Sean Connery
As the first James Bond, Sean Connery probably
didn't realise when he first accepted the role that he would
be eternally associated with the character, but it was Sean
Connery and the director of Dr No, Terence Young, who really
established the screen image of James Bond. Ian Fleming complained
when Sean Connery was cast that Sean Connery wasn't his image
of Bond and that the Bond he had written was more refined
than the rugged Connery. However, after seeing Dr No he was
so impressed with Sean Connery in the role that he established
a Scottish and Swiss heritage for Bond in later novels.
But James Bond has become cinemas most enduring
character and has now achieved iconic status and Sean Connery
has gone on to establish himself as one of cinemas biggest
stars.
Sean Connery is a very fine actor indeed. Aside
from the Bond films, Sean Connery has long, long list of credits
across a broad range of genre. The Hill, for instance, which
is an interesting piece of drama he made just after making
Goldfinger and, in my opinion, shows that as an actor he was
determined to stretch himself and not just go for the classic
Hollywood hero leads. And Shalako, where he starred with Brigette
Bardot. Sean Connery in a Louis L'Armour? Connery plays a
lone rider in indian territory who rescues Brigette Bardot
from the indians and then has to save the european hunting
party she is tavelling with. Sean Connery is excellent and
I would have liked to have seen him in more westerns. And
what about The Man Who Would Be King, where Connery starred
with Michael Caine. Connery is superb in the Rudyard Kipling
story playing a character who's almost caricature. And we
can't forget Connery was a part of the all-star cast of A
Bridge Too Far, now a true classic. And, of course, we had
a very different Sean Connery in the Untouchables...
But my favourite films starring Sean Connery
are the Highlander series, The Rock and, of course, The Hunt
For Red October, all, in my opinion, great stories and tremendous
films that I can watch again and again. But I cannot leave
Sean Connery without mentioning Medicine Man, a script where
Sean Connery again stretches himself and creates a character
that sticks in the memory like glue. I really liked that film.
It had heart and soul and expressed a beautiful moral...
Tim Rees
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