104 replies to this topic

[Athena007]

When reading any of the Bond novels does your mind put pictures to the Book? I mean, when you're reading does Bond have a face? If so who's face? A Bond actor? Another Actor? A friend? Yourself? Someone else?

[Brix Bond]

My avatar.

[Qwerty]

I remember a thread about this a long time ago.

I don't put anyone specific in the role, it's a totally different Bond that you just know is there, but isn't someone specific.

[DLibrasnow]

Either Roger Moore or Sean Connery/ For example when I read GOLDFINGER or DR NO I always envision Connery, but when I read MOONRAKER or LIVE AND LET DIE its usually Moore.

[Loomis]

When reading Fleming or "Colonel Sun", I generally picture Connery, but sometimes Brosnan. When reading Benson it's usually Brosnan, although for some strange reason I picture Dalton when reading "The Man With the Red Tattoo" - heaven knows why. When reading Gardner, whom I read a lot less of than Fleming, Amis and Benson, I don't really have any particular mental image of Bond.

[Mister Asterix]

I picture that face up in the CBn Commander Logo. Mostly Hoagy-like with a tad of Rog and Sean and some just general cruelness added for spice. Though when I read Gardner, the Bond I picture is closer to the guy in Agent Under Fire.

[Qwerty]

The women are indeed the weakest aspects in some of his books, they just need more devlopment, and needed to feel more exotic, more like a "Bond woman."

[Brix Bond]

In Gardner's books his descriptions always lead me to imagine the Bond girls are wearing cardigans and skirts out of Primark. Primark is where women in their 50s shop for clothes in Britain.

[Four Aces]

Connery for all the Fleming novels. I have not read the other authors.

4A

[Turn]

I picture my own vision of him, and sometimes, rarely, picture Dalton.

[Tanger]

I picture him exactly as John McCluskey drew him.

[1q2w3e4r]

Pretty much as Fleming described him. A general outline. Some features, but nothing really distinctive that marks him as one of the actors to bring him to the screen. Fleming's Bond was too cruel and his character too dark for any of them to jump out of the page and BE him.

[Johnboy007]

Oddly, whoever starred in the film is generally who I envision. Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me just seems to scream Roger Moore to me. I see Brosnan for the Gardner and Benson novels.

[zencat]

George Almond's take (from The Jame Bond Bedside Companion)...

Attached Files

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[Triton]

George Almond's take (from The Jame Bond Bedside Companion)...

George Almond's illustration makes James Bond look more like Roger Moore's evil twin than Hoagy Charmichael with a hint of cruelty.

While reading the Fleming James Bond novels, in my mind's eye I see the literary James Bond character as a combination of Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton with more cruelty.

[Pussfeller]

When I read Fleming I sometimes picture him as an older, crustier Dalton, but mostly I picture him as a rough-hewn outline. In Casino Royale, which I don't like, I picture Brosnan (who I don't like). In LALD, I always envision a younger, more physical Bond, like Connery.

I've read a few Gardners and Bensons, and I generally picture their versions of Bond the same way. I never read Colonel Sun, but judging by the concensus, I would probably picture Connery.

[H.M.Servant]

I picture that face up in the CBn Commander Logo.

the one on the main page? he looks like Robbie Williams

[Athena007]

When the book has a title that was used as a film title I always think of the corresponding Bond actor. But with any other book I think of Pierce Brosnan as Bond. I think that's because when I was little I had always though Pierce would make a good bond prior to him becoming Bond. Even though Roger Moore is my favorite Bond, Pierce Brosnan is my Bond.

The Bond girls in the novels that have not been made into movies, I always think of one of them being me. I love putting myself in the action.

[TheSaint]

When I read the Flemings, I pictured Sean. I pictured Roger while reading the Gardners, until 1987, where I began picturing Dalton. With Benson, I pictured Pierce. When I read the Charteris Saint novels I pictured Roger for all, and I pictured Dean when I read the Hamilton Matt Helm novels.

[Simon]

He's faceless in all the novels.

However, to follow the Saint inclusion above, when reading those I tend to picture the drawings on the 50's Pan covers.

[Tanger]

It's funny because I never picture any of the actors when reading the novels. I guess this is because I like to keep the literary Bond and the cinematic Bond separate. The same goes for all the characeters.
My visions are usually either how Fleming described the characters or how I would expect them to look.

[Mister Asterix]

I picture that face up in the CBn Commander Logo.

the one on the main page? he looks like Robbie Williams

Actually, the one on the top left of this page in the Commanders uniform. (And on the main page too, yes, but not the fellow smoking the cigarette.) As for Robbie Williams, I don

[Blofeld's Cat]

He's faceless in all the novels.

That's my take as well.

Despite all the various snippets of physical descriptions by various characters and the narative itself, I actually see Bond as being nondescript. It maybe my mind's eye trying to rationalise that Bond is a secret agent that doesn't draw attention to himself as he goes through general life.

[Simon]

Yeah, not sure why I see Bond as faceless and the Saint as the Pan image. Afterall Bond was published in Pan and was subject to the same artwork covers.

I'll hang my hat on your secret agent reason....

[quiller]

when i read fleming i generaly see... well, fleming. thats who bond's apearance is based on. but when i read gardener i see connery circa nsna. haven't read enough of the others to form an opinion.

[Xenia's Ferrari]

i think of the good looking man next door.

[Qwerty]

He's faceless in all the novels.

That's my take as well.

Despite all the various snippets of physical descriptions by various characters and the narative itself, I actually see Bond as being nondescript. It maybe my mind's eye trying to rationalise that Bond is a secret agent that doesn't draw attention to himself as he goes through general life.

Quite so! To me at least, none of the actors come even close to being one that I can imagine being that James Bond that we read about in Live And Let Die, or SeaFire, or The Facts Of Death, or any of the novels. He's completely different character sometimes, another incarnation of James Bond if you will.

And that keeps him interesting.

[Bond111]

I don't suppose I imagine anyone in particular, but most of the time I envision a character bearing an uncanny resemblance to John McLusky's James Bond. Oddly enough I have not seen much of his work. Sometimes, though, one of the Bond actor's will pop into my head such as Sean Connery in Live And Let Die and George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

[Station Domino]

Reading Flemng, most of the time I picture someone completely different then the Bond actors. George Lazenby comes the closest. I think this is a testament to Fleming's literary brilliance and has been commented on before.

I read Benson's The Man With The Red Tatoo recently and for the most part I pictured Connery from Dr. No thru Thunderball.

[Tanger]

I've just finished reading James Bond and Moonraker by Christopher Wood and in this one, my vision of Bond kept changing. For about 2/3rds of the novel I pictured Flemings/McCluskey's Bond, the one I always picture and then for the last part, whilst in space, I couldn't picture anybody except Moore.