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Honor Blackman ranks Connery as best Bond

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  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited February 2014 Posts: 11,189
    I vaguely remember seeing snippets of GF sometime in the early 90s, but wasnt a real fan until later on when GE came out. That's why I count Broz as my "first" Bond rather than Connery. Pierce was the first Bond I saw PROPERLY.
  • SoundofthesinnersSoundofthesinners
    Posts: 3,236
    I'm split between Brosnan and Craig. I first became a fan shortly after DAD, when everyone presumed Brosnan would be returning, but my first film in the theater was CR, and my passion for Bond was reignited in early 2012, before Skyfall came out. Connery is objectively the best, but it's easiest for me to picture Brosnan in the role. It's complicated, let's just say.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited February 2014 Posts: 11,189
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Not for me and quite a few others, I bet.

    Actors are always loyal to the Bond actor they starred with.

    Often but not always. I do remember Judi Dench saying some time in the late 90s that she thought the best Bond was Sean (and she's been nothing but complimentary about working with Pierce).
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Sean is the best Bond. He always looked like he was just being himself and that in itself for a Bond actor is incredibly difficult to achieve.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634

    doubleoego wrote:
    Sean is the best Bond. He always looked like he was just being himself and that in itself for a Bond actor is incredibly difficult to achieve.

    I feel inclined to agree if only based only on Connery's first two adventures alone. Unfortunately all subsequent appearances were never able to capture the greatness of Dr No and From Russia with Love and by 1967 he had become a pale imitation of his former self. I always pick Dalton as he only did the two releases, but both times it worked, in that he was able to give such powerhouses of a performance, and there were no other adventures he was involved in that could be viewed as failures, which unfortunately Connery managed. Craig as it stands, has done three fine performances and never really disappointed despite some initial skepticism, and maybe over time he can belong on a similar plateau with the two aforementioned names, but as is stands, only Connery and Dalton are truly deserving of Bond greatness
  • timmertimmer
    edited July 2014 Posts: 4,622
    The first five Bonds I saw were all Connery films, DAF, TB, YOLT, FRWL and GF in that order and then I saw OHMSS, which I enjoyed as much as the Connery films.
    It wasn't until LALD and TMWTGG were released that I realized how great Sean was. I only realized how good he was, when compared with Rog.
    Prior to Rog's arrival on the scene I had taken Connery and his very adequate stand-in, Lazenby for granted. ie this is how Bond is played, by this kind of actor, playing it this way. What blew me away initially was the exciting escapist spyfy world of DAF, TB, and YOLT etc, not so much Connery.
    But once Rog had settled in, Connery's brilliance was suddenly magnified 100x.
    My first impression of Rog (actually 2nd impressions, as he seemed possibly up to the task with LALD) with TMWTGG was that this is all wrong. Rog can't play Bond, the way Bond is supposed to be played, the way the other two guys did so effortlessly. Rog is better suited to the Saint or Brett Sinclair.
    For me with each new Rog film, the Connery legacy was further entrenched. Dalton was just a minor correction back to a tougher approach, but he was too intense IMO. He lacked the Connery swagger and charm. And then Broz was really just meh imitation Connery.
    None of the other actors post Rog IMO, have brought the same Connery swagger and menace. Who knew it would be so difficult to recreate.
    The Connery legacy just grows with each new actor trying to do things differently.
    I know I would have been a huge Bond fan if introduced to the series by any of Rog, Dalts or Broz, but I do think, once exposed to the Connery classics, I would have been suitably in awe, even if Connery hadn't served as introduction to the 007 world.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I'm pretty sure I first saw Rog as Bond, but Connery was self evidently superior and has remained superior to everyone since.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited July 2014 Posts: 11,189
    I love Connery in the early films, but in the later ones he did he's pretty average IMO. I watched The Untouchables again for the first time in ages last night and I'd take that performance over some of his later Bond performances hands down.

    Look at how different he looks here in his earlier and later movies. Someone ate too much Haggis by DAF:

  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    At his best unbeatable. At his worst, still pretty damn good.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited July 2014 Posts: 11,189
    At his best he's brilliant but at his worst he's an ageing fat bloater who seems to be playing Sean Connery rather than James Bond. On my last viewing of DAF he REALLY didn't convince me - despite having a few good lines. Shame.
  • SzonanaSzonana Mexico
    Posts: 1,130
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    This doesn't surprise me. Of course she would be partial to Connery. He was the actor who played with her. And Old Desmond's idea remains true:
    "For anyone the best Bond is the one you first saw."

