Sir Sean Connery RIP

[OC Richard]

A sad day indeed.

He was an icon. He launched the Bond franchise, though one of the people involved didn't want Connery, saying he was "too tall, too dark, and too Scottish".

He had that thing that the very best actors have- Jack Nicholson is another who comes to mind- that in any role he seeming to be merely playing himself while simultaneously perfectly becoming the character.

What's stunning to me is the list of roles he turned down, iconic roles like Dumbledore and Gandalf.

As an odd personal note his mother and my grandmother were both named Euphemia.

[DyerStraits]

A sad day indeed.

He was an icon. He launched the Bond franchise, though one of the people involved didn't want Connery, saying he was "too tall, too dark, and too Scottish".

He had that thing that the very best actors have- Jack Nicholson is another who comes to mind- that in any role he seeming to be merely playing himself while simultaneously perfectly becoming the character.

What's stunning to me is the list of roles he turned down, iconic roles like Dumbledore and Gandalf.

As an odd personal note his mother and my grandmother were both named Euphemia.

If I recall correctly, Roger Moore was actually the first choice for the Bond role, but he was already committed to doing "The Saint". I absolutely LOVE Sir Roger in "The Saint", but personally feel he was a bit too refined--in a blond, blue-eyed, manor-born sort of way--for the Bond role (the beauty of Daniel Craig's Bond, in my opinion, is that it effectively does combine the key qualities of Connery and Moore). With all of the Bond actors, it is essential to see their work in other films to fully appreciate their talent--perhaps none more so than Connery.

[Me cousin Jack]

“Shaken, not stirred”

[DyerStraits]

“Shaken, not stirred”

The friction caused by shaking a martini instead of stirring it "bruises" the ice and "heats" it ever so slightly, causing the ice to melt a bit, which waters the mixture down a bit, making it less potent. Bond orders his martinis this way because it helps him keep his "edge".

The irony of course is that Connery himself didn't like martinis, and was mostly a beer drinker--Scotch Ale, for example...

[Me cousin Jack]

The friction caused by shaking a martini instead of stirring it "bruises" the ice and "heats" it ever so slightly, causing the ice to melt a bit, which waters the mixture down a bit, making it less potent. Bond orders his martinis this way because it helps him keep his "edge".

The irony of course is that Connery himself didn't like martinis, and was mostly a beer drinker--Scotch Ale, for example...

Interesting, thanks. I look forward to a Bond movie marathon.

[DyerStraits]

Interesting, thanks. I look forward to a Bond movie marathon.

As do I! But even more so a comprehensive non-Bond marathon of Sir Sean's other fine efforts-I am especially fond of "Marnie", "The Untouchables" and "The Hunt For Red October", but am frankly ashamed of not yet having seen "The Offence", "The Name Of The Rose", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Finding Forester", et al., in their entirety. He was absolutely a consummate Actor's Actor, and left an arguably underappreciated body of high-craft work that proves it. Bring It On.

[MichiganKyle]

As do I! But even more so a comprehensive non-Bond marathon of Sir Sean's other fine efforts-I am especially fond of "Marnie", "The Untouchables" and "The Hunt For Red October", but am frankly ashamed of not yet having seen "The Offence", "The Name Of The Rose", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Finding Forester", et al., in their entirety. He was absolutely a consummate Actor's Actor, and left an arguably underappreciated body of high-craft work that proves it. Bring It On.

Hate to admit it, but as much as he hated it, I actually really loved The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I thought he did a great job with his role, and it illustrated his dedication to his craft that he could do as good of a job as he did for something disliked that much.

[OC Richard]

I am especially fond of "Marnie", "The Untouchables" and "The Hunt For Red October", but am frankly ashamed of not yet having seen "The Offence", "The Name Of The Rose", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Finding Forester", et al., in their entirety.

I've still not seen Man Who Would Be King, shame on me!

Do see The Name Of The Rose, it's wonderful.

[lschwartz]

As do I! But even more so a comprehensive non-Bond marathon of Sir Sean's other fine efforts-I am especially fond of "Marnie", "The Untouchables" and "The Hunt For Red October", but am frankly ashamed of not yet having seen "The Offence", "The Name Of The Rose", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Finding Forester", et al., in their entirety. He was absolutely a consummate Actor's Actor, and left an arguably underappreciated body of high-craft work that proves it. Bring It On.

"The Man Who Would Be King" is definitely a great movie, and I love movies. But, "Finding Forester" is actually my favorite Sean Connery movie...that's right, not a Bond film.

[OC Richard]

I look forward to a Bond movie marathon.

When I was a kid, in a small town, we just had one movie theatre and on Saturdays during the day they would show a triple feature that would cycle through all day.

I was something like 40 cents for all day and the place would be full of kids- sort of like 1960s Day Care.

One Saturday, probably in 1969, it was a James Bond triple feature, which I must have seen two or three times all told.