Why I don't think Daniel Craig and Sean Connery were any good as 007, by Bond legend Sir Roger Moore

Daily Mail UK ^

[Perdogg]

Sir Roger Moore has revealed he does not think Daniel Craig or Sean Connery were as good as him at playing 007. Sir Roger slammed Craig's latest offering Quantum of Solace and said he had struggled to decipher Connery's Scottish accent, in a speech at Cambridge University.

'Sean is a good actor, it’s a pity I can’t understand what he’s saying,' he said, according to the Daily Mirror.

[Mouton]

John le Carré did a masterful job with his character George Smiley in a series of novels. Guinness was the quenessential portrayal on the screen.

I understand Gary Oldman is to play Smiley in an upcoming redo of Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy in the screen. I cannot wait to see him vis a vis Guinness.

[Wheelman81]

Isn’t it funny how people’s taste can vary?!
Moore comes off sounding like a dotty old gasbag. He was my least favorite Bond, even before such silly remarks. My whole issue with both Moore’s and Connery’s Bond is that the portrayals were too campy. Dalton helped lend an air of seriousness to the franchise, and Brosnan was my favorite until Craig’s Casino Royal. I thought it was by far the best Bond ever. His barely contained savagery brought the right note of menace to the part. His physical skills were incredible, and his acting solid. Finally we had an approriately dangerous, state-sanctioned killer! What problems Quantum... had were due to screwy screen writing, not Craig’s performance. If the producers get back to more intelligible plots I think Craig will win over a lot of converts.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Roger Moore was good in his first Bond films, “Live and Let Die” and “Man with the Golden Gun”.

Yeah, nothing screaams Bond-like sophistication like a flying AMC Matador. ;)

[Vor Lady]

I have all of Le Carre’s novels. I loved Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy. I didn’t care for how he ended up portraying Connie Sachs in Smiley’s People though.

Is the Gary Oldman version of T,T,S,S out yet?

[magslinger]

We will have to agree to disagree on that. Moore can at least act, after a fashion. Brosnin has the stage presence of a fresh goat turd.

[magslinger]

Pee Wee Herman would be a better Bond than Roger Moore.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Have you ever seen Moore and Herman at the same time?

[Mouton]

The Honourable Schoolboy I thought was his best work...got to get that Karla you know. I almost put it down as the first 50 or so pages were very slow but a pal told me to read a few more...I was hooked and could not put it down.

TTSS is just being shot now from what I gather. I saw the piece about Oldman in the news last week. He was seeking out the advice of le Carre about the Cold War espionage.

[saminfl]

I have never seen a Bond film with Daniel Craig as Bond. I don’t have any desire to see one either. I did see a couple of Brosnan films, but I liked both the Connery and Moore Bonds better. To me, Connery will always be the real James Bond.

[eartrumpet]

Moore managed to stay masculine in “Shout at the Devil”, even playing against Lee Marvin.

[sten]

well, at least he’s fresh... and not reeking of gin and mothballs

;)

[Savage Beast]

Sean Connery was the second-best 007. Daniel Craig was the best. Although it was hard to concentrate with Eva Green on the screen.

[Savage Beast]

Roger Moore didn’t even stick in my memory.

[Durus]

Craig was definitely the most accurate bond with the exception of looks.

[ctdonath2]

Craig’s “Casino Royale” was very good; “Quantum of Solace” was very ... not. (He was good in the latter, pity the latter wasn’t good for him to be good in.)

[Vor Lady]

Have you ever read Le Carre's The Perfect Spy or The Night Manager? Very memorable protagonists.

[moose-matson]

Moore had to go tongue-in-cheek after Connery's neanderthal Bond. It's too bad since Moore's Saint was more like Bond than his Bond was.

btw...Ian Fleming wrote Bond with David Niven in mind as the model.

[Mouton]

Perfect spy yes....Night Manager, unaware of it.

[Mr. Lucky]

Bond never jokes about his work. Or was that Q?

[Lancey Howard]

My parents took the our family to the drive-in to see ‘Dr. No’ when it was released. I guess it made an impression because I still remember it. I even got a model Aston-Martin and tried to make an Odd Job hat out of one of my Dad’s hats. Connery was the only Bond I could stomach until Daniel Craig cam along. He is like a fresh start for Bond, and I am on board.

Moore was always a fake Bond to me, like Steve Martin trying to do Inspector Clouseau.

[tlb]

>>> Ian Fleming wrote Bond with David Niven in mind as the model

Actually Bond was modeled on a musician/composer of the 40s and 50s named Hoagy Carmichael. Two or three of the early novels reference how it annoyed Bond when people mistake him for Hoagy. A spy should blend in to the crowd, not be asked for his autograph.

Playing for Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not".