I was quite excited to find that there would be two panels
featured at Stan Lee’s Comikaze last week at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The first was held Friday evening titled Battle of the Bonds…James Bond and the second was on Saturday afternoon, titled 50
Years of James Bond – How Did He Become a Legend? Both panels had overlap of panelists and were moderated by Jessica
Tseang.
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| Panel Host/Moderator, Jessica Tseang |
Which Bond Does It Better?
The Battle of the Bonds…James Bond follows on the success of
prior panels of the Robins and the Doctors and the goal is dissect each Bond to
determine which one is the greatest Bond.
Each panelist represented a Bond:
- Barry
Nelson, David Niven and Ian Fleming played by Dr. Travis Langley (author
of Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight)
- Sean
Connery played by Steven Jay Rubin (author of The James Bond Films: A
Behind the Scenes History and The
Complete James Bond Encyclopedia)
- George
Lazenby played by Malcolm McNeill (international law attorney)
- Roger
Moore played by William O’Neill (artist, initial creator of Hurricane
Entertainment comic book, Chassis)
- Timothy
Dalton played by Robert Short (actor, visual effects)
- Pierce
Brosnan played by Zack Beseda (www.zackforreal.com)
- Daniel
Craig played by Vito Lappicola (Comics on Comics)
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| Panelists (l-r): Dr. Travis Langley, Steven Jay Rubin, William O'Neill, Malcolm McNeill, Robert Short, Zack Beseda |
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| Panelists (l-r): Robert Short, Zack Beseda, Vito Lappicola and Moderator, Jessica Tseang |
Bond. James Bond
Which actor has played the suave secret agent the best? Each
panelist discussed the fine points of their respective actors. Langley started
off the battle by saying that book Bond was the best out of all of them because
Fleming’s books were the blueprint for all the filmic Bonds. Representing Sean
Connery, Rubin explained that Connery was a relatively unknown actor when Dr.
No released in 1962. There was a coolness
about him and he appealed to both men and women.
McNeill stated that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service George Lazenby had an impish way about him and he
had a sense of humor. For example, Lazenby’s Bond steals the centerfold out of
the Playboy he was reading during
the photocopier scene of OHMSS.
McNeill also felt that Lazenby’s delivery of lines was excellent.
Roger Moore’s The Spy Who Loved Me was O’Neill’s first with regards to the Bond
franchise. Moore represented “big budget Bond” and who was able to pull off a
humorous/serious Bond. This balance was an important asset that helped save a
failing franchise. Short said Timothy Dalton had read all of Fleming’s Bond
books because he wanted to bring filmic Bond back to his literary roots. Dalton
conveyed “great depth and conflict and explored the gritty side of Bond,”
according to Short. However, the 1980s audience was not ready for Dalton’s
interpretation.
Beseda’s first Bond was Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye, so was Brosnan was the automatic favorite of
Beseda’s. Lappicola stated that Daniel Craig “made Bond relevant and brought
him into the 21st century.” And, Craig had also read the Fleming
books as well as trained for the physical demands of the role, bringing a sense
of realism to the spy.
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| Langley represents a trio: Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond from the CBS version of Casino Royale (1954), David Niven as James Bond in the 1967 filmic version, and of course the man behind the spy, Ian Fleming; Rubin as Sean Connery |
Best Gadgets and Memorable Women
Every Bond film follows a particular formula since Dr. No that of course includes women to get Bond into
trouble and gadgets to get him out of a tight spot. Going down the line of
panelists, each expressed what gadget stood out and which women were the most
memorable during their respective Bond eras.
Representing Nelson, Langley said that this Bond didn’t need
gadgets to overcome evil and his lady of the hour was Valerie Mathis. Then
turning to Niven’s Bond from the 1967 release of Casino Royale, Niven’s mustache was his best gadget and of course,
he had Mata Hari! In the books, Langley stated Bond’s best gadget was his hair.
For example, he would use strains of his hair as a trap to see if anyone had
entered his room. And Langley felt that Vesper Lynd was the most memorable from
the books.
Connery’s Bond had the Aston Martin DB5, but Rubin said it
was the briefcase in From Russia With Love
that he felt was the best gadget. As to women, Rubin cited Honor Blackman’s
Pussy Galore and Ursula Andress’ Honey Ryder, but for Rubin, it was Thunderball’s Domino, played by Claudine Auger, because of the
close relationship that she and Bond develop through the course of the film.
McNeill stated Lazenby’s ingenuity was his best gadget and
of course Diana Rigg’s Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo. True, Lazenby only had the
one film, but in OHMSS, much time was
given to develop the relationship between Bond and his girl. And, it was the
only woman that Bond married.
