My favorite James Bond is still the Bond of my youth: Sean Connery. The best Bond movie ever is still Goldfinger. Don't argue with me; that's simply a fact. I was pissed off when Roger Moore took over, 'cause it just wasn't right!
And yet, back when I was a toddler and Sean Connery was hired to play Bond, there was outrage. Hadn't the producers read the books?
James Bond is
clearly, deliberately, and proudly Welsh! His background, history,
education, and stature are all laid out in the books in such a way that a
Scott could never accurately portray.
Yes, they were serious: Connery, from Edinburgh, was entirely unfit to play Bond, from Wales. Bond is a certain kind of gentleman, that Connery certainly is not, was the general feeling. *
But Albert "Cubby" Broccoli was on to something. Bond was bigger than the books. Bond was more worldly than Welsh. Bond was more timeless than the era in which he was created.
The movie Bonds have always been contemporary, and have refused aging with the post WWII generation that spawned the character. I miss the Aston Martin, but Bond can drive a BMW, and that's just fine.
What are the requirements to play the modern movie Bond? Bond must be loyal to the Queen, and Bond must be cooler than cool. Race (and gender) are inconsequential.
The question to the current franchise owners/producers is how to make the Bond fresh and relevant again? Questioning whether he "needs" to be played by a white actor is certainly part of that. But - for me at least, just IMHO - that also means stepping back from the effects and gadgetry a bit and coming up with a story that's relevant to the world today, and finding the very best actors to perform it.
Hiring a black Bond just because it's "trendy" and will get some extra PR... I don't object, but that's not enough to get me to the theater. Hiring a black Bond because it contributes to the story and says something about our changing world (and then casting the best person)... That's something I'll shell out to see.
Now... on to Superman... What makes you think Superman has to be white? He's not even human!
* After Connery was hired, Ian Flemming wrote in the added back story that Bond's father was Scottish, and that, although raised in Wales, Bond was educated in partly Edinburgh. I'm pretty sure that Timothy Dalton has been the only Welshman to play Bond to date. For more on all this, please see JB & Wales.
Yes, they were serious: Connery, from Edinburgh, was entirely unfit to play Bond, from Wales. Bond is a certain kind of gentleman, that Connery certainly is not, was the general feeling. *
But Albert "Cubby" Broccoli was on to something. Bond was bigger than the books. Bond was more worldly than Welsh. Bond was more timeless than the era in which he was created.
The movie Bonds have always been contemporary, and have refused aging with the post WWII generation that spawned the character. I miss the Aston Martin, but Bond can drive a BMW, and that's just fine.
What are the requirements to play the modern movie Bond? Bond must be loyal to the Queen, and Bond must be cooler than cool. Race (and gender) are inconsequential.
The question to the current franchise owners/producers is how to make the Bond fresh and relevant again? Questioning whether he "needs" to be played by a white actor is certainly part of that. But - for me at least, just IMHO - that also means stepping back from the effects and gadgetry a bit and coming up with a story that's relevant to the world today, and finding the very best actors to perform it.
Hiring a black Bond just because it's "trendy" and will get some extra PR... I don't object, but that's not enough to get me to the theater. Hiring a black Bond because it contributes to the story and says something about our changing world (and then casting the best person)... That's something I'll shell out to see.
Now... on to Superman... What makes you think Superman has to be white? He's not even human!
* After Connery was hired, Ian Flemming wrote in the added back story that Bond's father was Scottish, and that, although raised in Wales, Bond was educated in partly Edinburgh. I'm pretty sure that Timothy Dalton has been the only Welshman to play Bond to date. For more on all this, please see JB & Wales.
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