Eva Green? Just as good as Diana Rigg?
actonsteve
Posts: 299MI6 Agent
I actually find Eva Greens Vesper Lynd as the probably 'Bond girl in waiting' to Ms Riggs crown as best Bond girl of all.
Just as this film creates a complex, multi-layered Bond, it also creates a complex Bond girl. Vesper is not a helpless bimbo, like most of the ‘70’s Bond girls were; nor is she an endlessly quipping, would-be superwoman like some of the ‘90’s Bond girls. She is an intelligent, quick-witted woman who is portrayed with realistic reactions to the events that occur in the movie. Thankfully, Green’s beauty is matched by her acting ability, which helps Vesper to emerge as a fully believable 3-dimensional character. In a film that carries a fair few echoes of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, it’s somehow suitable that Green is not only the best Bond girl since Tracy in that movie... she may well be Tracy’s equal, both in acting and characterization.
Its a brilliantly written role. The stripping down to the bone of "her insecurities hide something that her male colleagues take as arrogance" is a very good piece of writing and could apply to alot of career women today. But there is something more to Vesper. Shes just as armoured as Bond and the armour comes away slowly just like his does. She is enigmatic, secretive. There is always more hidden away. We are intrigued by Vesper and Eva Green has the acting chops to pull it off. And the accent is interesting. I take it to mean a Frenchwoman perhaps brought up in England and retaining abit of both accents. After all, she works for the treasury - she must have been here a while.
I think her and Mads Mikkelsons layered but dangerous Le Chiffre are two of the films outstanding features.
Just as this film creates a complex, multi-layered Bond, it also creates a complex Bond girl. Vesper is not a helpless bimbo, like most of the ‘70’s Bond girls were; nor is she an endlessly quipping, would-be superwoman like some of the ‘90’s Bond girls. She is an intelligent, quick-witted woman who is portrayed with realistic reactions to the events that occur in the movie. Thankfully, Green’s beauty is matched by her acting ability, which helps Vesper to emerge as a fully believable 3-dimensional character. In a film that carries a fair few echoes of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, it’s somehow suitable that Green is not only the best Bond girl since Tracy in that movie... she may well be Tracy’s equal, both in acting and characterization.
Its a brilliantly written role. The stripping down to the bone of "her insecurities hide something that her male colleagues take as arrogance" is a very good piece of writing and could apply to alot of career women today. But there is something more to Vesper. Shes just as armoured as Bond and the armour comes away slowly just like his does. She is enigmatic, secretive. There is always more hidden away. We are intrigued by Vesper and Eva Green has the acting chops to pull it off. And the accent is interesting. I take it to mean a Frenchwoman perhaps brought up in England and retaining abit of both accents. After all, she works for the treasury - she must have been here a while.
I think her and Mads Mikkelsons layered but dangerous Le Chiffre are two of the films outstanding features.
Comments
Diana is still Queen of the Bond girls and would have been fine as Vesper Lynd.But I do think Eva Green totally nailed the insecurity, mysteriousness and sheer enigma of Vesper. Which is what the character is all about.
Another problem I have with Eva's performance is that she marbles her words at times. I've seen the film close to 30 times, and there are still times when I can't understand what she's saying. If anything, she should have just performed with her regular French accent.
Also, upon reflection, I think there are other actresses who probably match the novel character physically much more closely. Rachel McAdams would have been a really good choice for the physical match, and based on what I've seen of her in other films, she has the acting chops to have done a good job. Kate Beckinsale probably would have been good, too: her performance in Pearl Harbor is a good indication of how she could have played Vesper. But I think Eva's performance is good enough so as to not bring down the quality of the film at all.
These aren't contentions that lower my opinion of the film: no film is perfect, and CR is still my favorite Bond film. But I would have presented Vesper much differently.
As for Beckinsale, that may have worked.
But I loved Eva, and I think she was perfect. Strong yet vulnerable.
{[]I'll drink to that. Dame Diana is definitely one of the all-time great actresses, as well as seriously babe-a-licious back in the day when she wore those skintight leathers. In fact, after getting to know her as Emma Peele, she was a little hard to swallow as a suicide case in OHMSS. Frankly, in a fight with Lazenby, I wouldn't count her out. Not really, of course, but there's just nothing weak-looking about her. But Tracy was at least an interesting role and she did a nice job. As for Vesper. I think Eva's youth worked in her favor and helped put across that insecure, nervous quality.
Really curious to see what happens with Bond 22, if they revert back to (what unfortunaely has become) the more traditional Bond girl. But I kinda think not, P&W came up with some interesting variations during the Brosnan years, even if the execution was a bit stiff. They should be able to build on those experiences and come up with a character close to Vesper's quality. IMHO, and well, hopefully.
Exactly. This is an age old, never to be solved question which will haunt Bond fans for millenia.
Though we all know Diana Rigg is the best
@merseytart
Perfectly true. After Honor Blackman, of course
That's fighting talk, mister
@merseytart
{[] All right, Barbel. Me too. Honor was scorching hot. More of a "Bond woman" than "Bond girl." I've been hooked ever since that close-shave line -- and I didn't even shave at the time. What was it about The Avengers that produced such great actresses for the Bond films? Patrick McNee must feel pretty smug, figuring he had 'em first.
{[] All right, Barbel. Me too. Honor was scorching hot. More of a "Bond woman" than "Bond girl." I've been hooked ever since that close-shave line -- and I didn't even shave at the time. What was it about The Avengers that produced such great actresses for the Bond films. Patrick McNee must feel pretty smug, figuring he had 'em first.
Linda Thorson. No, I don't think she did. Joanna Lumley, from 'The New Avengers' is in OHMSS, but I'm pretty certain Thorson never did.
No problem; let's put Honor and Diana in a boxing ring, have them strip off and fight it out...:))
Excuse me, I'm having difficulty seeing the screen now.
Of course, you're right. Faithful to the novel, naturally B-).
What a good idea. Just make sure that mud is involved to give the fight extra credibility.
It's not "that" which I have a problem with, necessarily, as long as the iciness portrayed specifically as a defense mechanism to not get involved. I see this in the literary Vesper.
The big problem I have with her iciness is that they used it, in part, to convey some sort of arrogance. In the train, she comes across as someone who clearly thinks very highly of herself and her abilities, and she comes across at times as some chip-on-her-shoulder femini-Nazi. (A term terms for which I owe much gratitude to Rush Limbaugh) I don't think Vesper was anything near that, and I certainly wouldn't say she comes across as some master professional. I think doing this with Eva takes away some of her vulnerability, which is critical. The ladies will be ****ed with my chauvinistic attitude, but oh well: I like blondes.
But as I said, this aspect of her presentation doesn't lessen my enjoyment of CR at all. But if they had gone somewhere else in the train scene, it may have been that much better.
It's not the chauvanistic attitude that bothers me as much as you quoting Rush Limbaugh. You lost me when you used that fool's phrasing.
I also agree with Fish, Vesper was giving back exactly what Bond had just dished out. And hers hit much more of a nerve. That's the chance you take when you judge someone like he did. I thought that was a really great scene.