Why Pierce Is Bond?

All Brosnan Related News
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FormerBondFan
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Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:24 am
Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
Favorite Movies: Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Star Trek
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Harry Potter
Middle-Earth
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible
The Mummy
Jurassic Park
Godzilla
Location: Southern CA

Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

Pierce Brosnan, James Bond

By: Will
http://www.bondmovies.com/opinion/

Pierce Brosnan has given so much to the series. He joined it at its all time low (the 6
year gap) and left it at its all time high. He was also the instrumental player in
reigniting a character that many believed in the early 1990's was obsolete and
irrelevant in the post Cold War world. Whereas other movie genres have come and
gone, Brosnan has kept Bond as the world's favorite action hero. Each of Brosnan's
four outings as Bond saw a further development of the character, yet retained the
nature of the Bond of Ian Fleming and each of his four predecessors in the role.
Brosnan's biggest achievement was that he was the first Bond since Connery to be
the only actor envisaged by the whole public as James Bond. Even before
GoldenEye, fan polls regularly voted for him as their choice to be the next James
Bond and he has done this fair justice.

That's simply because Brosnan is Bond; an immensely competent and usually
outwardly composed character, with inner conflicts and vulnerabilities. He's also a
sensualist (which both Connery and Brosnan excelled at presenting), not just about
women but also about many aspects of life. In nearly every moment he is on screen,
Brosnan is seamlessly tying this together. He is able to capture Connery's trademark
physical presence in scenes like the final fight with 006 on the top of the satellite
dish in GoldenEye, his ability to run with the motion and facial expression of both
determination and confidence. He pinches bits of Roger Moore's smooth, near smug
attitude. In the way he is able to deliver even some sub par lines in a way that's both
convincing and not so "wink wink - nudge nudge- its all in fun" kind of attitude.
The cold-hearted brooding attitude Dalton is usually synonymous with is also
brought in the Brosnan interpretation but, like the Moore elements, handled in
appropriate dosages. In doing so, Brosnan has proved himself as the viable "man of
the world silhouette" in every single film.

GoldenEye, showed just how great Brosnan was going to be as Bond. He had tough
resourcefulness, he could knock an enemy for six and genuine regret and anger at
the thought of his friend betraying him and his country (the statue park scene is
fantastic), and it is clear that the scene on the beach with Natalya is a foundation for
what Brosnan's more introspective Bond wanted to play off of.

Tomorrow Never Dies showed another great performance by Brosnan as Bond,
especially exuding the confidence and coolness of the character. However, what is
great about that film is the inner conflict Brosnan portrays in various scenes over
Paris (a character with far too little screen time, if only because Hatcher has always
been a favorite of mine). The main problem is the switch to all action man finale,
though that isn't Brosnan's fault.

The World Is Not Enough was Brosnan's crowning moment, throughout the film
exerting a whole range of emotions from anger, regret, loss and so on. His scenes
with Marceau are truly magnificent, with Brosnan managing to make Bond both
weary of her but emotionally attached to her at the same time. TWINE is possibly,
along with On Her Majesty's Secret Service and From Russia With Love, the most
cerebral and developed Bond film yet, with Brosnan showing sides of the character
not really seen before.

With Die Another Day, Brosnan was able to showcase Bond in some unprecedented
ways, due in part of the amount of screen time James Bond was given in this
adventure. The shift in tone in the film also shows Brosnan's ability to seamlessly
homogenize James Bond characteristics. From the moment he engineers the switch
with the courier and steals his sunglasses, it's evident that he is Bond...James Bond.
Then through the torture and the stripping of his 00 status, you see the fear and the
small moments of doubt. You then see him tap into his inner strength and confidence
showing the power that has allowed the 00 agent succeed all these years. When he
strolls through the Yacht Club in wet pajamas, looking like a bum and acting like a
king, it's evident that while James Bond may have cool gadgets and great clothes,
this Bond is actually himself, stripped of everything.

I know some say he is wimpy as 007, but I don't see this at all. Yes, Bond does seem
to sometimes genuinely care for the women he crosses, but he also has the
traditional vengeful, aggressive side that makes for a complex and interesting
character, and the closest to Fleming's Bond we have seen. This is done in three
specific ways: his ruthlessness, fatalism to his own life, and the presence of a
hardened intelligence officer. Bond is a hardened intelligence officer -an executioner
who doesn't like to kill, but one who does his job well. He is a man who realizes that
he doesn't have much of a life of his own - he belongs to the service. This is what
Fleming usually tells us about Bond in the books, that MI6 is his life. All of Brosnan's
films have shown this.

Brosnan has thus far shown us a more consistently ruthless, deadly James Bond
moreso than any of his predecessors. But Brosnan's Bond, with his no-hesitation
executions of Trevelyan, Kaufman, and especially Elektra, has made the licence to
kill more than just a cool-sounding trademark.

Yet to all of those who look to the Bonds as a sense of escapism, Brosnan has been
able to bring the cold-bloodedness of Bond out in a smooth, almost humorous way.
Something unachieved by his illustrious precredessors. As Bond looked into
Kaufman's eyes in Tomorrow Never Dies, you know he has no problem with pulling
the trigger. Yet as Kaufman says in desperation, "Wait, I am just a professional doing
a job," 007 echoes back, "Me too." Brosnan's Bond is the first to order a martini and
kill a man with equal aplomb. Along with that acknowledgement of who he is and
what constitutes the essence of his profession comes a certain fatalism regarding his
own life. It comes out in his response to Xenia's suggestion that he "enjoy it while it
lasts" ("The very words I live by") and M's reference to his "cavalier attitude toward
life." When Bond answers Natalya's question about what makes him so cold by
saying "It's what keeps me alive," and she responds "No, it's what keeps you alone,"
they're both right. These aspects of Bond's character, all of which have their roots in
Fleming's writing, have become Brosnan's contribution to the screen portrayal of 007.

For what physical likeness is worth, he has attributes about him that are rather
similar to physical descriptions Fleming gives to us. Brosnan has blue gray eyes
(see one of the few opening shots of GE); in more than one scene Brosnan has had
his comma of hair right above his right eye. In TND the scar on his cheek is visible,
all too similar to the scar Fleming's Bond bore. It's little things like this that add to his
interpretation that makes it seem, at least to me, more authentic. His performance as
Bond can also equate itself with his well-made Bond films. I think the Brosnan films
are able to mirror the flow of Fleming's story not only by enhancing the elements of
James Bond, but by modeling a lot of their own characters after Fleming characters,
or at least the spirit of them. If that's not the case, then we have stories that focus on
key elements Fleming used in his stories, which explore the various aspects that
made James Bond successful in the early films.

It's for this reason I think we will remember Brosnan's Bond and films as being overall
somewhat historic. Both the films and Brosnan have had to fight for their cinema
status in the modern era. Nothing was 'given' to either, yet it's pretty clear they
succeeded. It's really a second golden age with the public. People of all ages go to
see Bond again. Teens love him, adults love him, and he is noticed again. As
important, Brosnan embodies Bond well. Good looking, but not a pretty boy.
Heartless, but feeling. I think Brosnan's Bond is a great model of the character,
whose films have generated and reinvigorated appeal for the whole series, it's past
and future.

Now, as we begin the second generation of the Bond series, we now stand at the
crossroads of the franchise. We can either proceed normally, compete with in the
pre-designated action adventure market, or we can use the popularity, success, and
respect for Ian Fleming's legacy that has been a product of the past ten years to
reinvent James Bond in a way that harks at the classic even more, still continuing to
inspire and fascinate. While many see this as a time of peril for the franchise, I see
this as a time of celebration. This James Bond franchise has withstood it all, and
seeing what was done when Pierce Brosnan was called on, I only see 007 solidifying
himself as a hero for the past age and the age to come.
Last edited by FormerBondFan on Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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FormerBondFan
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Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:24 am
Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
Favorite Movies: Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Star Trek
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Harry Potter
Middle-Earth
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible
The Mummy
Jurassic Park
Godzilla
Location: Southern CA

Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

Barry King Surveys ‘the Men Who Played Bond’ Part 3: Brosnan

http://www.hmss.com/films/bondactors/chapterthree/

You may have noticed the pattern by now. Previously, we examined the first four
actors to play James Bond for EON's series. Here's the fifth.

