I agree after Connery, I think Craig has had the biggest influence on the
Films more than any actor and I can't see who ever takes over eclipsing
him any time soon.
I think Roger Moore's influence on the series can't be underestimated. Connery was first and he'll probably never be topped. But Roger Moore made as many if not more Bond movies than Connery (if you don't count Never Say Never Again). He had all those humor elements which attempt to make their way into Bond movies since Moore's days and always fall flat. Even if Daniel Craig manages to make as many films as Connery and Moore. His first three films already aren't as strong as those of Connery and Moore. And I don't think the producers are up for or willing to make the big Bond movie anymore.
Ten more minutes of romance, a bit more humor, and dyeing Craig's hair and eyebrows darker would have made Casino Royale as iconic as anything that came before it -- Craig owned the part, but people were so put off by his blond hair and that he wasn't Pierce Brosnan that it became a distraction. That film is going to age very, very well, so that future audiences will see him as Bond as meaningfully as they did Connery or Moore. I agree on the other two films, though.
I think the humour in Craig's films is just about right. There are some great deadpan one liners ("Your interior decorating tips were always very much appreciated, 007" and " I don't think he smoked"), some very sardonic humour ("To the right! to the right!" and "That's because you know what I can do with my little finger") perfectly delivered by Craig, and some humorous situations such as Mendel's arrival when Bond is recuperating, Bond and Fields checking into the second hotel in Bolivia, etc.
Humour is a fine balance in the Bond films and it would be easy to cross the line into parody, which the producers have so far successfully avoided.
The problem, though, is Craig rarefy appears to be having fun. He is often, even with the humor, so stoic that he looks more like the other Terminator than James Bond.
Casino Royale:
DC throwing the keys to the Range Rover over his shoulder after he's crashed it at the Ocean Club
His smile when he sees the Range Rover's driver going loco on video camera and later his smile when he says "Guten abend" to the driver that evening
His verbal sparring with Vesper on the train to Montenegro, and again in the taxi to Royale
QoSg
When he first meets Camille in the car; then the receptionist at the airline in Bregenza; then all his scenes with Fields; and with Mathis's Italian girlfriend... He's having great fun in each of these (wonder what the common denominator is ) )
Skyfall
His dialogue with Moneypenny throughout the film and when he's getting back into the swing of things- he's having fun in each of these scenes...
Admittedly none of these has quite the levity of some of the earlier Bonds but given Bond's job, these moments of fun are maybe more realistic IMO.
Casino Royale:
DC throwing the keys to the Range Rover over his shoulder after he's crashed it at the Ocean Club
His smile when he sees the Range Rover's driver going loco on video camera and later his smile when he says "Guten abend" to the driver that evening
His verbal sparring with Vesper on the train to Montenegro, and again in the taxi to Royale
QoSg
When he first meets Camille in the car; then the receptionist at the airline in Bregenza; then all his scenes with Fields; and with Mathis's Italian girlfriend... He's having great fun in each of these (wonder what the common denominator is ) )
Skyfall
His dialogue with Moneypenny throughout the film and when he's getting back into the swing of things- he's having fun in each of these scenes...
Admittedly none of these has quite the levity of some of the earlier Bonds but given Bond's job, these moments of fun are maybe more realistic IMO.
I'm a big Craig fan, but I'd also be the first to say he rarely, if ever, goes beyond looking almost robotically stoic when it comes to delivering humor. It shows up both in his stare and his impassive features.
The closest he comes to being comfortable -- and therefore Connery-esque -- is in Casino Royale when he is sitting at the gambling table. His face and body actually relaxes, and he has very similar expressions. He looks like he's engaged with the game, but he's also having fun. It's funny that Dalton was harangued so much for not looking like he was having fun, but Craig is far more stoic than even he.
The scripts may create moments of humor for Craig, but I don't think he's mastered them. It's the one element -- besides the dark hair, perhaps -- that keeps him from being the retro, "classic" Bond they seemed to have in mind with his casting.
The levity and fun really is there in Craig-Bond. Just like the dark hair.
If you screw your eyes up and imagine really hard.
) -{
Haha, you know, to be fair, he does have a few more lighter moments in Casino Royale -- it's really the other two films where he seems much more one-note.
There were only two moments in Brosnan's tenure that I didn't like- the too much fun with the remote control BMW right after saying goodbye to Paris, and the underwater tie-straightening. That said, he rocked as hard as any other Bond actor IMO.
