As much as I was disappointed by Moore's Bond (I just couldn't buy him as a real assassin - a detective like in The Saint, or even if he had played someone like Tanner - yes, but not a professional government killer), I think the writers and producers were just as at fault for following the latest trends in films and pop culture and injecting them into the plots. It they would have actually stuck close to the real Moonraker plot or if they would have thrown out the silly plot contriveances (like Moore dressed as a clown in Octopussy) or knocked off the Monty Python/Benny Hill type scenes (the German locals giving him a lift to the payphone, characters like Jaws, etc), it would have served Moore better and I could have admired the films more.
Octopussy, while not as good as For Your Eyes Only but decent enough of a film, should've been Moore's last film. Him riding off into the sunset was perfect.
its really hard to say I am not a huge fan of RM but those are "his" Bonds. If I had my choice now MR should have been his last it was wayyyyy over the top and ruined the Jaws villain that made TSWLM RMs best Bond. But with that said RM was my Bond when I was a child. Being born in '74 RM was my hero until I got older and SC replaced him. So I dont think any of the Bonds should be changed they are our history from RM telling a tiger to "sittttt!" to TD fighting drug dealers in Miami
BIG TAMWrexham, North Wales, UK.Posts: 773MI6 Agent
I like Roger Moore very much. He gets undue stick & is somewhat under-rated. That said, though he acquits himself well enough in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, I still feel Dalton should have been Bond in that film. And Anthony Quinn should have played Kristatos!
In terms of Roger Moore's legacy, it would have been better if he called it quits after Octopussy. In my opinion, a highly entertaining film with one of his best performances as Bond. Examples being the backgammon scene, the scenes with Octopussy, and the confrontation with General Orlov. Roger also played his part in seeing off the threat of Sean Connery and Never Say Never Again.
I am generally happy the way things turned out, though certain things should obviously have been done better. I wish better judgement was made regarding the sillier aspects of the humour in his films. The same kind of judgement that left out the magic carpet ride in the final cut of The Living Daylights. And I wish the script for A View To A Kill had been more tailored to suit an ageing Bond.
Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
I never found anything wrong with Roger's old age in AVTAK, it was kinda interesting to see an older James Bond.
BIG TAMWrexham, North Wales, UK.Posts: 773MI6 Agent
Moore looks awful in OCTOPUSSY. He'd obviously made no effort whatsoever to get in shape for the role. His wandering around with Maud Adams at Octopussy's palace has him sporting a massive gut with half-mast trousers & his waistband tucked under his tits. I always laugh when I see it.
He actually looked better (well, a bit slimmer at least) in the next one, though the make-up & eye-liner made him look embalmed, especially in his scene with Moneypenny.
To me, this is what a final Bond movie looks like, last adventure, save the day & retire. Moore looked fine for a Bond that's not still in his 40's any more. -{
I think Rog should have stopped after MR. Two main reasons for this:
1. He aged rapidly between MR and FYEO. There was only a 2 year gap between the films but he looked like he had aged about 10.
2. With the return to a more realistic movie after MR, FYEO would have been a perfect vehicle to introduce Dalton. We might have been spared the 'I'll buy you a etc.' line in the PCS and the Thatchers at the end.
With Dalton in the role OP could have been a tense cold war thriller and in AVTAK Mayday would not have had to turn into a goodie and we could have got a good finale fight between her and Bond.
2. With the return to a more realistic movie after MR, FYEO would have been a perfect vehicle to introduce Dalton.
More Dalton would have been a good thing....
More Dalton would have been a good thing between 1989 - 1995.
It is a real shame the legal problems prevented Timothy Dalton from appearing in more Bond films. But don't just assume that he would have replaced Roger Moore any time after Moonraker. He may not have been available for one thing. At the time, there were other candidates who could have become Bond given the right circumstances. They included James Brolin, Ian Ogilvy and Lewis Collins.
Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
If not sooner. Look Roger was a great and beloved Bond no doubt. I just think seeing him as Bond after even say TSWLM is just..... annoying? Hmmm can't choose a good word, but I would have liked if another actor had stepped in to play Bond in the early 80s.
