To me, Naomie Harris was the highlight of Skyfall, by far the best actor in the whole movie (along with Judi Dench, of course). Hope it is just the beginning and she will outlast Craig!
I'm curious where they go with Harris as Moneypenny. Much to early to say she's a favorite. I just hope she stays fairly true to the role. Her new background and story is interesting. But I just hope they don't totally change the character.
She is a brilliant actor and a totally new take on the character - in this respect she is much more different from the other Monneypennies than Craig is from other Bonds. I think that if at the end of Spectre (or a subsequent movie) Bond dies and Eve returns to the field as an agent, I won't mid at all!
Samatha Bond! Moneypenny from the Bond films i grew up with.
Lois Maxwell was and always will be the one and only, but the fact that they kept her in the part waaaay too much was just wrong
Connery: Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice Lazenby: O.H.M.S.S. FOREVER!
Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, A View To A Kill Dalton: Licence To Kill
Brosnan: Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies Craig: Casino Royale
I always saw Samantha Bond's Moneypenny as a feisty reflection of Judi Dench's M as she might have been as a younger woman. Samantha Bond's Moneypenny fancied Bond and expressed her feelings as challenging flirtation, much as I imagine a younger M might have done. There were even certain similarities in vocal quality and personal styling between Judi Dench and Samantha Bond, suggestive of this connection between their characters.
Wasn't there a play or film where Dench and Bond played either mother & daughter or the same character at different ages...?
Samatha Bond! Moneypenny from the Bond films i grew up with.
Lois Maxwell was and always will be the one and only, but the fact that they kept her in the part waaaay too much was just wrong
Since she was the same age as Roger Moore, I thought she was the perfect age. But what was her relationship with George Lazenby's Bond? Aunt Moneypenny?
It's going to be difficult for any actress playing Moneypenny to better Lois Maxwell. Her scenes were never long but she played them beautifully. Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell will forever be thought of with great affection to Bond fans and any actor taking on one of those iconic roles will forever be compared to those three tremendous actors -{
It's going to be difficult for any actress playing Moneypenny to better Lois Maxwell. Her scenes were never long but she played them beautifully. Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell will forever be thought of with great affection to Bond fans and any actor taking on one of those iconic roles will forever be compared to those three tremendous actors -{
I don't think people are comparing Ben Whishaw to Desmond Llewelyn, because even though the characters share the same "name" they are by no means the same character. It's easy to compare Robert Brown to Bernard Lee. And I think comparisons can be drawn between Ralph Fiennes and Bernard Lee, but they aren't supposed to be the same character since their Ms stand for different names (Miles Messervy (though only his first name is ever used in the films) and Gareth Mallory).
Agreed! I couldn't stand Samantha Bond, and perhaps the way they wrote her character. All of the other Moneypennys playfully flirt with Bond, whilst Samantha Bond's Moneypenny just seems to dislike Bond. The virtual reality in DAD doesn't make sense compared to everything else we've seen with her. Her Moneypenny is just so poorly written.
Agreed! I couldn't stand Samantha Bond, and perhaps the way they wrote her character. All of the other Moneypennys playfully flirt with Bond, whilst Samantha Bond's Moneypenny just seems to dislike Bond. The virtual reality in DAD doesn't make sense compared to everything else we've seen with her. Her Moneypenny is just so poorly written.
Agreed +1 -{
1. For Your Eyes Only 2. The Living Daylights 3 From Russia with Love 4. Casino Royale 5. OHMSS 6. Skyfall
Agreed! I couldn't stand Samantha Bond, and perhaps the way they wrote her character. All of the other Moneypennys playfully flirt with Bond, whilst Samantha Bond's Moneypenny just seems to dislike Bond. The virtual reality in DAD doesn't make sense compared to everything else we've seen with her. Her Moneypenny is just so poorly written.
