Summing up James Bond (“The One Who” game)

I actually did this in The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book, but I don’t have the manuscript in front of me, and I thought it would be fun to do it again, fresh. I mean, I may end up repeating myself, but I might not.

Here’s the idea: Each actor who played Bond can be characterized, summed up in a few words. Let’s start with the notion that each actor had something valuable to bring to the role, and not be insulting, and then let’s see where we go.

Sean Connery is the one who…
is Scottish.
Created the role.
Has a lisp.
Kills in cold blood.

George Lazenby is the one who…
is Australian.
Only played Bond once.
Has dimples.
Broke a stuntman’s nose during his audition.

Roger Moore is the one who…
was “a gentleman spy.”
Made more Bond films than anyone else.
Raised one eyebrow.
Was tongue-in-cheek.

Timothy Dalton is the one who…
is Welsh.
Was the “dark Bond.”
Is known for playing villains in numerous movies.
Is the tallest Bond.

Pierce Brosnan is the one who…
is Irish.
Straightens his tie.
Seems like a combination of all his predecessors.
Should have gotten one more chance!

Daniel Craig is the one who…
is blond.
Is the shortest Bond.
Surprised a lot of fans.
Is the “rebooted” Bond.

Your turn!

Judi Dench: Two Ms

Is Judi Dench playing the same character in Casino Royale and the franchise reboot as she played in Pierce Brosnan’s films? True, she played M in all five, but M is a job title. Is she the same person?

In Brosnan’s films, she was a “bean counter” who was promoted into the position of M (code name for the head of MI6) just prior to the post-title opening of GoldenEye. Bond distrusted her because she didn’t have an MI6 background. She says

You don’t like me, Bond. You don’t like my methods. You think I’m an accountant, a bean counter who’s more interested in my numbers than your instincts.

She also specifically dislikes Bond because he’s a “relic of the Cold War.”

In Casino Royale, M has a very different attitude:

In the old days if an agent did something that embarrassing he’d have a good sense to defect. Christ, I miss the Cold War.

It’s counter-intuitive to think that the same actress is playing the same character as two different people in different movies, but I think that’s the case. In interviews, Martin Campbell acknowledged that it didn’t make sense to have Bond “meet the new boss” in GoldenEye, and then be promoted by that boss in Casino Royale. But Dame Judi was just too good to let go of. The writing for M in CR took no account of the M in the past four movies; she’s tougher and more military.

It’s a unique situation in the Bond films, and an interesting one. Thank goodness it’s Dame Judi bringing her gifts to these complex characters!

Happy Birthday Michael Madsen

Rumored to have been the introduction of a recurring character in Die Another Day, he lost the reboot lottery, to the relief of many fans.