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Happy Birthday! How cool is that! You have nice students!
Thanks for sharing those pictures :)
Kind regards, Jason
PHYSICALITY: Craig is perhaps the most physical of all the James Bonds. His fight scenes are positively vicious in a manner that Moore, for example, could never have matched. Even the most recent Bond before him, Pierce Brosnan, occasionally seemed to be dancing between the blows landed or blocked. Ian Fleming described Bond as a “blunt instrument” more than once, but even with the solid Scotsman Connery in the part, Bond always seemed more of a rapier than a cudgel. Not so with Craig: from the moment he simply plowed through a sheet-rocked wall, pursuing a faster, more agile suspect, Craig has shown himself a master of the “bull in a china shop” aspect of Bond. And let’s not ignore the amount of running that Craig’s Bond has undertaken: in Casino Royale he takes off running in pursuit of moving vehicles not once, but twice. His run through the streets of London, in counterpoint to M’s voice-over reciting Tennyson, is likely to be pointed out decades from now as a defining moment for Craig’s tenure as Bond.
HIS TACITURN NATURE: Even in his most emotionally charged moments, Craig’s Bond shows little sign of sorrow, or anger, or even humor. Humor from his Bond tends to come in the audience’s reaction to Craig’s deadpan delivery. The second killing (to confirm 00 status) is easier than the first? Yes… “Considerably.” His childhood home, Skyfall, is being destroyed by Silva’s men? “I always hated this place.” Even when he should be angry, or sorrowful, Bond clearly has his emotions locked away. They’re obviously THERE…but he’s just not going to access them right now. “The Bitch is dead.” “I never left.” “What a waste…of good scotch.” Even when he confronts M with “Take…the bloody…shot,” Craig’s Bond is using the words as an emotional weapon, not as a means of expressing any feeling of betrayal, as justified as that feeling might be.
CRAIG’S OWN FEARLESSNESS IN THE ROLE: As a young Bond fan, I always wanted to see a serious adaptation of Casino Royale…but even then, I suspected the film-makers might not be able to give us a faithful take on Bond’s torture at the hands of LeChiffre. Could you imagine Roger Moore being asked to play that scene? I think not! But when that scene is offered to Craig, he plays it with a gusto beyond even Fleming's description of the incident. When Quantum of Solace is caught without a workable script in the middle of production thanks to a scriptwriters’ strike, Craig and the film’s director collaborate on (uncredited) aspects of the screenplay. Even Craig’s input on choosing a director for Skyfall is unprecedented for any actor in this series. I think Craig may be the actor with the most behind-the-scenes clout of any to portray 007. Perhaps if Cubby & Harry had shown Sean some of the respect that Barbara and MGW are giving to Dan, we might have seen more "official" Bond movies from Connery than is the case.
HIS HISTORY WITH WOMEN: If there is one aspect of Craig’s tenure as Bond so far that seems less than satisfactory to me, it is his overall luck with the ladies. Not that they find him unattractive, quite the contrary. It’s just that so many of them seem to die on him. Not once in his three films so far as Bond, has Craig ended the film in the arms of a living, willing, leading lady. I sincerely hope that SPECTRE will see and end to this depressing status quo.
AND JUST FOR THE RECORD: I don’t care WHERE in the movie the gun barrel sequence occurs...as long as there IS one. I guess I’m just something of a heretic. Go ahead, eject me…
And just a reminder to one & all -- tomorrow, 11/2 we'll commence our Tribute to Greg Ferrell aka SirHenryLeeChaChing. That will run through 11/4, Greg's actual birthday, and on 11/5 we will hold a one-day examination of Greg's favorite Bond film, Goldfinger! All are welcome to participate -- so get out your tuxedos & polish up your Walthers! Don't keep SirHenry waiting...
I'm asking the mods to change the title in a few hours (which will be just after midnight, London time). So almost time! We will have a few days to celebrate SirHenry; not a look by category as I did last year. Just in any order, any way we want to talk about him, remember things SirHenry said - his humor, his Bond opinions, etc.
To all people who have enjoyed this thread (whether you have posted often or not), and especially those who were here when SirHenry was still with us - we'd love to hear your comments, brief or at length, as we remember the truly unique SirHenry/Greg Ferrell ... beginning in a few more hours, as it turns into November 2nd. Thanks! :-bd
Birthday Salute to SirHenryLeeChaChing/Greg Ferrell!
This thread is named SirHenryLeeChaChing’s For Original Fans in honor of the man who started it approximately 4 1/2 years ago: Greg Ferrell. That was Greg’s username, but we often just called him SirHenry for short. Sadly, Greg passed away in January 2014. On this thread, we are proud to salute him on his birthday every year (Nov. 4th), focusing on the joy & great gifts he gave us.
So let's celebrate SirHenry/Greg Ferrell for the next few days! :) Please chime in with any comment, brief or at length.
For those of us who knew him, Greg left a permanent mark in our hearts and minds ... and for sure will remain a true legend in this forum's history. This thread will always be named after him. I was lucky enough to count him as a friend, even though we had not met yet in person.