PIERCE BROSNAN'S JAMES BOND

A quick quiz: of the five lead actors in EON's James Bond series, who played the
most ruthless, cold-blooded version of 007?

Conventional wisdom points toward Timothy Dalton, with his chilling scene
threatening Pushkin in The Living Daylights or his "You earnt it, you keep it,"
disposal of Killifer in Licence To Kill. Many votes would likely be cast for Sean
Connery's "You've had your six," in Dr. No. There might even be a minority opinion
for Roger Moore's "What a helpful chap." in The Spy Who Loved Me or the death of
Locque in For Your Eyes Only.

But for sheer, consistent, cold-blooded body count, I'd like to nominate Pierce
Brosnan as the Bond who gets the most use out of a licence to kill.

Brosnan nearly became James Bond in 1987. After playing Remington Steele on
television for four years, Brosnan was picked to replace the aging Roger Moore in
The Living Daylights. The news caused ratings for reruns of "Remington Steele,"
which had become so anemic that the series had not been renewed for the next
season, to climb. On literally the last possible day, NBC exercised their option to
renew the show and hold Brosnan to his contract to perform in it. They were
apparently willing to arrange shooting schedules to accommodate the movie's needs;
after all, they had renewed on the basis of having a TV show starring the Man Who
Would Be Bond and it was in their interests to see that he was able to do the Bond
film. Cubby Broccoli, however, is reported to have felt that audiences would be
unwilling to pay to see a Bond they could see for free at home every week and
Timothy Dalton was cast for The Living Daylights. After two films with Dalton, a
six-year, litigation-filled hiatus in the series, Dalton's jumped-or-was-pushed decision
not to return as 007 and a world-wide casting search that seems to have consisted
largely of flipping through the "B's" in Cubby's rolodex, Pierce Brosnan was
announced as the fifth actor to play James Bond for EON.

When Brosnan was first reported as having the role, prior to his replacement by
Dalton, the perception was that he would play Bond in the light, rather comedic
tradition of Roger Moore's portrayal. Brosnan was mostly known for "Remington
Steele," which, though it had a modicum of action and suspense, was mainly a
romantic comedy. Though Steele had the look and mannerisms of James Bond, the
brains of the outfit belonged to Stephanie Zimbalist's Laura Holt character. Steele
was mainly a parasitic front man. The entire premise of the series was the triumph of
style over substance.

Just what the James Bond series needed after twelve years of Roger Moore in the
lead role.

But by the time Brosnan actually got the keys to the Aston Martin "Remington Steele"
was beginning to fade into memory. Brosnan had been in a series of theatrical and
television movies in which he had shown a range extending from the comic foil in
"Mrs. Doubtfire" to the cold and ruthless Soviet killer in "The Fourth Protocol." The
Bond films had also had time to put the excesses of the Moore era behind them and
the last two entries of the eighties had been considerably darker and more serious in
tone.

Brosnan's Bond proved to be something more than a high-budget Remington Steele.
With over thirty years of Bond films and four different actors having played the role,
Brosnan had a wealth of examples on which to base his portrayal. Brosnan's Bond
might best be described as Blended Bond. He combines a large portion of the
serious, brooding, Flemingesque Bond of Dalton with the confident cockiness of
Connery and just a dash of the well-tailored, upper-class style of Moore. Though he
doesn't have Connery's powerful physical presence or Lazenby's cat-like grace in
action scenes, he gave creditable performances in the climactic fight with Trevalyn
and the short vicious skirmish in Carver's studio. He has carried on Dalton's intensity
and introspection in scenes such as the beach conversation in GoldenEye and the
brooding solitary drinking while waiting for the other shoe to drop in Tomorrow Never
Dies. At the same time, he displays the cool wit of Moore and Connery in lines such
as "First things first," and "Thousands. But I only pay them lip service."

So what does that leave us with? Is Brosnan's Bond merely a homogenized version
of what has gone before? Does he have anything of his own to contribute? After so
many years and so many films, IS there anything distinctive, anything different, to be
done with the role?

Well, yeah, sort of. As I said at the beginning, Brosnan has thus far shown us a more
consistently ruthless, deadly James Bond than any of his predecessors. Other actors
have had moments of chilling ruthlessness and they have often been among their
most memorable scenes. But Brosnan's Bond, with his no-hesitation, no-wisecracks
executions of Ourumov, Kaufman, Davidov and especially Elektra, has made the
licence to kill more than just a cool-sounding trademark; it's a large part of who this
James Bond is. Bond knifing the guard on the stealth ship and using his body to fool
Stamper into believing Bond was dead was one of the most cold-blooded acts 007
has performed.

Along with that acknowledgement of who he is and what constitutes the essence of
his profession comes a certain fatalism regarding his own life. It comes out in his
response to Xenia's suggestion that he "enjoy it while you can," ("The very words I
live by.") and M's reference to his "cavalier attitude toward life." When Bond answers
Natalya's question about what makes him so cold by saying "It's what keeps me
alive," and she responds "No, it's what keeps you alone," they're both right. These
aspects of Bond's character, all of which have their roots in Fleming's writing, have
become Brosnan's contribution to the screen portrayal of 007.

One unfortunate aspect of Brosnan's emphasis on Bond-as-professional-killer has
been the ubiquity of machine guns in his films. While other Bonds have used them
sparingly in the big battle scenes, Brosnan has gone into Rambo mode in all three
films, mowing down hordes of extras single-handed. While it makes sense for Bond
to use all the firepower he can get in those situations, it somehow seems
inconsistent with the style Bond has had in the past. Firing one shot in each direction
to confuse his pursuers into firing at each other while he slips off into the shadows is
quintessential James Bond. Standing around like Machine Gun Kelly and killing a
dozen guards whose only sin was coming to work that day lacks the proper
panache. Bond is a killer but he shouldn't be portrayed as a butcher.

Brosnan's films have so far suffered from a tendency to sacrifice suspense and style
for noise and firepower. There is reason to believe Brosnan recognizes this failing
and is using his influence to push the films in other directions. The World Is Not
Enough was a major improvement in terms of character development and plot over
Tomorrow Never Dies. It remains to be seen whether Die Another Day continues that
improvement. With luck, we may not have seen Pierce Brosnan's best Bond yet.
What we have seen so far is promising.
Last edited by FormerBondFan on Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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User avatar
FormerBondFan
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Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:24 am
Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
Favorite Movies: Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Star Trek
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Harry Potter
Middle-Earth
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible
The Mummy
Jurassic Park
Godzilla
Location: Southern CA

Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

Here's Looking At You, Kid.

http://www.bondmovies.com/opinion

By Will

I remember sitting on the floor in my family room in 1995, watching television with
half an eye. In a moment, flashes of explosions, sexy woman, fast cars, enticing
guitar themes and a man in a tuxedo appeared. I had never seen him before, and
had no idea who he was. He motioned a gun to someone and said, "Do you know
how to use one of these?" From that moment, I had to see whoever this was. It was
James Bond. It was Pierce Brosnan.

In the nine years since GoldenEye's release, Bond and the Bond movies have
become elements of pop culture again. As fans, it's our job to debate a films merits
until we're blue in the face, but there is no denying the Bond movies are cool again.
Bond movies and their premieres are events again, where people of all generations
will flock, and Bond will once again be talked about in school with young kids, rather
than just at office's lunch breaks. We have Pierce Brosnan to thank for this.

