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George Lazenby finally recognized as a worthy James Bond actor?
As you might have known from special documentaries about 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', George Lazenby's name was deliberately deleted from marketing and promotion material by United Artists. As George was the first actor to step in the shoes of Connery, the Bond actor that media felt was irreplacable, United Artists didn't know exactly how to promote George's first Bond film.
The result was that lines like '.....presents George Lazenby as James Bond 007 in 'On Her......' were deleted. Instead they focussed much more on the actual name 'James Bond 007'. Even the looks of Lazenby were actually very Connery-esque.
A few examples of this poster- and marketingwork are the actual poster from 1969, but also the Ultimate Edition DVD covers from 2006:
Buttt, that has finally changed with the new promotion artwork for the 50th anniversary BluRay and DVD sets. George Lazenby's full name is now used. Finally George Lazenby is being recognized as a very fine actor that starred in one of the best James Bond films ever :-):
The result was that lines like '.....presents George Lazenby as James Bond 007 in 'On Her......' were deleted. Instead they focussed much more on the actual name 'James Bond 007'. Even the looks of Lazenby were actually very Connery-esque.
A few examples of this poster- and marketingwork are the actual poster from 1969, but also the Ultimate Edition DVD covers from 2006:
Buttt, that has finally changed with the new promotion artwork for the 50th anniversary BluRay and DVD sets. George Lazenby's full name is now used. Finally George Lazenby is being recognized as a very fine actor that starred in one of the best James Bond films ever :-):
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Comments
=)) you must be joking!
Has @hullcityfan hijacked your account or is your craziness becoming more unashamed?
More unashamed :D. I'm a sucker for these useless tiny details. Call me a Bond nerd times 1,000 hehe.
Oh, OK then. I didn't know whether to ask who your oculist was, or for the address of the Amsterdam cannabis house you must be frequenting :P
Guess I've been smoking something yes?
Moore in OHMSS would have been a big mistake, OHMSS ruined by his gutteral sounds as he gets punched. Lets face it he did an admirable job, if he didn't the film wouldn't been as recognised as it was. I don't believe for one second people love this film and don't appreciate Lazenby's efforts.
I actually prefer his Bond to Moore, yes I've been smoking that stuff again.
Sorry to tell you then, but many people feel exactly that way about his acting. The action scenes are another matter, of course, that doesn't require good acting (see Chuck Norris).
Lazenby a better actor than DN Connery - definitely not
Lazenby a passable actor - probably
OHMSS a classic - unquestionably
It would have been interesting to see Lazenby in DAF. Unfortunately he was his own worst enemy and I have no sympathy. As Dr. Lucien Sanchez once put it 'If you act like a cheap arsehole, expect the shittiest portion' - and if you get that reference I love you a lot.
I wouldn't even go as far as to call George an actor. That actually requires proper training. An action star just has to deliver passable lines and be good at punch-ups.
Nice to see you back!
Think he gets unfairly criticized sometimes. An australian should never really be allowed anywhere near the part of James Bond 'British' secret agent, but it's true to say, Lazenby did OK for his one and only part. One of the best Bonds for hand to hand combat and action scenes, a far improvement in that department on some of the names that came after him, so at least he had something going for him
1) Sean Connery (Especially in DN, FRWL & TB)
2) Daniel Craig (Especially in CR & SF)
3) Timothy Dalton (Both his two films are great)
4) George Lazenby (Only one film, but makes almost every fan's TOP 3 of best Bond films)
5) Roger Moore (Especially in LALD, FYEO & OP)
6) Pierce Brosnan (Kicked off nicely with a solid all-round typical Bond film, but all his following 3 films were shittier than his very first, GE)
Hence this new enjoyable post I made ;-). It gives you perhaps a new perspective on each actor's first Bond outing :-): http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/7199/rank-each-bond-actor-in-their-1st-bond-film-poll#Item_2
but you never get that feeling from lazenby that danger factor is missing. thats why i rate lazenby at the bottom of my bond table. but OHMSS in my top ten films
1. connery {
2. craig { craig and connery subject to change lets see how craig does in the next
two films hes the closest contender for the top spot just been let down
by quantum
3.dalton
4.brosnan
5.moore
6. lazenby
top 10 films
SF
GF
FRWL
CR
OHMSS
YOLT
GE
TLD
LALD
TWNE
Well, I'm not sure what happened to Anthony Rogers but his last acting job was Camelot which happened to be the same year as his audition for Bond. John Richardson ended up being dubbed in Italian Giallo movies soon after, and as for Hans de Vries, his biggest role was playing a Cyberman. In fact out of that list, apart from George, I can't see one suitable candidate that would of been an improvement over the final choice. My one complaint is that the producers or director should have insisted on an acting coach being present on the entire shoot which would of helped smooth out some of the more awkward deliveries in the 1st Act. If it's just the fact that he's a model turned actor, then we should also reserve the same hatred for Channing Tatum, Mark Wahlberg, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway, Ian Somerhalder, James Marsden, and Brandon Roth.
