The Best James Bond Ever

When you think of James Bond, which actor springs to mind? This is a question which is frequently asked of the cinema going public. I'm guessing, and this is only a thought, that most people will go with Sean Connery. A natural choice, the first official Bond, the original and best according to most Bond aficionados.
Prior to the first Bond film, Dr No, Connery was best known for his role as Michael McBride in Disney's whimsical tale of leprechauns and magic, Darby O'Gill And The Little People, a few years earlier. But by the end of 1962, his life would be changed forever.

Dr No introduced James Bond to a worldwide audience who marveled at the gadgets, the women, the violence (relative to what was showing then) and the shady underworld of spying. It was a revelation, and Ursula Andress, emerging from the sea in that bikini, is still one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history. Following Dr No's success, the sixties became the golden age of Bond, with From Russia With Love,Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice following on. The formula of spying, gadgetry, girls and the memorable villains, ensured immortality for Connery.

After You Only Live Twice, it was announced that there would be a new actor for the next movie in the franchise. Connery always said that he never objected to playing Bond, he just didn't want to just being Bond. The inevitable typecasting curse was something he wanted to avoid. But he had made Bond his own, that coldness in killing, the deadpan delivery, the magnetic charm towards the opposite sex, and of course, his famous Scottish burr would mean a very difficult pair of shoes to step into for the next actor.

That man would be George Lazenby.Lazenby, an unknown Australian actor, apparently impressed at a screen test fight scene, and was offered the role. He would make only one appearance, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, in 1969. The film itself was panned at the time by critics and fans,understandable, since Connery was considered by most as irreplaceable. This plus the off screen trouble Lazenby allegedly had with the director, Peter Hunt and his on screen love interest , Diana Rigg, meant it was ultimately an unhappy experience for him and Bond lovers. Lazenby had in fact signed up for the next two movies in the series, Diamonds Are Forever and Live And Let Die, but of course, would never get to make them. It is ironic, that many, including this author, find his only effort as one of the best Bond films, certainly in the top two or three.

Connery returned for Diamonds Are Forever, but it was a tired and lackluster effort by Connery by that time and there was a need for new blood after almost a decade of Connery dominated movies. The man selected for the part was Roger Moore.

Moore was by no means unknown, at least to British and European audiences, having starred in the sixties television series The Saint as Simon Templar and in The Persuaders at the start of the 1970's with Tony Curtis, also a television series. Moore's first Bond film was Live And Let Die, and immediately it was obvious there would be no attempt to match Connery's style. Roger Moore played Bond with a lighthearted, humorous slant, while still saving the world and dispatching villains in memorable ways. Through the seventies and into the eighties, Moore kept up the sardonic, charming style which was popular with movie audiences but not the Bond purists. The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker,For Your Eyes Only,Octopussy and A View To A Kill, complete Moore's list. Some of these films while entertaining, are a bit silly, in particular Moonraker, when he goes into space. Moore's one liners as he killed of villains meant the films became parodies, and credibility of the franchise was in danger of being swamped in farce. His age also caught up with him. He would be well into his fifties by the time A View To A Kill was completed, and a new approach was required.

Timothy Dalton came next, and it was immediately apparent that he would bring a more serious Bond back to our screens. prior to the first Dalton movie, The Living Daylights, he had in fact, been offered the role of Bond in Diamonds Are Forever . He was only 27 then, and cited this youth (and filling Connery's shoes) as the reasons he declined. He then disappeared from the Bond radar, but almost came on board again, in For Your Eyes Only, but as a stage actor, his first love, he declined again, citing other commitments as the reason. But finally in 1987 he was back, after Pierce Brosnan was contractually held back from taking the part. He brought a broody, darker Bond, much closer to the novel's depiction. He played a Bond who killed, but killed as a job, and who did not particularly like doing so. The two films that Dalton made, License to Kill was his last in 1989, are viewed with mixed feelings. Dalton, undoubtedly portrayed Bond much more closely to Ian Fleming's ideal, but the films themselves are overblown with eighties indulgence, and amongst the most violent of the series.
The reasons why Dalton made only two Bond movies are unclear, but whatever the reasons, License to Kill marked the temporary hiatus of the franchise, until 1994, when an Irishman playing a quintessential Englishman, took the role.

Pierce Brosnan, Irish born but English bred, was best known for the semi spoof detective series Remington Steele, from the 1980's and caught the eye of Cubby Broccoli, the Bond producer, back at that time. However, contractual obligations meant he had, to his great disappointment, turn down the roles. He felt his chance was gone, as Dalton looked set for a long run in the series. However, that was not to happen, and by the time Goldeneye was ready to film, all those problems were gone.The first Brosnan film was Goldeneye, and after the long (for Bond fans anyway) wait, it grossed over $350 million at the box office, and launched Brosnan's career into orbit. Brosnan brought charm back to Bond, and more humor than Dalton, yet he had the necessary ruthlessness to be effective, as well as the looks. He made three more Bond films, until The World Is Not Enough, when it was announced he would not be doing a fifth.

Daniel Craig, a fairly well known actor is the current James Bond, and the announcement that he would be the new 007 was greeted with general dismay by Bond fans. His first movie, Casino Royale has proved most of the doubters wrong. Craig has brought a vulnerability to Bond, yet a chilling disregard for his foes. He kills with ruthlessness and efficiency, and like Dalton, does not take pleasure in it. The critics will argue with his looks. Though rugged, he is perhaps too rugged for the purists. Bond is meant to be suave, yet for Craig,suaveness is an effort, not a natural act. There is no doubt though, that Craig has the part for some time to come and we await the next film Quantum Of Solace's release at the nd of the year, to make a firmer judgment on his portrayal.

Like him or loathe him, James Bond will not go away, and we can argue who our favorite is, until we are old and grey. Bond will remain timeless.