The One And Done James Bond
In a quote the other day, former “James Bond,” Pierce Brosnan, weighed in on the current and future portrayer of “Agent 007.” While giving praise for Daniel Craig’s ongoing interpretation of the character (“he looks like he could kill a man”), he gave a thumbs up to the rumor of Tom Hardy being the next British super spy.
Time for some full disclosure. I LOVE “James Bond.” I’ve read every novel ever written by Ian Fleming (at least twice) and owned all of the John Gardner books in hardback. And the movies? My very first “grown up” movie that I was taken to was “The Spy Who Loved Me.” I own EVERY one of the fims and have seen them all at least 20 times apiece over the years.
My passion for the character and Brosnan’s quote got me thinking about my favorite Bond(s) and Bond movies. So for the next several days, I’m gonna give you-in no particular order-my fave 007 entries.
I’m gonna start with one that is always in my top 2 or 3 at worst…and it’s one that most never mention on a Bond list: “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”
Following five iconic outings as the original (and most consider, best) Bond, Sean Connery “retired” from the role. Some of the people offered the part included future Bond, Roger Moore (he would take the part 4 years later), and American Adam West. That’s right, “Batman” was offered-and turned down-the part of James Bond.
Eventually, the role was given to an Austalian model and first time actor, George Lazenby. Incredibly, HE quit the series after this one film-afraid of being typecast, although the producers wanted him back for the next film “Diamonds Are Forever”-despite the fact that it made less money than Connery’s last outing, “You Only Live Twice” (although OHMSS was still one of the year’s top box office films). Talk about a stupid career move…tell me how many times you’ve seen George Lazenby since?
In the area of critical commentary, to me…Lazenby was more like the book Bond, than Connery. The fight scenes he filmed were really great. Also, the snow and bobsled chase scenes filmed in this movie were ground-breaking, and still awesome to watch by today’s standards. The script was solid with seveal different story arcs. Co-stars Diana Rigg (“Emma Peel” of “The Avengers” British TV show) and Tele Savalas (“Kojak”) were more than solid and accomplished co-stars. The only problem? This is a love story at its core. This is when James Bond, while taking on his arch-villain, falls in love and marries his beloved Theresa DiVincenzo (Tracy-played by Rigg)-only to have her life taken, tragically, moments after their wedding. OHMSS required a real actor, and as I mentioned, this was Lazenby’s first real role. I have always felt if Connery had done this movie, it would be regarded as the best in the series.
That being said, it is STILL a huge favorite of mine that I watch at least twice a year. If you’ve never seen “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” it’s definitely worth a download/rental.
