I find the Connery Bonds to have been impeccably cast, Charles Gray included, with the possible exceptions of Donald Pleasance and Lana Wood. Curiously, both suffer from the same problem, looking their parts more than sounding them. Well, and Norman Burton, who fit the CIA sidekick role for Diamonds are Forever but not as Felix. I'm more impressed with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and I do include Telly Savalas in that assessment.
For the Bonds afterward, i wasn't always crazy about various cast members, but I'm not always sure if it was the fault of the actors versus what they were given to do. For instance, Roy Stewart is unimpressive as Quarrel, Jr., but then the part is horribly underwritten. Pretty much all of the black actors are playing grotesque caricatures. I've seen Lois Chiles in other things, and she isn't terrible, yet she is horribly wooden in Moonraker . . . but then Toshiro Suga exhbits no menace in the same movie -- perhaps the director was at fault. Taliso Soto, on the other hand, was awful all around. John Terry isn't a bad actor either but he played Felix like a gay porn star.
I found the Brosnan Bonds to have the biggest problems. Denise Richards is a lousy actress, but then I found Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to be just as grating if for other reasons. Serena Gordon in Goldeneye still makes me roll eyes. I was not too impressed with any of the villains in those Bonds either, moreso with the henchmen and women, and John Cleese as Q never worked for me -- it seemed more like stunt casting than legitimacy. But then I was pretty disappointed with Brosnan's Bond, after assuming he was a natural. To me, the films never got him right -- he was a better Bond in the Thomas Crown Affair than in any of the Bond movies.
The Craig Bonds have also done an impeccable job with the casts -- for the first time in a long time, it feels like a Bond film has high caliber actors in them instead of models and soap opera types. I just wish the writing on the last two had been more up to snuff.
Oh, I suppose I should note that I found just about everybody in A View to a Kill annoying, as well as Kristina Wayburn in Octopussy . . . and, to me, Robert Brown was a letdown as M.
Oh, I suppose I should note that I found just about everybody in A View to a Kill annoying, as well as Kristina Wayburn in Octopussy . . . and, to me, Robert Brown was a letdown as M.
Whoa whoa whoa!!!! Hold it right there! )
One of the greatest villains of Bond history teamed up with Grace Jones, a fierce and menacing henchwoman!!
Possibly going to stick my head on the chopping block by saying that I really didn't get Toby Stephens in DAD & thought Rosamund Pike was also not right for the role. I found Stephens portrayal too "forced" and far from convincing, whilst RP just didn't grab my attention at all. It almost seemed as if she carried the same facial expression throughout the movie and there was a lack of chemistry between her & anyone else.
I have to admit I must be Crap at spotting Bad acting. I've read many posts of late stating "Wooden" acting
by various actors, I've yet to see any ) , I though Lazenby did a great Job along with Toby Stevens ( Who
I though made a great villain )
An example would be " Agents of Shield " which I love as an easy going fun show, Which I now have to watch
by myself as my Wife thinks it's so over acted she can't watch it. )
I like to point out I'm not saying anyone's opinion is wrong, just that I can't see Bad acting.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
I have to admit I must be Crap at spotting Bad acting. I've read many posts of late stating "Wooden" acting
by various actors, I've yet to see any ) , I though Lazenby did a great Job along with Toby Stevens ( Who
I though made a great villain )
An example would be " Agents of Shield " which I love as an easy going fun show, Which I now have to watch
by myself as my Wife thinks it's so over acted she can't watch it. )
I like to point out I'm not saying anyone's opinion is wrong, just that I can't see Bad acting.
+1, yes, I've always wondered if we have voting members of the Academy Awards trolling here as AJB members. Wooden acting? That's why I love James Bond movies! I once gave my dad a DVD set of WWII movies, in which there were about 20 movies I think, crammed in 2 or 3 discs, and watching these flicks give you great specimens of wooden acting and Bond movies are certainly much, much better. Though you don't normally see the emoting intensity of a Kate Winslet or Cate Blanchet in Bond movies, the visual titillation does more than compensate...maybe if EON had relaxed the family viewing standards and allowed some genuine full frontal nudity, there would be no complaints today about the lack of acting skills!
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
The Craig Bonds have also done an impeccable job with the casts -- for the first time in a long time, it feels like a Bond film has high caliber actors in them instead of models and soap opera types.
I completely agree on that point! -{
"Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
It's all about opinions, hence why we are all here ... Not entirely sure this warrants the "trolling" comment for simply having a viewpoint?! 8-)
Sorry you feel offended, even though I couldn't find an opinion of yours on this thread that I might have contradicted. Apart from actors who were miscast, I think there is some sort of consensus of those who stand out as just plain bad in the acting department, like Denise Richards and Tanya Roberts as mentioned on this thread. Are there any Bond movie castings that you think are wooden? I sincerely want to learn exactly what wooden is, since over the years in so many threads I've seen what seems to be an endless variation of opinions of this or that actor being "wooden" in their role and more often than not, I don't see it and feel embarrassingly inadequate.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
Apart from actors who were miscast, I think there is some sort of consensus of those who stand out as just plain bad in the acting department...
If I read him correctly (and if I haven't, I'm sure he will tell me!) supes has illuminated the central challenge here: what exactly does "miscast" mean?