New members may have no knowledge of SirHenry, of course. But just scroll back to the beginning of this fine thread (it is worth your time, believe me) and read here and there, at your leisure - you will find genuine Bond treasures, a strong camaraderie among friends here, and you will get a feeling for the wonderfully unique, spirited, warmhearted, intelligent, family man, music lover, and witty Mr. Greg Ferrell, our SirHenryLeeChaChing.
So here's to you, Greg/SirHenry! You are missed, and always will be. I'm sure you are rockin' in heaven (however that turns out to truly be), with your loved ones there ... and I hope you can somehow sense the great affection and love coming your way from us here. Because we truly mean it. You're the best, Greg. Thanks for everything. Cheers!
Happy birthday, Greg. Long may you be remembered.
@4EverBonded check your inbox. As its SirHenry Day I've finally delivered a little treat for you from the great man himself.
Your Hannes Oberhauser then?! :)
Greg,
Two years ago, you passed away
Tears were cried on that very sad day
A dear friend, now forever gone
Leaving behind a daughter and son
Whom you always loved and protected
Whose well-being you never neglected
This forum mourned when losing you
The pain was felt by those who knew
The kind member that you had been
The wonderful man that we had seen
I still think about the talks we had
And the good advice you'd always add
Wherever you are, I hope you're all right
On a cloud, near a star, shining bright
My brother, you're sorely missed
You won't be forgotten, I will insist
Cherished like blossoms in Spring
Take care, Sir Henry Lee Cha Ching
Your friend, Dimitri
Indeed, though he was a "father figure" in the OP short story. That phrase must have come from my subconscious! :))
Cheers SirHenry aka Greg.
In personal communiqués, Greg and I “Bonded” over our love of music and a shared sense of tragedy, both of us having lost spouses far too early. It was a great blow to all of us for Greg to pass from our midst so soon, but it pointed out to me how deeply our shared sense of community truly runs -- to have a man that most of us knew only as a screen name remembered so fondly by so many, years after his passing. Here’s to you, Greg Ferrell aka SirHenryLeeChaChing! We honor your love of family and friends, of food and music, and of course, your appreciation for all things Bond. Each of us has All The Time In The World to leave our mark upon that world…and every time we post on your forum thread, we honor the mark that you left over and over again.
I know for sure, when my ignorance of the Bond music threatens to take hold I can go back over Sir H's brilliant criticisms.
Also, Sir H was the only person who ever dissected my own style of criticism and pointed out my underlying use of irony. Didn't even realise it myself, until he told me.
He once took great delight in my use of the adjective 'odious' to describe Gregory Beam in QOS. He made such a big thing about it that I was genuinely touched and felt quite important.
He knew how to make you feel good about yourself. Top chap, miss him.
Exactly. Well put, @Nic!
Mark, how have you been lately mate? I miss seeing you posting. You have to read Beatles' Moonraker review, it is the most hilarious review since Kerim. I could not stop laughing, who'd have ever thought of comparing MR to an acid trip? Come to think of it, the film might make more sense that way?
While these revisits are happening, I've been giving thesis questions to help pass the time and engender thought. I would love to see what you think, and I hope you will come back to join in.
Take care,
Greg
Well, I miss seeing Greg's posts. And I'd have been very interested in what he thought of SPECTRE, especially the music score (a lot of which seems to have been lifted from Skyfall).
And, just as a footnote, it was this discussion that got me eating Flammkuchen as well, thanks @Sandy ;-)
I was hoping some of you would share some tidbits from personal messages, or some of his favorite quotes, and you are. Truly each of you who have stopped by during this tribute have made very apt, spot on comments about SirHenry. Thank you - all of you - for joining us during this time, for just speaking from your heart.
I'm going to post just a few (not many) of my favorite quotes by SirHenry; sometime today. How fortunate we are that he started this very original Originals thread! :) Reading past posts highly recommended, for new and old members. I do go back and look for his opinion on music, @NicNac; that's very helpful.
For now I want to simply say that Greg Ferrell/SirHenry still remains someone I cherish and always will. He was such a generous, big hearted, spirited person. Generous is a good word for him - he gave much to us, publicly and privately. Greg gave his time, he really cared about his friends. He often went out of his way to lend support or cheer someone up (including me). He shared his musical knowledge and opinions like a great chef would share his favorite recipes - not to lecture, but to really share, to embrace, and to bring you along for the ride ... whatever that ride may be: James Bond, music, good food, wrestling, or being a loving family man.
I miss you, my generous and always giving friend, Greg. I miss your wit and your warmth. I count myself lucky to have known you at all. My life is better because you were in it.
Cheers, SirHenry! Salut, dear Greg! You are one of a kind, and we are thinking of you.
Until I join you on the greatest adventure,
I'll be missing you still, my friend.
And @Creasy47, I well remember the trolls - oh tackling the trolls was never so much fun as when SirHenry spearheaded that! ;)
Really beautiful and so appropriate. He did have good advice, on so many subjects.
We did not agree 100% on everything (Brosnan! Short hair on women! OHMSS!) but it was all good.