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Honor Blackman ranks Connery as best Bond
From the Mi6 home page news items.
http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=11226&t=mi6&s=news
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Blackman is currently touring the UK with a one-woman show about her career, and had this to say about the debate on Connery vs Craig as the best Bond:
"Daniel is a terrific actor but I don’t think anyone will be anything like Sean, they’re not allowed to be now. The Bond that Ian Fleming wrote, they are not allowed to be now. That Bond was suave, good looking. Sean played him perfectly because you believed that he would bed a woman and then calmly put a bullet through her head and then go and have a martini and not bother."
"Dan could do anything but he’s not allowed to any more. He has to care about his women – he has to fall in love and Bond never did anything so silly."
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She may be a tad hard on Craiger, but I very much relate to the general sentiment - ie Connery is gold standard.
http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=11226&t=mi6&s=news
==
Blackman is currently touring the UK with a one-woman show about her career, and had this to say about the debate on Connery vs Craig as the best Bond:
"Daniel is a terrific actor but I don’t think anyone will be anything like Sean, they’re not allowed to be now. The Bond that Ian Fleming wrote, they are not allowed to be now. That Bond was suave, good looking. Sean played him perfectly because you believed that he would bed a woman and then calmly put a bullet through her head and then go and have a martini and not bother."
"Dan could do anything but he’s not allowed to any more. He has to care about his women – he has to fall in love and Bond never did anything so silly."
===
She may be a tad hard on Craiger, but I very much relate to the general sentiment - ie Connery is gold standard.
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Comments
Besides Bond of the books WAS good looking - he was described as such in Casino Royale if I recall. Suave? I'm not so sure. Connery added that bit.
And it matters a damn sight whether she's read the books or not if she's going to use them in her argument.
Except he did. In the books. Twice.
And where has this stuff about Flemings Bond being a ruthless killer come from? Fleming's Bond would sleep with a woman then have a martini and not be bothered? No he wouldn't. He couldn't even bring himself to shoot Scaramanga in the back of the head, so he wouldn't f**k a girl and then kill her straight afterwards and not care.
Sean's Bond was great but the Bond she's describing isn't the one Ian Fleming wrote, and Craig's Bond is one of the closest to Fleming we've had imo.
Thats exactly what I felt like saying. She was probably one of his real life affairs as well. She's just trying to stay relevant by namedropping the books even though she's clearly never read them.
Blackman is a tad off re the books, as far as Bond falling in love though. Book Bond did fall for the girls, quite often actually, but without losing his hard 00 edge when he needed it.
Connery Bond (and Rog Bond too) were virtually immune to messy emotional attachments with the girls, although you could argue that Fleming's Bond was quite similar in this regard, in that outwardly, minus insight to his inner workings, he might also have appeared rather ambivalent to his female attachments.
It's not like he mooned over Tiffany Case in public, or got too puppy doggish over other girlfriends that he got somewhat attached to such as Domino and Solitaire.
Fleming's Bond was quite the utilitarian agent and very receptive to the casual affair ie Viviene Michel etc.
I too have always been a bit iffy about the whole "ruthless killer" thing. Yes he was a killer but he had a soul. In From Russia With Love Kerim said he was "soft".
I think there is a little bit of Fleming's Bond in early Connery but the more troubled aspects (a fairly big part of the literary character) were diluted.
I think she is assuming that Connery's Bond was based very closely on Fleming's Bond. She's not completely wrong though, but unless you've read the books, you wouldn't know how Connery's Bond was actually extrapolated from Fleming's Bond.
Personally I find Young and Connery did an exemplary job translating Bond to the big screen. Minus access to inner workings, Connery's Bond I think was a pretty good realization of how Fleming's Bond might have appeared to the world at large- villains, superiors, women etc.
She's almost 90; it's unlikely that she has any great need to stay relevant at this point. It's also entirely possible that in the 50 years since she was in a Bond film, and possibly read the books, things got confused in her mind. It's been known to happen.
On another note, she also called Sir Sean the sexiest man she's ever met, which I think is on the Goldfinger Special Edition DVD.