    Ahh, desmond said so ?
    I've always agreed with that our Favorite bond is the one we saw first (Plus Sean Connery i most add).
    Funny how we all repeat this but very few know about who said it first

    On Honor Blackman.
    I agree on what she said about Connery's suave attitude but she is quite baised as well since he is the Bond actor she worked with.
    Anyway only the 60s bond girls are so open on this subject. Ask Famke and she would come with a much more polite answer like i loved them all equally i cant chosse hehe.
    Especially her, she seems to be a very nice person that she would feel guility saying who is her favorite.

    Ask Judi Dench and she would be in big trouble lol
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I think the fact Famke doesn't say Brosnan is a bit of a slap in the face of Brosnan, surely?
  • SzonanaSzonana Mexico
    Posts: 1,130
    Well ive never herad her anwering that question but i guess non of the Modern bond girls would say who is their favorite.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I've heard Dench talk about how fond she is of both Pierce and Daniel. She is very generous about both, as you'd expect. I would actually expect the Bond girls to say 'their' Bond was best. Why not? Unless they hated each other, like Rigg and Laz.
  • SzonanaSzonana Mexico
    Posts: 1,130
    Well i can understand why they wouldn't want to say it but its so nice that Judi gave her comments on Both actors she worked with
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    edited October 2015 Posts: 1,984
    Huh. Recently Honor Blackman claimed Craig was the best actor, and she said that "Connery would admit it" or something because Craig was just "capable of so much more". Forgive my paraphrasing but that's basically what she said.

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/daniel-craig-better-007-sean-5469498
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    The Mirror like the Daily Mail make up stuff they would like to hear. If you have no other source?
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Agreed, I wouldn't believe anything I read in the press.
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    If you Google it, you get five or six results. Some of them are Reddit and stuff which just spread the word around, though.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    ForYourEyesOnly wrote: »
    If you Google it, you get five or six results. Some of them are Reddit and stuff which just spread the word around, though.

    And what is their primary source?

  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    StirredNotShaken wrote: »
    She's completely wrong about Bond from the books. Has she even read the novels?

    Ha ha true. Bond falls in love twice in the novels and is suicidal over Tracy in YOLT!!!!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    He falls in love more than twice.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Szonana wrote: »
    OHMSS69 wrote: »

    Ask Judi Dench and she would be in big trouble lol

    I remember a documentary from the 90s in which Dench said, in a very brief clip, that her favourite Bond was Connery. Even Brosnan said his favourite Bond was Connery. Makes me wonder who Connery's favourite Bond is.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :)) probably Connery ;)
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    Connery's favorite Bond is probably Craig.
  • Jones_The_BondJones_The_Bond
    Posts: 344
    She is right, of course, but I think the vast majority of Moore's female co-stars would have chosen him as the best (certainly Caroline Munro, Maud Adams and Lois Chiles have) and the same with Daltons and Brosnans.

    As for the favourite Bonds of Bonds (so to speak) that is trickier. Most plump for Sir Sean don't they?

    Although Rog seems to like just about everybody. He had that chance meeting with Dalton in a restaurant a few months ago, and now seems to have watched The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill, because if a newspaper article recently is to be believed (and it's a big if), he now thinks that Dalton was the best Bond.
  • AceHoleAceHole Belgium, via Britain
    Posts: 1,729
    Not sure why this is newsworthy. She was a superb Bondgirl but clearly has no real affinity with or understanding of the character.
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    edited October 2015 Posts: 1,984
    Jones_The_Bond wrote: »

    Although Rog seems to like just about everybody. He had that chance meeting with Dalton in a restaurant a few months ago, and now seems to have watched The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill, because if a newspaper article recently is to be believed (and it's a big if), he now thinks that Dalton was the best Bond.

    Hmm... do you have any scans or pictures of it? And I would've thought that Sir Roger Moore had already seen The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill.

    "The Living Daylights" isn't really a term used in Australia all that often, so to an Australian like me it probably sounds more like a film about UFO-sightings, lol.
  • Jones_The_BondJones_The_Bond
    Posts: 344
    The article appeared in The Daily Mail. Amidst a casserole of nonsense taking Moore's comments about the future casting of Bond entirely out of context came the little Dalton nugget.

    dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3288147/Bond-row-looms-Roger-Moore-says-007-t-gay-woman-Star-88-says-political-correctness-not-considered.html
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    He seems to be saying Dalton is the best actor overall but had woeful films. I believe he mentioned Craig as the best Bond before (he formerly thought that Connery was the best Bond until Skyfall). That's my take on it, anyway, but it could just be that Sir Roger Moore's opinion changes dramatically.

    He's also really humble, and a truly kind man.
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