SirHenryLeeChaChing's For Original Fans - Favorite Moments In NTTD (spoilers)

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  • The trade paperback is on the way...
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    @BeatlesSansEarmuffs - Excellent read.
  • Thanks -- do you know an artist who could do the graphic novel adaptation?
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    May I offer a discussion topic? As all the rumours are going on about Craig remaining/quitting as Bond and the ongoing discussion about who could step in his shoes, I'd like to propose to discuss what makes a Bond-actor Bond worthy.

    We all know Sean 'made 'the role, and Lazenby was cast as a 'similar'Bond. But the n Roger Moore came by giving a completely different take. Dalton was the 'intelligent' one, Brosnan the 'looker'. And, finally, Craig is perhaps more the fighting Bond.

    So what I propose is not find an actor who could step in, but see if The Originals, with their knowledge and experience (having seen all the Bonds in the cinema) can agree on what traits we want to see portrayed by the next ( or current) actor.

    I.e. he needs to have an animal magnitism,
    should (not) be ( too) handsome
    Move easily amongst the highest classes
    prefer smaller family run hotels over the big 5 star ones (yes, we could delve into such details).
    etc. etc.

    Just an idea.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    That is a really great topic, @CommanderRoss. Let's make it so. ;) (oh wrong franchise ...)
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited May 2016 Posts: 12,480
    So let's delve into this, which certainly is timely:

    What Makes An Actor Bond-Worthy? :>

    Have at it folks, and I will chime in much later today (biking to work soon...)
    Bullet point lists are fine - essays are welcome!
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    This:

    tumblr_nzztsxmhwb1rrhhnko1_500.gif?w=620&h=310&crop=1
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    OK nice enough. A little more input perhaps? With words? Thanks. ;)
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    So let's delve into this, which certainly is timely:

    What Makes An Actor Bond-Worthy? :>

    Have at it folks, and I will chime in much later today (biking to work soon...)
    Bullet point lists are fine - essays are welcome!

    ? motorcycle…or pushbike?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I totally love Aidan Turner, he is still highly underated. His Mitchell is one of my favourite TV characters ever. Since a year or so I see him as Bond.
    He has all I want in a Bond actor:
    Charme
    Suaveness
    Dangerously good looking
    An underlying darkness
    Wit
    Sex on legs
    Charismatic
    Close enough to Fleming's vision
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    I totally love Aidan Turner, he is still highly underated. His Mitchell is one of my favourite TV characters ever. Since a year or so I see him as Bond.
    He has all I want in a Bond actor:
    Charme
    Suaveness
    Dangerously good looking
    An underlying darkness
    Wit
    Sex on legs
    Charismatic
    Close enough to Fleming's vision

    Well the idea was to leave examples out of th equation, there's enough discussion on those topics as it is.

    i.e. what do you mean by 'dangerlously good looking'. Fleming himself describes Bond as 'good looking, in a cruel kind of way'. Which to my mind is something completely different. Bond actually shouldn't be THAT good looking. He should look like he's in control. I think that's where his attractiveness should come from, not definately good looks. And again, what are good looks? Except for a cimetric face (that's science). For me Connery isn't as good looking as Brosnan, but he's certainly more animalistic, and (again, to my mind) has far more presense. He doesn't seem too worried in rather tight situations. This oozes coolness, which makes him more attractive in that Flemingesque way, I think.

    I wonder if people here agree on these points.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    That list sounds a hell of a lot like Me ! :D
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    You are amusing, @Birdleson, even when you lie thru your teeth and speak an untruth.
    But onwards (no real politics on this thread, folks, please & thank you!)

  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    So we are going to try this without mentioning a current actor we want in the role. There is TONS of that, arguments and discussion and it is all quite a circle, repeating itself on many threads. But please do list qualities you feel an actor should have to be Bond-worthy. B-) Thanks!
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited May 2016 Posts: 12,480
    Short list from me for just now ~

    What makes an actor Bond-worthy?

    1) Depth, some gravitas, something solid about his personality. Even, Moore, who was as smooth as any gentleman who ever lived and who could carry a film with light humor and witty interplay with the best of them, had something far more than good looks or the way with a quip. He was able in some scenes to really show the seriousness, the commitment, the guts that are such important components that comprise Bond.

    Basics 101: 2) He can act.
    Really I want a good actor, with some variety in his range. Does not have to be Oscar worthy level, but I want a fine actor. I think we've had that with all but Laz (who admittedly was never an actor before, just a model).

    He can be 3) menacing without a lot of "showiness". Exude the threat, menace, or just the strength of his own power when he needs to, with minimum of demonstration. In a look, a pause, the way he approaches someone, his body language; all of that.
    For me, part of Bond's allure is that he has the inner conviction, commitment, and power - and I do want the actor to have that. I want Bond to be a strong, believable threat when that is called for (even in just a discussion, for example; I am not talking about fight scenes). I think there are good actors who cannot project that.

    4) Attractive to women and be able to show Bond as keenly aware of that, confident in that regard, but not cocky. You could say an animal magnetism, but I prefer natural sexual charisma. But again, the actor needs to show that Bond handles this with quiet confidence and panache. Which leads to:

    Believably portray Bond as 5) self assured. Very. In damn near everything. Without going overboard. The strength of appeal I get from Connery is that he had this in spades.

    6) Humor - He enjoys a sardonic wit, some light humor, and can repartee confidently. This can be subtle or strong in an actor, but it something I like to see in Bond. And a little goes a long way, but I'd like the actor to feel comfortable with this, even if kept to a minimum in the film.

