Fleming Described a Craigian Bond

BondFan007 · Post by **BondFan007** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:11 pm

And what could the casual observer think of him, 'Commander James Bond, GMG, RNVSR', also'something at the Ministry of Defence', the rather saturnine young man in his middle thirties sitting opposite the Admiral? