The game is quite simple, but also puts some serious critical judgment on all 6 Bond actors and their first Bond films. We do that in two stages:
A) We are going to rank all six Bond actor's acting skills in their first Bond film outing
For that you can give points:
--> 01 POINT for the Bond actor that should be 6th in your TOP 6
--> 02 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 5th in your TOP 6
--> 03 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 4th in your TOP 6
--> 04 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 3rd in your TOP 6
--> 06 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be the runner-up in your TOP 6
--> 08 POINTS for the Bond actor that should top your TOP 6
B) This stage is all about ranking the actual film and not the outing of the Bond actor in his 1st film. It is of my opinion that a Bond actor carries the film for an important part. But do not forget plot, screenplay, originality, theme, other characters, music, production design. Things like storyline and plot can make or break a film. And because of that, in the long end, a film can get that everlasting 'evergreen status'-status or 'quality classic'. Not just because of the Bond actor, but also because of all other people involved in it.
That's why I ask you to rate the actual film in which the Bond actor starred for the first time. For this I will double the amount of points, so you can rank the actual films in this way:
--> 02 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 6th in your TOP 6
--> 04 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 5th in your TOP 6
--> 06 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 4th in your TOP 6
--> 08 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be 3rd in your TOP 6
--> 12 POINTS for the Bond actor that should be the runner-up in your TOP 6
--> 16 POINTS for the Bond actor that should top your TOP 6
C) The final stage is about ranking the actual 'total package' of 'Best Bond actor' combined with 'The Best Bond Film'. In the end I will add up the points in the following way. Watch my personal example in the following post:
Comments
08 POINTS --> Sean Connery in....
06 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in....
04 POINTS --> George Lazenby in....
03 POINTS --> Roger Moore in....
02 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in....
01 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in....
My TOP 6 of 'Best Bond Film' in which the Bond actor appeared for the first time:
16 POINTS --> ....'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969)
12 POINTS --> ....'Casino Royale' (2006)
08 POINTS --> ....'Doctor No' (1962)
06 POINTS --> ....'The Living Daylights' (1987)
04 POINTS --> ....'Live And Let Die' (1973)
02 POINTS --> ....'GoldenEye' (1995)
TOP 6 ranking totals (I will sum them up in an Excel sheet myself, just in case you find it a bit too much work):
20 POINTS --> The total package of George Lazenby in 'OHMSS'
18 POINTS --> The total package of Daniel Craig in 'CR'
16 POINTS --> The total package of Sean Connery in 'DN'
08 POINTS --> The total package of Timothy Dalton in 'TLD'
07 POINTS --> The total package of Roger Moore in 'LALD'
03 POINTS --> The total package of Pierce Brosnan in 'GE'
Now it's your turn. I know it's a bit of hefty jury work, but it'll perhaps give you some new insight in the actual Bond actor, how well they performed in their first Bond film and how much 'classic longevity' a Bond film apart from its actor (potentially) has :-).
Good luck with both of your TOP 6-es. I will occassionally post the current standings :-).
PS: The BD-covers are fan-art......but I just love them. I'm using them for my new collection of James Bond on BluRay I'm currently making.
08 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in...
06 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in...
04 POINTS --> George Lazenby in...
03 POINTS --> Sean Connery in...
02 POINTS --> Roger Moore in...
01 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in....