I also agree 100% with your assessment of OHMSS and why it manages to be great despite Lazenby's obviously very green performance in it. Generations of Bond fans have recognized just what you've said, although it took awhile for the movie itself to be seen as a great one in the series. I'd also add the support cast that made the strong storyline really go, as well as Barry's brilliant and innovative soundtrack. OHMSS is one of those rare movies that succeeds in every way short of the lead actor.
I saw OHMSS when it first came out. I enjoyed the film very much, was very disappointed it didn't star Connery, but I didn't dislike Lazenby, I just wasn't used to him. Since owning the film on DVD, I have seen it several more times, and it just keeps getting better each time. What a different and mature film from the direction the series was heading. In my opinion, the only subsequent film that has the same feel is CR.
But, about the acting. To me the best way to evaluate the acting is to watch part of each film with the sound off. Evaluate their gestures, their walks, their body movements, and particularly concentrate on their faces. How do they utilize their expressions? What do they do with their eyes? How do they react? How do they show you they are thinking?
Lazenby is quite good, far better than the more experienced Moore, who I feel never fully believed he was Bond, which I think accounts for the plethora of silly expressions, even when he was trying to be serious and threatening.
It would have been a very different film with Connery, in some ways perhaps not even convincing. And with the other guy? Moore would have been less.
I think with hindsight its possible to say that if not Laz then who?
Connery would have been an awful choice and it would have his worst performance of the lot given that he would have been even less motivated than for YOLT but not had the motivatin of the biggest fee ever paid to an actor of DAF. He would have not so much telephoned it in as had it delivered by carrier pigeon.
Moore I just cant see delivering the hard edge and seriousness the script demanded. Can anyone seriously picture him welling up with emotion in the final scene? I love Rog as much as the next man but thats just not him.
Dalton at his peak would have been spectacular in this story but despite being only 7 years younger than George was simply too young to carry it off. George I feel comes across as older than his years in the film and even then hes only just old enough.
So unless anyone can think of someone amazing staring us in the face we would be left with EON's shortlist of 5 which, going on looks alone, appears more like an audition for a serial rapist than it does Bond. And seeing as all have them have disappeared from trace ever since and as I doubt any of them they had the ability to walk into a casino with the smoothness of George or lay Yuri Borienko out then it seems he probably was the only logical choice.
I'll concede to the George haters that if Laz was the only choice then you have to say the competition for one of the biggest acting jobs in cinema was pretty sparse but nonetheless I wouldnt change a thing.
That's a great story. I agree with you that OHMSS is indeed one of those rare films that keeps getting better with each subsequent viewing. It took a while but it's no surprise that eventually this film found it's audience and received the praise that it rightly deserves.
Facial expressions and body movements are indeed a vital part of any actor's repertoire. It is essential that we see an actor's very nature (or their concealment of it, especially when playing a spy) through their eyes. Are the eyes not the window to the soul? Assuming that one believes in the concept of a "soul" that is.
However, you cannot discount the voice as part of the total package. An actor's voice can arguably be his biggest asset. Vocal inflections are just as important as facial expressions in my book. The very best actors can incorporate both skills and seamlessly weave a fluid interpretation of their character's psyche into our imaginations.
I cannot support this idea of yours that Lazenby is superior to Moore. I think that overall, barring the fighting scenes, Moore could have done a much better job in the role back in 1969. Have you not seen his work in The Saint? He's damned good as Simon Templar. It might be the best role he ever had as an actor. If anything, perhaps he did not do enough to distinguish himself from The Saint in his earliest James Bond appearances.
With that being said, I think that the result would have been the same. Audiences would have still had a hard time accepting anyone not named Sean Connery as Bond. Also, I really wouldn't want anyone but Lazenby starring in OHMSS. We would have all loved to see what Connery could have done with it when he was still interested in the role but it was not meant to be.
Yes I can see it. FYEO proved he could play a harder edged Bond. As far as the crying goes... I would have liked to see him have the opportunity. I understand your skepticism though.
The bit I've bolded I vehemently disagree with. Lazenby was lethal and makes Moore, Dalton and Brosnan look comparably wimpish or at least tame. Besides Craig and Connery no other Bond actor has anything physically impressive to show that comes anywhere near the brutal grace of the opening beach fight and the fight in Tracy's hotel room.
Completely agree here. For that reason, you should vote in this topic: http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/7199/rank-each-bond-actor-in-their-1st-bond-film-poll#Item_22. I posted similar arguments there: