THE ROGER MOORE THREAD-The Funny Bond

James Suzuki

I am aware that there has been a few of these types of threads lately with the OHMSS one and the Fleming purist thread and I want to start by making one about good old Roger. My favourite Bond film is Skyfall, second is FYEO...
Ripped apart about his age in the later films of his, and for Moonraker; this thread is all about him.
News, pictures...etc. Try to keep this thread relativity clean from arguements, trolls though I do encourage the odd friendly debate. (Feel free to make a Dalton thread etc)... Hopefully some people join into this thread, Moore Than (the most Moore-loving member I can think of) and Jarvio (The most AVTAK loving member I can think of)

Moore Than

Any appreciation for Roger is always welcome as far as I am concerned. I grew up watching him in The Saint and The Persuaders TV series and was already a fan before he became James Bond. That was the icing on the cake.

As far as news goes. Roger received an Honorary Doctorate at St Albans Abbey last Wednesday. He is quoted: "For an absolute illiterate, it's a great honour."

Sir Roger Moore receives Honorary Doctorate at St Albans Abbey
http://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/sir_roger_moore_receives_honorary_doctorate_at_st_albans_abbey_1_1702362



Roger recently visited the Howard Stern Show to promote his new book Bond on Bond. Here is a link to the interview.

Howard Stern Show: Sir Roger Moore Interview 11/13/12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCbWkhUOGs

Also, Roger's appearance as host of Have I Got News for You is available on the BBC iPlayer until next Friday.

Luke

The man has always had a great sense of humor about himself during interviews. He's not my favorite Bond, but I find him charming and great company whenever the world starts to grow cloudy.

He was also the first actor I saw take up the role. LALD was my first Bond, and like your first kiss, its never something you quite get over. ;%

BluntInstrument

The first Bond film I ever saw was TSWLM - I absolutely loved it, and remember videotaping it off the TV, watching it at least fifty times over before the tape disintegrated! It's still there in my all time top 5, and as a result I still have a lot of time for Sir Rog.

Whilst he's not my favourite in the role, he's certainly not my least favourite either, and I think all us Bond fans owe him a massive debt of gratitude for keeping the film series alive.

Respect, Sir Roger!

AdamOmega

Sir Roger is, and will likely be, my absolute favorite Bond. I was born in the 1990's with Pierce Brosnan as Bond, yet it was Roger Moore's portrayal that I found particularly admirable. His Bond is the consummate gentleman; charming, romantic, yet able to hold his own in a fight. His brand of Bond preferred wits over weapons, love over conflict, and when he delivered those one-liners he really hit the nail on the head. Moore played a wonderfully deceptive Bond; as he pointed out with that particular fish in Stromberg's aquarium in The Spy Who Loved Me, "handsome but deadly".

There is a popular criticism that Moore holds nothing over Connery, yet when push came to shove, Octopussy emerged the unsung hero over Never Say Never Again in 1983. Moore proved that Bond didn't have to be restricted to balled-up-fists and ruthlessness, and it was his refusal to imitate Sean Connery that contributed to his success in the role. Certainly there have been many great actors to play Bond in the last fifty years, but Moore will always be the one I look up to.

-{

James Suzuki

Moore leaves the other Bond's for dead when it comes to getting girls and one-liners

AdamOmega

Not enough Moore on the forum, my friends! It's been four days too long, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling again. -{

How would you rank the Roger Moore Bond films in order? For me:

1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. Live and Let Die
3. For Your Eyes Only
4. Octopussy
5. The Man With The Golden Gun
6. Moonraker
7. A View To A Kill

To be perfectly honest, I enjoy all of them; even the ones at the bottom of my list get a marginal recommendation in spite of their shortcomings.

P.S. If anyone thinks they can convince me that AVTAK is his best film, I'm all ears.

ausbondfan

Roger and Lazenby are my 2 favorite Bond's.

Roger oozes charisma in his first 2-3 films as he gets older he loses bits of his charm and is seen as "old" but those first few were really good.

I also like the fact that him and Lazenby are the only two Bond's who seem to make themselves available to the public and you have to respect a man who has such respect for everyone as Sir Roger does.

Moore Than

Just watched a video featuring interviews that Roger gave on the set of The Spy Who Loved Me. Something he said pretty much encapsulates why I regard him and his films so favourably.

"I try to make films that are entertaining. My own feelings are, if there's a message to be sent then you can send it better by post. Apart from that, people have enough problems in the world without going and seeing them on the screen. It's better they should escape from the hum drum normal existence into the world of fantasy and relax."

Another reason why I regard him so highly is the way he conducts himself in public. He is always immaculate, well dressed, charming, witty and self-deprecating. He's a great ambassador for the Bond series, and especially Unicef. He puts many so called celebrities to shame.

