On the occasion of 60th anniversary of the death of Ian Fleming We review the lives and works of the six James Bonds who, over the course of 25 films, have made cinema history… With successes, incredible gadgets and the occasional blunder.
Sean Connery
It was the first and, for many, He remains the eternal James BondFrom 1962 to 1971, Connery played the British agent in the service of Her Majesty on six occasions with films marked by the beginning of the Cold War: ‘Agent 007 meets Dr. No’ (1962), ‘From Russia with Love’ (1963), ‘Goldfinger’ (1964), ‘Operation Thunderball’ (1965), ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967) and ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971). Connery would return to the character once more in the film ‘Never Say Never Again’ which is not part of the canon and wears a creepy toupee. Although his Bond is evidently inspired by Fleming’s character, Connery had the honor of molding him to his liking, laying the foundations of an iconic character, referee of elegance, cold, methodical, handsome, arrogant and scoundrel with women. Today he remains irresistible in his Aston Martin DB5.
George Lazenby
It was the fault of a clumsy and self-important manager that Lazenby played the British agent only once. And the truth is that On Her Majesty’s Service (1969) is a splendid and entertaining film that, for many fans of the saga, is on the podium of the best James Bond films. Australian by birth and exaggeratedly young (29 years old), The character that Lazenby built was less solemn and attractive than that of Connery and his contribution to Ian Fleming’s universe remains purely anecdotal. He never had charisma, arrogance or attractiveness, but he is still 007.
Connery, during his years as James Bond.
Roger Moore
Sympathetic, ironic and less solemn than Connery, Roger Moore’s James Bond made the funniest secret agent yet. With the same number of defenders as detractors, the main but that was put to Moore was the age at which he began to play the character, 46 years old. We saw him in the skin of the spy on seven occasions: ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973), ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (1974), ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977), ‘Moonraker’ (1979), ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981), ‘Octopussy’ (1983), ‘A View to a Kill’ (1985). Handsome, elegant, womanizer and lethal, Moore left the character at 58 years old at the height of his popularity.
Timothy Dalton
He was the actor who, surely, came closest to the Bond that Fleming wrote in his novels. Dalton’s character gave a fundamental twist to the character, turning him into a lethal, efficient and violent man. In addition, With this Bond, the main theme of Monty Norman was slightly changed for the first time and the plots revolve more around big enemies. of the state like the Soviet Union and drug dealers instead of more typical villains as in the previous films. Although he was offered to play 007 in ‘Licence to Kill’ (Lazenby’s) and ‘Goldeneye’ (Brosnan’s), the truth is that he only got into the skin of the British agent on two occasions: ‘007: The Living Daylights’ (1987) and ‘Licence to Kill’ (1989). He was a very bad actor.
Pierce Brosnan
He is possibly the most elegant and irresistibly handsome of all the Bonds there have been. His arrival in the saga was highly publicized after six years without any releases, Brosnan’s films were the first to be a resounding success at the box office and their releases became cinematic events. In addition, His character is more modern, with subplots that have to do with his darker aspects and, as a curiosity, he is the first Bond to bleed and be tortured.thus reducing his aura of a monolithic hero. He is responsible for some of the most relevant action films of the 90s and he played the character on four occasions: ‘Goldeneye’ (1995), ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997), ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999) and ‘Die Another Day’ (2002). As a relevant fact, James Bond has had many watches, but the most emblematic remains the Omega Seamaster that Pierce Brosnan popularized.
Daniel Craig
Dark, violent, aggressive, calculating, with a very evident tormented side, a mysterious past and unresolved traumas, Daniel Craig’s 007 has been, to date, the saga’s riskiest betHis effectiveness in hand-to-hand combat and his complicated relationship with women, initiated in ‘Casino Royale’ with Vesper Lynd, a character from the novels, built an ambivalence that continues to attract a lot of audiences who saw their high expectations met in ‘Casino Royale’ (2006), ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008), ‘Skyfall’ (2012), ‘Spectre’ (2015) and ‘No Time to Die’ (2021) where he is clearly seen to have aged. The five films grossed more than 3.6 billion euros.
His Bond, efficient, ironic and vigorous, has left the door open to possible successorsWill we see a black 007? A female 007? A gay 007? Ian Fleming’s descendants are clear: the essence of the character is not touched, otherwise there is no film. The only thing that Craig’s Bond does not do compared to the others is smoke, but his shaken, unmixed Martini and his tendency to seduce women as part of his mission remain unchanged.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Remember this name, because Everything points to it being the seventh James Bond…
Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
