (and then more), or a third Dalton film. But after those I would've loved to seen Connery in LALD as we got it. No changes. Just Seanery instead of Rog. (And I love Rog in LALD)
I think it would've been fantastic. The Harlem / New York scenes. The jumping the crocodiles...it would've worked with Sean too.
I've tried to imagine what TLD would've been like with Brosnan in the role as originally intended. But I just don't see it. I've seen his Remmington Steele from around that time. And he's just too young looking. Maybe I'm wrong. He still looks young in GE though.
Can't think of anymore. But if I do, I'll be sure to share them.
;)
And Dalton in AVTAK yes, mainly because of the match up with Walken (as mentioned by Benny). Superb.
MayDay would be a tough fit for any Bond, truly.
Still, with a few adjustments here and there, DAF starring Lazenby might have worked. Because Lazenby was a very physical Bond, at the very least the PTS could have gotten a nuclear bomb level energy injection. The fights would have reeked of anger and aggression had Lazenby's Bond gone after Blofeld like a caged animal set free. Cut the quips. Lazenby spitting out "Welcome to hell, Blofeld" would have sent chills down our spines. Also, drop the clone thing. No need for that. Blofeld might have survived the mud pit (or whatever that was) only to return later in the movie scarred and maimed like Two-Face.
The diamond smuggling is a brilliant story arc, only very poorly executed. I think it's awesome to have Spectre infiltrate a chain of smugglers, slowly working its way to the top while leaving behind a cold trace of death. To have Bond in turn infiltrate this exceptionally complex web of intrigue and murder, is fertile ground for a tense thriller. So dispense with the puns and silly jokes and get some sweat on Lazenby's face. Hurt him, make him feel the fear, make him question his chances for survival in something he doesn't understand, in which he doesn't know who to trust and which may very well be too big for him to handle.
But then we get the big reveal: Blofeld is still alive. Now Bond finds an old ally again, anger. Forget about the satellite, no-one cares. Just have Blofeld hide out on an oil rig and get Bond over there to chase him. We can always make up something about the diamonds. Something as simple as Spectre looking for a way to refund itself after the loss of Piz Gloria might have worked a gazillion times better than a diamond powered killer laser satellite from space. Blofeld simply assembled whatever active Spectre pawns are left in the world for the diamond thing. Bring back Bunt! And preferably Telly. Make the finale big. Show you got balls. Lazenby stands in front of Blofeld, takes the gun, shoots him in the knee and then says, "don't worry about dying, we have all the time in the world". Fade out. Final scene in the movie: Bond standing besides the grave of Tracy. M behind him. "When you're ready, 007", as M walks away leaving Bond behind. We see him grieve, then smile. Bond found his solace. Roll credits.
I'm sure Lazenby in his second outing would have rocked. Like Connery, he could have learned from a good director. I'm not saying he would ever have reached the level Connery reached in the superb FRWL. But Lazenby could have grown several inches as an actor, as a Bond actor. Poor choices were made between '69 and '71. I so would have loved DAF as OHMSS², starring George Lazenby as Bond.
At the time there was much argument on Connery assuming the role in OHMSS. I won't address this but I would have so much liked to see Laz in a serious take on DAF. As for Sean in OHMSS, I wonder if he would have approached the role with more penache than he showed in YOLT. We like to think he would have. But he was moving on. He looks absolutely terrible in DAF. A bad fitting toupee, bushy eyebrows, expanding waistline. Yes, George would have been so much better in DAF.
Moore hung around too long. OP should have been his swansong. That being said, I would have preferred Brosnan in AVTAK....
GE was tailor made for Dalton. This is probably the biggest OMG among fans. Dalton deserved a third film. Can't you just imagine him going up against Sean Bean's Trevellyn? A more serious film would have been made too (No Boris for instance or he would have had a nastier edge to his personality--IMO) and Dalton would have been so much better with Famke and Isabella.
I would not replace Craig in any of his three films. Babs and MGW finally got it together after the horrid Nineties....and found "their Bond" , rather than some "people's choice".
@birdleson: thanks for the inclusion of Concert for George's All Things Must Pass...even if I'm not really sure what prompted it. I'm reminded of the quote from John upon hearing ATMP (the triple album, remember albums?): "If it took the Beatles breakin' up for George to come out with All Things Must Pass, then the Beatles should have broken up YEARS ago!"