My TOP 6 for the Films:
16 POINTS --> ...'The Living Daylights' (1987)
12 POINTS --> ...'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969)
08 POINTS --> ...'Casino Royale' (2006)
06 POINTS --> ...'GoldenEye' (1995)
04 POINTS --> ...'Dr. No' (1962)
02 POINTS --> ...'Live and Let Die' (1973)
Total Points:
24 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in 'The Living Daylights' (1987)
16 POINTS --> George Lazenby in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969)
14 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in 'Casino Royale' (2006)
7 POINTS --> Sean Connery in 'Dr. No' (1962)
7 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye' (1995)
4 POINTS --> Roger Moore in 'Live and Let Die' (1973)
56 POINTS --> The total package of Daniel Craig in 'CR'
49 POINTS --> The total package of George Lazenby in 'OHMSS'
44 POINTS --> The total package of Timothy Dalton in 'TLD'
31 POINTS --> The total package of Sean Connery in 'DN'
21 POINTS --> The total package of Pierce Brosnan in 'GE'
15 POINTS --> The total package of Roger Moore in 'LALD'
08 points - Daniel Craig
06 points - Timothy Dalton
04 points - Sean Connery
03 points - Pierce Brosnan
02 points - Roger Moore
01 points - George Lazenby
Top 6 - Film quality:
16 points - CR
12 points - OHMSS
08 points - GE
06 points - TLD
04 points - DN
02 points - LALD
Total points:
24 points - Daniel Craig/CR
13 points - George Lazenby/OHMSS
12 points - Timothy Dalton/TLD
11 points - Pierce Brosnan/GE
8 points - Sean Connery/DN
4 points - Roger Moore/LALD
Performances
1) Craig - 8 points
2) Connery - 6 points
3) Moore - 4 points
4) Dalton - 3 points
5) Brosnan - 2 points
6) Lazenby - 1 point
Films
1) CR - 16 points
2) OHMSS - 12 points
3) GE - 8 points
4) LALD - 6 points
5) TLD - 4 points
6) DN - 2 points
Total Points
1) Craig/CR - 24 points
2) Lazenby/OHMSS - 13 points
3) Moore/LALD - 10 points
3) Brosnan/GE - 10 points
5) Connery/DN - 8 points
6) Dalton/TLD - 7 points
1) Timothy Dalton - 8 pts
2) Sean Connery - 6 pts
3) George Lazenby - 4 pts
4) Pierce Prosnan - 3 pts
5) Roger Moore - 2 pts
6) Daniel Craig - 1 pt
Films:
1) The Living Daylights - 16 pts
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 12 pts
3) Dr No - 8 pts
4) Live And Let Die - 6 pts
5) GoldenEye - 4 pts
6) Casino Royale - 2pts
Total:
1) Timothy Dalton - 24 pts
2) George Lazenby - 16 pts
3) Sean Connery - 14 pts
4) Roger Moore - 8 pts
5) Pierce Brosnan - 7 Pts
6) Daniel Craig - 3 pts
1) Dalton - 8 points
2) Connery - 6 points
3) Craig - 4 points
4) Moore - 3 points
5) Brosnan - 2 points
6) Lazenby - 1 point
Films
1) OHMSS - 16 points
2) DN - 12 points
3) TLD - 8 points
4) LALD - 6 points
5) GE - 4 points
6) CR - 2 points
Total Points
1) Connery/DN - 18 points
2) Lazenby/OHMSS - 17 points
3) Dalton/TLD - 16 points
4) Moore/LALD - 9 points
5) Craig/CR - 6 points
6) Brosnan/GE - 6 points
1) Roger Moore - 8 pts
2) Pierce Brosnan - 6 pts
3) Sean Connery - 4 pts
4) Timothy Dalton - 3 pts
5) Daniel Craig - 2 pts
6) George Lazenby - 1 pt
Films:
1) Goldeneye - 16 pts
2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 12 pts
3) Live And Let Die - 8 pts
4) The Living Daylights - 6 pts
5) Dr No - 4 pts
6) Casino Royale - 2pts
Total:
1) Pierce Brosnan - 22 pts (6+16)
2) Roger Moore - 16 pts (8+8)
3) George Lazenby - 12 pts (1+12)
5) Timothy Dalton - 9 pts (3+6)
5) Sean Connery - 8 pts (4+4)
6) Daniel Craig - 4 pts (2+2)
08 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton
06 POINTS --> Sean Connery
04 POINTS --> Daniel Craig
03 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan
02 POINTS --> Roger Moore
01 POINTS --> George Lazenby
Films:
16 POINTS --> Dr. No
12 POINTS --> The Living Daylights
08 POINTS --> On Her Majesty's Secret Service
06 POINTS --> Casino Royale
04 POINTS --> GoldenEye
02 POINTS --> Live and Let Die
Total:
22 POINTS --> Sean Connery in Dr. No
20 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights
10 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
09 POINTS --> George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
07 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye
04 POINTS --> Roger Moore in Live and Let Die
Dalton 8
Craig 6
Connery 4
Moore 3
Lazenby 2
Brosnan 1
Films: Tough call, 2nd to 5th I would rank more or less equal.
OHMSS 16
CR 12
DN 8
LALD 6
TLD 4
GE 2
Total:
OHMSS 18
CR 18
DN 12
TLD 12
LALD 9
GE 3
Wow, wouldn´t have thought GE gets so little points from me ;-).
134 POINTS --> The total package of George Lazenby in 'OHMSS'
132 POINTS --> The total package of Timothy Dalton in 'TLD'
121 POINTS --> The total package of Daniel Craig in 'CR'
113 POINTS --> The total package of Sean Connery in 'DN'
076 POINTS --> The total package of Pierce Brosnan in 'GE'
071 POINTS --> The total package of Roger Moore in 'LALD'
This will take a bit of thinking of my part...