    7) Fit. Just in shape, enough for some real physicality in the role. I don't expect future Bonds to match Craig in this quality, but I do want a believably fit Bond .... and that does not mean tons of obvious muscle, either.

    and finally (is this a short enough list or what?) ~

    8) Genuine love for the character and for Bond films. Not just for the glory. I want someone who cares and respects these films and who would LOVE the role for all the right reasons (even if daunted at first). B-)

    Okay then, who's next?
    Not naming actors we'd like. But rather, what qualities do you feel an actor needs to be the Bond you really want to see ... waiting in a darkened theater, sitting low in your seat, and you just can't wait for the opening shot and hear the first notes of the musical score, to see where this ride will take us - this glorious story that has been setting our hearts racing for so many years - ahhhh, where will you take us now, Mr. James Bond ... ?
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    And which are the most important qualities for you? Aside from acting ability, which I suppose is mostly a given.

  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Thread title changed as per request...

    SirHenryLeeChaChing's For Original Fans - What Makes An Actor Bond-Worthy?
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    Thanks, @Benny! You are a gent. :)

    OK, I'd love to hear from others, especially Originals but also everybody, on what qualities an actor needs to be the Bond you want to see.

    You do NOT have to elaborate as much as I did. Just don't name candidates, please list attributes. Thanks! :)>-
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    For me, I'd love to see some of the more brooding side of Bond, the part where he questions his job. Where he decides not to kill Scaramanga, even though he's sitting behind him in the car driving up to that hotel. So an actor should becapable of showing underlying emotions without too much physical work (one of the reasons I love Craig as Bond).
    He should be tall and darkish, and of rather strong stature. No 'The Rock', but more really fit without beeing bulky.
    If he can act and has penache, I do think his looks aren't that important as in beeing (really) handsome. I'd prefer it if he isn't a posterboy. His confidence should be enough to make him attractive to women.
    He should also move like a panther. I think his motorics are important. It would be cool if Bond would do some more spying or snooping, and his way of moving would be very important there.
    And he certainly shouldn't be posh. Yes, he should be able to adjust to higher classes, but he should be somewhere inbetween. I think, in this regard, Craig may be a bit too much of the beer drinker, but he's fairly close to what I mean.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Would love to see someone who resembles Fleming s Bond.

    Yes, some of the actors have had some of the attributes more than others, but nobody has seemed like he stepped out of the pages of his books yet.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Would love to see someone who resembles Fleming s Bond.

    Yes, some of the actors have had some of the attributes more than others, but nobody has seemed like he stepped out of the pages of his books yet.

    But of course. Dalton!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Dalton was fantastic, but I cannot picture him while reading the books.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Dalton was fantastic, but I cannot picture him while reading the books.

    I always picture him when reading the books.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I too am a Dalton fan but when reading the Books, given Fleming's description
    I picture a Richard E Grant type.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited May 2016 Posts: 45,489
    I always picture Connery, Lazenby or Horak s Bond.

    Craig during one scene in CR. When he stumbles out into the parking lot after being poisoned.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I said always. I meant sometimes.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I love Dalton but I don't picture him when reading the novels either. I read the novels as a teen, during Connery's last and intro of Moore. I have my own picture of Bond in my head, not any particular actor (though my imaginary Bond is better looking than Richard Grant). That is helpful, though, because I am open to different interpretations, different actors.

    I prefer him tallish, but fine with Craig's height. No shorter, though.
    I think CommanderRoss pointed out the "middle ground" well - not posh, not your best mate witting with you at a pub either.

    Smooth is a word that comes to mind.

    Hair color - that I've been able to be open about.

    I don't want a pretty boy unless that pretty boy has the inner strength and can exude several important aspects (see my long post above). I don't mind someone really good looking (Brosnan was, for me) as long as they have that "extra something" that is really at least 2 things: charisma (born with it or not; and it must come across on film) AND gravitas.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Funny thing, while reading the books I never have a clear view of what Bond looks like, other then Ian's description. That lock of hair (which is black. My dad has truly, well, had, black hair. I've always been jelous of that), a scar on his face, but no distinct outlines of what he actually looks like. Even though I love Timothy's incarnation, he seems a bit too high-class to me. Bond should actually not be someone who'd stand out in the crowd because of his looks.
  • edited May 2016 Posts: 3,566
    To my mind, the ideal actor to portray Bond needs to be a perfect intersection of several qualities: equal parts lover and fighter, as much a dapper sophisticate as he is an average guy who can blend in with the crowd. Sure, every man should want to be him and every woman should want to be WITH him -- but your standard super-villain needs to also think he can be either be beaten or turned, whichever suits his dastardly plans most appropriately. With this in mind, I'd say that the perfect Bond needs to be something of a blank slate, one that the audience and the other actors around him can project their own fantasies and expectations onto. Perhaps Lazenby wasn't so poorly cast after all!
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    Interesting point about being a "blank slate" so the audience can fill things in, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs. However, I think lazenby shows all the flaws of hiring someone who was not an actor and who, for me (I know many here like him okay) brought no charisma, natural charm, or weight to the role. I want someone accomplished or with greater natural gifts. Not slamming Lazenby; he was not an actor. He did not become a good actor, from what I can tell (reading; have not seen his other films), and I feel he was definitely miscast as Bond. Many don't mind him, or enjoy him, and love the film. I love much about OHMSS but Lazenby does bring the film way, way down for me. Onwards ...

    I think Bond should never be an impervious "superhero" by the way. You are right, the villain needs to think he can win regarding Bond. Bond should be able to walk between many worlds and fit in. A bit of a chameleon while still retaining (for the audience) his own essence.

    @CommanderRoss, in general I would prefer a touch of Fleming in whoever portrays Bond (but that can be shown in many ways).
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