10 replies to this topic

[ChandlerBing]

Here is my half-baked attempt at defending the much-maligned George Lazenby. Before reading the comments below, I just want to say that I really do like Connery and Brosnan a lot, but I wanted to talk about Lazenby for a few lines. Here they are:

1: When Lazenby threw a punch, he really threw a punch, as poor Yuri Borienko can attest. He is the only Bond to have his own sound effects thrown in for the fight scenes. As much as I love Brosnan, the biggest difference between him and Lazenby would be that Lazenby would have punched all those guys out...Brosnan shot em.
2. He's the only Bond to have taken the plunge. Some people think that marriage requires emotional maturity, well, this Bond had it.
3. How many women in one night, Sir Hillary? Now, THAT is stamina, folks. He had even more planned for the next night, but Fraulein Bunt put an end to that.
4. And this was his FIRST acting job? That's what many people I know say when they first see OHMSS. That is what some would call beginner's luck, or you could say Lazenby was made for the part, maybe it was his arrogance, who knows?
5. When he did his gun barrel, he actually knelt down to fire...cool. At least he doesn't almost lose his balance like someone else did!


Feel free to come in and add more.

[rafterman]

he's my favorite of the Bond actors...count on me to help defend the man...

[Turn]

I think it's kind of preaching to the choir to defend Lazenby here. The guy gave a good performance following one of the toughest leads in film history and it resulted in one of the most loved movies of the series. Of course, Peter Hunt deserves credit on the last part.

The people who need to be convinced are the ones reluctant to watch OHMSS based on it not starring Connery, Moore or Brosnan. To them, he'll always be "that other guy," and they miss out on one of the best Bond films.

Lazenby had everything it takes to be Bond. The only downside I can think to his having continued in the role is that if he had, Moore wouldn't have had his shot.

[Irma Bunt]

No need to defend Mr Lazanby. There are plenty of us here that are very impressed with his performance. Indeed, a fine performance. I'd like to see him move back to Australia and take a few roles there.

[Kronsteen]

I think George Lazenby is the second best, cause nothing beats Sean Connery but Lazenby is real good. His performances in the action sequences are marvelous. Maybe he wasn't a great actor but he had the looks and the charm... and even though I like Connery so much I dont miss him at all in OHMSS. I dont think Connery would have been good as a Bond that was getting married, I cant really see him in that role. But Lazenby was a fresh new actor that they could do anything with and maybe that's why it turned out so good!

[BONDFINESSE 007]

he tried to be to much like connery, which he could not do

[1q2w3e4r]

And i suppose Brosnan always straighting his tie isn't trying to be like Connery either? I can buy Lazenby as Bond. A 50yr old Brosnan I find it a little hard to believe he's knocking out guys 6-6 and weighing upwards of 120kgs.
I know who I'd bet my house on in a fight between Brosnan and Lazenby...

[BONDFINESSE 007]

well i gotta say though that had they done brosnans like they did george's...pierce's fight segments would look really good to

[ChandlerBing]

That is exactly what I want them to do with Pierce, to really liven up his fight scenes. Even when Lazenby did use a machine gun, look at him sliding on his belly down the ice, firing away...do it with style, at least. I like that scene, among others.

[Tanger]

OHMSS and particularly Lazenby are two of the most underrated elements in cinema history. Both the film and his performance are superb and anyone who has not seen it, they're the ones who are missing out.
This really is a gem.

I'm probably not the only one here who thinks that Lazenby would have been great in DAF. Think about some of the scenes particularly the pre-titles - they're so suited to him.

[ChandlerBing]

No Bob Simmons doing all that whacking...Lazenby would have done it himself...and for real. The style would've been more realistic, they would have mentioned Tracy, Savalas might have come back as Blofeld...

If only someone would have twisted Lazenby's arm and got him to sign the Goddamned contract, he would have made it just fine.