for just slightly south of fifty years - ever since we had a comparative choice, look you see - a wonderful conversation to have is "who is the best James Bond". it's a subject that anyone who has ever seen two or more different actors play the role is prone to have an opinion on.
i suspect, however, that the rules have always been wrong. it's perhaps not that we should have been debating who the best was, but rather discussing who our favourite is. there is, after all, a world of difference between what you like and what you can acknowledge as being the best.
to this extent, to me, for me, my Bond was, is and forever shall be, Roger Moore.
on what was a pretty bleak day for all of us here in the UK, if not the world or most of it, yesterday Sir Roger Moore passed away. at the age of 89 and having lived a remarkable, wonderful life full of achievement one is left sad at the passing of someone that gave us so much for so very long.
indeed yes there was more, so very much more, to Roger Moore than James Bond. but it is the role he was forever identified with. that is something he never once complained about. far from it - he loved the association. this was particularly true of the way it drew attention to the many causes he championed in this world. being Bond for about a dozen years, for instance, meant that attention was always given to his work as an ambassador for UNICEF.
once there was a time when the British TV channels would show a short notice tribute to someone of note when they passed away. that seems to have changed now, although perhaps the darker, more troubling news of yesterday understandably prevented any such decision.
in the absence of a broadcast tribute, i took my Bond collection out of storage and watched my favourite one again, A View To A Kill.
the film was the last time Sir Roger played the role. it's not usually considered as one of the best, but i like it. a lot. i have nothing at all but fond memories of the film. from numerous trips to the Odeon to go and see it (tickets were 99p a go back then in 1985) through to the awesome theme song, it's just ace. also, the plot might have seemed outlandish back then, but right now it's decidedly plausible.
so who was, is the "best" Bond? whichever one you grew up with, really. i grew up with Roger Moore playing the part, and so he is mine. this is as and how it should be, i think.
that said, in one interview from the last few years, Sir Roger Moore commented that the current Bond, Daniel Craig, was "perhaps better than us all". if you wanted an expert opinion on the matter, far be it from me to argue with the gentleman.
the sadness we feel about Sir Roger Moore passing is, maybe, because it closes a chapter on our own lives. the thing for us, though, is that we could always go back and read that chapter again.
after thoroughly enjoying watching A View To A Kill once more, i do believe i shall go right ahead and watch them all again. perhaps, even, the Bonds i didn't quite like so much.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment