James Bond's voice
Barbel
ScotlandPosts: 38,068Chief of Staff
The voice.
How does James Bond speak? For over 60 years we’ve been hearing various actors saying the lines written by Fleming (and others) trying to convince us that they are Bond, James Bond- obviously the iconic lines (the name, the drink order) but also their dialogue with the villains, their relationship with the ladies, etc. How do they stack up? This is not a critique of the actors’ performances- just their voices. Opinions will naturally vary but this is mine:
8) BARRY NELSON: Given a pass owing to the circumstances. Doesn’t sound like Bond, doesn’t even try to (how could he?).
7) GEORGE LAZENBY: Gets it right some of the time, but often sounds awkward.
6) DAVID NIVEN: Like Nelson, gets a pass owing to the circumstances. His natural voice is just fine for an 007 of the time.
5) DANIEL CRAIG: Tends to flatness, though gets it right on occasion.
4) PIERCE BROSNAN: Often hits just the right note, tendency to be glib.
3) ROGER MOORE: Beautiful voice, a pleasure to listen to. A dab hand at potentially corny lines others would struggle with.
2) TIMOTHY DALTON: Measured deep tones, weight given to the correct syllables. Minus a point for lack of humour, but overall a voice that could read the telephone book and be worth hearing.
1) SEAN CONNERY: Need I say more? Often imitated, never bettered. One-liners carried off effortlessly, women seduced instantaneously, put-downs delivered charmingly...
Honourable mention: Toby Stephens, the radio voice of Bond- splendid job. https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/50493/the-bbc-radio-4-james-bond-series/
How does James Bond speak? For over 60 years we’ve been hearing various actors saying the lines written by Fleming (and others) trying to convince us that they are Bond, James Bond- obviously the iconic lines (the name, the drink order) but also their dialogue with the villains, their relationship with the ladies, etc. How do they stack up? This is not a critique of the actors’ performances- just their voices. Opinions will naturally vary but this is mine:
8) BARRY NELSON: Given a pass owing to the circumstances. Doesn’t sound like Bond, doesn’t even try to (how could he?).
7) GEORGE LAZENBY: Gets it right some of the time, but often sounds awkward.
6) DAVID NIVEN: Like Nelson, gets a pass owing to the circumstances. His natural voice is just fine for an 007 of the time.
5) DANIEL CRAIG: Tends to flatness, though gets it right on occasion.
4) PIERCE BROSNAN: Often hits just the right note, tendency to be glib.
3) ROGER MOORE: Beautiful voice, a pleasure to listen to. A dab hand at potentially corny lines others would struggle with.
2) TIMOTHY DALTON: Measured deep tones, weight given to the correct syllables. Minus a point for lack of humour, but overall a voice that could read the telephone book and be worth hearing.
1) SEAN CONNERY: Need I say more? Often imitated, never bettered. One-liners carried off effortlessly, women seduced instantaneously, put-downs delivered charmingly...
Honourable mention: Toby Stephens, the radio voice of Bond- splendid job. https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/50493/the-bbc-radio-4-james-bond-series/
Comments
Are you considering accents or more the tone of their voice? My problem with Connery is that his accent is inconsistent throughout the films. I think he sounds best in From Russia with Love and Goldfinger, where he has toned down his brogue the most and sounds more like someone who would have had Bond's education. He still sounds great in the other '60s films. He sounds off for Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, with more of the Scottish coming through. Then in Never Shay Never Again hish accent hash matured into what he ish known for. And that's Connery sounding like Connery, not Bond.
Sometimes that happens, I agree, but overall I stick with my ranking.
Connery's definitive, but Moore certainly has the mellifluous and authoritative thing going for him.
Some of the actors’ voices also changed, apart from Connery - Brosnan sounds very different in Goldeneye to his more relaxed intonation in later films, and Daniel Craig has the greatest range in Casino Royale, IMO.
Fair point re Moore and Dalton- it's very close!
Not entirely his fault, of course, that was Peter Hunt's decision.