@Darth: nice description of the DAF that SHOULD have been. I particularly agree with your "euphemism for amnesia" evaluation.
And yes, I'd have loved to have seen Sean in OHMSS. I think we might have been treated to a few more outings from Sean if he'd been asked to do some serious acting as Bond, rather than always adhering so strictly to The Formula.
For me, today, and not as a serious try at improving a Bond film, but just for fun I'd like to see:
Dalton in CR Yeah, I love Craig but I'm just thinking it would be cool to see Timothy in this, too. He would have been great, without making any changes to the script other than switching Bonds.
Lazenby in Moonraker - he probably could have pulled that off, given the tone and look of the film overall.
Sean in TMWTGG - that would have been interesting! Lee and Connery; that is a match up.
DR. NO: I’m giving this one to George Lazenby. It seems to me that half of his problem in assuming the mantle of Bond was that the role had already been defined so perfectly by Connery. So we’ll just let George be the one to define the role himself in this revised world of Bond. Here’s your chance, 00Lazenby. Don’t muck it up.
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE: Since Dalton is the most “realistic” of the Bonds, I’m giving him this gem of an early, “realistic” Bond film. I primarily went in this direction so that I could match him up against Robert Shaw. With both of them having had great success in period dramas (Shaw as the King in A Man For All Season, Dalton as a Prince in The Lion in Winter) it seemed like an natural pairing.
GOLDFINGER: Since Pierce Brosnan has often noted GF as an early inspiration, it seems only appropriate to give him this plum role. We expect you to ACT, Mr. Brosnan…we do not expect you to die!
THUNDERBALL: I want to see Daniel Craig here. He seems so at ease with the bad girls, I want to see him take on Fiona Volpe. Besides, as I noted earlier, it’s about time he got a big, over the top Bond film to his credit. If he’s going to be taking on SPECTRE next year, he’d better get some experience with them now!
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE: Roger Moore gets this one. Maybe he can be a little more believable than Sean in the “turning Japanese” segment…or maybe he can pick up some pointers in the martial arts during the ninja training sessions (he direly needs them in TMWTGG.) Maybe he can pick up some outer space training to use in MR. One way or another, we have to get Roger onto that island!
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE: Sean gets this one. In any fair universe, he’d have had it long ago. Diana Rigg alongside Sean, opposing Telly’s Blofeld…how did this not happen already? They had all the time in the world…
DIAMONDS ARE FORVER: And yes, this one should have been George’s. I agree with everything @DarthDimi wrote earlier. Right idea, wrong 007.
LIVE AND LET DIE: I’m giving this one to Dalton, if only so that he can work with David Hedison’s Felix again, before Felix gets eaten by something that disagrees with him.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN: How can anyone NOT want to see Sean Connery vs. Christopher Lee, mano a mano? Perhaps Sean can even make Britt Ekland’s Mary Goodnight into less of a twit! If anyone can do it, Connery’s the man for the job.
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME: I think Pierce should get this coveted role. He’d work well with Barbara Bach, he’d do fine smirking at Jaws and talking smack to Curt Jurgens, and he’d look great in a naval uniform riding that waterbike toward’s Stromberg’s Atlantis… I can even see him winking back at Caroline Munro before his Lotus blows her helicopter out of the sky. Nobody’d do it better than 00Brosnan in this (reimagined) classic Bond adventure.
MOONRAKER: Connery gets this one. If anybody can thaw out that ice queen Dr. Goodhead it would be Sean. We’ve seen that he’s got a deft comic touch to use when need be, and no film needs it more than MR. Besides, he got cheated out of some quality time in space back in YOLT, why not make up for that now?
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: Yes, I know I gave it to Sean in an earlier discussion, with the “eyesh cream” line…but he’s already got 2 of Roger’s films in this exercise, and that's all he can have by my own self imposed rules. I’m giving this one to Dalton (his second of the Moore roles as well) because I’d love to see him opposite Carole Bouquet, one of my favorite Bond girls. I think he’d work well with Topol… he’d be awesome kicking that car off the cliff…and he’d really give a great performance climbing the mountain to get to the monastery. Dalton is at his best with these “realistic” roles, and I think he’d be great in this, Moore’s most “realistic” Bond flick.
