Upon Roger Moore’s passing, Daniel Craig tweeted, “Nobody did it better,” in honor of the former James Bond actor. Indeed, within the fraternity of Bond actors, mutual respect and admiration has always been on display, despite the fact that they appeared in different types of Bond films. This is especially true with Moore and Craig, On the surface, there are no two different portrayals of James Bond. Moore’s was highlighted by camp and humor. He was the king of the one-liners. Craig’s tenure has been far more serious in tone (a fact not lost on John Cleese).
But this doesn’t mean that the two actor’s Bond films have been completely dissimilar. In fact, there are some elements that are quite similar and worthy of discussion.
New Bond, New Direction
Winter is Coming
Both actors ushered in new eras in the series: Moore with “Live and Let Die” and Craig with “Casino Royale.” In both cases, the actor knew he couldn’t portray the character as had been done before. Perhaps in response, directors Guy Hamilton and Martin Campbell took a new approach with the theme song. Edgier rock music accompanied the films’ titles sequence. Paul McCartney and Wings, in the case of “Live and Let Die,” and Chris Cornell, in the case of “You Know My Name.” The songs were ways of busting down the door and introducing us to this new Bond.
Furthermore, both Bonds find their missions taking them to the Caribbean and to the American south–Moore in New Orleans, Craig in Miami, with action scenes at those cities’ airports. And if we want to get technical: cards figure heavily in the plots of the two films (but we don’t want to “stretch” things too far with this).
Also noteworthy, black villains figure prominently in the two films, the only two in the series in which black actors are used so extensively.
A Question of Competence
Both actors had to portray a Bond who is perceived as incompetent, particularly by the film’s villain. While this may simply be an instance of the villain professing intellectual superiority (it isn’t the only time it has happened), it is nevertheless worthy of consideration. In A View to a Kill and Skyfall, white-haired villains (Zorin and Silva), both former spies, have used technology to uncover “truths” about Bond. And this uncovering is where the villains take the opportunity to suggest that Bond is careless and incompetent.
Zorin says, “If you’re the best they’ve got, they’re more likely to try and cover up your embarrassing incompetence.” Later, Zorin describes Bond as “bungling.”
Similarly, Silva addresses Bond’s MI6 evaluations, stating that his scores on various tests were too low for him to be back out in the field. He says, “(M) sent you after me knowing you are not ready, knowing you will likely die.”
The villains’ statements about competence are undoubtedly tied to another similarity: Bond’s age.
Age and Fitness
Roger Moore’s age was mostly an unspoken topic in his final two films. In fact, in A View to a Kill, age could be considered an inside joke, given how often his (younger) stunt double is visible in the action sequences. Moore was 57 at the time of filming.
But allusions are made to Moore’s age. Bond refers to himself (rather tongue-in-cheek) as an “old friend” in Octopussy, and then there is the dig by Dr. Mortner in A View to a Kill. While discussing with Bond the breeding practices of horses, Mortner says, “Selective breeding is important, but more important is conditioning and desire.” Bond asks, “Are you talking about people or horses?” The question of conditioning is one audiences were likely asking about Moore at the time. Moore went on to say that he was far too old for the role.
In Skyfall, age is a more significant thematic element. After all, Moneypenny refers to Bond as an “old dog,” and earlier, Mallory tells Bond that fieldwork is a “young man’s game.”
But it’s the scene in the National Gallery, when Bond meets Q, that the film’s statement on Bond’s age is fully realized. As the two study a painting by William Turner, Q comments on the painting’s depiction of an old ship, being taken to the shipyard to be torn down into scraps. Bond is unimpressed and only sees a “bloody big ship.”
One could almost hear Moore saying, “Are you talking about people or boats?”
Yes, Moore and Craig played quite different versions of Bond, and we could go into great detail on those differences. But they’re obvious–maybe too obvious. So what’s is the fun in that?
What are your thoughts on the similarities between Moore and Craig?