the 007s

Ervell E. Menezes takes a look at various heroes who have played
this loveable and iconic character

Roger Moore and Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me

Sean Connery was the first Bond

Pierce Brosnan (extreme right) in Die Another Day

Danielle Craig and Eva Green in Casino Royale

In a series, which began way back in 1962 and is still going strong, celebrating its golden jubilee next year, the Bond films have broken all boxoffice records, retaining their magical touch with its 30-odd films and five Bond heroes beginning with Sean Connery in Dr No.

They may have started with the girls-guns-gadgets formula but they have continued to break new grounds and always had a new surprise addition to make it as today as tomorrow’s newspaper, like, for example, Bond jumping off the plane with a parachute with the Union Jack bellowing above the parachute.

The latest title they surmise is Carte Blanche and though the fare may have lost a wee bit of sheen, it is still much awaited. After Ian Fleming passed away, the moviemakers have found others to continue his bit and the audience have responded well for those catchy one-liners, delivered with `E9lan by the master of ceremonies.

After Sean Connery, came the Australian George Lazenby, albeit too briefly, then Roger Moore, who settled into the role well, only to be replaced by a more or less lacklustre Timothy Dalton. Dalton did not last long and was replaced by a debonair Pierce Brosnan. Impressive Daniel Craig is the latest Bond hero after Brosnan, who have done equal justice to the stellar part as did Brosnan. After all, James Bond believes only in the best, whether it is Don Perignon champagne or Rolex watches, not to speak of his immaculately designed suits.

A common but likeable feature of all Bond films is that when he’s on holiday with a bountiful beauty in an exotic island, he is soon drafted on duty for the nation.

Comparisons are odious, but, at times, inevitable and for me the first Bond will stay the best. Not only did he imbue Bond with that Casanova image but he was also a man of action, whose lightning-quick reflexes had to be seen to be believed. His deadpan face and stiff upper-lip British mannerisms added even more vigour to the already well-etched character, who was a much-loved ladies’ man.

And the Bond girls had to be equally desirable with names like Honey Rider and Pussy Galore, even before Pussy’s other meaning was yet to come out of the closet. Their entries, too, were spectacular. After Ursula Andress (and that shot of hers coming out of the sea in a bikini is a classic, repeated ad nauseam in Hollywood, Bollywood and many commercials), came Honor Blackman, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Barbara Bach and many others equally well endowed. When Bond had them in bed, his dialogues would include lines like "did your mother tell you about the birds and the bees? " It all added up to that classy act of seduction.

Like with Sean Connery, I’d opt for Ursula Andress, also known as Undress, for she really set the benchmark for the other girls to follow.  In that one sea scene, she gave to cinema one of its most endearing and oomph moments. Brett Ekland, Honor Blackman and Barbara Bach come distant runners-up.

A Bond film conjures a certain magic that still endures. The classy limousines, the elite ambience, the understatements and moderate doses of action made it something special and still is.

The next Bond film Carte Blanche is said to be based on a novel by Jeffery Deaver and rumoured to be shot partly in India, like Octopussy was with Roger Moore. Serbian musician Jelena Mihailovich, who performed at Cannes in May, is believed to be writing the opening score. There are a lot of ifs and buts about it, including an Indian Bond girl, but these grey areas could well accentuate the build-up for the film even though the longest lasting franchise doesn’t require it. After all, it is a class apart.
Shaken not stirred: Bond (Pierce Brosnan) believes only in the best, whether it is Don Perignon champagne or his martinis