I’m not so sure it’s due to ageing - more perhaps to do with ‘relaxing into the role’ ( Brosnan’s words at the time of TND). Brosnan possibly tried to sound tougher in his first - whereas Craig sounds slightly more bitter - or more disillusioned? - in his. That’s not a criticism of Craig - just how Bond was written in subsequent films.
I imagine the voice of Bond in the novels would also have changed - perhaps from reflecting youthful passion at first to ennui (as Sir James Molony puts it) some years later.
Upper-class or educated English can easily sound effeminate, but with Dalton the accent sounds tough and masculine.
But I still prefer Roger's, Connery's third for me.
Dalton had a deepness to it, that I liked but wasn't the voice I imagined for an international secret agent.
Lazenby, I also can't see the need for the dub...makes his voice appear quite inconsistent and it's edited weird.
Connery's. That's the only answer.
example: Trainspotting was made when Brosnan was Bond, and apparently the story is set in the eighties (beginning of the AIDS crisis) when either Moore or Dalton was Bond. But its not any of their voices SickBoy keeps imitating, its Connery.
Brosnan sounded too whispery at times and his irish accent in his later films, was really distracting.
Timothy Dalton has a great voice, but i agree with everyone here, that he forgets he's not on stage. His accent was all over the place in LTK. He has a Welsh accent during the conveyor belt scene and his final line to Sanchez, before he sets him on fire. He speaks with a Northern accent during the scene with Sanchez in his mansion.
George had a great deep delivery of his lines and his hushed delivery in the climax, was perfect.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
Craig has a deep, rich voice but it comes across as mumbley in too many of his Bond films.
I wonder if there is any copy of OHMSS with Lazenby's real voice as Sir Hilary Bray? Was it released anywhere like that? Oddly, OHMSS may work better dubbed in a foreign language, as Blofeld would then not sound American, Lazenby well, not Australian and Tracey might sound less prim and proper too.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Not to my knowledge though in the German dub, the actor who usually did Connery's voice did Lazenby's throughout (ie including the Sir Hilary section).
For those who can read German:
http://www.jamesbond.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1167
It's funny, I can't hear an Australian note to Lazenby's voice -and I think Diana Rigg has a beautiful voice, which doesn't strike me as prim and proper. Most British actresses of that generation including Honor Blackman spoke with similar clarity and pronunciation. Just think how Fenella Fielding would have sounded (how great would she have been as a Bond girl! :x )
I too didn't notice anything "Austrailian" in Lazenby's voice. I honsetly think he did a
great job. -{ after all at one time only correct english would he heard in movies. With
terrible attempts at Regional accents, like "Co*k-A-Knees" from London in old 50s films
I am a Posh Girls bit of rough!
George's Australian accent came out in a few scenes. The scene where Bond is taken to see Draco ("mystery tour, eh?") and the interrogation scene with Blofeld ("They'll find an antidote!").
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
Okay, it's more his jaunty, upbeat delivery throughout the film. The best delivery of those one liners come with a downwards inflection.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Sean Connery IS Bond. Not sure what else I can say about that.
Not so much the first two Roger Moore films because he doesn’t quite have the dynamic range yet, like he’s a little too self-assured and unfazed by anything. However, he would continue to improve and I find Octopussy especially enjoyable to listen to. From “Now there is a lady” to “Let me go dammit! There’s a bomb in there!” he just has like the best voice.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
I recently watched Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in "The Trip to Italy" and "The Trip to Spain" and watching the pair impersonating SC and RM is a testament to how cool these two Bonds sounded!
I think they both have very strong characteristics which make them easy to impersonate and lampoon. To my mind Daniel does not have this, I can't imagine how he could be impersonated. However that does not stop his voice for being very good for Bond nonetheless.
I saw a clip of Steve Coogan on Jonathan Ross Show, impersonating the Bond actors. This was before DC played the role. The thing that annoyed me, was that George Lazenby, was forgotten.
There is a clip on Youtube. I'll post it if i can find it
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
But practice saying the lines "do I look like I give a damn?" and "I think I'll call you C". What are some other iconic CraigBond lines? seems like theres a bit of lipcurling as he delivers them, with an unflinching glower. He's considerably scarier than the previous Bonds.