| This contest is fueled by the following news: |
| | Pierce Brosnan, the actor who has been portraying James Bond, apparently no longer will be 007. Entertainment Weekly reports that Bronson will be replaced in the role. Brosnan says he enjoyed his time as Bond and was pleased to do four of the Bond movies.
Birth of the Hero:
James Bond was created by former journalist Ian Fleming, in the days of war with Nazism while serving as a personal assistant to the director of investigation in the British Royal Navy. At the age of 42 years, Fleming moved to Jamaica. There in a villa named “Golden eye” surrounded by tropical greens, he drank gin and experienced the fall of empire. He found such an escape for his nostalgic feelings that he began to write the adventures of an invincible agent of the British secret service. He named this agent by the name of the author of book, which he was holding in his hands at that time, about the feathery inhabitants of Caribbean islands. The name of this author-ornithologist is James Bond. Fleming treated his work and hero without respect. Once in a conversation with American writer- detective Raymond Chandler, Fleming self-critically said: “If someone has his brains at place he would never seriously discuss about a hero like Bond”. Nevertheless, this did not prevent him from writing fifteen stories, with a total of more than 40 million copies sold. The modest imaginations were grabbed with both hands by God sent psychology at the peak of cold war. Besides, readers have found in the hero and his adventures, what the normal person in an ordinary life is deprived of, like:
the kaleidoscope of exotic countries and places, charm and man’s attraction which even the most beautiful of women can’t resist, ability to escape from any chase, drink without getting drunk, etc.
Classical Bond:
First Bond - the Scot Sean (Thomas) Connery became the personification of all these qualities. In the early sixties, he was not much known. But both the producers saw him in two different Hollywood movies. Besides, the newspaper “Daily” received 6 million answers in response to the question who they would like to see in the role of Bond. Certainly, most of the votes were received by stars - Richard Barton, Gary Cooper and others, but Connery was included in the first ten after the serial “Anna Karenina” with his role was shown. Broccoli’s wife also had an opinion about him that this young actor has a very attractive sex appeal. Besides, his style of walking also played a major role: for a person of such athletic build his walk was unusually soft and like that of a cat. According to the contract Connery agreed to play in 5 movies of the series. His charges for “Dr. No” were fixed at a modest sum of 6 thousand pounds.
Incidentally, Fleming was against Connery. The creator of Bond believed that the Scot did not have the “manners”, he would quite often repeat the words of other envious people who said that Connery had the eyes of a driver (Connery was the son of a truck driver, and he himself earned by doing this work.). But Broccoli did not want extra intelligence, he saw the image of a Mid Region guy, acceptable to the American viewer. Bond films brought Connery the money, glory and also the tortures of a star. Twice he gave the word that he would not do this role any more, and broke it twice. In 1971, in “Diamonds are Forever” he was tempted by the fee of 1.25 million dollars and royalty of 12.5 % which was considered to be exorbitant in those days. In 1983, the reasons for his role in his last Bond film “Never Say Never Again” were not the financial ones. As he grew older, he was compelled to act in the film wearing a wig, it seems as if Connery wanted to prove, that there can’t be a better Bond.
At the same time, he persistently aspired to prove, that he is worthy of something that is much more than the adventures of Bond. In 1980, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts honored him with The Best Actor Award for his role in the movie “The Name of The Rose", and in 1987 he was awarded “Oscar” as Best Supporting Actor for the film “Untouchables”. Last summer, the British queen honored Sir Connery with the title of knight. |
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