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Goran Visnjic as James Bond?


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#481 Seannery

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Posted 22 August 2005 - 11:29 AM

It's a lot more than what his nationality and accent is(and they certainly DO NOT help)--he's just not very impressive or Bondian. There are a lot more actors that would be ahead of him in suitability--including the 3 other actors in this phony final four.

#482 David Schofield

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Posted 22 August 2005 - 11:54 AM

They could always get Sean Connery to dub him... :)

#483 Tired And Emotional

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Posted 22 August 2005 - 04:10 PM

he's just not very impressive or Bondian


That's an entirely subjective view (nothing wrong with that) which is where these discussions all fall apart - EON seem to see him as sufficiently Bondian to be worth a look - and the rest is down to personal opinion and preference. I wouldn't have called Dalton "Bondian" either and, given the variety of actors who have played the role I'm not even sure what it means. Presumably both Dalton and Moore were but they're entirely different and they're each different to Connery. Bond is reinvented almost as often as Dr Who.

I've been impressed by some (not all) of GVs work and that's probably true of everyone whose name has been mentioned (aside form the ones I've never heard of), although I've never found Clive Owen compelling. All in all my feeling is that whoever EON cast it's because they think he can do the job and whoever it is should be given a fair crack of the whip. I don't personally have a vested interest in the casting but I like Bond and I like GV so there are two interests that coincide. My only wish is that whoever they choose makes a good fist of it for them.

#484 Seannery

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Posted 22 August 2005 - 04:24 PM

[quote name='Tired And Emotional' date='22 August 2005 - 17:10']
[quote]he's just not very impressive or Bondian[/quote]

That's an entirely subjective view (nothing wrong with that) which is where these discussions all fall apart - EON seem to see him as sufficiently Bondian to be worth a look - and the rest is down to personal opinion and preference. I wouldn't have called Dalton "Bondian" either and, given the variety of actors who have played the role I'm not even sure what it means. Presumably both Dalton and Moore were but they're entirely different and they're each different to Connery. Bond is reinvented almost as often as Dr Who.

I've been impressed by some (not all) of GVs work and that's probably true of everyone whose name has been mentioned (aside form the ones I've never heard of), although I've never found Clive Owen compelling. All in all my feeling is that whoever EON cast it's because they think he can do the job and whoever it is should be given a fair crack of the whip. I don't personally have a vested interest in the casting but I like Bond and I like GV so there are two interests that coincide. My only wish is that whoever they choose makes a good fist of it for them.

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Of course it's all subjective as is your positive view on him. My point is there are a lot who go against him not just because simply he's Croation and his accent(as you attribute his opposition) but because they don't see him a fit as Bond--of course some agree with you BUT a lot don't. And we don't really know if he's a Bond finalist or not--it's just rumors at this point. We don't know if the final four is true or not and by your logic IF it is then Ewan Stewart will be a great Bond because he got this far. Not necessarily so.

#485 Tired And Emotional

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Posted 23 August 2005 - 12:57 AM

Well of course, that's my point; I have to admit that my views are worth no more than anyone else's and in the end it won't be us making the decision so, although it may be fun posting them, they won't affect the outcome. I can't help but wonder what would have happened had the internet been around when Lazenby was cast; I can imagine the outcry ("He's not British! He can't act!"). Fact is, when the film comes out I'll see it because I'm interested in Bond and I shall want to see what the actor who has been cast makes of it. Clive Owen so far has not impressed me but who knows, he may be the perfect Bond once in character and I'm reluctant to write anyone off at this stage, and that includes GV because I haven't seen what he'd amke of such a role and am not convinced that he can't do it. Whether he's "Bondian" is entirely a matter of opinion.

#486 Xenia_Onatopp

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Posted 23 August 2005 - 05:09 PM

They could always get Sean Connery to dub him... :)

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Wow, that would be a dream. Hahahaha! :)

#487 hrabb04

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Posted 23 August 2005 - 05:28 PM

I think I'd rather see Noah Wylie or Anthony Edwards do it

#488 Tired And Emotional

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Posted 24 August 2005 - 12:07 AM

Why?

#489 bryonalston

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 06:47 AM

Well, according to the new article on the front page, an ER producer has confirmed that Visnjic has indeed been tapped for the role of 007, not Le Chiffre or some stereotypical eastern European villain. I can only hope that Visnjic is cast in the role so that I can [i]finally[i] breathe and be comfortable with 007.