Thunderpussy

Like others here I Love Sir Roger. A true Gentleman and a Better
Actor that some think.
I grew up watching him on TV as a kid and his popularity spaned the generations.
I still remember Myself, My much older Brothers and Parents on a sunday
afternoon watching the persuaders.
I agree with his quote :

"I try to make films that are entertaining. My own feelings are, if there's a message to be sent then you can send it better by post. Apart from that, people have enough problems in the world without going and seeing them on the screen. It's better they should escape from the hum drum normal existence into the world of fantasy and relax."

I live in the real world so I'd much rather a little escapism )

"You shouldn't take life too seriously, you never get out of it alive. "

Halcon

Luke wrote:

The man has always had a great sense of humor about himself during interviews. He's not my favorite Bond, but I find him charming and great company whenever the world starts to grow cloudy.

My feelings exactly. I rate him second after Connery and if it wasn't for FRWL, Roger would very well be my fave.

Funny because the last Bond films i saw were Roger's. I came into the Bond series with Goldeneye, from there i went to Connery's films, then Dalton's, always hearing that Roger's take was a spoof of the character.

Lo and behold i then watch TSWLM, and the Bond series has never been the same for me thereafter.

Silhouette Man

I'm a Fleming purist (as you know) but it doesn't stop me from being a John Gardner and Roger Moore fan - you're right - deceptively handsome, but deadly...

Jimmy Bond

While I'm not the biggest Moore Bond fan (I think his films are synonymous with the series' dark age), I am a Moore fan. I love the guy, even when I don't agree with him always. He's really the best man of all the people who played him, and I guess that shows in his UNICEF work.

Anyway, I do think he's not the reason the films of his might've been lacklustre or intended to be silly. Sure, he was hilarious, but he was also a good actor, and that shows in his best efforts as Bond, namely TSWLM, FEYO and OP. He COULD have played a Bond closer to Ian Fleming's creation, but that didn't happen for a lot of reasons, and maybe that was for the best, at the time. And if nothing else, his films have always been entertaining, even in their terrible--ness (well, mostly).

I will not, however, go easy on him as far as AVTAK goes. He clearly should have left after OP, a great entry for him to leave, but where he started to show his age dramatically. In AVTAK, there was no way to take him seriously - whereas in 1983, Moore could pass as the same age as Connery in NSNA, and thats commendable for him, he looked so aged in AVTAK that there seemingly was no effort to hide it at all. On top of that, Moore was playing through the motions, making his farewell turn a sad affair.

Other than that, super guy!

AdamOmega wrote:

How would you rank the Roger Moore Bond films in order?

For me, it goes something like this:

1. For Your Eyes Only
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Octopussy
4. Live and Let Die
5. Moonraker
6. The Man With The Golden Gun
7. A View To A Kill

The first four are, I think, his best efforts. Classic Moore - seriousness, with a touch of OTT humor here-and-there. MR is an overbudgeted, overproduced spoof, but enjoyable in a campy sort-of way. TMWTGG and, especially AVTAK, are trite affairs.

Halcon

Jimmy Bond,

I'll have to disagree with you my friend. There was too much money being offerred to him for AVTAK, any man in his right mind would of said "talk about EASY money, sign me up". Plus, he seems to have put in a good effort in the film.

in my opinion -

Octopussy
TSWLM
FYEO
Moonraker
AVTAK
TMWTGG
LALD

Jimmy Bond

Well, thats up to anyone's opinion. Obviously the money was good, and I guess I can't blame him - but, I do blame the producers. Furthermore, instead of taking the chance of showing in the OFFICIAL series how an older Bond would react to situations, they still choose to ignore Moore's obvious aging. Its laughable, no matter what effort put into the film (and I don't think it was that good, IMO).

On the plus side, we agree on the first three choices of your rank, so all is good.

chrisisall

Halcon wrote:

TMWTGG
LALD

Always at the bottom...

AdamOmega

Jimmy Bond wrote:

For me, it goes something like this:

1. For Your Eyes Only
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Octopussy
4. Live and Let Die
5. Moonraker
6. The Man With The Golden Gun
7. A View To A Kill

Fine choices! I think you're absolutely right about the first four... mine are in a slightly different order, but it's good to see some love for For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy, which I still believe were two of the finest Bond films to come out of the 80's.

I'm beginning to think that a repeat viewing of Moonraker will make the bottom three films on my list look like yours; the more I think about it, Moonraker -- in spite of its dire imperfections -- is a far more successful film than The Man With The Golden Gun. This isn't strictly because of the insane amount of money it made, but because the plot and performances are also superior.

James Suzuki

For your eyes only was the first Moore I watched , my favourite moore, my first Bond DVD and currently my second fav film.

