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Comments
To a foreigner, and being stereotypical, she and Maggie Smith are the peak of old British elegancy. Diana was a sexy beast and now a lady like few others; Smith is not especially attractive, but she's magnetic, smart even when wearing rags, the epitome of old British distinction.
https://www.life.com/arts-entertainment/being-007-life-behind-the-scenes-at-james-bond-auditions/
I think aside from Lazenby, the one who has the 'Bond look' is Robert Campbell. He looks like Henry Cavill in the Man from UNCLE.
Only the article on this very site: https://mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/history_ohmss_auditions.php3
I have that personal suspicion (mind you, it has no basis but my own twisted mind) that Saltzman and Broccoli favoured Hans de Vries. In a way, he was the boy from the youth squad, having already appeared on YOLT and Billion Dollar Brain.
George got the part out of sheer determination, Peter Hunt's support and beating poor Yuri Borienko to a pulp.
Lazenby just seems more charismatic in those photos. A little more mischievous and with a glint in his eye. Robert Campbell seemingly would have been good though based on the photos. I'd be interested to know why he didn't win out over Lazenby.
Isn't the story that Peter Hunt was the most impressed with Lazenby's fighting style? I think hunt was very much an aestheticist and wanted someone who 'looked' the part more than just an actor. Which he got with George.
According to IMDb, "Control room technician". I searched for him to no avail.
I believe De Vries is one of the people with a labcoat on, fleeing down the stairs during the battle. Not really sure though.
Let us also consider the fact that Connery had far more say in how Bond was portrayed in DAF than ever before.
Yes I agree. Lazenby had the potential to be the most badass Bond of all. He had the swagger, charisma and a real-life hell-raising bad attitude off screen.
The one thing he lacked was acting experience, but as you say, he'd have grown in the part and that would have naturally come with more movies under his belt. For carrying a Bond type attitude in real life and not just an actor playing a role, Lazenby tops everyone who played Bond, and Connery comes second.
Connery had everything to play Bond - in spades. Every other actor that followed attempted to bring out a side of Connery's performance, whether its Craig's swagger, Moore's funny quips or even Dalton's more thespian Fleming take.
But when it comes to the actors who had the badass attitude in real life, I think Lazenby tops the list, which would look something like this -
1. Lazenby
2. Connery
3. Craig
4. toss up between Moore, Brozza and Dalton, who appear to be more refined gentlemen. I think Brozza probably edges it over Moore and Dalton, from his rough Irish upbringing, although I admit I know very little of Dalton's early life in Wales.
I think part of the reason Lazenby made that huge mistake, was coz he was & is still the youngest Bond....Being 29, coupled with all the 60s craze. If he were at least in his early or mid 30s, he wouldn't have turned down Cubby & Harry's impressive offer.
Consider the open sequence in Portugal: a playboy travelling around the casinos of the Algarve? Pretty much The Saint’s stock-in trade, and he would’ve looked like he belongs there, whereas George looks shifty.
Roger showed he could be the more sensitive Bond several times during his run: he was often much kinder and more human than Connery’s womanising tough version, and it would have worked here. He would have supplied star power (which the film lacks entirely) and would have actually brought some actual comic timing to the Hilary Bray section, as well as being a strong enough performer to provide a foil to Rigg. The fight scenes would have been worse, sure. I can live with that.
Roger’s the guy this film needed.
I think that Anthony Rogers guy looks the most like he’s stepped out of a paperback. No idea how his acting was though.
That's a very interesting perspective. And one I've never thought of. Congrats.
But in the end, I believe having a one-off actor in this one-off high quality film, gives it its special stature, and it further reinforces that on does not need a young actor to be there for 13 odd years making a helluva number of films, while he gets older and seasoned into the character. One can easily make brilliant James Bond films with no continuity and a 40ish old actor in the part of an already seasoned agent. IMO, of course.
+1
I've always said Lazenby was the most Bondesque of all the men to portray the character. Besides being the highest paid male model in European history, he served as a Sergeant in the Australian Army Special Forces and as a Military Unarmed Combat Instructor. He was a skii instructor at a time and a car mechanic (in the books Bond obviously has some mechanical knowledge as he modifies his cars). The way he went about getting the role is the stuff of legend. Lazenby is the most like Bond outside of playing the role, IMO.
Wow, no wonder he became the Malboro man! Got a light, George? :D
Not sure that's something to aim for! :)
It's very Cool. Even with the mashup, it has uniformity & still retains that Quintessential Bond Sound.
Agreed. A large reason why OHMSS lingers in the memory is that the actor, and the marriage within the film, is a one-off.
Imagine if Lazenby were in DAF, and suppose that the theoretical DAF script were not as good as OHMSS (likely, as the source material is weaker)...
Would a lesser but gritty DAF diminish OHMSS, as some argue SP diminishes SF?
Am I the only one who forgets about Connery or any other Bond actor while watching OHMSS? I’m too focused on George.
No, Lazenby owns it. I never think about Connery while watching it.