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Everytime we do one of those 'rank the Bonds' threads, Lazenby's always on the bottom- not because he's bad, but because he never had the chance to grow into the role the way the others did.
Prime example- if Roger Moore ONLY did Live and Let Die, he'd have been at the bottom instead of Lazenby. Because Roger stuck around and made the Bond role HIS
Similar with Brosnan. Although the movies themselves got progressively worse, his comfort and confidence with the role got much better with every film. If Brosnan did GoldenEye with his Die Another Day level of experience, it would have been terrific!
So like I've said before, one of the biggest tragedy's of the Bond series is Lazenby not sticking around. He planted the seed but he didn't grow
Might I add also that, whilst OHMSS is generally well regarded nowadays, Lazenby's presence is still somewhat controversial. Some people say he's as wodden as a plank in an otherwise great film. Others say he "nailed it". Me, Im somewhere in the middle, he's not as memorable as the others (IMO) but he does give a decent effort nonetheless.
So, better than Connery? Doubtful, but he could certainly have been good had he stayed around.
with that being said, for not being a trained actor, and basically just making the jump from being a male model, he did an admirable job - and i would've liked to see him do a couple more...
but i don't think he could've surpassed Connery.... we are 5 actors removed from Connery, and he still hasn't been surpassed as THE quintessential Bond..
Lazenby lacked that real natural charisma that Connery had..... Connery's swagger and attitude was enough to carry a sub par Bond film, and make it enjoyable to a degree - like Diamonds Are Forever... i'm not sure that Lazenby had enough to carry through a film like that.... granted, had he done Diamonds Are Forever, it probably would've been different... but, i couldn't picture Lazenby in what DAF turned out to be - and still pull off the same wit and charm that Connery did...
again..... it's hard to judge based off of one performance what he could've been - we'll never know....
To say today George Lazenby is the worst Bond today.
Best & worst Bonds
he was better than Connery!
OHMSS - everything came together just right for GL. Music, script, co-stars - it was just right.
And there lies the problem - there wasn't a script that I think would have suited GL until TD and PB's outings.
I could also see him in CR - the deliberate similarities with OHMSS was EON and DC's masterstroke.
Connery would have absolutely knocked OHMSS into a stratosphere rarely reached in movie history. It would have been the ultimate Bond film as well. I've seen nearly everything Sir Sean ever did, and his performance in the final scene would have amazing. He was and always will be one of the legends of cinema. So, to answer the question, I now refer to the gospel of Scashy...Codswallop :-))
Now, Lazenby, had he signed his contract would have been given a light hearted vehicle next to get the wheels back on and make Bond popular again.
Had he been more professional he would have been a great Bond, but his attitude and prickly manner (still noticeable today) would have got him sacked within three films anyway.
As great as Connery? Probably not, but a great Bond non-the-less
Connery is my favourite Bond but that has more to do with presence and charisma than raw dramatic talent. It was really interesting to me to listen to the commentary track for TB. It was pointed out that Bond was really moved by telling Domino about her brother's death and the hurt he caused her. It pointed out that his hand shook after he gave her the watch and dog tags, and that he then put on his sunglasses so she couldn't see the hurt and regret in his eyes. But I never would have known that if they didn't point it out! So Connery did have some opportunities to show his range but it wasn't as broad as it perhaps could have been.
Not in a million years would ol`George come close to the sparks coming off Seans heels. In actual fact, we don`t really have much to judge Lazenby on, one film, and half of that was dubbed. But I think this in itself is telling enough, he couldn`t cut it, and I doubt he would ever have. He never really made it as an actor, the film offers never came for him. Bond was a golden oppertunity that could of led onto a serious career in film for someone with talent.....he was lucky to have had a shot in the first place.
I understand why some fans route for the underdog, and the big attraction for OHMSS was the ending, amongst fans, due to it being unlike any other Bond ending. But if you ask me, the film demonstrated that it takes a little more than looks to be taken seriously. Added to that, he comes across as a bit of an ass during his short lived moment as Bond....and don`t tell me that was due to bad advice from his agent.
One scene that always comes to my mind is the laid-back nonchalance Connery shows when he and Tiffany have a talk in the Las Vegas hotel bed. That was something he never showed before in a Bond film, and it fits very much to what Lazenby did sometimes in OHMSS. So I guess Connery could have done more with the character if there would have been a respective concept.
But in the end I agree that Connery´s main thing was his presence. The best example is maybe his Oscar for The Untouchables, which he got despite the fact that he spoke with a strong Scottish accent even though his character was an Irishman.
@Shoreline: It comes down to the man´s character. As I said above, he did what he did in OHMSS without any experience as an actor. So you can´t really say he hadn´t got any talent. If he would have taken his job seriously and worked on himself and his skills he could have become something much bigger no doubt. It has nothing to do with the idea of routing for the underdog, though.
@Agent7F 005 didn't write contradicting things. An actor can be a better actor in general but less equipped to play a certain part. Take Mila Jovovich and Rachel Weisz for example. Clearly Rachel's the better actress but Mila's the better Alice in Resident Evil. At least I don't think Rachel could be such a good Alice. Same way, I'm convinced that Dalton is a better actor than Brosnan but many people rank him lower as Bond. (not me though)