:-)
Sean Connery 8
Daniel Craig 6
Timothy Dalton 4
Pierce Brosnan 3
Roger Moore 2
George Lazenby 1
Connery and Craig were nearly tied, but Connery invented the role, so he gets the nod.
Movies:
Casino Royale 16
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 12
GoldenEye 8
Dr. No 6
The Living Daylights 4
Live and Let Die 2
Casino Royale-Goldeneye are 3-5 on my list, and Dr. No comes in at 7. Hardly seems fair, but then that's life.
Total Package:
Daniel Craig (6) in Casino Royale (16) for 22
Sean Connery (8) in Dr. No (6) for 14
George Lazenby (1) in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (12) for 13
Pierce Brosnan (3) in GoldenEye (8) for 11
Timothy Dalton (4) in The Living Daylights (4) for 8
Roger Moore (2) in Live and Let Die (2) for 4
Sean Connery had the big advantage that he was the first ever actor to play 007. But was he really that 'glorious' as an actor? Connery and Lazenby are actually quite similar, in that they both had rather 'different' jobs until they got their first major breakthrough: Modelling, bodybuilding, coffin builder....to name a few.
And if I compare Dalton's first outing with Lazenby's first outing, then I am certain: Lazenby is the better one. It starts with Lazenby's fantastic fight scenes, differently edited compared to Connery's fight scenes. Actually, Lazenby set a little standard here that we only saw back when Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig as 007 came to the cinemas.
The love/romantic scenes Lazenby did in 'OHMSS': Ab-so-lu-te-ly stunning. The wedding proposal scene, the actual wedding, Bond in shambles when Tracy got killed. It were pure acting highlights, that Moore, Dalton and Connery actually never had. Perhaps it's only matched by Craig's acting in 'CR' and 'SF'.
Sorry, I just don't get Lazenby's low ratings as an actor. Considering where he comes from......I think he was a major talent. Hence the fact he was nominated in 1970 for a Golden Globe in the category 'Best Newcomer' for his role as 007. None of the other Bond actors managed to get such a nomination in their first outing as James Bond.
You know what my friend Rutger said afterwards something like that? "Sjee.....I didn't know James Bond was such an emotional wreck. I look a bit differently to the films now. Especially acting-wise..." :P
1) Sean Connery - 8 pts
2) Daniel Caig - 6 pts
3) Pierce Brosnan - 4 pts
4) Timothy Dalton - 3 pts
5) Roger Moore - 2 pts
6) George Lazenby - 1 pt
Films:
1) Casino Royale - 16 pts
2) Goldeneye - 12 pts
3) The Living Daylights - 8 pts
4) Dr No- 6 pts
5) Live And Let Die - 4 pts
6) OHMSS - 2 pts
So, in order to respect Moore, I have to make him my favourite Bond?
Forget all other Bond films the other Bond actors did! It's all about judging that single acting experience from that Bond actor in his first Bond film. Just think as only these Bond films exist: DN, OHMSS, LALD, TLD, GE and CR.
Off course not. It's your opinion mister. And only yours ;-). But looking at the results thus far, it is George Lazenby who still doesn't get the respect for his 1st Bond outing, compared to the other 5 actors and their 1st Bond outings. It really strikes me :-).
Results so far after 11 voters:
First Bond acting experience from these actors:
61 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton
59 POINTS --> Sean Connery
57 POINTS --> Daniel Craig
33 POINTS --> Roger Moore
29 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan
25 POINTS --> George Lazenby
Rating of the actual film in which the Bond actor starred for his first time:
130 POINTS --> 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
108 POINTS --> 'Casino Royale'
090 POINTS --> 'The Living Daylights'
078 POINTS --> 'Doctor No'
074 POINTS --> 'GoldenEye'
048 POINTS --> 'Live And Let Die'
Points Total Package:
165 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in 'Casino Royale'
154 POINTS --> George Lazenby in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
151 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in 'The Living Daylights'
141 POINTS --> Sean Connery in 'Doctor No'
103 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye'
081 POINTS --> Roger Moore in 'Live And Let Die'
Actors:
1) Sean Connery - 8 pts
2) Timothy Dalton - 6 pts
3) Daniel Craig - 4 pts
4) Roger Moore - 3 pts
5) Pierce Brosnan - 2 pts
6) George Lazenby - 1 pt
Films:
1) Casino Royale - 16 pts
2) The Living Daylights - 12 pts
3) OHMSS- 8 pts
4) Dr.No- 6 pts
5) Live And Let Die - 4 pts
6) GoldenEye - 2 pts
TOTALS-
20 POINTS--> Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale" (2006)
18 POINTS--> Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights" (1987)
14 POINTS--> Sean Connery in "Dr. No" (1962)
09 POINTS--> George Lazenby in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969)
07 POINTS--> Roger Moore in "Live And Let Die" (1973)
04 POINTS--> Pierce Brosnan in "GoldenEye" (1995)
UPDATED-
185 POINTS --> Daniel Craig in 'Casino Royale'
169 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in 'The Living Daylights'
163 POINTS --> George Lazenby in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
154 POINTS --> Sean Connery in 'Doctor No'
107 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye'
089 POINTS --> Roger Moore in 'Live And Let Die'
I predict Connery and DN will shortly take the #3 position :)
That is of course wild guessing. I for one don´t think Connery is more Fleming-esque than Moore, nor do I think being Fleming-esque is a criterion for me at all.