Pierce Brosnan always seemed a perfect fit for 007. He was born the same year
Casino Royale was written (he now owns the typewriter), the first Bond movie he
ever saw was Goldfinger, the only autograph he ever received was from Roger
Moore, the scar he earned in TND isn't that different from the scar the Bond of the
books has, and he even got his start in the Bond-like role on Remington Steele.
Even after he lost the role in 1986, polls still preferred him over the man in the role at
the time. There was a quality between Brosnan and the character that made the two
connect. Without a doubt, Brosnan is known as a fan of the series as well. He has
seen the films, knows the books, knows the trivia, and has a respect for the
character that has always put him close to the top on my fans lists for "who do you
want to portray 007?"

Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of Bond was modern yet classy, standard but unique, and
filled with Fleming-esque nuances. Essentially, Brosnan created a 007 that appealed
to the average cinema goer, the longtime fan, and young eight year olds who lined
up with their father to see 007 for the first time. The classic Bond was still intact, with
the action, adventure, intrigue, locations, women, and elegance. At the same time,
through Brosnan, 007 found its appeal in a new era, when Bond wasn't the king,
where there wasn't a tradition of films to follow, when the road had to be repaved to
the top.

For this, GoldenEye was a success. It, and all the hype around it, including the first
of many video games that would expand the Bond fan base, was classic Bond and
awaited with enthusiasm. People cheered when Brosnan/Bond first appeared, and
clapped at the end. Bond was back.


By the time Tomorrow Never Dies was released, the world's love affair with James
Bond returned from a three-decade hiatus. In truth, it hasn't and probably won't
surpass the 60's Bond-mania, but 007 is more popular now than he has been in
decades. Video games have brought Bond, and in some cases Brosnan, to a whole
new audience, remakes, parodies, and spin-offs of 60's spy movies have flooded
cinemas, and Brosnan and 007 have become one in the same. For all of this new
success, it has also brought light back on the series past, with TV marathons
showing the films of Connery, Moore and Dalton, and fans writing books celebrating
the series storied history. This is truly, in the words of John Cork, "The Return of the
classic."

The World Is Not Enough is the crowning moment for his 007 where Brosnan, and
the film's story complemented a 007 that would be the standard for the next century:
a suave man driven by feelings hidden under his three-piece tuxedo, a man who
calmly downed vodka martinis and bedded women for his country and to drown the
hates. This Bond played so well to the public that many called Brosnan "The Best
Bond Since Connery." Surely, in many fans' minds, this is how he would be
remembered.

Die Another Day was an example of how much that had taken off. The hype
surrounding the premiere was rivaled only by the days of Bond-mania, and once
again Brosnan's Bond spread to a new generation of fans, and celebrated all that
the series has been thus far.

That new generation was very apparent with DAD. I remember being in the theater in
one of my viewings with an elderly couple that remembered Connery taking off his
wet suit in Goldfinger, while sitting next to a group of kids who just beat Nightfire.
This new era, and Brosnan's 007 has had to appeal to both these groups, and to say
he simply "has" is an understatement.

I remember going to the video store on June 3rd to grab my copy of "DAD" and two
little eight year olds running down the aisle, there eyes peering onto "DAD" with them
whispering to each other "Is it here? Yes! They still have it!" I couldn't help but think
that nearly a decade before, I remember my dad chasing after me as I ran to line up
to go see GoldenEye. I couldn't help but think how much has changed this then, but
that Brosnan was still Bond, and how much that was apart of my childhood.



As you can then imagine, news of Brosnan prematurely hanging up the tux left me
dazed, confused, angry, and wanting more. Much like the generation that saw
Connery as Bond, Brosnan is the only generation mine has ever known, so to see a
new man in the role probably wont fit right at first. But ultimately, I take joy in a few
things. One, I for one thought that after Connery's fourth film his last performances
were demerits to his first four, and so perhaps its best to leave with us wanting more.
Most importantly, thanks to Pierce Brosnan, I have learned to appreciate the James
Bond character, and what the essence of it truly is, as that is what he always tried to
explore. And, because of that, I know, if Bond is going to last, his character endure
although the men who bring him to life can't. This is what's important, it's what keeps
the series fresh, gives us something to talk about, and an enjoyment every two years
as we sit in a darkened theater awaiting that famous gun barrel.

When I sat back and thought about it that way, my great respect for what Mr.
Brosnan has done for the role was enhanced. He saved the series, and in spite of
everything, made it the best series possible once again. Who would have thought
that through six years of litigation, Dalton leaving, the Cold War ending, and
producer Cubby Broccoli on the verge of selling the series that in just over a decade
Bond would be a household name again? With those odds, it's clear that Brosnan is
a savior of the series, and he is Bond to my generation, a generation that has never
known or seen any other. And so with his end, I feel a coming of age almost, that
apart of my childhood has been left in the sands of time.

It's for these reasons that Brosnan is not only my favorite 007, but also why I could
never forget the smooth-operating and cool secret agent. I'd never forget putting one
hand in my pocket as I walked, cutting my hair so it would part the way his did, even
remembering some of his facial gestures with the ladies. Perhaps it may seem corny,
but in these ways Brosnan was Bond to me, and it's how 007 became one of my
heroes. It's a viewpoint many in my generation share and cherish as Bond continues
to endure.

Mr. Brosnan, thanks for the memories.
Last edited by FormerBondFan on Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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User avatar
FormerBondFan
008
Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:24 am
Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
Favorite Movies: Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Star Trek
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Harry Potter
Middle-Earth
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible
The Mummy
Jurassic Park
Godzilla
Location: Southern CA

Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

THE PIERCE BROSNAN AFFAIR

http://www.crankycritic.com/qa/pf_artic ... osnan.html

The Pierce Brosnan Interview by Paul Fischer

From circus fire-eater to 007 - Ireland's Pierce Brosnan has come a long way since
discovering the actor within some 30 years ago. He achieved fame on the small
screen via Remington Steele, and now he's back on top since donning the famous
tux and martini as the world's most famous Secret Agent. The classy Mr. Brosnan
continues to define cinematic grace as a wealthy industrialist-cum art thief in The
Thomas Crown Affair. Paul Fischer sat down with Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan.

The world of fast cars and beautiful women associated with the perennially chic
Pierce Brosnan is a far cry from the loner coping with the frustrations of living in
Southern Ireland. Though it's now easy to understand why the youthful 47-year old
star became an actor, back when he was a child in County Meath, Southern Ireland,
it was the fantasy life that pulled though the tough times. "I certainly had a fantasy
life", he recalls at the end of an exhausting day doing press for his new film, The
Thomas Crown Affair. "Growing up as an only child in Southern Ireland during the
fifties and early sixties in a country town, one DID live in one's imagination. I guess
the first theatrical performance was serving Mass, if you want to look at it like that, in
terms of standing up publicly. But at THAT time, I never desired to be an actor. I
think when I finally found acting and the company of actors, I found sanctuary, home,
a place where I could belong with all these exotic people." That sanctuary that
Brosnan would finally discover came about, he says, "because of my childhood
which was kind of mangled and strange, having grown up in Southern Ireland, before
moving from that community to south London in 1964."

Brosnan was 12 when he made that move to London with his family. He arrived in
the tough confines of southern London with thick Irish brogue in toe, and describes
himself as having been "the token 'Paddy' or 'Mick', trying to fit in, reinvent and
dissemble within who I was, so that one could be accepted." For the young Pierce,
pretending NOT to be Irish was a question of survival, and pretend he did. "I really
set about disguising my voice and became quite Cockney." Even though he didn't
recognize it on a conscious level at the time, the actor within was starting to emerge.
"In many ways it definitely started in the school yard, and with trying to fit into a
comprehensive school system, having come from a school of seven classrooms to a
school of 2,000 kids. The question was: How DO you survive? It starts with fighting
and ends up hopefully with humor. In MY case, I didn't particularly like fighting, so
humor was left." Brosnan spent those formative years imitating those around him -
teachers and students alike. It seemed like a kind of us and me attitude, which
dominated his youth, but he was able to "fit in with the tribe and my nickname
throughout school was Irish." Though the burgeoning actor was prevalent in the
young Brosnan, he never considered acting as such, avoided that "whole school
play thing" and simply set about "becoming one of the lads."

After leaving school, Brosnan made ends meet as a commercial illustrator and cab
driver before turning to acting full - time. After training at the London Drama Centre,
Brosnan made his West End stage bow in 1976, and appeared in his first film, The
Long Good Friday, four years later. But unlike many of today's significant film stars,
Brosnan had his grounding in the theater, an advantage, one would think, as one
enters the varying world of film. Asked about the influence of theater on his
development as a film actor, Brosnan pauses. "I'm taking a while to answer your
question, because I'm still trying to sort it out for myself. I watch myself and I think I
have to go back to the classroom; one learns bad habits." Though he was trained in
the theater, Brosnan's love of acting was derived through his love of cinema, with
which he was infatuated from childhood. "For me, movies were the thing. Even
though I started in the theater and enjoyed it, movies always held a fascination and
magic for me, as well as a kind of reality. In 1964, a boy from Southern Ireland goes
to the pictures, witnesses Technicolor, first weekend in London I see Goldfinger; a
few weekends later I see Lawrence of Arabia, then come the more accessible films,
the films of Eastwood." His movie idols were many and varied, reflecting the diversity
of American films that influenced the young Irish actor-to-be. "Brando to begin with
has always held the deepest fascination, so captivating in everything he does. There
was McQueen who was one of them, Eastwood, Warren Beatty was another, and
later on, Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider. So my cinematic
education began. Then of course when I hooked into this other world of actors,
writers, poets and musicians, my world changed."

American audiences got their first glimpse of the charismatic, muscular young actor
in the 1981 network miniseries The Manions of America, which followed his screen
debut in the classic British gangster film, The Long Good Friday. In 1982, Brosnan
was cast as the suave adventurer hero of the weekly TV series Remington Steele.
Brosnan is happy to confirm that he was eager to seek out success wherever he
could find it. "I wanted it to be the best", he concedes. At the time, 'the best' ended
up being series television. "I wanted that because nobody else was offering me
anything else, and I couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I went to America with two
grand in my back pocket from the bank manager, plus a wife and children.
Remington Steele was the job, and of course it was: Yes please, I'll take some of
that." Though it would be an experience ultimately bound in controversy, the actor
admits that it was still a learning experience. "I learnt about comedic timing, I think,
and it helped me create a certain style for myself, which I still live with."


It was the actor's style and his gift for quippery that led the producers of the James
Bond movies to select Brosnan as the new Bond upon the departure of Roger Moore
in 1986. At the last moment, the canceled Remington Steele was renewed, and
Brosnan was contractually obligated to remain with the program, forcing him to
relinquish the James Bond role to Timothy Dalton. It later became evident that the
renewal of Steele was something of a subterfuge by its producers to keep Brosnan
on their leash. But in hindsight, he now feels he wasn't ready to play Bond. Following
a series of commercially lackluster films, he was cast in a choice secondary role in
the mega hit 1993 comedy Mrs. Doubtfire; Brosnan regained his motion picture
bankability. In 1995, Brosnan finally got his chance to play Agent 007 in Goldeneye
and proved that the producer's instincts were right on target, and provided a
much-needed boost for the franchise. The experience has of course benefited the
actor in numerous ways. "It has allowed me to work on a very large canvass, and
luckily I was blessed with Martin Campbell as a director who is very smart and I'd like
to think we supported each other." Brosnan is on his third Bond (The World is Not
Enough) and the canvasses are bigger, and he's still "learning how to do it, keep the
stillness, still be interesting and of course keep it fresh."

Even with Bond, he cemented his status as a capable leading man in a variety of
roles ranging from the title character in William Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe (1996), to
a stuffy, lovestruck professor who meets with a ludicrous fate in Mars Attacks!
(1996) to a courageous vulcanologist trying to save a town threatened by a
reawakened volcano in Dante's Peak (1997). Bond also afforded Brosnan a chance
to use his newly acquired position of stardom to his advantage, and produce projects
that fascinated him. First came The Nephew, which marked his return to Ireland. On
a bigger scale, is The Thomas Crown Affair, a remake of the 30-year old Steve
McQueen classic. "When Bond came round the second time, the timing was perfect
for me, and I couldn't have gotten these films off the ground without Bond."

Thomas Crown was a dream come true for the actor who once worshipped Steve
McQueen, and he was mindful of that respect when it came to developing the
project. "I certainly wanted to be respectful of the work that the original director,
Norman Jewison, had put down and to the memory of McQueen. The original has a
place in my heart and a period in my life at 15 years of age, enjoying movies and the
love of movies. So I saw there was room to move and thought it was doable, but I
thought we could embellish upon the love story."

Brosnan plays Thomas Crown, a wealthy businessman who dabbles in art theft
because it amuses him, not because he needs the money. With the help of a group
of hired henchmen, he masterminds the removal of a $100 million Monet from New
York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Once he has the painting in his possession, he
adds it to his private collection, never intending or attempting to sell it. Enter
Catherine Banning (Renee Russo), who represents the insurance company that
stands to lose a lot of money if the painting isn't recovered. Working with detective
Michael McCann (Denis Leary), she quickly narrows the list of suspects to one:
Thomas Crown. But proving his guilt is a tricky matter, and, when Catherine gets a
little too close to him while trying to ferret out the truth, she finds herself falling for
him.

Brosnan is happy to admit that there's lots of him in the dapper Mr. Crown. "There's
me acting out a role, there's me and my love of painting, I think I know a bit about
being in love and affairs of the heart, and somebody who has everything in the world
but doesn't have the one thing that makes the world go round." Surprisingly, he
adds, "I saw it as a kind of tragedy, really, but that's just me being Irish and
melodramatic, I suppose." The US reviews may have been mixed, CrankyCritic.com
included, but Brosnan is genuinely passionate about this film. "I think it's a handsome
and stylish film, I think it's entertaining, it moves well and it's got wonderful sleight of
hand."

Brosnan has two more films due out this year. There's Richard Attenborough's The
Grey Owl, filmed on location in Canada and England, which tells the story of the
legendary author and environmentalist Grey Owl, who was born Archibald Stansfield
Belaney in Hastings, England in 1888, moved to Canada in 1906, married and
worked as a fur trapper until 1927. Then of course Brosnan will be back as 007 in
The World is Not Enough, on which he admits "I'm finally getting the hang of that job.
On this one, attention was paid to character. I couldn't do what I did in the last one;
there was so much action. On World, we had a very good time." And of course, he
has at least one more Bond up his sleeve before putting down his martini glass. "I
want to get out with a bit of dignity and not make an ass of myself."
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Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
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Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

Pierce Brosnan breathed life into the Bond series.

johntowers007.tripod.com

The Maidment letters

We are just now learning how bad a shape the Bond series was in the early ninety’s,
and how much life Pierce Brosnan breathed in to the series, bringing it back from the
edge of the abyss and taking it to soaring heights.

One could say his discourteous dismissal shows the ingrate nature of EON that
Sean Connery has complained of for years. Before the current debacle I would have
never assumed it of them.


For brief moment I would like to take a closer look at the letters that show the behind
the scenes accounting of the series. I am always a little bit suspicious of suddenly
handy information. I wonder who “leaked” this, before the current debate, irrelevant
information.

Several possibility present themselves.

1.) It’s an innocent coincidence, the poor guy died and the family or executor found
the information and then a Bond collector published information.
2.) The powers that be, for whatever purpose decide to let the public in a what was
an in house secret, that had only been speculated about before.

Could be “they” are showing the first signs of a white flag. Yes we hear you, there is
more going on behind the scenes than you know and we share your concerns, but
not publicly. Craig may never be invited to complete his full 3 picture contract, look
what happened to poor Dalton.

Could be a warning a shot across the bow of the dissenters (us), look how close it
came to ruin, don’t rock the boat too hard.
(Rather hard to read a warning out of it, but I tried anyway.)


Or could be it’s all innocent, nothing to read behind the reason of the revelation.
Dumb luck that it appeared when most relevant.

I don’t believe in dumb luck, but it does happen.

Fun to speculate as to why, be here is what we do know.

To say that the series was on life-support is being too polite, the coffin lid had
already been nailed shut. The paramedics decide for one last try at a pulse, the
backers agree if Pierce Brosnan is brought on board as fresh blood.

From they way it reads, Goldeneye if it had failed could have been the final Bond
adventure. As it happened it was a spectacular success, and the series was taken of
life-support and started breathing on its own, started walking, then running. Back at
its prime after years of decline. Healthy for the first time in years. Thanks to Pierce
Brosnan.

It also shows that fan opinion does matter. It matters more than we have been lead
to believe, and the companies keep a close track of it.

Timothy Dalton had a lot more going for him than Daniel Craig, but he and his
portrayal of Bond were not readily accepted by the public and was being credited for
the eventual decline of the series over all.

Now I don’t have a big problem with Timothy Dalton, the Living Daylights his first
outing did comparably to the last movie by his predecessor. A good start, didn’t lose
any ground, wasn’t shunned as Bond. But two movies in a row (his and Moore’s)
didn’t make money right away. His next movie did worse, we can argue about the
how to and where for’s. Personally I would blame the producers for taking a bad
direction.

His last movie did have all of hype, pomp and circumstance to make it a success, it
just didn’t come off that way.

With three loser movies waiting for future earnings to break even, understandably
the backers shied away from taking a greater risk. For a variety of reasons, some
that were publicized now appear to by flummery, a hold was put on the movies.

The series waited 6 years for right man to come around and resurrect it, breathing
vitality into a tired collection of what had been a healthy collaboration.

There is no parallel to be drawn from Craig usurping the role from Pierce, to what
Pierce did for the series. Pierce had to start with a flat line and work up to a pulse.
Craig has a healthy and fully funded enterprise behind him, he can only tie for first or
more likely go downwards from his starting point.

How do you breath vitality, as they claim they are doing, into an already vital
organism?

Well it’s not going to supercharge it or give it super powers. More likely to become a
mutant (the bad kind without powers) or stroke out.
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Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:24 am
Favorite Bond Movie: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman: The Secret Service and The November Man or any upcoming actioners starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good since it will help him expand his reputation as an actor especially in the action realm)
Favorite Movies: Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Star Trek
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Harry Potter
Middle-Earth
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible
The Mummy
Jurassic Park
Godzilla
Location: Southern CA

Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by FormerBondFan »

Pierce Brosnan 1995-2002

By: Michael Cooper

www.alternative007.co.uk

The fifth official James Bond actor, despite widespread popularity with the general
public, starred in only four 007 adventures. It's a slightly paltry return for a man who
was a viable Bond from the mid-Eighties until, well, now possibly or 2004/2005 at
least. A TV contract cost Brosnan the part in 1986, and in the following years he
popped up in numerous adverts in a Bondish persona. It was perhaps unavoidable
that he would always be linked to the part until he finally had it for real.

Bond was all but dead when Brosnan finally got the job in 1994. Licence To Kill had
bombed in the US and litigation had kept Bond off the screen for six years. People
were starting to wonder if it was even worth bringing him back; but when Dalton
officially stood down, Eon began to test actors in preparation. Barbara Broccoli was
rumoured to be behind Sean Bean, although there were alarming rumours of Liam
Neeson being courted; but in the end Brosnan was signed for the make or break
film. Still only 41, Brosnan was free to commit to the role, and while his career hadn't
set the world alight of late, he still had name recognition for the important US market
and an unquantifiable but palpable sense of support from the general public.

Brosnan's debut film would be GoldenEye, directed by Martin Campbell. The b-list
British cast was gently mocked when announced by a cynical press. They sensed a
cost-cutting operation. Clearly Eon had a lot to prove. Like a singer finally returning
after a flop Album, they were about to put out their first new material in six years.

Far from killing off 007, GoldenEye launched a mini-boom. An anachronistic mixture
of Die Hard 2 style action and Bondian (and PC) trappings, the film did brisk
business and was received warmly. In the safe hands of Pierce Brosnan (who does
all that is asked of him) James Bond was back. Things to enjoy included: nearly
Bond Sean Bean as 006: wonderful model work by the great Derek Meddings; and
two memorable Bond girls in Famke Janssen and Isabelle Scorupco - one good, one
bad, in the classic Bond tradition. From the bungee jump to 006 v 007 fight,
GoldenEye was fun, despite a slightly mechanical "by the numbers feel" that would
surface again in the new era. Watching the film in the cinema, my main complaint
was the murky photography and hodge-potch nature of some of the action; but
overall there was enough to generate a feelgood factor. Brosnan looked great; and
although he lacked the darkness of Timothy Dalton, seemed to be having a lot of
fun. He played the role with a slight nod to the audience - and it worked.

The second Brosnan film suffered from publicised production difficulties. Jonathan
Pryce said that the film he ended up acting in was completely different from the
original script he signed on for. Parts were re-written during filming, and that
mechanical feel I mentioned before is never more evident than the second half of
what would become Tomorrow Never Dies. Shame, because the first half contains
some of Brosnan's best work; and Roger Spottiswoode is probably the best director
he got during his tenure. Brosnan's attempt to display emotion does not really work.
It just isn't his strong point: especially in an uneven film. David Arnold's overstrung
music and Teri Hatcher's terrible acting really don't help matters either. But when the
film does play to Brosnan's strengths - the escape from the Newspaper offices for
example - he is simply superb and you can't imagine anyone else in the role.
Tommorow Never Dies at its best showcases Brosnan wonderfully. The film went
head to head with a film about an Ocean Liner hitting an iceberg, and actually held
its own for a while.

I could be locked up for saying this, but I think that The World Is Not Enough is the
best of the Brosnan films. A lot of fans find it bland and cheap looking; but for me it is
the most solid and even of the films made with Pierce and features his best
performance. He is completely at home with the character now and - in Sophie
Marceau - is given a skilful actress to work off. It was fitting that Brosnan's Bond got
to say farewell to the original Q. His scenes with Desmond were a delight. Denise
Richards will probably never win an Oscar and Robert Carlyle simply didn't have
enough to do, but The World Is Not Enough was an intriguing Brosnan era film, and
the speedboat chase was a high-water mark. Brosnan is simply excellent in this film.
He is even and rounded, restrained and subtle. He is given a bit more to do by Apted
- and responds magnificently. Unlike Tommorow Never Dies, the balance is struck
at the right point.

Die Another Day is reviewed elsewhere on this site. It has flaws a-plenty - but
honestly IS NOT THAT BAD. A fantastical Pierce film was there for the taking; but a
shoddy, not to mention eccentric, script compromised the project. That Pierce
managed to keep his head above water in the chaos of this film is a testament to his
onscreen presence. Again the film did boffo business. $175 million in the US alone.
Not so long ago they could only have dreamed of those figures.

The Brosnan films were patchy. A great James Bond never got the scripts or
directors he deserved. His legacy was to make James Bond films viable again.
During his reign Bond TV specials went from zero to through the roof. Every film
magazine I bought had his image somewhere, instantly recognisable and iconic. The
man himself seemed to truly love playing the part and was never anything less than
a fine Ambassador. It wouldn't be an understatement to say he saved the franchise.

Brosnan bashing seems to be in vogue in some quarters now as a way to 'big-up'
Daniel Craig. Those of that inclination should bear in mind that if it wasn't for
Brosnan there probably wouldn't be a James Bond series at all anymore.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

Compare this articles than the ones about Craig.While these are practically essays,Craig articles contain three words-badass,tough and badass.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Daltonite Toothpaste »

With the Brosnan bashing, Brosnan fans are now getting a taste of what Dalton fans had to put up with in the 90's.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by John P. Drake »

Daltonite Toothpaste wrote:With the Brosnan bashing, Brosnan fans are now getting a taste of what Dalton fans had to put up with in the 90's.
Yes, but maybe for far too long as we speak.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

John P. Drake wrote:
Daltonite Toothpaste wrote:With the Brosnan bashing, Brosnan fans are now getting a taste of what Dalton fans had to put up with in the 90's.
Yes, but maybe for far too long as we speak.
The only Brosnan bashing I saw came from Craig fans. I feel that before this "reboot" the Bond fanbase was calmer and more peaceful. Now you can see wars between anyone who doesn't like Craig and Craig fans. God forbid you don 't like Craig you are immediately Hitler.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by John P. Drake »

Veronica wrote:
John P. Drake wrote:
Daltonite Toothpaste wrote:With the Brosnan bashing, Brosnan fans are now getting a taste of what Dalton fans had to put up with in the 90's.
Yes, but maybe for far too long as we speak.
The only Brosnan bashing I saw came from Craig fans. I feel that before this "reboot" the Bond fanbase was calmer and more peaceful. Now you can see wars between anyone who doesn't like Craig and Craig fans. God forbid you don 't like Craig you are immediately Hitler.
Had a battle like that three years ago when I was still a member at MI6-Community.com (2008-2012), and I was often addressed to as a "hater who should leave the site" when I praised Pierce and expressed my heavy dislike of the Craig movies. I personally have nothing against the actor, but his fans are the reason I lost the huge part of The Bond Enthusiasm in my veins, especially the Pierce Brosnan detractors, people to be despised heavily. Quoting Judi Dench:
"Is the man deranged? Back then, when an agent would have done something that stupid, he would have had the enormous sense to defect. Christ, I miss the Cold War!"
And I really have to point out, that in the last two years, regardless of being one of those who hated Die Another Day, it has become my second favourite Brosnan Bond film, only losing it to Tomorrow Never Dies. Well, I guess I am a true believer in a James Bond who has to be over-the-top and fantasy-driven yet keeping his smooth and conservatively chivalrous knight-like behaviour. Someone who is competent, and encounters villains who share the same class of lifestyle as he does. If I were to go and watch some political thriller, I'll turn on the news. If I want a tragic story, I'll get a ticket to some Shakespeare play or an opera, which I never do.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

I am not a member on mi6 community but I did visit a few times and...good grief. No,really. I don't who the hell are moderators on that site. Is it really true they are in the hands of EON? You were told to be a "hater"? :lol:
Yeah,because Craig is the only Bond,right? _.///
I recently watched DAD myself and while I don't think it's a great movie by any stretch it's not a horror show some make it out to be. I think up to Cuba things are holding up great. It's Iceland that things start to get out of control.
But that's Eon's doing. Babs is using DAD as a pathetic excuse why she completely changed everything about James Bond and the only thing they want us to remember
from DAD is that it had an invisible car. But it also had Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost a FAR superior and more interesting Bond girl than Jinx and guess what...it also had James Bond which you can not say for those last three movies.
Speaking of TND-I once read how the plot is too ridiculous. That makes me wondering:
1)did that person watch any Bond movie before
2) if yes,how many Bond movies did that person watch
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

Oh and that quote by Dench's M was easily the best line in Casino Royale. :britflag:
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by John P. Drake »

Veronica wrote:I am not a member on mi6 community but I did visit a few times and...good grief. No,really. I don't who the hell are moderators on that site. Is it really true they are in the hands of EON? You were told to be a "hater"? :lol:
Yeah,because Craig is the only Bond,right? _.///
I recently watched DAD myself and while I don't think it's a great movie by any stretch it's not a horror show some make it out to be. I think up to Cuba things are holding up great. It's Iceland that things start to get out of control.
But that's Eon's doing. Babs is using DAD as a pathetic excuse why she completely changed everything about James Bond and the only thing they want us to remember
from DAD is that it had an invisible car. But it also had Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost a FAR superior and more interesting Bond girl than Jinx and guess what...it also had James Bond which you can not say for those last three movies.
Speaking of TND-I once read how the plot is too ridiculous. That makes me wondering:
1)did that person watch any Bond movie before
2) if yes,how many Bond movies did that person watch
Someone told me once that one of the moderators was actually Michael G. Wilson. To be precise I was told that there was this JamesPage user whom someone likes to think it's the producer himself. Beyond that, I don't believe it has an official connection to EON. And yes, whoever hates Brosnan and loves Craig is a "true Bond fan" according to them. The only excuse they put forward is that he's a spat-out version of "Fleming's Bond". Well, what can I say? delusional people love being under that effect.

DAD, I think, improves the more you watch it. I felt the same way you felt once, but my point of view improved upon that. It isn't the best. Not at all. But if you think about the over-the-top plot devices along with a little exciting spy flick derived from the mid-to-late 60s, it's actually a good one to look at. You don't have to take it seriously. If anything, think of it as a birthday party for Bond (due to its 40th anniversary) rather than a straight-out adventure.

Oh, now the invisible car. That's the only mention they give. Well, tell you what. Invisible cars do actually exist. I am sure when Connery's DB5 had a cellphone (literally) in Goldfinger, everyone laughed. _./// DAD really had amazing cast, especially with Toby Stephens being the villain who actually is the other side of Bond's coin. The dark side. Rosamund Pike was great, too. Halle Berry isn't that bad, to be honest, still better than the arrogant Vesper Lynd whom I would have dismissed on first sight. My only problem with the film is the idea of Bond being tortured like a pansy throughout a godawful main title sequence under a godawful song that lacks melody, performed by a godawful singer (can't stand Madonna, sorry). No wonder why David Arnold couldn't incorporate partial cues of the main song into the soundtrack.

TND being bad, yes? Said by the same "open-minded" people who sold their souls to the media. Elliot Carver was a very big example of what media moguls have always been, but people never realized that until the mid-2000s, the age of the computers and internet. To them, Bond movies from 1970 to 2006 don't exist, plus the exclusion of Thunderball and YOLT, because they aren't "realistic". :->
Veronica wrote:Oh and that quote by Dench's M was easily the best line in Casino Royale. :britflag:
I believe you and I definitely speak the same language. It's by far my sole favourite line from the movie itself. :007:
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Kristatos »

John P. Drake wrote:
Veronica wrote:I am not a member on mi6 community but I did visit a few times and...good grief. No,really. I don't who the hell are moderators on that site. Is it really true they are in the hands of EON? You were told to be a "hater"? Image
Yeah,because Craig is the only Bond,right? _.///
I recently watched DAD myself and while I don't think it's a great movie by any stretch it's not a horror show some make it out to be. I think up to Cuba things are holding up great. It's Iceland that things start to get out of control.
But that's Eon's doing. Babs is using DAD as a pathetic excuse why she completely changed everything about James Bond and the only thing they want us to remember
from DAD is that it had an invisible car. But it also had Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost a FAR superior and more interesting Bond girl than Jinx and guess what...it also had James Bond which you can not say for those last three movies.
Speaking of TND-I once read how the plot is too ridiculous. That makes me wondering:
1)did that person watch any Bond movie before
2) if yes,how many Bond movies did that person watch
Someone told me once that one of the moderators was actually Michael G. Wilson. To be precise I was told that there was this JamesPage user whom someone likes to think it's the producer himself.
I think someone might have been pulling your leg there. I can't imagine MGW being tech-savvy enough to moderate a forum, or having the time.
"He's the one that doesn't smile" - Queen Elizabeth II on Daniel Craig
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