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| Rubin and O'Neill |
O’Neill said it had to be the Lotus Esprit S1 car that
converted into a submarine The Spy Who Loved Me as the best gadget Moore had from amongst his movies. Although O’Neill
loved the name Holly Goodhead, it was Maud Adams’ Octopussy for the win. He
cited her maturity as an excellent match to Moore’s Bond.
Short picked Dalton’s Aston Martin as the best gadget and
while he felt that Maryam d’Abo had a great story arc, Short’s heart was with
Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora in Licence to Kill. Beseda said he thought Brosnan’s laser watch was the coolest gadget
and although he quite liked Halle Berry as Jinx, it was the red head, Natalya
Simonova played by Izabella Scorupco that got his vote.
Lappicola rounded out the group and said Casino Royale Vesper Lynd was the most memorable and best gadget
for Craig’s Bond? Well, Lappicola was pretty adamant that it was Bond’s penis,
which surprised panelists and audiences alike.
No Bond, I Expect You to Die
One thing that audiences can always count on is a worthy
adversary for Bond to triumph over by the time the ending credits roll. Into
the third round, Langley said Niven had Woody Allen, Nelson had Peter Lorre and
in Fleming’s novels, it was definitely Blofeld. Rubin picked Auric Goldfinger,
played brilliantly by Gert Frobe, because it was a cool plot. McNeill felt that
Lazenby’s nemesis was Connery’s shadow but then added that it was of course
Telly Savalas’ Blofeld, while O’Neill chose Jaws, the lumbering henchman with a
mouthful of steel capped teeth played so well by Richard Kiel, because like
Moore’s Bond, Jaws was portrayed with seriousness but with a touch of humor
too.
Short looked behind the screen and felt that Dalton’s
nemesis was Harry Saltzman and Beseda said it was James Cameron’s Titanic since Tomorrow Never Dies released the same year, 1997. And not too surprising
and most heartily agreed with Lappicola’s pick, Javier Bardem’s Silva from Skyfall.
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| O'Neill and McNeill |
Holy Cow, Batman vs Bond?
Since this panel was being broadcast, Tseang fielded a
question from her virtual audience in which the following question was asked:
Who would win in a fight, Batman or Bond? The answers were hilarious and
sublime. Langley said that Bond would easily beat Batman in drinking and
venereal diseases. Rubin figured both could duel it out by engaging in battles
via all of their various vehicles (cars, planes, boats, etc.). McNeill figured
Bond could win by sleeping with Catwoman while O’Neill suggested Bond would use
humor to defeat Batman. Short turned to cards, Baccarat of course! Beseda said
Bond would “out audition Val Kilmer” while Lappicola said Bond and Batman would
team up to fight Blofeld.
Best Bond Tune and What Each Actor Brought to Their
Bond
By now, the panelists were really getting into the heat of
battle -- could any other battle be considered fun and silly? The panelists and
audience were having a good time. Langley said that since both of his actors
had roles that were not recurring, he skipped that part of the question and
related that Goldfinger had the best
music.
Rubin described Connery as bringing a cat-like grace to his
performances of Bond. John Barry’s music was superb and Rubin’s favorite was You
Only Live Twice. McNeill felt that On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service had the best
music and that Lazenby’s lanky frame and doing most of his own stunts brought
much to his Bond role.
“Moore looked good in suits,” according to O’Neill as well
as having great facial expressions that added to his performance. O’Neill
smiled as he added that his favorite song was Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It
Better. Short thought Dalton facial
expressions, like Moore, had lent to his performance.
Beseda thought Brosnan brought some color – a tan – to Bond
while Lappicola said Adele’s Skyfall was
best song. As to what Craig brought to Bond? Lappicola said Craig had created a
Bond where audiences questioned whether he was a good guy or a bad guy working
for the good guys.
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| Short, Beseda, and Lappicola |
The Best and Worst Bond
At some point in any conversation about Bond, the question
will come up: If you had to choose, which would be your favorite Bond film? And
which film totally misses the mark? The panelists weighed in.
Rubin’s best was Casino Royale (2006) while he felt A View to a Kill was the worst. McNeill’s best was a tie: Craig’s Casino
Royale and On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service and worst was The
Man with a Golden Gun. O’Neill thumbs up Goldfinger but gave thumbs down to The Man with a
Golden Gun citing it looked more like a
television movie rather than a theatrical film.
