The next Hugo Drax?
Sir_Hugo_Drax
Beneath the Flat Stone Posts: 40MI6 Agent
So I watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows today and witnessed who I think would make the greatest Sir Hugo Drax; if the character was to be re-used in the rebooted series in a future film. It is Jared Harris who played Professor James Moriarty:
Now in my eyes he is so close to being the incarnate form of Fleming's Drax. He has red (well it's reddish) hair, the appropriate body build, the face (no offense indented to Mr Harris, but honestly, with maybe a few additions in makeup, I could believe his face was scarred by botched surgery - in particular those eyes) and the acting talent (especially as a menacing villain ably demonstrated in this movie) needed to play the Drax from the novel. I won't even mention he is British as it is but the cherry on this cake.
Well that's my opinion. What do you think? -{
(P.S. Hi I'm new here so if this is in the wrong place or has already been covered extensively before, I apologise)
Now in my eyes he is so close to being the incarnate form of Fleming's Drax. He has red (well it's reddish) hair, the appropriate body build, the face (no offense indented to Mr Harris, but honestly, with maybe a few additions in makeup, I could believe his face was scarred by botched surgery - in particular those eyes) and the acting talent (especially as a menacing villain ably demonstrated in this movie) needed to play the Drax from the novel. I won't even mention he is British as it is but the cherry on this cake.
Well that's my opinion. What do you think? -{
(P.S. Hi I'm new here so if this is in the wrong place or has already been covered extensively before, I apologise)
Then he looked again at Bond and spoke very quietly, the red moustache lifting slowly from the splayed upper teeth.
"I should spend the money quickly, Commander Bond," he said.
Then he turn away from the table and walked swiftly out of the room.
"I should spend the money quickly, Commander Bond," he said.
Then he turn away from the table and walked swiftly out of the room.
Comments
Roger Moore 1927-2017
And you have an interesting take on the Drax from the novels. I too have always considered him unique among the ranks of the No's and the Klebb's of the series (more ostentatiously outgoing, cunning and deceptively charming) but not quite as you have described. I'm goning to have to have another read to really see where you're coming from (any excuse to re-read Moonraker is a good excuse). Thanks for the feedback. -{
"I should spend the money quickly, Commander Bond," he said.
Then he turn away from the table and walked swiftly out of the room.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I guess the name gives it away but Drax is probably my favourite of the Bond villains. I was however unaware of Moonraker's movie origins, though it was quite cinematic to read. That's an interesting piece of trivia.
As for villains reusing some of his traits and fictional status, although I don't despise DAD as much as some people tend to, I didn't feel Graves was quite on par with Drax, though clearly based on him as you described. I guess I always felt that although Graves was indeed designed as "an uncouth fella at a gentleman's club with a phoney background" it didn't really have the impact I would have preferred. That's my opinion of course.
One more thing, see as I suggested casting, I probably should also have asked, do you think, actor aside, Drax could even work in the rebooted franchise?
Obviously, I personally think he could. For interest's sake here's how I'd approach it: I would want to keep the back-story the same but for the sake of a contemporary setting I would change specific elements by making him the son of a Nazi who fled to South America. He (Graf Hugo von der Drache) would have grown up in an SS terrorist cell, raised a Nazi, including all the titbits of his childhood adjusted. In his early adulthood he would have been involved in the Nazi's operations, one of which (a bombing in London in the 90s perhaps where he is disguised as an Englishman) resulted in his injuries leading to his mistaken identification as Englishman Hugo Drax. Krebs would be one of his fellow Nazis, one of which he grew up with. Of course Moonraker's plot might not be so plausible today but for the most part I'm talking about the character. -{
"I should spend the money quickly, Commander Bond," he said.
Then he turn away from the table and walked swiftly out of the room.
My main problem with the character is that he's famous. It prevents us from believing that what is going on could really happen, if you catch my drift, because you sit in the cinema seat thinking, if this guy is famous, I've never heard of him. Same with Carver in TND and his phoney newspaper. It puts Bond in a parallel universe.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I like your Iraqi ex-pat idea too. I personally would be quite interested to see a Middle Eastern conflict featured in a Bond film (post Soviet-Afghan era naturally). We've had a proclaimed "war on terror" over there for years and Bond's never really addressed it. Not exactly new territory but certainly fertile.
Cheers. I'm curious to your reason for him being clean shaven; I imagined he would have facial hair as he did in the novel. It'd be great to hear your reasons for this preference. -{
"I should spend the money quickly, Commander Bond," he said.
Then he turn away from the table and walked swiftly out of the room.
Just to separate himself from the Moriarity character like how Chris Evans grew his hair out to separate his performance of Steve Rogers from his portrayal as Johnny Storm.