The lighting of a cigarette. The famous John Barry theme music. “Bond, James Bond”. The camera finally reveals Ian Fleming’s legendary spy to the world, in the face of the Scottish Sean Connery, who has passed away at the grand age of 90. In terms of cinematic introductions, it is one of the most iconic, kickstarting one of the longest running and most successful film franchises of all time. In terms of actors, he is one of the most distinct, winning and infallible presences in motion picture history.
Connery won the Bond role through pure charm, allegedly
wearing scruffy clothes to his meeting with the producers yet displaying enough
rugged masculinity to seal his place in the hall of fame. His performance as
the globe-trotting British agent is one that has stuck to the core of my
childhood. My first experience with Connery’s Bond was with Goldfinger (1964)
wherein he emerged from the water in a tight black wetsuit, only to whip it off
and reveal an immaculate white tuxedo underneath, adorned with a red flower.
The same sequence closes with him throwing an electrical appliance at an
opponent in the bath. “Shocking” he quips. As far as my seven-year-old brain
went, it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.
Bond has been played six times in the mainstream franchise,
but it is always, always Connery we compare to. He is the only the Bond actor
to come back to the role after previously handing it off (twice, if you include
the offbeat 1983 film Never Say Never Again) and is the only of the Bond
actors to claim that he influenced Fleming’s writings: the author revealed that
Bond’s father was in fact Scottish. It is easy to say that we will always
compare to Connery because he was the first; the first to order the martini,
the first to drive the Aston Martin and the first to remark “I think he got the
point” after harpooning an assailant to a tree. But that is only part of the
reason. Connery’s earthy charm, quick wit, just-about-threatening physicality
and wry smile are quintessential components for the character.
The first five Bond films alone would be a great legacy, but
Connery has left a remarkable body of work outside of his franchise, arguably
the only Bond actor to do so. Keen to detach himself from that image, he took
on a range of roles for a variety of directors: there is Marnie, A Bridge Too Far, The Untouchables
(for which he won his Oscar), cult classic Highlander, a scene
stealing role in The Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October and the
ultimate Friday night with beers film, The Rock. Connery’s very presence
in these elevates them to the top levels of big screen entertainment, deploying
his thick accent with gusto. His line of work is filled with memorable, funny
quotations, making it easy to forget the emotional guns he fired in The Last
Crusade or The Untouchables.
If there is one film of special mention it is The Man Who
Would Be King, in which Connery was paired with Michael Caine as two
British soldiers who journey into 19th century Kafiristan, only for
Connery’s character to become a doomed, god-like king. Connery’s favourite film
to do, the picture sees his character (Daniel) wanting to do away with his past
job in search of something greater. It more than draws comparisons to Connery’s
own adventure away from the Bond franchise, but whilst Daniel fails, Connery
succeeded- massively. The Man Who Would Be King? The Man Who Was a King.