Is that between Connery and Craig themselves, or with all Bond actors together ? If the latter, then they both lose out as Dalton was the best Bond, or as I always say, the closest to what Fleming intended
Seems going over familiar territory once again, but this tired debate can be usually be summarized by saying while Craig is a very good Bond, he simply doesn't measure up to the early Connery appearances in so many ways (for reasons doubtless already elaborated on and no need for duplication) and once again, isn't on the same plateau as Timothy Dalton and his two superlative performances of the iconic character
While Blackman would obviously favor Sean, I think by Goldfinger he was past his supreme best but for his two performances of '62 and '63, the actor did such a stellar job of bringing Bond to the big screen, I don't think it has been beaten yet. Only Dalton of the late 1980s comes close or perhaps went one better, and it's always a tough decision to choose between them. As mentioned, maybe Dalton just has that slight lead as of now
It's not really a surprise to me that Blackman would say this. She did star with Connery in the most popular (as far as the general public is concerned) Bond film of all time. I think I understand where she's coming from as well. Connery had the advantage of playing Bond in a time period that wasn't too far off from when the novels were written. Perhaps those early films do capture the zeitgeist of an era that's long since passed away and no Bond film could truly emulate ever again.
I think that's about the size of the whole issue. Maud Adams would favor Moore for instance, Carey Lowell Dalton, Olga Kurylenko Craig, Famke Jansenn Brosnan, although not sure Rigg would pick Lazenby as a favorite choice, after their differences during production. It would be interesting to hear Andress' view on whether Connery was best Bond, or even Bianchi or Claudine Auger for example, but whatever is said, Sean usually comes in at second place for me for true Bond greatness
Thank you. Who is first place in your personal Bond actor rankings?
Then Connery a very close second, Craig third, then Moore, Brosnan and Lazenby
Poor George always ends up in last place, but once again, that's not an indication he was a poor Bond, just didn't make enough films to give a proper evaluation
Yes, Timothy Dalton's my personal favourite as well, though I like them all as they all gave something special to the role of the world's most famous fictional secret agent.
I'm not so sure that Connery is the best in my own opinion but I wouldn't be angered by it. Craig is my number 1 just feel his Bond has more emotional punch to him.
Only die hard forum Bond fan's think Dalton is the best, he lacks the charisma of Craig and Connery and the wit. Fleming books are different thing altogether. This is Bond on the Big screen not Bond of the novels. Connery and Craig for me have got Bond nailed in the way it should be played.
I think Connery is the best Bond but Craig gives the better performances, if that makes any sense. Still think Craig performances in CR, QOS and SF are the best given by any Bond actor. It's a little harsh, Craig only falls in love with one woman, Vesper. Their were Bond fan's on here complaining about how cold hearted Craig's Bond was in Skyfall after the death of Severine. So I think Blackman is misinformed.
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Based on the above quote she is not only, not surprisingly, firmly declaring Sean as the best Bond, but also taking a shot at the manner in which Craig's Bond is portrayed on screen, never mind the actor.
She doesn't seem to mind Craig as Bond per se, "Daniel is a terrific actor," but rather she laments "... I don’t think anyone will be anything like Sean, they’re not allowed to be now."
She doesn't like Bond wearing emotions all over his sleeves and especially falling for his girls, or not being interested in bedding them (Camille) or running off before consumating (Solange).
Connery's Bond remained emotionally detached (but for fleeting glimpses) from his women and always had time to finish what he started (Sylvia Trench) before running off on mission. That's the Bond Blackman would like to see back.
She blames the filmmakers not so much Craig.
Although I think what she's missing or possibly she's just being polite, is that Craig, I think, is acutally very much down with the filmmakers. He doesn't want to do Connery's Bond. That will have to wait for a new actor-director combo.
She has been championing Connery for decades, and never tires of doing so. It's unnecessary of course because Connery's reputation is (rightly) secure.
Whether he is Fleming's Bond or not is hardly an important factor. The films and the books are separate things - no one (apart from die hard fans) cares less whether an actor captures Fleming's Bond. 99% don't even know who Fleming is. It simply isn't important. What is important is if the actor commands the screen and connects with the audience. I keep reading on here how Dalton is Fleming's Bond, and therefore the 'greatest' Bond. And I think so what? If he doesn't sell tickets at the B.O. then he's not the greatest Bond at all, he's the worst.
Of course I'm not saying he's the worst...that's personal opinion ;-)
"For anyone the best Bond is the one you first saw."
Actors are always loyal to the Bond actor they starred with.
Maybe Des should have said the first actor to get them into Bond - that's usually the first person they see.
Once again we think the same old pal...spot on on both points.
It's funny, it seems I'm the only person who this rule doesn't apply to. My first Bond was Brosnan (TWINE), I also saw Connery (TB) and Moore (FYEO) before I saw Dalton (TLD).