Craig's Bond films have made a fortune ( Skyfall, the biggest Bond ever )
So the great general cinema audience like what the Producers are doing.
I don't give much weight to the general audience or the money made. Die Another Day made the most of Pierce Brosnan's movies and it's terrible. I don't think I'll ever watch the whole movie again.
And I still wonder how much of Pierce Brosnan going to the producers and saying I want to do Casino Royale with Tarantino got him fired or whatever happened. Remember as far as he knew he was going to be Bond for another one.
There were only two moments in Brosnan's tenure that I didn't like- the too much fun with the remote control BMW right after saying goodbye to Paris, and the underwater tie-straightening. That said, he rocked as hard as any other Bond actor IMO.
This is the Roger Moore influence. It's the same as that Dalton flying carpet sequence that was thankfully removed. That really shouldn't see the light of day. Even as a extra.
This is the Roger Moore influence. It's the same as that Dalton flying carpet sequence that was thankfully removed. That really shouldn't see the light of day. Even as a extra.
I, too, am really grateful that saner minds prevailed. That deleted scene is awful!
The Brosnan Films were too bogged down in Gadgets, more so then Moores Installments. And am I the only one who kind of wishes that they went with the original Idea for TLD? Acting as a Prequel to DN?
1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
And am I the only one who kind of wishes that they went with the original Idea for TLD? Acting as a Prequel to DN?
I don't think the producers have the guts to make a prequel to Dr. No. It's actually impossible to do now with the rebooted series. I think that's what Tarantino would have done with his version of Casino Royale with Pierce Brosnan. That's a movie I would be curious to see.
Comments
One-liners, and think they got the mix about right in Skyfall. -{
I agree and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't go over that line in Bond 24.
Loads of little moments in his films.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I read and heard that some of that before CR was released, but not much once the finished product hit the screen.
Casino Royale:
DC throwing the keys to the Range Rover over his shoulder after he's crashed it at the Ocean Club
His smile when he sees the Range Rover's driver going loco on video camera and later his smile when he says "Guten abend" to the driver that evening
His verbal sparring with Vesper on the train to Montenegro, and again in the taxi to Royale
QoSg
When he first meets Camille in the car; then the receptionist at the airline in Bregenza; then all his scenes with Fields; and with Mathis's Italian girlfriend... He's having great fun in each of these (wonder what the common denominator is
Skyfall
His dialogue with Moneypenny throughout the film and when he's getting back into the swing of things- he's having fun in each of these scenes...
Admittedly none of these has quite the levity of some of the earlier Bonds but given Bond's job, these moments of fun are maybe more realistic IMO.
Early Connery humor. -{
The closest he comes to being comfortable -- and therefore Connery-esque -- is in Casino Royale when he is sitting at the gambling table. His face and body actually relaxes, and he has very similar expressions. He looks like he's engaged with the game, but he's also having fun. It's funny that Dalton was harangued so much for not looking like he was having fun, but Craig is far more stoic than even he.
The scripts may create moments of humor for Craig, but I don't think he's mastered them. It's the one element -- besides the dark hair, perhaps -- that keeps him from being the retro, "classic" Bond they seemed to have in mind with his casting.
If you screw your eyes up and imagine really hard.
Now, REALLY back on topic:
There were only two moments in Brosnan's tenure that I didn't like- the too much fun with the remote control BMW right after saying goodbye to Paris, and the underwater tie-straightening. That said, he rocked as hard as any other Bond actor IMO.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I don't give much weight to the general audience or the money made. Die Another Day made the most of Pierce Brosnan's movies and it's terrible. I don't think I'll ever watch the whole movie again.
And I still wonder how much of Pierce Brosnan going to the producers and saying I want to do Casino Royale with Tarantino got him fired or whatever happened. Remember as far as he knew he was going to be Bond for another one.
This is the Roger Moore influence. It's the same as that Dalton flying carpet sequence that was thankfully removed. That really shouldn't see the light of day. Even as a extra.
I, too, am really grateful that saner minds prevailed. That deleted scene is awful!
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I don't think the producers have the guts to make a prequel to Dr. No. It's actually impossible to do now with the rebooted series. I think that's what Tarantino would have done with his version of Casino Royale with Pierce Brosnan. That's a movie I would be curious to see.