James Bond

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Bond. James Bond. He is the fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. Fleming wrote numerous novels and short stories based upon the character, but it was Bond's subsequent adaptation to celluloid that made him an indelible icon, played by no less than six competent and diverse actors. Sean Connery (1962"67; 1971) George Lazenby (1969) Roger Moore (1973"85) Timothy Dalton (1987"89) Pierce Brosnan (1995"2002) Daniel Craig (2006"present) Fleming created the character while on holiday at his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. James Bond was named after an American ornithologist and author of Birds of the West Indies. And so it is not entirely certain which actor managed to execute the most authentic version of Bond that Fleming had imagined in his head. Sean Connery is often touted as the best, or a personal favorite. As the cold war took a frightening turn in the 60's, Connery's rough edges were a panacea to apocalyptic fears. Connery somehow managed to bridge the world of The Beatle's Doo-Wop sensibility with a dry charm that accompanied his elite military cool. The result was the invention of the definitive Bond personality: dry, witty, sexy, but earnest and resolved. Roger Moore was the next actor to credibly re-imagine the character, and successfully did so over many incarnations of the franchise. Moore's interpreted Bond as more genteel and suave, more comfortable with champagne and a nightcap then his grisly day job. It was with Moore's films that James Bond became a larger-than-life hero that began to seem farfetched. Although his numerous romantic escapades began to take more screen time " much to our enjoyment -- the series achieved its first plausibility failure with the improbable Moonraker as Bond technology no longer began to resemble anything earthbound. The producers decided to go in a different direction, but tragically overcompensated with the casting of Timothy Dalton, who was certainly hard enough to play Bond, but lacked any of the sardonic wit that we had come to associate with the character. We didn't really think this Bond was that interested in picking up women, and the overall sexiness of the franchise decreased considerably. The addition of Pierce Brosnan restored some of the smooth characteristics, and the pretty boy managed to make some decent Bond movies. But now the problem wasn't casting. It was the world that had changed, not Bond. Somehow the go-go dancing and chauvinism that was somehow in vogue in the Connery films had been replaced by Clinton-era political correctness. The producers tried to ground the Bond movies in the modern era with menacing plots and enticing Bond girls, but the result was just a convoluted mess with uneven tone. Finally, the producers decided to abandon their preconceptions about Bond, and re-invented the franchise once again with the casting of Daniel Craig. Casino Royale hits harder, and in all the right places, than previous Bond films. Post 911 and The Patriot Act, audiences are accustomed to violent and complicated heroes such as 24's Jack Bauer that will go to any extremes to save the world; James Bond needed to get his mojo back. Daniel Craig isn't as pretty as Brosnan, but he seems much more credible as an assassin. This is not your father's Bond this is our Bond. Casino Royale is open in wide release. J. Larson