Moore Than

A short piece from The Independent in which Roger talks about Skyfall, his favourite music, books, and TV shows.

Cultural Life: Roger Moore, Actor
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/cultural-life-roger-moore-actor-8368141.html

NeverSayDie

1. Moonraker
2. The Man with Golden Gun
3. The Spy who Loved Me
4. Live and Let Die
5. A View to a Kill
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. Octopussy

Ironically that's almost the order I saw them as a child.
I think either FRWL or Tmwtgg was the very first.

I only found out yesterday that Moore was touring with his book
and doing 'Evenings with Roger Moore'. How did i miss that?!?!

Brosnan_fan

My ranking of the Moore films:

1. OP
2. TSWLM
3. FYEO
4. MR
5. LALD
6. TMWTGG
7. AVTAK

I was born in '73, the year of LALD. While Roger Moore isn't my favourite Bond, I am grateful for his entertaining contribution to the Bond franchise, not to mention injecting it with a welcome sense of humour.

Jarvio

Here's how I rank the Moore films:

1 - LALD
2 - AVTAK
3 - OP
4 - FYEO



5 - TMWTGG
6 - TSWLM



7 - MR

The gaps indicate how close they are in terms of rankings.

chrisisall

Jarvio wrote:

Here's how I rank the Moore films:

1 - LALD
2 - AVTAK
3 - OP
4 - FYEO



5 - TMWTGG
6 - TSWLM



7 - MR

The gaps indicate how close they are in terms of rankings.

Wow Jarvio, maybe this should be in the 'most controversial' thread! ) AVTAK so high while TSWLM is so low?

Jarvio

chrisisall wrote:

Jarvio wrote:

Here's how I rank the Moore films:

1 - LALD
2 - AVTAK
3 - OP
4 - FYEO



5 - TMWTGG
6 - TSWLM



7 - MR

The gaps indicate how close they are in terms of rankings.

Wow Jarvio, maybe this should be in the 'most controversial' thread! ) AVTAK so high while TSWLM is so low?

If there's anyone with a controversial list it's certainly me )

Obviously I love AVTAK, think it's underrated etc yada yada.
With TSWLM, I think it's a good film. But I'm a bit of a Moore lover and to be honest love all his films except for MR. With TSWLM, I thought Stromberg (whilst having some really good moments) was overall a weak villain.

chrisisall

Mine would be:

1 - TMWTGG
2 - TSWLM
3 - OP

4 - LALD
5 - FYEO
6 - AVTAK


7 - MR

Jimmy Bond

I'll never understand anyone who likes AVTAK at all. But its nice to have some variety around here.

Jarvio

Jimmy Bond wrote:

I'll never understand anyone who likes AVTAK at all. But its nice to have some variety around here.

Opposite for me, I'll never understand anyone who dislikes it. There's so much to like IMO, and the reasons that people don't like it I have heard all before and still can't see why it's that much of a problem

Colonel Shatner

I have a real soft spot for The Spy Who Loved Me and it worked much better as a campy sci-fi Bond instalment than Die Another Day, while For Your Eyes Only seemed to have fallen between the cracks like License to Kill.

Octopussy and A View to a Kill would've perhaps been more fondly remembered if Roger Moore had packed things in when he hit late middle age. Leading men can still be leading men despite looking rugged and old (look at Sean Connery in the 80s and 90s), however Roger Moore's face seemed to have started to deflate badly and his make up artist should've been fired.

AdamOmega

Colonel Shatner wrote:

Octopussy and A View to a Kill would've perhaps been more fondly remembered if Roger Moore had packed things in when he hit late middle age. Leading men can still be leading men despite looking rugged and old (look at Sean Connery in the 80s and 90s), however Roger Moore's face seemed to have started to deflate badly and his make up artist should've been fired.

IMO he looks fine in Octopussy, and it helps that Maud Adams doesn't appear young enough to be his granddaughter. AVTAK, on the other hand, you've got him facing off against the sprier, sexier combo of Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, and add to that Tanya Roberts as the love interest... I think he does appear quite long in the tooth by this point.

I also think they should have kept his hair shorter around this point, like it was in the first three Moore films; it had a tendency to go out of whack in both Octopussy and A View To A Kill.

AdamOmega

Jimmy Bond wrote:

I'll never understand anyone who likes AVTAK at all. But its nice to have some variety around here.

I think there is lots to like about AVTAK (Walken as Zorin, the theme song, the Golden Gate climax), but the overall result falls short of greatness.

This was also my favorite Bond movie at one point...

Jarvio

I don't even think he looks that old in AVTAK. I'd say he looks about 50. And that's not bad considering he was 57.

Look at Connery - in DAF, he looked late 40's when he was infact 41, and in NSNA he looked about late 50's!

Throughout being bond, Moore aged better than Connery IMO. And a lot better too.