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Originally posted by Richard--W
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Streaker? No, it's David Niven,Sir James Bond 007. -
If I wanted people to notice David Niven as Sir James Bond in the goof version of Casino Royale (1967) I'd have chosen a different image. But, no worries, Roderick.
I agree Brosnan doesn't connect with James Bond. I saw an interview on TV years ago in which he said "I never felt I'd nailed it" (perhaps this is why he tried to persuade the producers to let him do a starkly serious Casino Royale; instead, they took the idea and went with a different actor). Sometimes he comes close, but the writing and direction always get in the way. It's not his fault. He comes a lot closer than Daniel Craig, however.
I see your point, and I agree with you about THE OFFENCE (1973). Connery had other chances to show his range and rose to each occasion, but no one pays much attention to those films. I wish Connery had stepped away from doing big action movies and went for more serious dramas more often. I draw your attention to the grim prison film THE HILL (1965), the comedy-drama A FINE MADNESS (1966) and especially Fred Zinnemann's FIVE DAYS ONE SUMMER (1982). His inner energy changes to meet each character in these films. He was not afraid to be vulnerable in PLAYING BY HEART (1998) and FINDING FORRESTER (2000). But I think Connery gives the very best performance of his career in FIVE DAYS ONE SUMMER. His performance is subtle and deeply felt.Originally posted by Horace Cordier View Post"I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
- Raymond Chandler, 1939.Comment
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DALTON was the best Bond...In fact I think he paved the way for Craig and his "tougher" bond image....
Dalton had already turned down the role TWICE...
He wasn't in the best Bond MOVIE...but he definitely nailed the character more than other actors attempted....and he improved the films by his prescence...
Moore was fun...bu the was miles away from James Bond....closer to a straight parody if you ask me!!!Comment
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I think Moore's best role was on THE PERSUADERS. And I quite enjoy him in THE SAINT as well (I've just bought the entire series).Comment
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Let us know your impression of the early monochrome episodes -- which are not often played or discussed.
As I recall the monochrome episodes were edgier and not as frivolous as the later color episodes. The color episodes began after a year-long shut-down of the program."I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
- Raymond Chandler, 1939.Comment
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Personally, I thought Clive Owen would make an amazing Bond, but rumor has it he turned it down before Craig accepted the role. That's something I would have liked to see.Comment
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Sure. So far I've only watched two episodes but they were cool and good fun. I quite like the fact that the show is so tongue in cheek that "The Saint" actually knows he's in a tv film. I don't know if he does this thru out the series but in those two episodes he turns to the camera at the beginning and speaks to the viewer. LOL.Originally posted by Richard--W View PostComment
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I'd agree one hundred per cent with this, despite liking pretty much all of the other actors who have played in the Bond role, especially Connery.Originally posted by sukebanboy View Post
Moore is a fantastic screen presence; his best work was outside the Bond franchise. Those early years of THE SAINT (ie, the first couple of series) are still amazing television - as, I would argue, is THE PERSUADERS.
What I like about Moore is that he steadfastly refuses to take himself seriously - yet it's this same quality that (imo) has tarnished his career, with people taking tongue-in-cheek comments that Moore has made about himself (eg, his assertion that he 'only had three expressions as Bond: right eyebrow raised, left eyebrow raised and eyebrows crossed when grabbed by Jaws') and refusing to look past them at the solid acting he has delivered in other roles.
And, like pretty much all of the Bond actors, the films for which he's most famous (ie, the Bond pictures) have been hamstrung by stupid production decisions. That's far and away the most annoying thing about the whole Bond franchise.'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'
http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore LeonardComment
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Nice post Paul. Just noticed that over on Amazon UK there is a REALLY nice looking PERSUADERS Blu ray set that got issued to stellar reviews. Put on the old wish list and will get it sooner or later.
Does anyone have thoughts on SHOUT AT THE DEVIL? This is the movie where Lee Marvin and Moore got into some kind of physical altercation and Moore ended up kicking Marvin's ass. Marvin's quote on the matter? "The guy is built like granite. Nobody will ever underestimate him again." That would have been something to see!Comment
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Shout At The Devil -- good 70s action/adventure movie covering a little known African front during WWI. It has a bit of a conflicting tone though; there are numerous almost comedic moments in the first half, but by the end it's grim and gritty.Comment
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I'm done apologizing for liking Roger Moore!
Sounds good. I like Moore in war pics like THE WILD GEESE. So this one goes on the to be checked out list with THE SEA WOLVES and FFOLKES.Originally posted by Dave Starry View PostComment
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Originally posted by Paul L View Post
My impression is that Moore does take acting seriously, except that he won't admit it. Except for the Bond films. It's as if he realized early on that nothing he said or did was going to make a difference, so he went along for the ride. It always annoyed me that he never took Bond seriously. And yet sometimes it seems as if he is. That moment in Moonraker when he stumbles out of the centrifuge and holds onto the wall for support, refusing help from the doctor who challenged him to try it, is pure gold. You might say it's the only acting in the entire film, and the only moment in the film that isn't a complete waste of time.
In For Your Eyes Only his attitude and energy change from the previous films. He's not walking through it, and yet on the commentary track he says "I wasn't aware of playing this one differently from the others." But he is playing Bond differently. He's playing Bond a little melancholy and spooked, the way Richard Maibaum wrote it. Since the context was nearly obliterated in the rewrite and ignored by the director, audiences may not realize that Bond is meant to feel his own mortality. This begins in his first scene when he visits his wife Tracy's grave. A priest comes to tell him that his office called. There's an emergency and they are sending a helicopter to pick him up. As the helicopter ascends, the priest makes the sign of the cross. At that point Bond suspects this may be the mission where his luck runs out. The ensuing comedy with "Bloefeld" was added to this scene after principle photography had completed and robs it of the gravity it had. The theme of the film is summed up in the dialog "Before you seek revenge you must first dig two graves," he tells Malena, but he is really thinking of himself. The action scenes were meant to include a series of close calls in which Bond is nearly killed each time. Bond's sense of his own mortality was meant to come into play when he is dragged across the reef under water and trying to climb the mountain. The murder of the countess who tries to help Bond is meant to be an ominous association with Tracy, another countess, in her grave and is just lost in the film.
Anyhow, I wonder if all the press comparing Moore unfavorably to Connery did not affect Moore. In the 1970s Bond fans and moviegoers in general were always complaining about the comedic direction the series had taken, but the producers wouldn't hear them. Surely Moore was aware of all the dissatisfaction. The question is, did he share in it? Or is he just being professionally polite in refusing to criticize the producers? He refused to renew his three-picture contract after The Spy Who Love Me in 1977. Each succeeding Bond film was a separate negotiation after that.
That was a put-up job. Moore wasn't digging deep enough to suit the director, so finally Peter Hunt asked Lee Marvin to provoke him. Marvin wasn't really hurt, but Hunt got the emotion out of Moore that the script called for. Moore's usual British cool is not much in evidence in Shout At the Devil. He goes way out on a limb, emotionally, in this film. He gets dirty. It's an uneven film but a very good one. It resembles The African Queen in a lot of ways. You'll like it.Originally posted by Horace Cordier View Post
I've seen a few episodes of The Persuaders but I need to get better acquainted with it.
My favorite Roger Moore performances are from the 1970s:
1981 For Your Eyes Only
1977 Shout At the Devil
1976 North Sea Hijack aka Ffolkes
1974 Gold
1970 The Man Who Could Cheat DeathLast edited by Richard--W; 10-24-2012, 08:11 AM."I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
- Raymond Chandler, 1939.Comment
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