08 POINTS --> Sean Connery
06 POINTS --> Daniel Craig
04 POINTS --> Pierce Brosnan in....
03 POINTS --> Roger Moore in....
02 POINTS --> Timothy Dalton in....
01 POINTS --> George Lazenby in....
My TOP 6 of 'Best Bond Film' in which the Bond actor appeared for the first time:
16 POINTS --> ....Casino Royale
12 POINTS --> ....Skyfall
08 POINTS --> ....Dr. No
06 POINTS --> ....The World is not enough
04 POINTS --> ....On Her Majesty's Secret Service
02 POINTS --> ....Goldfinger
6th – Roger Moore – 1pt
Poor old Sir, someone has to be last, and alas it's him. Unflappable and suave as ever, I think Moore needed a director like Lewis Gilbert to really let his put his own stamp, and personality, on the character. One can feel Moore feeling his way into the character, but his performance improves from here on in.
5th – Pierce Brosnan – 2pts
Despite his nerves, Brosnan came up with the ideal blend of humour and steel, with a little bit of dramatic stuff to keep things interesting. The script helps a lot with this; Brosnan would never get a script as strong as this in his subsequent adventures.
4th – George Lazenby – 3pts
At times Lazenby was simply unbelievable, and at other times, he was incredibly wooden. (Confronting Blofeld and M in the case of the former, and for the latter, when Bond is first introduced to Draco).
I felt that Lazenby really grew in stature as the film went on, and by the end of it, you really felt, and believed, in this Bond. The film, and the storyline, go in a big way to achieve that, but Lazenby played an important part too.
He was Fleming's every-man; he made me care about his Bond. And for a rookie actor, never mind an established actor, steeping into Connery's shoes, was like an inexperienced musician steeping into Lennon's shoes in the Beatles.
3rd – Sean Connery – 4pts
Cool, calm, authoritative, loaded with bags of machismo and great grace and poise, sophisticated etc... And with a real sense of purpose and inner calm, that typifies the Bond of the book and Connery's Bond, this is a very good début.
It's hard not to put Connery on-top of any list in the world of Bond, but his being too harsh (think of the superintendent of Kingston for example), keeps him from reaching my No 1 spot.
2nd – Timothy Dalton – 6pts
Very Fleming-esque. The only caveat I have about Dalton's Bond, is his brooding and cynicism; true they are key components to Fleming's Bond, but not too this extent. Still, this is very fine début, and it is to Dalton's supreme credit that I find relatively small details to find fault about – no other actor has done that. Superb Mr Dalton, superb!
1st – Daniel Craig – 8pts
Dark and dangerous Craig has made 007 relevant again. I love seeing him evolve from a proto Bond into the fully formed agent that we know and love. Kudos to Craig's physicality, the best since Connery and Lazenby.
Films
6th - Live and Let Die (19/23) – 2pts
Very understated entrance for Roger Moore. Very good cast, especially the heavies, ( “You’re entering Harlem, baby!”), ingenious plot; cunning in its simplicity, and some delicious lines.
5th – GoldenEye (15/23) - 4pts
A greatest hits Bond film that launched our venerable hero into the nineties. There really is a lot to enjoy with this one, namely a superb primary cast and a very strong script.
Indeed this script helps anchor GoldenEye’s more fantastical elements, allowing for some rare moments of introspection. The script also cleverly asks Bond to validate himself in the post cold war era, something he achieves with aplomb.
There are a few quibbles; some of the action scenes need trimming, while Boris gets far too much screen-time, especially for such an annoying and superfluous character.
