Timothy Dalton. Best actor to play Bond?

jonnybond78

Does anyone agree that Dalton was the best actor to play bond. However maybe his intense acting style was a bit too much for the casual fan. I beleive every Actor to play Bond can act a bit. Even the much maligned Moore, (see the monologue to Anya in TSWLM). But I think Dalton is tops.

Absolutely_Cart

Since Dalton portrayed Bond for only 3 years, only did 2 movies and neither of them smashed box office records, he remains one of the more obscure Bonds. But among people who have watched all the films, there tends to be a lot of respect toward Dalton, and there's a chunk of 007 fans (I'll guess 10%) who have Dalton as their favorite.

Dalton's personally in my top 2 or 3, next to Craig.

Absolutely_Cart

Dalton had a lot of strengths. He portrayed an energetic, visceral Bond, dark, with a bit of personal baggage, a sense of restlessness and dedication toward his mission. Dalton sometimes came off as socially awkward, not a tender lover like Craig and Brosnan were and socially not at ease. Perhaps these traits were closer to Fleming's Bond than Connery's Bond, but they turned off many viewers.

chrisisall

Dalton was da man. No on has done Bond better (Connery was as good in his first two).

jonnybond78

Dalton isn't my favourite Bond. As it happens, I judge each film individually. Rather than a favourite actor. But I think on pure acting ability he is the best!

Absolutely_Cart

I don't think he immersed himself in the role as well as some of the others, but in terms of the PORTRAYAL of the character he was excellent.

hot crossed bond

Dalton is purely a stage actor! doesn't come across well on screen 8-)

chrisisall

hot crossed bond wrote:

Dalton is purely a stage actor! doesn't come across well on screen 8-)

Have you seen him in any other flims or TV?
I didn't think so. )
He did Bond the way he saw him in the novels. And he nailed it. I can see not liking his Bond though. So Fleming-y....

Absolutely_Cart

@hot_crossed_bond

I do have to agree somewhat. Dalton's Bond was in some sense immersion-breaking. He wasn't fully transparent. At some moments, I felt like he was an actor portraying Bond rather than Bond himself. It didn't come natural to Dalton, but at the same time I wouldn't say transparency is everything there is to be a good actor. It was an effortful performance for him, but a performance I really enjoyed though.

hot crossed bond

chrisisall wrote:

hot crossed bond wrote:

Dalton is purely a stage actor! doesn't come across well on screen 8-)

Have you seen him in any other flims or TV?
I didn't think so. )
He did Bond the way he saw him in the novels. And he nailed it. I can see not liking his Bond though. So Fleming-y....

yes he was spanking in beautician and the beast! )

Absolutely_Cart

Don't forget Dalton's third outing as the British spy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWHzdVNatg

)

chrisisall

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

Don't forget Dalton's third outing as the British spy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWHzdVNatg

)

I love that movie! -{

hot crossed bond

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

Don't forget Dalton's third outing as the British spy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWHzdVNatg

)

cover fire...

TheQBranch

For me its a toss up between Dalton and Craig for being the most accurate and true to Ian Fleming's source material. Physically, Dalton is very close to what Fleming described Bond as in the novels.

chrisisall

TheQBranch wrote:

For me its a toss up between Dalton and Craig for being the most accurate and true to Ian Fleming's source material.

No toss up for me; as great an actor as Craig is, he's doing his own version. Tim shot for dead center Fleming, and came (so far) the closest of all.

Gassy Man

Connery remains the best. He isn't iconic simply because he was first but because he owned the character. And he wasn't just being Sean Connery.

chrisisall

Gassy Man wrote:

Connery remains the best. He isn't iconic simply because he was first but because he owned the character. And he wasn't just being Sean Connery.

It's nice to see dedication like that Gassy. You & Blackleiter are awesome in your steadfast solidarity. :x

Absolutely_Cart

Connery knew the right time to quit but did 3 more movies anyway.

Higgins

Another praise-feast thread for the Timboys.

Would be great for any psycholocial research re. denial

The_Commander

Good as Dalton was, he was simply too smiley to convince me that he was the gentleman spy portrayed in the books. He's either grinning ear to ear or got his concerned and earnest face on (usually when doing his own stunts, hats off to him for that). Coupled with some very questionable production calls (his co-stars were not the best in either of his outings, neither was the occasional use of cheesy humour) makes him a bit wishy-washy in my view.

Physically, he was on the money (maybe if his hair was flatter, he'd have been spot on - remember the black comma referred to so many times in the books), but for me Craig and Connery are up there above Dalton.

Higgins

The_Commander wrote:

He's either grinning ear to ear or got his concerned and earnest face on (usually when doing his own stunts, hats off to him for that).

.... or being weepy when seeing Kara or being sad/angry/happy/hungry/horny/sleepy 8-)

The_Commander

Ah yes, the weepiness. I think soppy sums him up. Mind you, there's never been a Bond with more precise diction. He should have been in Blakes 7 (reference for over-40 UK members).

The_Commander

Or, as he ends up at the end of LTK - the wet Bond. ) That fish wink is so not necessary!

Higgins

... totally agree! {[] {[] {[]

next month, we are giving away new memberships for the Misty-Eyed Fan Club - if you're a good boy you may be considered

Thunderpussy

Just to get away from the "Bash" Dalton crowd, with their crayons and
"Pingu" colouring books.
Connery is King. -{ then it's a tough choice between Dalton and Craig ! -{
Dalton is more the Fleming Bond, while Craig, is a modern contemporary
Take on Bond, very much in the Fleming style but updated for the modern
Times.

The_Commander

Higgins wrote:

... totally agree! {[] {[] {[]

next month, we are giving away new memberships for the Misty-Eyed Fan Club - if you're a good boy you may be considered

I'll try to stop posting thumbnail links to photos then!!

Higgins

... sounds like a plan.
But you must try harder, we are not a sort of Country Club!

broadshoulder

The_Commander wrote:

Good as Dalton was, he was simply too smiley to convince me that he was the gentleman spy portrayed in the books. He's either grinning ear to ear or got his concerned and earnest face on .

Since when was he grinning from ear to ear? Was it in LTK when he makes away with all that wonga? Was that it?

Sorry but the actor played him very earnestly. Which was a shock after Moore. Once you got your head around him he played it by the book.

He actually gave the character gravitas - which after Moores flippancy was one of the shocks of the series.

Thunderpussy

+1, {[]

The_Commander

broadshoulder wrote:

The_Commander wrote:

Good as Dalton was, he was simply too smiley to convince me that he was the gentleman spy portrayed in the books. He's either grinning ear to ear or got his concerned and earnest face on .

Since when was he grinning from ear to ear? Was it in LTK when he makes away with all that wonga? Was that it?

Sorry but the actor played him very earnestly. Which was a shock after Moore. Once you got your head around him he played it by the book.

He actually gave the character gravitas - which after Moores flippancy was one of the shocks of the series.

He was grinning from time to time all the way through both his outings - I can't bear to watch them again just so I can do screen grabs, but it tends to be every time he interacts with a woman - it's his 'charming' face.

I agree, Moore went on too long and the 'tongue-in-cheek' element that he brought to the character became too prominent, but I hardly think that Dalton gave the character any more gravitas than Connery did when he kicked the whole series off, and indeed Moore did in his early offerings.

To sum up in single words each actor:

Connery - rogue
Lazenby - human
Moore - suave
Dalton - posh
Brosnan - bland
Craig - gritty

hot crossed bond

I keep hearing TD did it by the book? oh, by the book, by the book! if I wanted it just by the book...I'd buy the bloody book! why don't we just string one up and film it...answer cos it would come off as wooden as TD