#490 K1Bond007

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 07:28 AM

Well, according to the new article on the front page, an ER producer has confirmed that Visnjic has indeed been tapped for the role of 007, not Le Chiffre or some stereotypical eastern European villain. I can only hope that Visnjic is cast in the role so that I can [i]finally[i] breathe and be comfortable with 007.

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He confirmed a while back that he screentested for Bond. There's nothing further in that article other than "if he get Bond.. his ER character will..."

Funny how -death- wasn't brought up. There's no way Sony and Danjaq will share with a television series. I just don't see it.

#491 fatima

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 08:17 AM

Well, according to the new article on the front page, an ER producer has confirmed that Visnjic has indeed been tapped for the role of 007, not Le Chiffre or some stereotypical eastern European villain. I can only hope that Visnjic is cast in the role so that I can [i]finally[i] breathe and be comfortable with 007.

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He confirmed a while back that he screentested for Bond. There's nothing further in that article other than "if he get Bond.. his ER character will..."

Funny how -death- wasn't brought up. There's no way Sony and Danjaq will share with a television series. I just don't see it.

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I would agree with you, but it seems that just about every suitable actor with any star quality is locked into a film franchise. One season of a TV series may seem (these days)a lesser evil.

Anyway, I've heard Goran's screen test was very very good :) :)

#492 gkgyver

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 12:58 PM

They could always get Sean Connery to dub him...


Don't laugh at that! In the German version of OHMSS, George Lazenby had Connery's voice :)

#493 TaoMike

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 01:02 PM

Well, according to the new article on the front page, an ER producer has confirmed that Visnjic has indeed been tapped for the role of 007, not Le Chiffre or some stereotypical eastern European villain. I can only hope that Visnjic is cast in the role so that I can [i]finally[i] breathe and be comfortable with 007.

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Well, if you just go by the quote, it's not absolutely clear that Visnjic has been tapped for the role of Bond. What if the question was simply "Has Visnjic tried out for a role in the new Bond movie?"... The answer still makes sense. ("Yes, it's true...")

But, that aside, all the evidence does seem to point to Visnjic at least having tried out for 007. I've never actually seen (or heard) the man on television or film. He's certainly very good-looking; I can only assume (and hope) that the accent isn't going to be a problem. Has anyone heard him attempt a British accent?

Edited by TaoMike, 25 August 2005 - 01:04 PM.


#494 trumanlodge89

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 05:22 PM

well, based on history, i would think this article all but eliminates goran from the role of james bond.


("remington steele is not james bond, james bond is not remington steele" anyone?)

#495 return of the saint

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 06:19 PM

I personally can't stand Amrican drama-soaps such as ER and the like - they just don't sit well with me. So I've never actually seen this fellow in moving images - just one or two photos.

When people are saynig he might not be able to shift his accent - is that an American or Croatian accent?

And - though I hate to be the one to bring it up - is he white? Please don't get me wrong - I'm no supremacist or anything, I'm just wondering. I know Catwoman, Kojak, Kingpin and even Felix Lieter have all changed their ethnicity over the years, might this now true of 007? [I only ask because pictures I have seen of him seem quite vague - in some he looks a bit greekish? in others he looks like he might be able to play somebody of Indian heritage, and in others still he looks anglo-saxon].

Edited by return of the saint, 25 August 2005 - 06:41 PM.


#496 Pussfeller

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 07:36 PM

Posted Image

RotS, if he isn't white, who is?

Maybe you haven't seen any clear pictures of him. Or perhaps you're thinking along the lines of the antiquated U.S. census-form definition of "white", which essentially meant "Anglo-Saxon". Race is certainly a muddled, inconsistent concept, and Visnjic may not be a Western European, but he's every bit as white as Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, or any other dark-haired actor of European descent. Visnjic isn't even the swarthiest of the Bond candidates.

By the way, I'm fairly sure that Greeks are widely regarded as white. And while Indians are commonly identified as non-white, this has no genetic basis. I believe that most anthropologists consider non-Dravidian Indians (like Aishwarya Rai and Kabir Bedi, for example), along with Arabs, to be genetically "Caucasian". As I said, though, it's all very muddled and politically touchy. With respect to James Bond, at a certain point, a dark complexion may disqualify an actor from playing the role, but I don't think Visnjic is anywhere close to crossing this point. He's fairly light-skinned, and his hair isn't even particularly dark. His facial features are certainly "white", so to speak.

Edited by Pussfeller, 25 August 2005 - 07:44 PM.


#497 WC

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 07:39 PM

They could always get Sean Connery to dub him...


Don't laugh at that! In the German version of OHMSS, George Lazenby had Connery's voice :)

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How is that possible? Why would Connery go and dub over Lazenby's voice? If he's going to do that, he might as well refilm all the scenes so that he's in it instead.

