In honor of both the late Sean Connery and the 25th anniversary of “GoldenEye” (1995), Be Reel looks back at the debuts of every actor to embody 007: Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig—with a courteous nod to George Lazenby, too.
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Each actor brings different qualities to Bond in a franchise that tends to over-correct more than evolve. One tenure’s heightened sexuality gives way to goofiness in the next. One tenure embraces psychology while the next frantically flees it. In watching “Dr. No” (1962), “Live and Let Die” (1974), “The Living Daylights” (1989), “GoldenEye” (1995) and “Casino Royale” (2006), you witness the franchise running hot and cold on its own depictions of violence, manipulation, and 007’s self-awareness.
Burning questions include:
- What’s the first modern Bond movie?
- Is there more depth to Connery’s Bond than first meets the eye?
- Is this franchise secretly defined by self-loathing?
- Would you personally pay MGM $600 million to stream “No Time To Die” at home?
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