Dalton´s Bond certainly is not this description.
He was in TLD. I will agree quite less so in LTK, but I think he was great in his debut film and was not "angry and gritted his teeth"
Posted 17 March 2010 - 04:17 AM
Dalton´s Bond certainly is not this description.
Posted 17 March 2010 - 12:21 PM
Wow. Imposed on you?I never liked very much this idea that was constantly imposed on me that Dalton was the most "Fleming-esque" of the Bonds....
Posted 17 March 2010 - 12:22 PM
Could be argued both ways, depending on the mission / time period, I think.Would you care to cite some examples? What do you make of Bond's ruminations in Chapter Four of Casino Royale about the dangers of having women on an assignment? ... I'm not arguing that Fleming's Bond behaves like a monk when on a mission. I cannot, however, think of an instance when Bond deliberately jeopardized the success of his mission in order to sleep with a woman. Have you got an example in mind?For instance, Fleming's Bond clearly preferred sex over violence. *** Fleming's Bond would have pushed the mission aside for some quality time with women.
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (the novel), I think he clearly acts to the contrary of what you've cited from Casino Royale; eg, with Ruby.
Posted 12 April 2010 - 02:55 PM
This aside, there's more of Fleming's Bond in five minutes of Bond meeting Andrea Anders for the first time in The Man with the Golden Gun than there is in four hours or so of Timothy Dalton's Bond.
I can't picture Fleming's Bond saying "a water pistol?"
Seriously, the firs 5 minutes of TLD in Czechoslovakia are some of the most Fleminingesque moments in the entire series.
Posted 12 April 2010 - 06:38 PM
Over the last couple of months, I've spent a lot of time in and around Timothy Dalton's two outings as James Bond. And let me say from the outset that I think he's one of the best 007's of the lot, and the closest to Ian Fleming's literary creation.
This was reportedly his goal.
I am sure he desired to be Fleming's Bond. When it comes down to it, however, he ended up conforming to Hollywood's action film blockbuster. In other words, he was just an action film hero like any other. Nothing to do with Fleming's Bond.
For instance, Fleming's Bond clearly preferred sex over violence. Film audiences preferred violence over sex by the late 80s, and Dalton's films tried to give audiences what they wanted which was violence and action. Dalton in Licence To Kill seemed like he had no desire for sex. Pam and Lupe are more sexually aggressive, and they have to force Bond to sleep with them. Fleming's Bond would have pushed the mission aside for some quality time with women.
Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 12 April 2010 - 06:39 PM.
Posted 12 April 2010 - 09:17 PM
Priceless!At the end of the book Dr No it was almost a rapeI am sure he desired to be Fleming's Bond....Over the last couple of months, I've spent a lot of time in and around Timothy Dalton's two outings as James Bond....
Of Bond by Honey Ryder.
Posted 18 April 2010 - 05:53 AM
Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 18 April 2010 - 05:56 AM.
Posted 19 April 2010 - 10:27 AM
And Bond didn't even always get the girl. At the end of OHMSS he has to walk away nonchalant after being rebuffed by Gala Brand, because he knew he had an image to maintain, when actually he was mortified.
Posted 19 April 2010 - 12:05 PM
Agreed. Talk about untapped Fleming!And Bond didn't even always get the girl.... rebuffed by Gala Brand....
That was actually at the end of Moonraker. One of my favourite endings to any Bond novel.... Oh for a faithful adaptation of Moonraker... but that's worthy of a separate thread.
Posted 19 April 2010 - 03:30 PM
What a plumber!
I agree with this. Had the entire film maintained that darkness and intensity . . . well, I can see it going both ways. The general public would have been blown away, or (and I think this is more likely) they would have rejected this style, associating so closely with the more comical style that prevailed in the Moore years.That first 20 minutes of TLD are among the most "Flemingesque" cinema that exists.
Posted 19 April 2010 - 03:44 PM
What a plumber!I agree with this. Had the entire film maintained that darkness and intensity . . . well, I can see it going both ways. The general public would have been blown away, or (and I think this is more likely) they would have rejected this style, associating so closely with the more comical style that prevailed in the Moore years.That first 20 minutes of TLD are among the most "Flemingesque" cinema that exists.
I also agree with those who say that, while Dalton aspired to be Fleming's Bond, and he certainly had the potential to achieve that, there was not the behind-the-camera support for this idea that there has been for Craig. While Dalton seemed to make every effort to craft his own performance in that direction, others were conspiring -- at least in his first film -- to go in a different, more familiarly "Moore"-ish direction, and the two clashed, not always very comfortably. "The Living Daylights" is my favorite of the two Dalton films, yet there are points where I feel it's clear that not everyone was working from a unified front. Whereas, with Craig's "Casino Royale" entry into the series, I do sense a much more unified, cohesive style (and that's a big part of why I find it so satisfying). Had Dalton been given that same kind of support, who knows how far he could have gone?
Posted 20 April 2010 - 06:35 PM
Agreed. Talk about untapped Fleming!And Bond didn't even always get the girl.... rebuffed by Gala Brand....
That was actually at the end of Moonraker. One of my favourite endings to any Bond novel.... Oh for a faithful adaptation of Moonraker... but that's worthy of a separate thread.
But, of course: Only if they get the car correct, eh?
Let me know if you start that "separate thread." I'll definitely weigh in.
Posted 29 April 2010 - 01:43 AM
Posted 29 April 2010 - 04:15 PM
Wow. Mae West looks like she can barely move her face, for fear of it cracking.