Original and best Bond

SEAN Connery (pix), the Scottish actor who was the first to portray the character James Bond in the big screen, passed away at the age of 90 last week.

He died in Bahamas with his family at his bedside. The Bahamas was his favourite travel destination and the location of his fourth Bond film, Thunderball in 1965.

The James Bond movies which were exclusive British productions have always had a huge following all over the world.

From 1962 to the present, Bond movies have mesmerised and kept audiences spellbound to their seats.

The latest Bond film No Time To Die, staring Daniel Craig as 007, was set for release this year but has been postponed to next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The super suave and debonair fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming inspired the making of dozens of films under the James Bond franchise.

Bond movies promised thrilling action, sophisticated gadgets, state of the art weapons, exotic locations, demented villains and most of all, beautiful voluptuous girls.

The movie’s iconic musical score showing Bond walking in a series of completed circles became the main signature theme of the James Bond films and is most looked out for in every Bond film before the movie starts.

Seven British actors have played James Bond.

Connery played Bond in seven movies from 1962 to 1983 – Dr No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again.

Connery was manly and macho and brought out the definitive character of Bond as created by Fleming which undoubtedly was largely responsible for the success of the film series.

His strong Scottish accent and his wit and charm which he suavely portrayed on screen defined an era and a style.

Connery made the character of Bond his own, blending ruthlessness and sardonic wit which made him the best actor to play the 007 in the long running franchise.

Apart from the Bond character, he also starred in various British and American movies. His acting career spanned for five decades and among the notable films are The Hunt For Red October, Highlander, The Rock, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Untouchables.

He won an Oscar in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables as a police sergeant with Kevin Costner as an attorney-general and Robert De Niro as the Mafia Don.

In 1999 he acted alongside Catherine Zeta Jones in the movie Entrapment which showcased the beauty and wonder of the Petronas Twin Towers to the world. In the movie, Connery acted as a master thief who was hoodwinked into stealing exquisite pieces of art from the Petronas Twin towers.

He was the knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the year 2000 for his contribution the British film industry.

Connery will always be remembered as the original James Bond who made an indelible entrance into the Bond film with those unforgettable words: “The name is Bond, James Bond”.

Samuel Yesuiah

Seremban