OCTOPUSSY: I’m giving this one to Lazenby. Mostly because I want to put him in the clown suit. Actually, this is one of Moore’s best films because he works so well with Maud Adams…but there’s so much silliness to it, primarily during the jungle chase and the circus scenes…so I’m going to make George the butt of the joke here. You’re not a clown, George, you’re one of a select few who’ve had the privilege of playing the world’s most famous secret agent.
A VIEW TO A KILL: This is probably the hardest film of all to recast, and that point is a testament to Roger Moore’s unique take on James Bond. Sure, Roger is just too darned old to play Bond believably in this film, and his pairing with Tanya Roberts as Stacy Sutton is kinda cringeworthy…but who else could have played the upperclass twit to Patrick Macnee’s Tibbet so wonderfully? Who else could have managed to spend a night of grudge sex with Grace Jones’ MayDay without one of them ending up broken beyond repair? Who else could have driven a fire truck all around the streets of San Francisco with half of the SFPD in pursuit? After much thought and no small amount of soulsearching, my inclination is to give this less than coveted role to Daniel Craig. Pierce could have done it, I suppose, but then I’d have to swap him out of TSWLM, and put Daniel in there…and no, I just can’t do that. Call it a toss up between Craig and the Brozzer…I suppose I could give it entirely to the Brozzer, possibly the only Bond who can match Moore in a smirk off…but Daniel needs a kooky Bond film in his resume, and this one's a howler. Still, one must give a little credit to 00Moore for the fact that this one even exists, and it IS immensely watchable. Seven Bond films in a row…a record that is likely never to be broken. We lift our shakennotstirreds in your honor, Sir Roger! Nobody did it better…
Okay, that's enough for one posting. I'll be back with the rest later today...but here's a reasonable batch to start off with!
That's Entertainment! =D>
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS: Pierce was originally considered for this film, before Dalton’s schedule cleared and allowed him to take the role. I’ll give it to Pierce. Really, he was very good on his own right in several areas that were crucial to this film’s success: the relationship between Bond & his leading lady…his internal conflict at using his “license to kill”… his ability to stay focused while delivering a complex scenario of international espionage…I’m giving Pierce this episode of Dalton’s and I’ll return the “favor” shortly.
LICENSE TO KILL: I think Craig should have this one. We’ve already seen him deliver a cracking performance in another revenge based storyline. This one goes to Dan.
GOLDENEYE: Fair is fair, Pierce got TLD; this one goes to Dalton. I think he’d do a perfectly credible job here. He’d do a fine job playing opposite Sean Bean, I’m sure. Robby Coltrane would go well with Dalton as well. He’d be a perfectly fine Cold War dinosaur when paired with Judy Dench’s bean counter of an M. The only real question is how would Timothy match up against Famke Jansen’s Xenia Onatopp?
TOMORROW NEVER DIES: Let’s try Lazenby with this one. His power as a brawler, paired with Michelle Yeoh’s martial arts skill, should carry this one nicely. PLUS: he’d get to cry his eyes out again over another lost love. Just remember, George: give the people what they want!
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH: I’m giving this one to Roger. Why? Several silly reasons really: Who else would straighten their tie underwater? Who else could make us not give a damn about Denise Richards posing as a nuclear physicist? And who else could get strapped up to Sophie Marceau’s torture chair without the audience ever thinking that he was in any real danger? Well, Sean Connery could, obviously…but I’m saving him for…
DIE ANOTHER DAY: Really, this is generally rated as one of the worst Bond films ever. I trust we can all agree on that. Okay then: who else has even a CHANCE of rescuing this poor puppy from the depths of disgrace that it usually occupies? It’s Sean all the way for me on this film. Your mileage may vary… (you may think it not worth rescuing.)
CASINO ROYALE: Hard to say with this one. I’d love to have seen a young Sean Connery in this film…but would he have stood (sat?) still for the torture scene with LeChiffre and the knotted rope? Roger would be out of the question for that same reason. Lazzer? Maybe…but again, I have to go with my go to guy for the serious Bonds, Timothy Dalton. Brozzer’s pain face just wouldn’t have worked here. No, it’s the Daltonator all the way.
QUANTUM OF SOLACE: I’m going with a curve ball here: Moore. He’s already had experience counseling a young lady against seeking revenge. He’d be great in the opera house sequence. Let’s give this one to Roger He deserves a serious Bond script once in a while...