#498 Pussfeller

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 07:50 PM

They could always get Sean Connery to dub him...


Don't laugh at that! In the German version of OHMSS, George Lazenby had Connery's voice :)

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How is that possible? Why would Connery go and dub over Lazenby's voice? If he's going to do that, he might as well refilm all the scenes so that he's in it instead.

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Welshcat, I believe he meant that the same German actor performed the voice-over for Connery and Lazenby. Thus, to a German, it appears as though Lazenby spoke with "Connery's voice". I doubt that Connery would have the linguistic versatility to dub his own voice into German, let alone Lazenby's. :)

#499 return of the saint

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 08:13 PM

Yeah - sorry I meant is he 'white' as in Anglo-Saxon.

In terms of palor (as opposed to genetics), I tend to think of the typical greek tone as rather more 'olive skinned' than the pasty white of your typical Brit (or orange tan of your Moore / Brosnan types) [There is something of a saying that your typical scot isn't actually white - he's blue; it takes about a week in the sun for him to get to white] - cliches all, but I'm sure that you got my drift when I said he looked like he might be Greek (as opposed to British). And actually that was one of the pictures I have seen - sorry but to me he looks more like he is of asian decent [than scottish/swiss] in that picture - I guess you must see something I don't if this caused you to roll about. Given that there is a debate about his voice, I would have thought a question about his ethnicity would be fair enough (and I'm sure I've read posts of a multiyude of people who rule Colin Salmon out not just because of the fact that he is already well known within the series - but because he was not 'white' + Craig is too blonde isn't he?).

As I say - something or nothing, hey there is no saying that Bond's granparents were not from asia/greece and settled in scotland/switzerland eh? - but somebody that doesn't look Anglo who might struggle with a bit of an accent, I doubt will be embraced by the British tablod press in the way that Bond usually is. Sad but true.

Like you say - 21st century Britian is a great multicultural society, and if Bond reflects that that's good with me (as long as the film itself is better than DAD). But you still don't really answer my question - does he look 'anglo-white' or are the Bond producers possibly going a bit further out on a limb with this guy (and more power to them to do that - so long as the guy can act)?

Just re-read - ok you do answer the question. Esentially, you feel he looks as 'British' as Connery - if anybody can 'look' British [I guess what I mean is - he fits the cliche]?

Edited by return of the saint, 25 August 2005 - 08:33 PM.


#500 Pussfeller

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 08:41 PM

Well, personally, I've never thought of James Bond as a particularly "Anglo-white" kind of guy. When reading the novels, I always picture him as a dark, slightly foreign-looking man with jet-black hair and a sharp, bony profile. So I never saw him as particularly British, although he works for the British government and has many of the mannerisms and opinions of a traditional upper-class British hardass. He always seems to be slightly out of place in England--that's a part of his character, and a part of his motivation. It's a part of why he has such an unconventional job. I always got the impression that Bond, especially the literary Bond, was never entirely English. He was more like an overwrought affectation of Englishness, intended to mask his true personality, which was not very British at all. Deep down, psychologically, he had more in common with his cold, calculating Soviet opponents, which is why he was so good at dealing with them.

Anyway, I always thought Bond should be a bit swarthy and "Continental". In Moonraker, I believe Fleming specifically describes him as foreign-looking, mentioning how incongruous and "saturnine" he looks among a crowd of British upper-class types. I think Dalton captured this the best. He had a sharp, prominent nose, which I've always felt is integral to the character. Dalton himself is of mixed Italian/Anglo-Irish descent, so he has a Continental flavor that corresponds to Bond's Swiss French heritage.

I would never say that Visnjic looks English, but I still think he looks very Bondian. I say this because I don't think Bond should be at all English-looking. He should have a longer face, a darker complexion, a larger, sharper nose, deep-set eyes, dark, sinister eyebrows, high cheekbones, and a cruel mouth.

#501 return of the saint

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 08:56 PM

So what you're saying is that this guy doesn't look English - which actually validates and answers my question (without your having to roll about on the floor).

But do you think this image of Bond - who has through the films essentially become a figurehead of 'Englishness'* - will sit well with the populace at large (i.e. White Van Man / Sun Reader)?

* type "quintessential British hero" into Google - guess who the top few articles are about (clue its not Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Sctott, etc).

Edited by return of the saint, 25 August 2005 - 09:23 PM.


