The Portrayal
Recently, Daniel Craig has attracted many plaudits for his portrayal of Bond, including from Timothy Dalton himself. Much of this praise centres on how he plays the character as a blunt instrument, cold, ruthless and true to the character from Ian Flemings novels, and many are already calling him the greatest Bond of all time. Whilst Craig has made the role his own with astounding performances in Casino Royale and Skyfall (Quantum of Solace not so much), the individuals dishing out these plaudits seem to forget that there was another man who played the role in such a manner a few decades previously, another man who had sought to play the role of Bond as true to the books as possible a damaged and reluctant yet highly capable agent. His name? Timothy Dalton. When asked about who their favourite James Bond was, however, many people instantly answer with Sean Connery, who benefited greatly from being the first man to play the role, ensuring that all subsequent portrayals would be compared to his. Certainly, Connery started off well, with From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball all being captivating films, but it began to show that he was losing interest in the character over time, particularly in You Only Live Twice. This was the first film not to use a Fleming novel for the bulk of its source material, and began the series use of questionable concepts with the addition of a hollowed volcano lair and a weaponised miniature helicopter. The Scotsman finished with Diamonds Are Forever, farcical in places, which diminishes the impact of his earlier portrayals. George Lazenby, to his credit, tried to take the role in a different direction in what was perhaps the best of Flemings stories, On Her Majestys Secret Service. The wooden acting of the Australian, however, combined with his poor chemistry with leading lady Diana Rigg, ensures that the film is often forgotten, however. Roger Moores tenure in the role was a mixed bag. He didnt take the role seriously at all, as ridiculous villains, gadgets and humourous quips began to eclipse the likes of story and character in importance. Nevertheless, he proved himself capable in great films such as The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, but his comic portrayal meant that films like Octopussy, which had potential, were marred by occurrences such as Tarzan screams and Bond dressing as a clown. Moonraker meanwhile, without a doubt, is the worst entry in the series, predominantly due to its finale taking part in space, with laser guns and the like, whilst A View To A Kill wasnt much better, despite making good use of Christopher Walken as the villainous Max Zorin. Pierce Brosnan played the character as a hybrid (of sorts) of Connery and Moore, with both impressive action spectacles and humorous elements. Though Goldeneye, his first film, is one of the series finest, the Irish actor suffered from poor scriptwriting and casting as his tenure went on, with The World Is Not Enough ruined by the ludicrous decision to cast Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist, whilst Die Another Day suffers due to the fact that is plot is a thinly-disguised rehash of Diamonds Are Forever, whilst the inclusion of poor CGI in lieu of traditional stunts angered fans used to seeing some of cinemas finest stuntwork. The quintessential portrayal, however, is Daltons, and whilst his contribution to the series goes underappreciated by many, he is, to many aficionados, the definitive Bond. True to the books, his method acting approach gave the series two of its finest films, and though Daniel Craigs similar portrayal is justifiably acclaimed (and long may it continue), it should not be forgotten that Timothy Dalton was the man who set the bar, and will continue to set the bar for future Bonds to come.