43 replies to this topic

[BondIsMoore]

If I had to choose a film which I believe portrayed Ian Fleming's creation the best, It would be The Living Daylights. Dalton was the James Bond from the books. Very serious but yet light hearted at the same time. Bond was ruthless in the books and a perfect scene which shows this in TLD would be when Bond says "If he fires me I'll thank him for it." That to me is the Fleming James Bond. Don't get me wrong, Moore is still the best Which film do you consider to best show the fleming James Bond?

[Genrewriter]

I'd agree with that choice, Dalton did play Fleming's Bond very well in TLD. He was equally true to the Fleming novels in LTK as well. I'd also put Connery in From Russia With Love on that list.

[Loomis]

Which film do you consider to best show the fleming James Bond?

No question about it: DR. NO.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

The World Is Not Enough

[zencat]

I'd say From Russia With Love. Dr. No is close, but I actually think he's a little more "animal" in that film than he is in any of the books.

[Harmsway]

Dr. No all the way...

[JKD68]

I concur, Dr. No.

[GreggAllinson]

Licence to Kill.

[freemo]

Another vote for Dr. No.

[Moonraker]

For me, Both Dalton films. Dalton was Flemings bond all the way.

[Qwerty]

Dr. No, I'd say.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

I agree with Dr No.

A fairly faithful adaptation of the novel, a great portrayal that set the tone for Bonds to come and one can't forget to mention the time period as well. Sean showed off Bond as a cool, calculating killer who can love women and use them at the same time.

FRWL is a close second and I am a bit inclined to say TLD, just because I love it so much.

[Qwerty]

Might On Her Majesty’s Secret Service deserve an honorable mention?

[David Schofield]

Dalton in Licence by a long way, followed by Connery's young Bond in perfect-period Dr No and Lazenby's human Bond. Oh and Roger in Moonraker!!

[Jim]

Connery in Dr No. Barely suppressed violence, the veneer of sophistication (which I would say Dalton lacks) and the capacity to be wrong. Dalton in The Living Daylights is pretty close but they went too unsophisticated in Licence to Kill.

[Turn]

Might On Her Majesty’s Secret Service deserve an honorable mention?

I was surprised nobody else mentioned this. The Dr. No Bond certainly seems like the cold, crueler Bond of the early novels, but this captures the later novels mode even more.

[Bon-san]

My subjective response is OHMSS. The movie itself was as faithful an adaption as we've seen. And what I find wonderful about Lazenby's performance is that he had an inherent cockiness, which was tempered by a measure of caution and reserve that went along with undertaking this momumental part in his first acting role. The result, to this viewer, was a portrait that captured better than any other, the dimension of Bond as written by Fleming, i.e., A confident man who is unnerved only slightly (but is in fact unnerved) by the extraordinary circumstances of his profession.

Dr. No was quite there as well. But Connery's portrayal includes a certain animal element that was not in the books that I read. Ironically, it is precisely this element which was largely responsible for his appeal.

TLD was rather there as well. But Dalton's portrayal imparted an internal unrest that far exceeded the literary Bond's.

Edited by Bon-san, 18 January 2005 - 03:04 PM.

[hrabb04]

I have to go with Lazenby in OHMSS, followed by Connery's first two.

[spynovelfan]

My subjective response is OHMSS. The movie itself was as faithful an adaption as we've seen.  And what I find wonderful about Lazenby's performance is that he had an inherent cockiness, which was tempered by a measure of caution and reserve that went along with undertaking this momumental part in his first acting role.  The result, to this viewer, was a portrait that captured better than any other, the dimension of Bond as written by Fleming, i.e., A confident man who is unnerved only slightly (but is in fact unnerved) by the extraordinary circumstances of his profession.

I'd never considered that, but you're dead on. Eloquently expressed, too. Yes, that is just why Lazenby works in the part - he's playing himself, an arrogant young model with the weight of the world's biggest role on his shoulders. And it produces the arrogant secret agent with the weight of his wife's death on his shoulders.

[Mr. Somerset]

I'll have to agree with Sean Connery in Dr.No. I feel that although Timothy went back to capture the spirit of Fleming, and his portrayal was fairly close, it's the era in which the films were made as well as the Sean's performance that make Dr. No presentation of James Bond the most accurate. Terence Young's contribution can't be over emphasized as well: the tailoring, coaching of Connery, his pacing, etc. Connery's portrayal in FRWL is a close second for me.

[Qwerty]

Might On Her Majesty’s Secret Service deserve an honorable mention?

I was surprised nobody else mentioned this. The Dr. No Bond certainly seems like the cold, crueler Bond of the early novels, but this captures the later novels mode even more.

Indeed. Along with Dr. No, it closely follows the book, so it's "closer" than any other in that respect.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

wow, considering how much I've been watching OHMSS lately I'm surprised I didn't think of it. It's certainly very Fleming. I think when Lazenby is sitting by the ice rink, burned out and terrified is one of the best parts of the movie. He really nails that scene.

[Qwerty]

wow, considering how much I've been watching OHMSS lately I'm surprised I didn't think of it.  It's certainly very Fleming.  I think when Lazenby is sitting by the ice rink, burned out and terrified is one of the best parts of the movie.  He really nails that scene.

That, with Tracy arriving as well, is the best scene in the series. IMO.

[BondIsMoore]

I just love how tracy takes off her skates in record time

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

From Russia with Love, no doubt about it.

[Sir Charles]

This is a bit off of the subject, but have any one of you seen The Seawolves with Gregory Peck, David Niven and Roger Moore? Roger Moore's character seemed to me very similar to Fleming's Bond. If you want to see Moore as Fleming's Bond, check this flick out! It's fairly good and also read the end credits: several Bond film "family" members worked on it (Maurice Binder even did the title sequence!).
As to the Bond film that best portrays Fleming's Bond, that's a toughie for me. None of them seem to very close, in my opinion. While Dalton may have wanted to be close, he can could only go as far as the scripts went. The dalton films didn't feel very fleming-ish to me. I still tend to lean towards Moore for the most accurate portrayle, though not at all times. Dalton would probably be a close second. Connery and Brosnan are not very close at all...they are movie Bonds (as are the others, really, not that that's a bad thing though). Even Lazenby isn't all that close, in my opinion, because he was trying so hard to be like Connery.
Off the subject again, but starting with FYEO, the series seemed to try to be like all of the other spy movies...drab-ish and supposedly more realistic.

[BondIsMoore]

I wouldn't mind checking out The Seawolves. I've wanted to check out older moore films for awhile now.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Dr. No or From Russia With Love.

Bond at his darkest and most Flemingesque, by far.

[philbowski]

Dr No followed by FRWL

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

[quote name='Qwerty' date='18 January 2005 - 20:16'][quote name='ComplimentsOfSharky' date='18 January 2005 - 15:15']wow, considering how much I've been watching OHMSS lately I'm surprised I didn't think of it.