Sean Connery, Original Bond and more (OBITUARY)

BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY New Delhi, Oct 31 : For a man who redefined the spy as a playboy and an action star with his James Bond roles, Sean Connery had once surprised the world declaring he was no great fan of the British superspy.
“I’ve only read two Bond books, I found Ian Fleming himself much more interesting than his writing,” Connery had stated, in an article that The Guardian ran in December 1971.
That was the era when Connery ruled the mindset of Hollywood fans the world over with his back-to-back hits as Agent 007. It was almost a decade since his first bow, “Dr No”, created global impact upon release in 1962. By December 1971 Connery had already starred in four other Bond blockbusters that continue to define the original essence of Bond — “From Russia With Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), and “You Only Live Twice” (1967). In December 1971 he was gearing up for the release of “Diamonds Are Forever”, the last of his outings as Bond in the official series of films. He would return again years later, for a final shot in the 1983 release, “Never Say Never Again”.
Connery’s Bond fatigue could perhaps be explained by the need to escape an image trap. Or, maybe, he realised the overwhelming glamour and sheer screen presence that defined everything he did before the camera was too good a trait to waste on just one role.
Today, looking back at his career makes you realise that Connery perhaps did a wise thing trying to move away from the Bond franchise when he did. He needed a break from Bond, while the makers were looking for fresh glamour to give Bond a new spin. (Incidentally, it is said Fleming was never in favour of casting Connery as Bond in the first place, and it was the studio that insisted. In fact, there was an attempt to oust him from the franchise despite the roaring success of the first five films, with George Lazenby playing Bond in the 1969 release, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. The film fared below expectations, and Connery was brought back for “Diamonds Are Forever” in 1971).
Between 1962, when “Dr No” released, and 1971, when he was out with “Diamonds Are Forever”, Connery did try other roles. But with the possible exception of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” (1964), there are not many other films in this phase that automatically draw recall as Sean Connery-starrers for the regular movie buff. Then again, “Marnie” will always be a Hitchcock flick first.