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As for Roger Moore in FYEO. While this film has never been amongst my favourite Bonds (some of the action sequences are too drawn out) I do quite like Roger's take on Bond. Some of the edge he gave Bond in his early films had almost totally disappeared by the time of Moonraker, so we get a world weary Bond who is more intent on helping the girl rather than bedding her. His face is more lined than previously which makes him (arguably) more attractive.
At a push I would suggest that Roger Moore more or less steals the show. We talk about Connery's 'charisma' as such a vital part of his success as Bond, but in FYEO Moore has it in bucket loads.
He looks scared when being pursued to the top of the ski jump, his concern for the girl is touching and realistic, and of course the moments people refer back to time and time again- the good old bad-ass Bond as he tracks Locque down and kills him.
all in all this is possibly one of the most underrated Bond performances we have
Actually the eyebrows came up in LALD and the goofiness as well. Maybe not to the degree as in later films, but still. He is pretty annoying in Moonraker at times, but it's mostly just him being comfortable in the role.
But as this was about his performance in FYEO I thought I'd wait until the earlier ones come round again before judging them.
As has been noted, Bond's relationship with Havelock is a highlight, and foreshadows Craig's Bond (particularly with Camille in QoS). Moore shows a tenderness (almost fatherly) which is new for him as Bond, and adds warmth to the film.
There is also a battle hardened weariness to Moore's Bond in the film (his age is finally starting to show, but not excessively so) and it is a welcome change from the youthful goofiness of MR.
The ski sequences are highlights, and Moore indeed looks frightened during them. Dare I say, he brings the same vulnerability in parts that Lazenby brought to similar sequences in OHMSS. Loque's death shows the harder edge, and balances out the portrayal, which overall is first class.
I still prefer Moore in LALD, TMWTGG & TSWLM respectively, but his work in FYEO is different (for him) and shows how versatile he could be. For me, it's similar to Craig in SP vs. QoS - very different turns showing how impressive the actor can be.
There is also the trademark Moore humor (perhaps more than some people would like) but Sir Rog plays it straight for the most part. I almost wish he had gone out with this one. It's too bad we didn't see this kind of performance in AVTAK. I still think TSWLM is Moore's finest moment but I would rank this one right behind it. I love him in LALD and TMWTGG too. I would put those at third and fourth, respectively.
It seems we - a rarity for the forum - agree on FYEO being one of Sir Rog's finest performances. For me Sir Rog reached a high water mark in Spy, closely followed by his performances in OP and FYEO. Although I do enjoy, more than when I was younger, his turns in LALD and GG.
That's very kind of you to say that @NicNac. This thread has been running since 2012, and I'll reboot it when we reach Craig's performance in Spectre, to give new members a chance to chime in and the veteran members to reevaluate the films. If I may, of course.
(Yes, I know there is a separate thread about OP, but this one is to do with Sir Rog's performance)
Sir Roger Moore is excellent value in his sixth appearance as 007, keeping the steely determination from For Your Eyes Only alongside the lightness of touch from Spy and Moonraker.
Octopussy is quite possibly Moore's most superlative of his turns as 007. His usual levity is undercut with a slight world-weary professionalism. Underneath the charm of Moore's 007, there is a pretty ruthless character.
One sees many sides to the Bond persona – quietly somber on discovering Vijay's mauled body; Bond provoking Khan in both the auction sequence and the backgammon scene; cold vengeance when Bond hurls a knife into 009's assassin and best of all, when Bond realizes the harrowing scheme of Orlov on board a train compartment. The sudden realization is a superb piece of acting by Moore, and is a match for noted stage actor Berkoff.
Moore himself was worried that he was getting a little too long in the tooth to convincingly play 007. And indeed there is some truth in that. Moore just about gets away with it in Octopussy. Time stands still for no man, and Moore has nicely matured in the role. Anyway, Moore's haughty cynicism offsets his advancing years quite wonderfully.
Moore is also aided by being paired up with an age appropriate romantic foil, in the way of Maud Adams' marvellous Octopussy. They have such fabulous chemistry and camaraderie together; in part due to their similar ages, and in part due to the fact that Moore and Adams are good friends. In fact, Bond and Octopussy's relationship is so strong that one could imagine them settling down together in the future.
In a stand out scene, Roger Moore loses his air of unflappability as all hell breaks lose, when Bond is undercover at the U.S Airbase. The fact that Moore's Bond is in such a state, ups the tension to almost unbearable levels. It is a superb scene, and one that could have been mishandled very easily, what with Moore dressed up as a clown. The directing by John Glen, and the music by John Barry, helps greatly.
What do you guys think of Moore's performance in Octopussy?
Can't disagree with a word of that.
In the first half of OP Rog delivers a quintessential Moore performance with some classic one liners ('Fill her up', 'Hiss off'), mischievous villain baiting (the auction, backgammon and dinner scenes) and just classic Roger Bond.
Then just as we think it's business as usual for a usual Rog outing the film takes quite a serious turn with Vijay getting killed and Bond discovering the villains scheme leading to a side of Rog's Bond we haven't really seen before.
There's a nice bit of revenge for 009 with the killing of Grishka (or is it Mishka) and I like the scenes when Bond is hitching various lifts
where the scenes with the German couple, the kids driving off and the 'Mein auto' woman are all played very straight whereas in films past we'd have had JW or a comedy policeman popping up.