SKYFALL: As tempting as it would be to give this one to an older Sean Connery…I’m handing it to the oldest Pierce Brosnan we can muster. He was there at Judi Dench’s initial outing as M, he should be there to wish her well at the end.
That’s it! It’s been fun, let’s do it again some time…Final score: Dalton on top with five, Connery, Brosnan & Lazenby tied at four each, and Moore and Craig with 3 each. Not that the scores matter or anything...
Best idea i think is Dalton in Goldeneye. Dalton up against Robbie Coltrane would be just perfect! His Bnod would appreciate Valentin a lot more I think. But in that case he ought to return in TWINE too...
I shall be commenting more tomorrow a.m.
I was tempted to simply switch Roger and Sean completely for all their films, but I don't think that would work best. Hmmm. Although some of my switches are merely for humor anyway. So, not as spectacularly explained as Beatles, but nevertheless here, I'll have a go (I think some of these switches are definitely for fun), including my first one. So there are plenty of :D ;) :) to go along with what I've listed below ...
Dr. No - Pierce Brosnan. Yes, you heard me. Because of two key scenes - Honey coming out of the sea (it would be like deja vu only so much BETTER for you this time, Pierce! The real thing!) and the killing of the tarantula. Let's face it, Pierce's full blown overly dramatic take on that would be brilliant in its own way.
From Russia With Love - Dalton all the way, and you just know that he and Daniela would have been great together, too.
Goldfinger - Lazenby. Given the script, and his limited acting ability, I think this film would be okay with him in it. Assuming he and Honor could have some genuine chemistry. Great acting not required in this particularly iconic Bond film, in my opinion. He could handle it - and Oddjob.
Thunderball - Roger Moore. Roger in his more serious mode (a la good parts of FYEO). I'd love to see Roger tussle with Volpe, too. I think he'd be splendid.
You Only Live Twice - tricky that. The whole "turning Japanese" part is a disaster, with any actor in it. So I'm throwing this one to Dalton. Because his innate exasperation at having to play parts of that film would come through, simmering underneath, and I'd enjoy that, too.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - I can see Moore handling it well, but as I first mentioned (and Beatles did, too) this one belongs heart and soul to Connery. And I believe Connery would have upped his game for it and made it a perfect, truly complete masterpiece.
Diamonds Are Forever - Lazenby in Vegas. Yes, and for several reasons as I mentioned earlier.
Live and Let Die - Pierce Brosnan. I just think he would have done a very good job with this story, actors (with Jane, definitely), and locations.
The Man With The Golden Gun - Connery. Sticking with that; what a tremendous match up that would have been!
The Spy Who Loved Me - Pierce Brosnan, I agree. He has the cool, the attitude, the light touch, and real charm. It would be fun with Pierce (Roger is perfect, but we are switching all the Bonds around, so I'd definitely give this one to Pierce).
Moonraker - Dalton. Just because I like him better than Lazenby in it. I cannot picture Sean or Pierce really getting into this one. Certainly not Craig.
For Your Eyes Only - Sean Connery. Yes, I want to hear "eyesh cream", see him climb St. Cyril's (not so smoothly as Roger, I think), have that fight on the ice rink (much more brutal with him!) and I think Sean would kick ass with this script, find a very familiar warm ally in Colombo, and do just fine with Carole.
Octopussy - Craig. Unusual choice, I know. But I think he'd bring the serious elements to the fore, he would dispatch the awful oneliners so curtly and throw them away so we'd at least get thru them quicker, and he'd be great with Maud. Plus all the fights would be far more realistic. Interesting, I think.
A View to A Kill - Dalton. Much much better all around now, isn't it? Just the action parts alone. Plus he'd glare at Stacey, go toe to toe splendidly with Walken, and sizzle with Fiona in the hot tub.
The Living Daylights - how I hate to recast this one. Okay: Moore (when he was younger; all of this is placing the actors in a film when they were at a decent age). He could handle this story like it was written for him. And I can picture him just fine with Kara, including the cello ride, confronting Pushkin, and the romantic ending.
License to Kill - Craig. I cannot get around that; he would have been sublime. Gritty, revenge soaked, brutal, torn, driven. And he would have been fine with Pam, too. I can truly only see Dalton or Craig in this one.