That being said I think FYEO and Octopussy are amazing Bond films and AVTAK is great too. It's just seeing old Grandpa Bond saving the world and sleeping with babes less than half his age is a bit.... odd.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
To answer the question posed in the title of this thread: Yes.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
My absolute favourite Bond film is OP, and for the entirety of my first viewing of it, I NEVER once thought of Moore's age - not one bit (Come to think of it, I didn't think about it when watching AVTAK, either)!!! 8-)
However, AVTAK is definitely a poor film any way you look at it, and Moore really should have left after he did OP.
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
It's odd in today's terms, because action stars look so young these days. Moore seems a lot older now than he did back then. Oddly, I felt sentimental towards him as a teenager in 1985, more indulgent than I might feel today in a similar situation.
It's odd in today's terms, because action stars look so young these days. Moore seems a lot older now than he did back then. Oddly, I felt sentimental towards him as a teenager in 1985, more indulgent than I might feel today in a similar situation.
The older leading male was pretty common in films from the 1950's onwards, starting with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, John Wayne, etc. So, by the time Roger Moore became James Bond he wasn't seen as odd at all, he even looked young. By the mid-1980's things had changed. A new younger generation of actors had emerged and the physical/action stakes had been raised.
I grew up with Roger Moore (The Saint, The Persuaders, James Bond) so I will always relate and feel sentiment towards him. If I were growing up any time from the mid-1980's onwards it's very unlikely that I would relate in the same way and feel the sentiment that I do.
Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
...saw AVTAK and didn't think anything about his age, in fact age suited him well.
Halcon, I am 52 this year, and I don't fancy hanging about on a rope being banged into a bridge... I can fight & shoot well, but I leave the acrobatic stuff to the kids, thank you. I've done stunts in movies, so I'm no novice to getting hurt, but after 50 is generally where I draw the line for a believable Bond bouncing back from punishment so readily. )
I love Octopussy, but really, that was pushing it IMHO. :007)
Comments
I am generally happy the way things turned out, though certain things should obviously have been done better. I wish better judgement was made regarding the sillier aspects of the humour in his films. The same kind of judgement that left out the magic carpet ride in the final cut of The Living Daylights. And I wish the script for A View To A Kill had been more tailored to suit an ageing Bond.
He actually looked better (well, a bit slimmer at least) in the next one, though the make-up & eye-liner made him look embalmed, especially in his scene with Moneypenny.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
1. He aged rapidly between MR and FYEO. There was only a 2 year gap between the films but he looked like he had aged about 10.
2. With the return to a more realistic movie after MR, FYEO would have been a perfect vehicle to introduce Dalton. We might have been spared the 'I'll buy you a etc.' line in the PCS and the Thatchers at the end.
With Dalton in the role OP could have been a tense cold war thriller and in AVTAK Mayday would not have had to turn into a goodie and we could have got a good finale fight between her and Bond.
Daltonfanboyisall
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
More Dalton would have been a good thing between 1989 - 1995.
It is a real shame the legal problems prevented Timothy Dalton from appearing in more Bond films. But don't just assume that he would have replaced Roger Moore any time after Moonraker. He may not have been available for one thing. At the time, there were other candidates who could have become Bond given the right circumstances. They included James Brolin, Ian Ogilvy and Lewis Collins.
But then, only a handful of people on the planet seem to like that one anyway... :007)
(I'm one)
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
That being said I think FYEO and Octopussy are amazing Bond films and AVTAK is great too. It's just seeing old Grandpa Bond saving the world and sleeping with babes less than half his age is a bit.... odd.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
But then again, I seem to be one of the few AVTAK lovers... I still seriously can't see why so many hate it.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
However, AVTAK is definitely a poor film any way you look at it, and Moore really should have left after he did OP.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The older leading male was pretty common in films from the 1950's onwards, starting with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, John Wayne, etc. So, by the time Roger Moore became James Bond he wasn't seen as odd at all, he even looked young. By the mid-1980's things had changed. A new younger generation of actors had emerged and the physical/action stakes had been raised.
I grew up with Roger Moore (The Saint, The Persuaders, James Bond) so I will always relate and feel sentiment towards him. If I were growing up any time from the mid-1980's onwards it's very unlikely that I would relate in the same way and feel the sentiment that I do.
...saw AVTAK and didn't think anything about his age, in fact age suited him well.
I love Octopussy, but really, that was pushing it IMHO. :007)
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS