The very first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released on October 5, 1962. So today, 60 years ago, the screen character of James Bond was born in the persona of Sean Connery. Although the character had appeared on television earlier, the first film was Dr. No. Over the years several other actors have also played the character of the master spy, but the way Connery portrayed Bond, became a trend setter. Connery made the character popular throughout the world. Today James Bond is one of the best known fictional characters on the planet. Most people in every city in every continent know who James Bond is. It is very likely that they have seen at least one James Bond film in their life time and know about his adventures.
The American Film Institute named James Bond in Dr. No as the third greatest hero of American films. The first was the character of Atticus Finch (the father figure in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird) played by Gregory Peck. The second was the character of Indiana Jones in the movie Raiders Of The Lost Ark played by Harrison Ford. And third was Connery in Dr. No. Sean Connery got the upper hand over many famed action stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis and Bruce Lee.
The first Bond film also starred Swiss actress Ursula Andress as the heroine. In the film, British secret service agent James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent. His investigation leads him to the hideout of master criminal Dr. Julius No who is planning to use a radio beam weapon to thwart a space launch from Cape Canaveral. Needless to say, the hero after some hair-raising adventures and an affair with the heroine gets the upper hand over the villain. Produced on a low budget, Dr. No was a huge financial success.
Many symbols of a typical James Bond film were first established in Dr. No. The way the character was introduced, the theme music, and an attractive style of the title sequence were seen in Dr. No and maintained in subsequent films. Then there was the screen presence and persona of Sean Connery which was a big hit with the audience. Interestingly the author Ian Fleming who created the character of James Bond was not very satisfied with the choice of Sean Connery as James Bond. After considering rival actors such as Cary Grant and David Niven who were already established stars, the producers chose the little known Sean Connery.
Initially Fleming was dismayed at the choice of the unpolished and unsophisticated Scottish actor.
Fleming felt that the character he had created in his novels was completely different from Connery.
However the producers decided to stick with their decision and later Fleming too became convinced that the choice was right. Connery went on to portray James Bond in seven films. He was followed by David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Among these later actors, Roger Moore also played Bond in seven films but his style of presenting the character was slightly different. Many film fans too liked Roger Moore’s style.
Dr. No was Connery’s breakthrough as a lead character in a hit film. Following its huge success, Connery played 007 in From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again. All seven films were commercially successful. The heroines changed from film to film but Connery as James Bond became a fixture. However, in later years Connery became fed up with the character of James Bond and wanted to do other roles. He was chosen by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock for his film Marnie. In another film titled The Name Of The Rose, (a mystery set in the 14th century), Connery won the Best Actor award in the BAFTA competition. In the film The Untouchables (about capturing the notorious gangster Al Capone), Connery got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He also got the Golden Globe award in the same category for Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
After Connery stopped playing Bond, several others got the chance too and discharged the role with varying rates of success. We have all seen at least one or perhaps most Bond films. We all have our own favourites. But it is interesting to note that the film character James Bond has become a senior citizen today.
Pickup a pen (or phone) and tell us who is your favourite Bond actor.
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