I think you are spot on about DAD being some kind of party for Bond because of 40th anniversary everything was bigger,louder and outrageous. Ale once wrote here they could ve just film Bond at the party. That would be fun :lol: Yes,I think Toby Stephens gave a spot on performance even though the whole Colonel Moon/Gistav Graves thing was a bit uneccesary. And gene therapy? I know that changing your face IS possible(hell we see that happening in Thunderball) but I don't know why they did the thing with gene therapy.
And about the invisible car...during the war that was happening on the ground of ex-Yugoslavia 20 years ago Americans interventioned and sent invisible...let's say planes and COMPLETELY ACCIDENTALLY Serbians shot those down. So yeah...
What about that time when Craig got poisoned and his heart stopped beating but five minutes after that he wad perfectly fine? No one ever mentions that as being unrealistic. Rosamund was great as Miranda Frost.
She played the part like a "cold blonde" of Hitchcock. He was amazed by the paradox between the inner fire and cool surface. and that's exactly what Miranda was. Plus she was a professional fencer. Enough said.Unfortunately Halle Berry was the one that got the big press push and she just had bad lines. I felt her character was completely uneccesary. She annoyed the hell out of me last time.
Although the villain wasn't exactly "the other side of Bond"(that would be Alec Travelyan) he did create his new "image" in the way he copyied Bond in some stuff. Now that's interesting. Plus Bond is once again represented as a man out of time. "While you were out the world has changed 007"
"Not for me." The Goldeneye poster was right:"The world has changed,Bond has not." It's like Bond is still living in the glorified version of the 60's where the secretary runs the office just like in Mad Men.Wonderful.
And who could forget Frosts speech about Bond:"It would be foolish to get involved with someone from work. Especially James Bond." Be careful what you say,sweetie. And I need to mention that scene when Bond walks in a posh hotel in his pj's dripping wet but he walks like he owns the freacking place. Because he is Bond.James Bond. And I like the title sequence with the opposites of fire and ice(not Maddona song). So yeah,it's not great at all but it has things going for it.
As for TND-I heard Craig fans saying Carver was too campy and bla bla bla. Well hello,the guy wants to provoke war between British and Chinese it's not likely that he is perfectly normal now,right? I think that was a great poke at Ruper Murdoch and guys like that. And that Dr.Kaufman scene alone is worth five points.

Aside from the "easily the best line" from CR ..."Don't worry,you are not my type." " Smart." "Single." Now that would be great if Vesper didn't pretend to be such a smartass and it was actually believeable that Craig could seduce a married woman. On the other side my cousin said everything Solange said was sexy so there you have it.
It's also ironic how Craig fans like to say DAD was full of product placements when THIS was an ACTUAL dialogue in CR:"Easy smiles and expensive watches. Rolex?"
"Omega." Now that's the equivalent of product placement as is "I thought Christmas comes only once a year." an equivalent of sexual innuendo.
And I am confused-what easy smile? Didn't Craig have plastic operation before CR?
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ml94
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by ml94 »

PIERCE IS NUMERO U-N-O. :cheers:
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John P. Drake
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by John P. Drake »

Veronica wrote:I think you are spot on about DAD being some kind of party for Bond because of 40th anniversary everything was bigger,louder and outrageous. Ale once wrote here they could ve just film Bond at the party. That would be fun :lol: Yes,I think Toby Stephens gave a spot on performance even though the whole Colonel Moon/Gistav Graves thing was a bit uneccesary. And gene therapy? I know that changing your face IS possible(hell we see that happening in Thunderball) but I don't know why they did the thing with gene therapy.
And about the invisible car...during the war that was happening on the ground of ex-Yugoslavia 20 years ago Americans interventioned and sent invisible...let's say planes and COMPLETELY ACCIDENTALLY Serbians shot those down. So yeah...
What about that time when Craig got poisoned and his heart stopped beating but five minutes after that he wad perfectly fine? No one ever mentions that as being unrealistic. Rosamund was great as Miranda Frost.
She played the part like a "cold blonde" of Hitchcock. He was amazed by the paradox between the inner fire and cool surface. and that's exactly what Miranda was. Plus she was a professional fencer. Enough said.Unfortunately Halle Berry was the one that got the big press push and she just had bad lines. I felt her character was completely uneccesary. She annoyed the hell out of me last time.
Although the villain wasn't exactly "the other side of Bond"(that would be Alec Travelyan) he did create his new "image" in the way he copyied Bond in some stuff. Now that's interesting. Plus Bond is once again represented as a man out of time. "While you were out the world has changed 007"
"Not for me." The Goldeneye poster was right:"The world has changed,Bond has not." It's like Bond is still living in the glorified version of the 60's where the secretary runs the office just like in Mad Men.Wonderful.
And who could forget Frosts speech about Bond:"It would be foolish to get involved with someone from work. Especially James Bond." Be careful what you say,sweetie. And I need to mention that scene when Bond walks in a posh hotel in his pj's dripping wet but he walks like he owns the freacking place. Because he is Bond.James Bond. And I like the title sequence with the opposites of fire and ice(not Maddona song). So yeah,it's not great at all but it has things going for it.
As for TND-I heard Craig fans saying Carver was too campy and bla bla bla. Well hello,the guy wants to provoke war between British and Chinese it's not likely that he is perfectly normal now,right? I think that was a great poke at Ruper Murdoch and guys like that. And that Dr.Kaufman scene alone is worth five points.

Aside from the "easily the best line" from CR ..."Don't worry,you are not my type." " Smart." "Single." Now that would be great if Vesper didn't pretend to be such a smartass and it was actually believeable that Craig could seduce a married woman. On the other side my cousin said everything Solange said was sexy so there you have it.
It's also ironic how Craig fans like to say DAD was full of product placements when THIS was an ACTUAL dialogue in CR:"Easy smiles and expensive watches. Rolex?"
"Omega." Now that's the equivalent of product placement as is "I thought Christmas comes only once a year." an equivalent of sexual innuendo.
And I am confused-what easy smile? Didn't Craig have plastic operation before CR?
Well, I always believed that clinics that perform operations like gene therapy do exist. We live in a world that is no longer black and white. I mean, look at all those government secrets, all the intelligence organizations pulling off officially and unofficially performances and missions the public eye is not allowed to see. So more or less, I don't think there is an impossibility in its existence.

The thing is with Gustav Graves, they have combined his character with Colonel Sun from the Kingsley Amis book of the same name, while giving him a very similar backstory and motivations (along with character traits) to that of Sir Hugo Drax from the Moonraker novel, an entirely different villain from the film adaptation. Drax was actually a Nazi named Hugo Von Der Drache, pretended to have been suffering from amnesia due to a misfortune back in the war, while posing as a British officer. Meanwhile, he was developing an updated nuclear missile to fire into the heart of London. Gustav Graves employed the same methods, so I understand why there were these elements in the movie. They even have recreated an intensive gamble between Bond and the villain (the sword fight in DAD) derived from the one in the Moonraker book, where Bond cheats the cheating Drax in a game of bridge.

I do see your point with Alec Trevelyan, who indeed was Bond's dark side, but then again, Gustav Graves wasn't that different either. He was a celebrity instead, but that never stopped him from creating Bond's "unjustified swagger concealing such inadequacy" which he found disgusting. (Sigh, North Koreans) But, he did have seduced Miranda Frost back when they were studying together, helping her infiltrate the British Intelligence and become a high ranking operative, smuggling secrets to her master. He owned her. I heard in the first draft, she wasn't going to be a traitress, but rather an inside woman named Gala Brand (the Bond Girl from the Moonraker novel), posing as Graves' personal assistant. But the plot twist in DAD changed the aspect, as well as the character's name. Loved the pun when Bond told her that she must be feeling at home in the Ice Palace. Good old 007! :lol:

Halle Berry could have had a greater character, but hey, they wanted a female version of Bond, being African-American (originally it was Latino-American, proposed to an actress who didn't make it to the finals, but was given the role in the video game '007 Legends' when one of the missions was a rewritten version of DAD with Craig in it, instead.) When Sony purchased the rights to Casino Royale, EON was going ahead with the Jinx movie at the time, insisting to proceed forward, with a first draft of it already written but never leaked unfortunately. They were ready to go ahead with it until Sony stopped them and develop Casino Royale instead. They wanted a reboot, I heard and a new actor, whereas EON demanded Pierce to stay. One of the profound and great members here, Kater23, claimed once that she has had a script of CR written with Pierce in mind. Sadly I don't possess a copy of the script, but I would have loved to.

