Home Entertainment Battle of the Bonds: ROGER MOORE

Battle of the Bonds: ROGER MOORE

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It’s very hard to stand up to the die-hard Sean Connery fans, where there is no question who the top Bond is. But even they have a tough time dismissing Roger Moore…

A bit of general trivia among Bond fans is that Moore was considered to play Bond first, but he had television obligations as the main character in The Saint. In fact, he was at the peak of a strong TV career: The Saint followed on from Maverick, The Alaskans and The Persuaders.

During that period Moore established his character credentials of the suave Englishman who is not scared of getting the job done. The Saint did put a cherry on that portrayal, but two of his previous roles cast him as a Brit in cowboy country. He also actually played James Bond twice before becoming the movie character: he once pretended to be Bond in The Saint and he also portrayed 007 on vacation for a satirical skit show. In the short clip he and a Russian spy happen to be at the same resort and become convinced each was sent to spy on the other. (It’s quite funny)

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This comedy skit may have been more of a prelude to Moore’s 007 years. Sean Connery once commented that Moore’s films were a bit like parodies of his own era. Moore’s Bond was more of a playboy than a fixer, less inclined to get physical but more likely to think his way out of a situation. He was an action man too, but Moore added most to Bond’s reputation as a manipulator of people with a lucky streak to match.

The parody element came with the overkill of gadgets: the Moore era will forever be the pinnacle of Bond spy tools (including the submersible Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me). But this was a sensibility of the Seventies and did not hurt the franchise one bit. If anything, Moore’s dry wit and intellectual Bond added the parts Connery could never quite project – future Bonds owe him as much as Connery.

Moore’s era sadly came to a low point: between his rising age and the series’ detachment from the grittier cinema of the late Seventies and early Eighties, this tenure ended with a Bond that was more Cold War relic than saviour of the world. Still, that’s not really on Moore, but it goes to show how much a Bond actor is held against the era they work in.

 

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[column size=one_half position=first ]
Moore’s Bond was a dapper playboy who used wit over violence (but still got violent). He put the class in Bond and was the Bond everyone had in mind when they cast the original role. Above all, his films still are often the most fun.[/column] [column size=one_half position=last ]
Moore was the oldest actor to portray Bond, something that started showing by his third movie. It can also be argued that the gadget overkill of his era came close to ruining the franchise, requiring the violent gearshift of the Timothy Dalton era.[/column] [column size=one_half position=first ]
Without a doubt Man With the Golden Gun. With its more singular focus and an excellent villain, the egomaniac hitman Scaramanga, this is still one of the most original Bond films made. All it lacked was the fan-favourite henchman Jaws.[/column] [column size=one_half position=last ]
A View To A Kill. The plot was outdated and stupid, Bond was tired and bumbling and not even a scene-chewing Christopher Walken as the bad guy could save this one. It is, at least in my opinion, the worst Bond movie made yet. [/column]

 

Last Updated: November 25, 2015

6 Comments

  1. I was really enjoying this series on the actors that played Bond till this one on Roger Moore. How is ‘The Spy who Loved Me’ not his best movie and the awful ‘Moonraker’ not Moore’s worst?

    The 007 producers even changed their minds from making ‘For Your Eyes Only’ after ‘Spy’ cause Star Wars was huge at the time. Made for a rushed script and awful movie. They couldn’t even come up with a new henchman….they just recycled Jaws!

    Reply

    • James Francis

      November 25, 2015 at 20:26

      Yeah, Moore’s record has a number of both classic and awful Bonds. Moonraker certainly is one of the more disliked Bonds. The Spy Who Loved Me is definitely one of the best, but I just like Golden Gun more.

      Reply

      • Kervyn Cloete

        November 26, 2015 at 09:27

        I’m actually with Glenn. The Spy Who Loved Me tops and Moonraker as worst. I actually have a bit of a soft spot for Octopussy as well, despite how silly it is in places (I mean, assaulting a castle with circus performers?!)

        Reply

        • James Francis

          November 26, 2015 at 14:38

          View to a Kill still wins as the worst for me:

          – old, tired Bond
          – Stupid villain with a plot and manner ten years out of date
          – Boring locations
          – A total waste of Grace Jones
          – early 80s fashion.

          At least Moonraker had space. View was just the franchise scraping its boot.

          Reply

          • Glenn Runnalls

            November 26, 2015 at 15:13

            Octopussy was mean’t to be Moore’s last outing as 007. But Brosnan was not available and Dalton said no thanks. So they went with Moore. He looks so much older next to youthful Tanya Roberts, agreed.

            They should have waited for 1 other actor to become available but Moonraker is awful. Give it a rewatch.

        • Glenn Runnalls

          November 26, 2015 at 15:08

          ….what about a fighter plane coming out of a horses butt? Ha Ha. Only in a Bond movie.

          Reply

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