Agreed +1 -{
Absolutely. Moneypenny is the girl next door, as they used to say. She and Bond love each other, but not romantically (though Moneypenny keeps hope alive). There's never any doubt that she is in his corner. Anyone who doesn't get this would completely miss the point of both the character and the scenes with her.
Samantha Bond, on the other hand, played it like a smarmy, petulant competitor -- her interactions with Bond were more like she was baiting him into an opportunity to put him in his place. There often seemed to be hostility, not chemistry between them.
Lois Maxwell was cast perfectly. She looks smart and pleasant but not a pushover. She is pretty but not breathtaking, a bit matronly and wise beyond years. Her Moneypenny would never hurt Bond in a million years, even if she is playful.
If they wanted Moneypenny to be an English Lucy Van Pelt, then they cast the right actress. Samantha Bond has a disagreeable, judgmental face. She looks catty. She just seems unpleasant.
The second best Moneypenny is Naomi Harris, who operates somewhere in the middle ground. She seems more youthful than Lois Maxwell's Moneypenny, and is as pretty and smart, but at the same time, she has some elements of Samantha Bond's more contemporary expectations. Yet, one never senses any hostility between Bond and her.
I didn't mind Caroline Bliss. They just never gave her as much to do, so it's harder to see how she compares. But she, too, never seem to exude any negativity toward Bond. That alone makes her a better Moneypenny than S. B. was.
Comments
She is a brilliant actor and a totally new take on the character - in this respect she is much more different from the other Monneypennies than Craig is from other Bonds. I think that if at the end of Spectre (or a subsequent movie) Bond dies and Eve returns to the field as an agent, I won't mid at all!
Lois Maxwell was and always will be the one and only, but the fact that they kept her in the part waaaay too much was just wrong
Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, A View To A Kill Dalton: Licence To Kill
Brosnan: Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies Craig: Casino Royale
Wasn't there a play or film where Dench and Bond played either mother & daughter or the same character at different ages...?
Since she was the same age as Roger Moore, I thought she was the perfect age. But what was her relationship with George Lazenby's Bond? Aunt Moneypenny?
I don't think people are comparing Ben Whishaw to Desmond Llewelyn, because even though the characters share the same "name" they are by no means the same character. It's easy to compare Robert Brown to Bernard Lee. And I think comparisons can be drawn between Ralph Fiennes and Bernard Lee, but they aren't supposed to be the same character since their Ms stand for different names (Miles Messervy (though only his first name is ever used in the films) and Gareth Mallory).
Worst: Samantha Bond
Agreed! I couldn't stand Samantha Bond, and perhaps the way they wrote her character. All of the other Moneypennys playfully flirt with Bond, whilst Samantha Bond's Moneypenny just seems to dislike Bond. The virtual reality in DAD doesn't make sense compared to everything else we've seen with her. Her Moneypenny is just so poorly written.
Agreed +1 -{
Samantha Bond, on the other hand, played it like a smarmy, petulant competitor -- her interactions with Bond were more like she was baiting him into an opportunity to put him in his place. There often seemed to be hostility, not chemistry between them.
Lois Maxwell was cast perfectly. She looks smart and pleasant but not a pushover. She is pretty but not breathtaking, a bit matronly and wise beyond years. Her Moneypenny would never hurt Bond in a million years, even if she is playful.
If they wanted Moneypenny to be an English Lucy Van Pelt, then they cast the right actress. Samantha Bond has a disagreeable, judgmental face. She looks catty. She just seems unpleasant.
The second best Moneypenny is Naomi Harris, who operates somewhere in the middle ground. She seems more youthful than Lois Maxwell's Moneypenny, and is as pretty and smart, but at the same time, she has some elements of Samantha Bond's more contemporary expectations. Yet, one never senses any hostility between Bond and her.
I didn't mind Caroline Bliss. They just never gave her as much to do, so it's harder to see how she compares. But she, too, never seem to exude any negativity toward Bond. That alone makes her a better Moneypenny than S. B. was.