#502 Alessandra

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 10:00 PM

I agree with you. And anyway one mustn't confuse gossip with what actually always took place. The fact is that the actor who plays Bond MUST be from the UK (or former colonies in exceptional cases), because that's how he was conceived and that's how it is. I'm Italian, my mother's a huge Bond fan and so is my dad, and I can assure you that even if dubbed, people would NEVER accept to see someone who doesn't have the right "british" look and attitude to play Bond. And that's a perception which is valid AT THE VERY LEAST throughout Europe. Otherwise I'd have voted for Denzel Washington to play James Bond when Pierce, who is just PERFECT, stops (not now for denzel washington, he's getting too old, but a few years ago, for sure).
I don't like any of those supposed final four to play him, and I think the only one with English background who could play Bond is Hugh Jackman. (and not the hugh jackman of sci-fi movies, but the hugh jackman of "someone like you" with Ashley Judd. Especially the scene when he walks in in the kitchen, wearing only his boxers, and says "couldn't sleep?" He JUST is the perfect James Bond with that kind of attitude.)
So, whoever they choose who is not Hugh Jackman (Or George Clooney, but since he's American I highly doubt that they would choose him), I won't be happy.
But you know what? in the end, I know they will choose something right for a definitive solution. AND YES I DID LIKE TIMOTHY DALTON TOO. ALTHOUGH I MUCH PREFER PIERCE BROSNAN, WHO IS JUST PERFECT.
If they chose one of these "final four" mentioned here, I'm pretty positive it'd be for ONE movie only. James Bond must be from the UK.. he's the prototype of the ENGLISH secret agent, and must look like it.
ciao! :)

#503 Bondian

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 10:05 PM

Good post, and a very warm welcome to CBn Alessandra. :)

I agree with you up to before you mentioned Pierce Brosnan. :)

Cheers,


Ian

#504 trumanlodge89

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 10:09 PM

besides the point on pierce, the only thing i disagree with you on, alessandra, is the idea of this bond doing one picture. i cant, for the life of me, see that happening. the lazenby situation was a mess, and i think whoever it is that takes over for pierce will do at least 2.

#505 spynovelfan

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 10:23 PM

* type "quintessential British hero" into Google - guess who the top few articles are about (clue its not Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Sctott, etc).

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Well, the top *two* articles are Bond. You only get 13 results, and only four are Bond. :) But point taken.

#506 Lazenby880

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Posted 25 August 2005 - 10:52 PM

He always seems to be slightly out of place in England--that's a part of his character, and a part of his motivation. It's a part of why he has such an unconventional job. I always got the impression that Bond, especially the literary Bond, was never entirely English. He was more like an overwrought affectation of Englishness, intended to mask his true personality, which was not very British at all.

Anyway, I always thought Bond should be a bit swarthy and "Continental". In Moonraker, I believe Fleming specifically describes him as foreign-looking, mentioning how incongruous and "saturnine" he looks among a crowd of British upper-class types. I think Dalton captured this the best. He had a sharp, prominent nose, which I've always felt is integral to the character. Dalton himself is of mixed Italian/Anglo-Irish descent, so he has a Continental flavor that corresponds to Bond's Swiss French heritage.

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Quite true, and there is such a reference in Moonraker. The James Bond of the Fleming books is indeed slightly 'foreign looking' and almost out of place in Great Britain. However, whether this should be reflected in the cinematic series is another question entirely.

#507 ACE

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Posted 26 August 2005 - 01:30 AM

Firstly, an interesting point. There is no scientific basis for race. There are more differences between some Caucasians than between a Caucasian and someone with African or Oriental features.

However, if Goran is probably not Anglo-Saxon but Slavic.

But I guess he is white.

Fleming's description of Bond being non-English I think did not mean his cultural heritage (Swiss/Scots) but his tanned, tough appearance in 1950's England when frequent foreign travel to exotic climes was not the norm. Perhaps Bond would be less un-English now.

ACE

#508 Loeffelholz

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Posted 26 August 2005 - 03:44 AM

Excellent point, ACE.

#509 Pussfeller

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Posted 26 August 2005 - 03:58 AM

Firstly, an interesting point. There is no scientific basis for race. There are more differences between some Caucasians than between a Caucasian and someone with African or Oriental features.

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Actually, you have it backwards, ACE. More genetic diversity exists among Africans than between Caucasians and Asians. I agree that race is an antiquated and unscientific concept, but it shouldn't be equated with population genetics.

How did this come up anyway?

#510 Loeffelholz

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Posted 26 August 2005 - 04:06 AM

Something about GV perhaps not 'looking British,' or 'British Enough.'

Which I agree with, BTW.