Sean Connery was an acting genius, activist for Scottish nationalism, charmer, and tough (too often having been cheated) business partner. I respect him. I haven't seen many of his movies, but I've seen endless clips of him on TV.
I have complicated feelings about James Bond. The movie Thunderball came out when I was 9, and I saw it on my birthday and it somehow failed to impress much and I was more impressed a few years later by James Coburn's Flint--which recently I've started re-viewing without disappointment...as I grew up I felt Bond was the inferior other-peoples-icon...I had similar feelings about Johnny Carson who I thought the inferior lowbrow version of Dick Cavett).
Subsequent to the 60's, Sean Connery's bond became legendary. And perhaps even in part because times had moved on, but the character not so much. Though no doubt, Connery was a genius at this role. As he admitted later in life, all his roles represented much of his core as a person. I would call it rogue. He's the slick operator, who instead of sneaking from behind to pick your wallet or steal your heart, walks right out in front and distracts you with his casually brilliant hamming. And you would tend to hope, he wouldn't take your wallet or heart unless you needed it taken.
But the character Bond was cast in a fake cold war drama. In which the cunning and evil were opposed to us ("the free world"--aka western empire), the slow thinking but honorable people. But we had Bond, who had just enough bad boy to turn the tables on the evil and cunning enemy.
Not exactly an inversion of the truth, but certainly a simplification. It was indeed our bad boys vs theirs.
Nevertheless, Bond, and especially Connery's Bond, became a cult, a legend, and much more. Seeing endless comparison clips, it was obvious how much cooler Connery's Bond was than all the replacements. Few seemed to ask other questions.
I was very looking forward to seeing Bond's Goldfinger at a special screening organized by Texas Public Radio at a major cinemaplex 15 years ago. I was beginning to think my animus toward Bond series as a whole was that I was the unlucky kid who never got to see Goldfinger. I had seen Thunderball, but that wasn't the real magic one. Having been left behind, I worshipped an alternate.
As I drove up the theater (cutting a bit of work time to go see the movie) a thunderbolt hit the transformer near the cinemaplex, which blew up, and the theaters and the entire surrounding area went dark. I could see all this happen, and headed home. It seemed like fate had spoken, and a second time. I was not supposed to see this movie, it seemed.
So then I bought a copy of DVD of Goldfinger. I was almost afraid to. JaAfter sitting around for 10 years, about 5 years ago I finally got around to watching the movie.
I was shocked. I could hardly bear it. Even by my forgiving standards, the sexism was over the top. And that was just the start. The us-vs-them Imperialism and good-guy-vs-bad-guy simplfication was glaring. I had to take several sessions to watch the entire move. But then I should admit, this is true of most movies when I watch them by myself. I greatly prefer watching movies with other people, who can carry me along emotionally just by sharing the experience.
I intend to have another look again, my standards and tolerances and expectations keep evolving. I'd long ago started wondering about Dick Cavett too. But I think it's obvious that Goldfinger is a Cold Warrior Movie, and the whole enterprise is warrior-justification, an in-principle evil.
But that's true of virtually everything, including many other things I like to much to give up, so I don't know. But my theory now is Connery played Bond when Bond was the most cool, but as society moved on, the character didn't so much, and so it's no wonder that no other actor has been able to do it well either.
But Connery was uniquely gifted in his roguishly charming ways too. So perhaps making a treat for some to watch his act even if you considered the whole enterprise consummate evil. This possibility is why I'm still looking forward to re-viewing Goldfinger again someday.
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