Goldeneye - Connery. Yep. Pierce got Dr. No, and when I put Sean into this story - hey, it works for me! :) I'd love to see him go against Alex T. and Xenia. Sean and Xenia would be memorable, I guarantee it. And he has a splendid main Bond girl in Natalya; I think they would have had some real sparks.
Tomorrow Never Dies - I was considering Lazenby (due to his martial arts skills) but no, I cannot see him handling the great serious parts well (Paris; Dr. Kaufman; rescuing Wai Lin from underwater). So I'm giving this to Craig! Yep. He would shine just fine, I feel sure. and we know he can handle himself and motorcycles. And how much Craig loves the press - ha! That would come through; oh I'd enjoy all of that.
The World is Not Enough - Moore. Yes, he would be fine with the actors, the stupid story, and I'd enjoy seeing him with Valentin. Probably put a better, lighter spin on this film (which takes itself too seriously and has things that annoy me in the script).
Die Another Day - this film won't just die and go away. So I'll put Roger Moore this one also. Moore would keep his light comedic touch throughout and not be bothered by Jinx. He'd just roll with it all, in his own inimitable way. Either that or Lazenby, who doesn't need great acting being paired with Jinx or this stupid script. But Moore would somehow make it more palatable.
Casino Royale - as I mentioned earlier, Dalton for sure. He would have been amazingly great. I really only picture Dalton and Craig for this one.
Quantum of Solace - Connery. Yes, because he would bring his own solid, cohesive take to this story, so that even with the stupid editing and camerawork, it would be okay. Plus he and Camille would be quite fine together. He'd shine in the opera scene. Shame he'd only have a quick round of "find the stationery" with Fields (Connery's appetite is clearly for much more than just that in a Bond film), but he'd manage.
Skyfall - Pierce Brosnan. I'd love for him to finish this with Judi. They were great together. He'd be fine in the whole film, actually, including with Severine. So yes, Pierce, I'll give you this one if I cannot have Craig in it.
Whew! That was fun, and interesting to picture in my mind as I thought this through.
I hope a couple of you will still post a few more thoughts about switching Bonds. Remember, you are not changing the films, just the Bond actors.
Cheers! :)>-
somehow I've got the feeling this film would be completely, utterly different with Craig in the lead. He would outshine Teri so much you'd think he was talking to a doll... ;-)
So, would anyone else like to have a go at "switching" Bond actors? Leaving the films the same, just changing the Bond actor and see what a difference that would make. A pretty big difference in some cases, I say. This was fun for me to do. Thanks, @Beatles, for this suggestion.
Tomorrow I will be changing topics. So please join us now with your final thoughts about changing Bonds, and tomorrow we start afresh.
I rather like this artwork of all the Bonds. Note Barry Nelson and David Niven lurking in the background. :) (But we are not including the in this switching exercise.)
Cheers! :-bd
I almost switched them entirely, but then I went film by film a little differently instead.
I could see it playing out and James Bond still being a hit, that way, though.
However ... the impact of Connery in Dr. No thru Goldfinger truly sent Bond into the stratosphere (like Beatlemania) and that really couldn't be replicated exactly by any other actor, I believe.
Changing topics in just a few moments !! Stay tuned .... :)>-
Just lost a long detailed post; bear with me. Also computer glitches ...
I want very much to start a topic that will take a few weeks, something we can dive into regarding all the Bond stories as a whole ... and I think it is a good time to talk about the novels. So starting today, we shall look at:
Bond Novels - Mini Reviews
Aha! What is a "mini" review? I think 4 or 5 paragraphs, not a huge review. Being succinct will be a challenge - but I hope a fun one! :)
Please list your main points and feelings about the novel. How vivid were the characters? Did you get a real feeling for the atmosphere/ambiance/location? Were some things dated? What did you love or were there parts you did not care for? I really want to know how you felt about the story - not just the plot in detail.
AND do finish with a plus sign (+) or a minus sign (-) to show if you thought the novel was as good as or better than the film; or less enjoyable than the film.
I will list the order of the novels/short stories soon (I am having computer problems; please be patient!).
But let's kick off with (of course), Casino Royale!
Again, for your mini review, please keep in mind:
1) Be succinct but honest and give an example or two
2) Try not to make those paragraphs take up a whole page on the thread ;)
3) Finish with a plus or minus sign regards to the film
Cheers! :-bd