4th – Dr. No (9/23) - 6pts
Simply classic, iconic Bond. Young used to say, about DN success, that it was all “Connery, Connery, and Connery”. I think he’s being too modest; Young, and indeed, Hunt and Adam all contributed massively to the earlier Bond movies. Although Connery is immense as James Bond, 007, naturally.
3rd – The Living Daylights (6/23) – 8pts
This ranks as one of the very best Bond films. Glen’s direction is assured while it also features probably the best cinematography of his tenure. The screenplay is as intelligent and complex as any in the series. Barry’s score serves as a fitting swansong to this great man. The film is filled with a real sense of Fleming, yet all the cinematic hallmarks are here, and executed brilliantly and originally. And I haven’t even mentioned Tim Dalton, who’s the closest we ever got to Fleming’s 007.
2nd – Casino Royale (3/23) - 12pts
The most visceral performance ever to be seen in a James Bond movie, Craig makes the role of 007 dangerous, sexy and charismatic, and breaths new life into the character, which has been in the public consciousness for nearly 50 years.
What else is there to enjoy about CR, well; an excellent cast, superb main titles, and the accompanying main title theme, sumptuous cinematography and great music, plus Martin Campbell's direction is brisk, bruising and very effective. And it's from a great adaptation from a great book.
The only thing I can reproach this film with, is the scene where Bond breaks into M's apartment. Fleming's 007 would never have been so disrespectful, and as Bond is a military man, he wouldn't have lasted long in the military.
1st – On Her Majesty's Secret Service (2/23)
Other than Lazenby, everyone is on form here; from John Barry to Diana Rigg, this is a sublime, emotional experience.
Total -
6th Roger Moore – 3pts
5th Pierce Brosnan – 6pts
4th Sean Connery – 10pts
3rd Timothy Dalton – 14pts
2nd George Lazenby – 19pts
1st – Daniel Craig – 20pts
Very surprising, I must say!
Sorry, can you please correct your list of films? It is only possible to vote for the Bond film the specific Bond actor appeared in first.
Actors:
1) Dalton - 8 pts
2) Brosnan - 6 pts
3) Connery - 4 pts
4) Craig - 3 pts
5) Moore - 2 pts
6) Lazenby - 1 pt
Films:
1) TLD - 16 pts
2) GE - 12 pts
3) DN- 8 pts
4) LALD- 6 pts
5) CR - 4 pts
6) OHMSS - 2 pts
TOTALS-
24 POINTS--> Dalton & TLD
18 POINTS--> Brosnan & GE
12 POINTS--> Connery & DN
08 POINTS--> Moore & LALD
07 POINTS--> Craig & CR
03 POINTS--> Lazenby & OHMSS
Wow well. I don't understand a word of this frankly mate. You made it BY FAR too complicated for a lot of us younger 007 fans to follow. But anyway...
1) Connerys performance in Dr No: 10/10 (young and vital)
Dr No itself as a film: 4/10 (really quite slow and boring)
2) Lazenbies performances in OHMSS: 5/10 (young but not experienced there)
OHMSS itself as a film: 10/10 (a real classic with some chick European locations like FYEO)
3) Roger Moore's performance in LALD: 7/10 (a very slick trenchcoat/gloves outfit in NYC in the opening scenes... I want that outfit myself now)
LALD itself as the film: 7/10 (a good boat chase or two)
4) Dalton as performance in TLD: 8/10 (I have difficulty now making out a lot of what he's saying. Like when he says "Barracks hidden back there..." after Saunders is iced by Necros... LOL I mean what is he saying?)
TLD itself as a film: 7/10 (good action but your typical John Glen snoozer. Fell asleep while watching it on the couch last month. Woke up and had a shower, then tried again to watch it and fall asleep again this time on the couch!)
5) Pierce's performance as 007 in GE: 10/10 (I love watching the way he moves. It's like poetry. When he moves down the staircase in the PTS I get chills up and down my spine.)
GE as a film: 10/10 (what more can you say? Get out the recipe book (that's where my name comes from) and cook up a meal every time I put on the Blu Ray. It calls for a celebration every time. Here's where I admit I like cooking. :)
6) Craig's performance in CR: 10/10 (what more can I say? Wounded, vunerable)
CR as a film: 3/10 (I'm not a fan of how cheap it looks. The Miami Skywalk annex scene looks like a Taken film, made in France on the cheap frankly.)
OK I'll leave you to do the math Gustav_Graves that's what your so good at. But realistically here all that matters if Bond fan's opinions, not some cooked up number system.
Secondly rank the actual films in all its aspects in TOP 6 order.