TND was supposed to be an eye opener to the audience, but no one got the hang of it, thinking a media mogul being the ruler of the world was ridiculous. Pardon me but... *Cough cough* Who dominates the world these days, again? Who brainwashes the average human being and through what? Oh that's right. Television. News. Media. You name it. A Bond villain doesn't necessarily have to be a physical match for the agent. Blofeld in YOLT, DAF and FYEO never was, nor Hugo Drax in the movie ever represented such a feature, let alone Stromberg from TSWLM. Is there a fault in that? Hardly. Craig fans care for nothing but more "character development" and melodrama. It's their trait. And most of them are the worst kind of people one could engage in conversation with.

As for the invisible vehicles, there are drones designated to employ that disguise. When a film adaptation of I-Spy was released in 2002, it featured a jetfighter that went completely invisible. But, they gave the film a negative review in order to help cover it up from the audience who wouldn't take it seriously for now. Go figure. We all know better than that. Heck, we did see Top Gear doing an invisible truck when they were paying tribute to the Bond films.

Vesper Lynd, regardless of being a traitress in the book, was very kind, vulnerable and caring woman, but no... Amy Pascal and Babsy should be incorporating some postmodern feminism into it, where she appears to be "superior to Bond", and return fire when he expresses any kind of an interest towards her, with big ego on her part. I'm sorry, which part of this is Fleming's Bond novel, again?

Product placement? Call on Heinekein, for they are the messiahs of the Bond films these days. _.//
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Veronica
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by Veronica »

I agree,we probably don't know about half of things that excist. About Miranda Frost... I think she was already an MI6 agent but Graves helped her win the gold medal and that's how they started working together. Because he said:"I got myself a very own MI6 agent" so that would mean she was already in MI6...
"Mrs. Frost. A palace of ice. You must be right at home." 8) :lol: I read too that in the first draft her name was Gala Brand. Miranda was a teriffic Bond girl and I feel she is very underrated.
About the villain...not only he copyied the "cocky attitude" and things like that but he also seemed to live life to the fullest. We see him using the parachute first then we see him fencing and then on Iceland with that (great) dialogue:"But he died chasing a dream. Isn't that a way to go?"
"I would prefer not to go at all." Bond replies.
"You don't seem to chase your dreams you live in them."
If one remembers correctly when Xenia in GoldenEye said:"Enjoy while you still can." Bond replied"The very words I live by."

There is another thing...Travelyan and Gustav aren't the only ones that somehow mirrored Bond. Elektra did that as well. Think about it,Elektra seduced both Bond and Renard in her advantage. It was right enough for M to say to Bond to "shadow" her. Although she also said something about being infront or behind-never on top. James Bond sent out to protect quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the world-I am sure nothing will happen. _./// both Elektra and Bond seduce to get what they want. Elektra is basically Bond's equal when it comes to seduction. Even moreso.

I once saw the ranking of Bond villains and Carver was placed 4th and comment was-do people find Carver TOO realistic? I agree that media has a huge control. From political stuff to lists of most beautifuly men or women. If you read a couple of times how Scarlet Johansson(an example) is incredibly beautiful you are going to believe it.
At least Craig fans should know something about being media controlled. If you read a few times how Skyfall is the best Bond movie ever you will have high standards for it. And don't get me going on that "Craig the best since Connery" articles wirtten by The Guardian.

I constantly see Eva Green's Vesper on lists of best Bond girls often even on no.1 spot. I mean...WHAT?! easily the most overrated Bond girl out of them all.
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John P. Drake
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Favorite Bond Movie: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies.
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Re: Why Pierce Is Bond?

Post by John P. Drake »

Veronica wrote:I agree,we probably don't know about half of things that excist. About Miranda Frost... I think she was already an MI6 agent but Graves helped her win the gold medal and that's how they started working together. Because he said:"I got myself a very own MI6 agent" so that would mean she was already in MI6...
"Mrs. Frost. A palace of ice. You must be right at home." 8) :lol: I read too that in the first draft her name was Gala Brand. Miranda was a teriffic Bond girl and I feel she is very underrated.
About the villain...not only he copyied the "cocky attitude" and things like that but he also seemed to live life to the fullest. We see him using the parachute first then we see him fencing and then on Iceland with that (great) dialogue:"But he died chasing a dream. Isn't that a way to go?"
"I would prefer not to go at all." Bond replies.
"You don't seem to chase your dreams you live in them."
If one remembers correctly when Xenia in GoldenEye said:"Enjoy while you still can." Bond replied"The very words I live by."

There is another thing...Travelyan and Gustav aren't the only ones that somehow mirrored Bond. Elektra did that as well. Think about it,Elektra seduced both Bond and Renard in her advantage. It was right enough for M to say to Bond to "shadow" her. Although she also said something about being infront or behind-never on top. James Bond sent out to protect quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the world-I am sure nothing will happen. _./// both Elektra and Bond seduce to get what they want. Elektra is basically Bond's equal when it comes to seduction. Even moreso.

I once saw the ranking of Bond villains and Carver was placed 4th and comment was-do people find Carver TOO realistic? I agree that media has a huge control. From political stuff to lists of most beautifuly men or women. If you read a couple of times how Scarlet Johansson(an example) is incredibly beautiful you are going to believe it.
At least Craig fans should know something about being media controlled. If you read a few times how Skyfall is the best Bond movie ever you will have high standards for it. And don't get me going on that "Craig the best since Connery" articles wirtten by The Guardian.

I constantly see Eva Green's Vesper on lists of best Bond girls often even on no.1 spot. I mean...WHAT?! easily the most overrated Bond girl out of them all.
Skyfall was nothing but a commercial hype already planned to be 'that successful'. Erm... hello? 50th Anniversary? Surely just for that political reason, they were going to praise the film, and award it with Oscars. It's all about political strategy. It was 'da bezt buhnd moveh evvaah!' back then, but it started losing its gloss and appeal a year later, with more contemporary reviews slamming the film for being a story full of nonsense. Other than the DB5, Ralph Fiennes as the new M, and the cinematography, the movie didn't even excite me, not even slightly. In fact, to tell you the truth, it was a few steps going behind after CR and even QoS, which I prefer to SF by far, yet two flicks I can't even classify as Bond films.

Elektra King was a great villainess, and somewhat very appealing to the movie that I didn't really take to my liking. I don't know, TWINE somehow seems very boring for me, but I wouldn't have had it any other way... Unless it was going to be a continuous trilogy, I would have written an entirely new storyline for it. I really would have preferred if they had replaced it with Raymond Benson's proposed Bond film (which he turned into a novel), 'The Facts of Death', originally called 'The World Is Not Enough'. Go figure that. :roll: It had a far more superior story and characters than the outcome of the 19th entry had, to be honest.

As for the "best Bond since Sean Connery", it's not but an ad campaign for quick read provided to anyone. It started with The Brosnan Era when he was marketed as the best Bond since Connery, which factually indeed he was. What bothers me big time with the Craig fans is that they constantly compare Craig to Connery... How on earth could you spot similarities between two entirely different characters who are quite the opposite of one another?!

:nukes:

That is beyond me, what can I say?
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