And then of course it all culminates in the most suspenseful countdown in the series which derives its tension from the fact that if even the unflappable Roger Moore is panicking then this shit just got serious.
When a desperate Rog is trying to get the general to believe him you suddenly think that maybe he's not going to make it.
It's a performance that has got the lot: comedy, charm, smugness, seriousness. Superlative.
Ok it's not exactly that Flemingesque but as a 'movie Bond' performance it's right up there with Sean in GF and TB.
The competition from the also great Connery is NSNA must've kept Moore on his toes.
Darn tootin'
OP was the first film I got as a kid when VHS was new and all the rage. So I watched it over and over....and over again. Those were the days I was really getting into Bond, and it seemed Roger had taken the tougher characterization from FYEO, and basically just added touches of old Rog from TSWLM to it. As far as I'm concerened it's a perfectly balanced performance. Also, he looks great here. he'd grown into the role and looks experienced, and tougher. The Moore of OP could whoop the Moore of LALD anyday. I dig his pompadour as well.
Ehhh not quite sure there is a marked difference in age between FYEO and OP. But he is certainly worse off than in MR. But he hadn't gone into AVTAK level yet thank goodness.
Oh I see then.
It's a wonder Roger looked as sprightly as he did, since he was older than Connery by a few years and Connery himself looked old and overweight by DAF, to say nothing of NSNA...
Shame. I met Lazenby last year, very nice bloke.
A View To A Kill was the last Bond for Roger Moore. It is an unsatisfactory way to bid farewell to the man who was crucial to keeping the series afloat. Granted, Moore should have hung up his shoulder holster with Octopussy, a much more fitting way to end Moore's tenure. Moore looked good for his age, but that age is a mite too old to be playing 007. Moore's age is engaging in one sense, as one fears for him. Not the reaction that the filmmakers were going for, but an interesting observation to make, nonetheless.
Regardless, Moore's performance in A View To A Kill is almost top notch, being suave and charming as ever, mixed in with a little steely determination. As with John Glen's other efforts, the character of Bond is well defined, giving Moore's Bond something to do other than visiting exotic locations and quipping.
For example, at Zorin's party at his French stables, Moore has a fine time posing as an eccentric Englishman, in almost a pastiche of the roles Moore stereotypically played.
There are instances of espionage and detective work scattered throughout the picture, and Bond shows his resourcefulness, when, underwater, he breathes air from a tyre of a submerged Rolls Royce, which was carrying the unconscious Bond and the dead Tibbett.
Since Glen began directing Moore, his interactions with the main heavy of the piece, has gotten colder. This is especially true of Zorin, with an undercurrent of hostility between the two men.
Two prime examples of this are when Zorin orders Tibbett to be killed, and when Zorin murders a City Hall employee right in front of Bond and Stacey, framing Bond in the process. Bond's “It's not mutual” and “Speechless with admiration”, respectively, are practically spat out with Bond's contempt for Zorin.
Bond is his usual provoking self at Zorin's party, and one sees a more paternal figure as he takes care of Stacey. It is a shame that the filmmakers decided to discard this rather novel approach to Bond and Stacey's relationship, in order to have them be romantic at the end of the movie.
Throughout his seven Bond pictures, Roger Moore provided a steady hand, when the films were at their most inconsistent. Moore was essential in ensuring the Bond series had long term success; and indeed Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker are amongst the three highest grossing Bond films to date.
The public perception of spies had changed, certain styles had been and gone, but against it all was Roger Moore's Bond - seemingly impervious to cinematic trends, a vital touchstone to this ever changing world in which we live.
Through Moore's sense of self assurance, his lightness of touch, and haughty indifference, he established his own unique take on the character of 007, with his advancing years being offset wonderfully by his laconic humour. As Moore's original screenwriter, Tom Mankiewicz said, “Moore was the old Etonian dropout that Ian Fleming had envisaged”. Nobody does it better.
What do you chaps think?
Other than that he is bloody perfect as always.
I think they handled his age much better in OP. The doubling and editing was lousy at times in AVTAK.
His age never bothered me in this film. It's not like he removed his furry white hood in the PTS to reveal a SKYFALL buzz and beard. He looks like Roger Moore.
His performance as Bond is excellent here as well. He means business in the scenes with Zorin, and is genuinely struggling to pull Stacey up from the fire.
Aside from the undercover lightness and fun he's having needling Tibbett, I'd say he gives a very human performance in VIEW. 007 doing household chores here: reconnecting the telephone at Stacey's took so long she fell asleep. Damn, James. He makes an omelet/quiche out of leftovers. In addition he plays the humorous aspects in true Roger Moore style and doesn't let us down with that aspect.
I'll also add his wardrobe looks great this time. We get to see both the white dinner jacket and midnight blue. His suits are timeless. Nothing too dated, and his jackets are stylish. I've always loved the gray suede blouson he sports at Fisherman's Wharf. I do think a LALD black turtleneck would have looked cooler with his brown leather jacket during the city hall sequence, though.
I'll always be a proud supporter of Sir Rog in VIEW, and as much as I love Tim, I cannot picture anyone else in this film but Roger Moore.