The Name is Bond James Bond

The early James Bond, That Sean Connery was the best. Macho brawn, fast cars, and beautiful women. He made a great initial splash with swiss actress Ursula Andress in Dr No, but in hindsight that movie seemed simplistic, without all the gadgets that 007 became known for, clearly a low budget attempt. From Russia With Love was clearly a richer experience.

For some reason I have watched Thunderball at least seven times, and never get tired of it. Fantastic Bahamian waters, Great evil bad guy performance by Italian actor Adolfo Celi, and that Tom Jones soundtrack. After that I would say Goldfinger, with that deep Shirley Bassey voice. She came back with another great song in Diamonds Are Forever, which in my opinion was a letdown from his previous movies. Connery said years later he was tired of doing them by then, and was bribed back with a big money offer. Great performances by great actors in the early Bond flicks is what made the series so successful.

After the blockbuster From Russia With Love, oozing with sexual chemistry with Italian actress Daniela Bianchi, came You Only Live Twice, with a deep look into Japanese culture not usually seen by western audiences. A custom Toyota sports car prototype was built for the movie, but after rumors of production plans for the car the project was shelved. This was another big hit for 007.

I was initially not impressed by his successor, perhaps resenting that Connery was gone, but Roger Moore grew on me and I came to admire him. The overt macho image of Connery had been refined into a more suave and elegant style, but it was still there. To me both The Man With The Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me, with that terrific Carly Simon title song, are tied for his best performance. Live And Let Die is memorable as the Beatles singing the title song, but in my opinion the acting was better in the previous two. I rate Moore a close second to Connery.

Australian one hit wonder George Lazenby had it all it seemed, In Her Majesty's Secret Service, while seeming upstaged by stunning Diana Rigg. He was advised by his agent that 007 had run it's course, and years later he admitted being unable to handle the sudden celebrity success. Lazenby was previously a model, and had little acting experience. These are my memories of James Bond as I was growing up. To be continued.

As of January 2011, it was reported that Daniel Craig will return once again as James Bond, making it his third time in the role of 007. Like the Eveready Bunny, James Bond keeps going.