Short’s pick for best was OHMSS while A View to a Kill and The Man with a Golden Gun were tied for the bottom. Beseda’s best was Skyfall and worst was The World Is Not Enough. And Lappicola gave Skyfall high marks for the fighting, but overall, OHMSS was the best in his eyes.
Can We See That Again?!
Sadly, the hour was quickly coming to a close, the panelist
began reminiscing about their favorite Bond scenes. For Lappicola, Moore
running across the alligators post haste is unforgettable. In The Spy Who
Loved Me, skiing off the side of a mountain
was, at the time, a big stunt for Bond and a defining one for the industry,
according to O’Neill. Rubin shared his favorite: Bond and Grant fighting in the
confines of the train cabin. Short
cited the parkour scene in Casino Royale and McNeill thought Bond getting pushed out of the plane without a
parachute as suspenseful. Short added that many stunts were in the pre-CGI
days, so there was someone really going through that situation!
And, in the end, which Bond triumphed? Somehow, I don’t
think it really mattered, because getting to talk Bond for an hour was a
win-win for everyone!
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| Battle of the Bonds: Rubin, O'Neill, Langley, McNeill, Short, Beseda, Lappicola, and Tseang |
Evaluating The Longevity of Bond 50 Years On
It’s been over 50 years since Sean Connery announced to the
world that he was Bond… James Bond in Dr. No. Saturday afternoon Langley, Rubin, McNeill, and Short were joined by
Brad Hansen (many will know him online as Commander Bond), as Tseang returned
as the moderator for the second Bondian panel.
Tseang started the hour by asking the panelists why has
James Bond remained an enduring and relevant popular culture icon. Hansen said
that Bond had consistent elements that had been proven successful, a formula
that worked. Langley added that the outlandish and melodramatic villains are what
audiences have come to expect, while McNeill explained that there is a
“familiarity” factor to Bond, a vulnerability that resonates with Bond’s fans
and solicits nostalgia.
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| 50 Years of Bond: Short, Rubin, McNeill, Langley, Brad Hansen, and Tseang |
Rubin stated we needed to return to Ian Fleming’s novels,
which were written in 1950s depressed London in order to understand that the
stories conveyed a sense of escapism that makes “Bond perfect for another 200
years.” While Bond films obviously attracted men, Rubin added that women would
go the Bond films too because the movies were considered family entertainment.
Short brought up that Bond is a “family-owned business” that
established a certain sensibility to that runs throughout the franchise. There
is no other series quite like it. The second generation of the Broccoli family
have been able to maintain the standards set back in the 1960s. Broccoli and
Wilson are deftly able to re-invent the franchise’s movies to include current
mores or topical issues while still providing Bond in the “same wrapper.”
Tseang added that the “wrapper” that audiences have come to recognize include
music and Bond Girls.
The films are often reviewed as a whole or grouped by the
Bond actor, however McNeill suggested looking at each film individually, to
analyze each from a historical context. Short concurred by mentioning themes of
chemical warfare, oil, water, and the Middle East. Rubin shared that since the
franchise has rights to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. again, he said he would not be surprised
if the organization pops up in a future film. McNeill agreed.
The conversation lingered on Craig’s second Bond outing, Quantum
of Solace, which typically has audiences
puzzled since it is quite different from Casino Royale. Hansen explained that this film was supposed to be
part of a trilogy, however it didn’t perform well at the box office so Skyfall went a different direction. McNeill said he had
recently watched the two films again and felt that psychologically the two
films are interconnected.
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| Panelists for 50 Years of Bond...Do I hear 50 more? |
If You Could Have a Do Over
The panelists were asked that if they could have any of the
Bond films remade, which one would they want to do over?
- Langley
– Dr. No
- McNeill
– The Man with the Golden Gun
- Hansen
– Diamond Are Forever (he suggested
having Bond motivated by revenge)
- Rubin
– You Only Live Twice
The hour was rapidly up, but that did not end the dialogue
about Bond. The panelists and many of the audience members met and chatted at
length for many more minutes about upcoming Bond 24, favorite Bond moments and
films outside in the hallway. Bond is most assuredly alive and well after 50
years on film.
Post Script. I had a fantastic time meeting all these James Bond aficionados at Comikaze and I wanted to take a moment to thank them for sharing their insight into the Bond franchise and the actors behind the spy who has endured in our collective hearts for so long. And a very special thanks to Jessica for all of her work setting up and moderating both panels!
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| Me with the lovely Jessica Tseang, panel host and moderator |
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| A real pleasure of the weekend, meeting author Steven Jay Rubin! |
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Me (goofy and needing to practice my Bond pose!) with Brad Hansen, the man behind Commander Bond!
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