Why Sean Connery is the best James Bond

As the iconic franchise celebrates its 60th anniversary, Ranjan Das Gupta looks at the evolution of the 007 character, essayed by several actors

My name is Bond, James Bond”. With this line, Sean Connery set the silver screen on fire in ‘Dr. No’ in 1962. Based on Ian Fleming’s character, the MI6 agent was brought alive in movies by producers Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Most of the Bond films were super hits internationally.

According to director Terence Young, Connery was the original and best Bond. Gifted with height, robust health and inimitable body language, Connery mesmerised the audience. Bond finished conspirators who planned to destroy the world mercilessly. He waged an official war against Spectre an association of international terrorist. He is helped by his associate Felix Leiter of the CIA.

Bond was born in the backdrop of the cold war. He is invincible, he drinks martinis and makes love to countless women. He is the eternal winner. The car chases he participates in are dangerous and hold one’s breadth. In six movies, Connery was the inimitable Bond. David Niven and George Lazenby were miscasts and could not create any impact essaying the cult character.

From the 70s, Connery understood he was being made a supporter of a not-so-clean ruling system. As Bond, he was getting stereotyped. Besides, he had no scope to display histrionics in 007 films. So he gracefully shifted to mature substantial characters in ‘The Molly Maguires’ (1970), ‘A Bridge Too Far’ (1977) and ‘Forever Forester’ (2000).

Roger Moore took over as James Bond only to make the films larger than life, too stylised and gimmick oriented. ‘Moonraker’ (1979) and the ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977) were big money grocers but lacked the content elements and cinematic finesse of ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963) or ‘Thunderball’ (1965).

Moore was too Americanised. His successor Pierce Brosnan was a few shades better. However, in due course, Moore and Brosnan stopped performing as Bond. ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987) protagonist Timothy Dalton, with his Neil Diamond look-alike appearance, did not create ripples.

Daniel Craig, with his questioning, cold looks gave Bond a new lease of life with ‘Casino Royal’ (2006) and ‘Skyfall’ (2012). In his last 007 venture as Bond, he dies. Craig has also stated he is tired of repeating himself as Bond. After all, the Cold War scenario has changed a lot and Bond never possessed the intellectual charisma of Sherlock Homes or Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.

In its 60th year, the theme song of ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963) remains the best. But Bond is losing eternity. Unreality never scores over reality and the original MI-6 is far more grounded than Bond or his boss, M. After all, Connery did say he never liked to be remembered as Bond.