The Character James Bond is one of
those enigmas that the film and book industry seem to be intent on milking for
all it’s worth. There have been multiple
different adaptations of the Bond character, and not always just in these
different mediums. The films especially
show how individual actor’s personalities affect the role they are playing, and
the advancements in technology also have an impact on the character.
It is
incredibly interesting to view the changes between the different movie Bond’s,
as the changes are much easier to perceive.
In From Russia With Love,
James Bond is played by Sean Connery, whereas in Casino Royale Bond is played
by Daniel Craig. These are two of the
most memorable Bond actors, but they approach the role from completely
different views.
Sean
Connery’s portrayal of Bond is of a playful middle aged man, who enjoys his job
as a spy immensely and almost never does anything physically taxing. In contrast, Daniel Craig plays a younger
Bond who is incredibly serious and relies on his superb physical conditioning
to outrun mostly everyone and perform incredible stunts and acts. Just looking at the actors that were chosen
for these roles, you can see that the time period that the films were shot in
had a lot to do with the casting for each movie. Sean Connery was chosen because he is
undeniably smooth, and had natural charm and charisma. Daniel Craig was chosen because he has an
incredible poker face, is tall and lean, and has incredibly violent motions and
body language.
Both of
these characters hold a special place in the hearts of espionage movie
enthusiasts, but for different reasons.
Connery’s Bond is the epitome of the smooth foreigner who travels the
land, seducing women and driving fast cars, while simultaneously using his
detective-like mind to unravel long strings of red tape and get to the bottom
of fishy situations. Craig’s Bond is the
spy who has survived against all odds and sorts of physical punishment, who has
almost superhuman physical abilities and relies on them more than Connery’s
did. Both of these characters capture an
ideal that everyone would love to experience, which is what makes them have an
ageless appeal.