The FORTRESS of SOLITUDE

 Anonymous

I do like James bond although I seemed to have got into it later than most. I have to admit I do like the early bond movies though. And against popular opinion I think Rodger Moore was one of the best bonds simply because of him being "typically English". I guess all the polls show Sean Connery as the best but he didn't float my boat in any way. Sorry all you Connery supporters!

 SeangSTM

I think every actor who has portrayed Bond was of the time in which the movie was made. They all brought something different to the table.

Sean Connery, IMO, had the least work to do since he was simply establishing the character. Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, Craig and (especially) Lazenby had to do the same thing as Sean, but differently.

I think Moore is the most enjoyable to watch if for no other reason than he was CLEARLY having the most fun playing the part. Dalton provided some much needed grittiness when Bond as a franchise had begun to sag. Brosnan, my least favourite, I think went into it assuming he could sleepwalk through the role since everyone and their dog always thought he'd be the best. He made little effort, IMO. Craig is trying something different, which I really like.

As for Lazenby, being the first actor to take over for Connery couldn't have been easy by any stretch. Also, his complete lack of acting experience (save a stint in the Fry Chocolate adverts) made him an easy target. And, let's face it, he's really just doing a Sean Connery impression through most of the film. It's the tender moments, though, like the night in the stable when he asks Tracy to marry him, as well as the entire last act of the film in which Lazenby really shines. Of all the missed opportunities in Bond (semi-recurring female leads, recurring villains, etc), the most unfortunate was that Lazenby didn't make a second film. He says his management quit on his behalf, the producers say they fired him, but I think the truth lies somewhere in between (as cliched as that sounds).