To me, it means someone who is fundamentally unsuited to the role, irrespective of their acting ability -- hence my nomination of someone like Cec Linder, whose acting was impeccable but who could never be the character Felix should have been. Similarly, it's not as if Denise Richards delivered a poor performance -- the problem was, who could take a busty, short-shortsed babe in her late 20s seriously as a nuclear scientist?
I agree with everyone here who believes Tanya Roberts, Barbara Bach, Kristina Wayborn, etc., delivered poor performances, but that doesn't mean they were unfit for the role. They just didn't deliver.
Put another way...Cec Linder was doomed the minute he was selected, whereas Tanya Roberts, to paraphrase Tiffany Case, had her chance and she blew it.
Cec Linder was initially cast to play the man Goldfinger is beating at cards, and Austin Willis to play Felix. The two swapped parts shortly before shooting.
I thought that Barbara Bach wasn't particularly appropriately cast was a person who was supposed to be a Russian agent. She did not look like she could have killed a fly if she wanted to.
I also agree with the nomination of Charles Gray as Blofeld being a miscast. Maybe part of that perception is due to him having played a Bond ally in You Only Live Twice.
Comments
For the Bonds afterward, i wasn't always crazy about various cast members, but I'm not always sure if it was the fault of the actors versus what they were given to do. For instance, Roy Stewart is unimpressive as Quarrel, Jr., but then the part is horribly underwritten. Pretty much all of the black actors are playing grotesque caricatures. I've seen Lois Chiles in other things, and she isn't terrible, yet she is horribly wooden in Moonraker . . . but then Toshiro Suga exhbits no menace in the same movie -- perhaps the director was at fault. Taliso Soto, on the other hand, was awful all around. John Terry isn't a bad actor either but he played Felix like a gay porn star.
I found the Brosnan Bonds to have the biggest problems. Denise Richards is a lousy actress, but then I found Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to be just as grating if for other reasons. Serena Gordon in Goldeneye still makes me roll eyes. I was not too impressed with any of the villains in those Bonds either, moreso with the henchmen and women, and John Cleese as Q never worked for me -- it seemed more like stunt casting than legitimacy. But then I was pretty disappointed with Brosnan's Bond, after assuming he was a natural. To me, the films never got him right -- he was a better Bond in the Thomas Crown Affair than in any of the Bond movies.
The Craig Bonds have also done an impeccable job with the casts -- for the first time in a long time, it feels like a Bond film has high caliber actors in them instead of models and soap opera types. I just wish the writing on the last two had been more up to snuff.
One of the greatest villains of Bond history teamed up with Grace Jones, a fierce and menacing henchwoman!!
1. GoldenEye 2. Goldfinger 3. Skyfall 4. OHMSS 5. TWINE
by various actors, I've yet to see any
I though made a great villain )
An example would be " Agents of Shield " which I love as an easy going fun show, Which I now have to watch
by myself as my Wife thinks it's so over acted she can't watch it.
I like to point out I'm not saying anyone's opinion is wrong, just that I can't see Bad acting.
+1, yes, I've always wondered if we have voting members of the Academy Awards trolling here as AJB members. Wooden acting? That's why I love James Bond movies! I once gave my dad a DVD set of WWII movies, in which there were about 20 movies I think, crammed in 2 or 3 discs, and watching these flicks give you great specimens of wooden acting and Bond movies are certainly much, much better. Though you don't normally see the emoting intensity of a Kate Winslet or Cate Blanchet in Bond movies, the visual titillation does more than compensate...maybe if EON had relaxed the family viewing standards and allowed some genuine full frontal nudity, there would be no complaints today about the lack of acting skills!
I completely agree on that point! -{
Sorry you feel offended, even though I couldn't find an opinion of yours on this thread that I might have contradicted. Apart from actors who were miscast, I think there is some sort of consensus of those who stand out as just plain bad in the acting department, like Denise Richards and Tanya Roberts as mentioned on this thread. Are there any Bond movie castings that you think are wooden? I sincerely want to learn exactly what wooden is, since over the years in so many threads I've seen what seems to be an endless variation of opinions of this or that actor being "wooden" in their role and more often than not, I don't see it and feel embarrassingly inadequate.
To me, it means someone who is fundamentally unsuited to the role, irrespective of their acting ability -- hence my nomination of someone like Cec Linder, whose acting was impeccable but who could never be the character Felix should have been. Similarly, it's not as if Denise Richards delivered a poor performance -- the problem was, who could take a busty, short-shortsed babe in her late 20s seriously as a nuclear scientist?
I agree with everyone here who believes Tanya Roberts, Barbara Bach, Kristina Wayborn, etc., delivered poor performances, but that doesn't mean they were unfit for the role. They just didn't deliver.
Put another way...Cec Linder was doomed the minute he was selected, whereas Tanya Roberts, to paraphrase Tiffany Case, had her chance and she blew it.
Just my opinion.
I thought that Barbara Bach wasn't particularly appropriately cast was a person who was supposed to be a Russian agent. She did not look like she could have killed a fly if she wanted to.
I also agree with the nomination of Charles Gray as Blofeld being a miscast. Maybe part of that perception is due to him having played a Bond ally in You Only Live Twice.
You are a very Naughty boy.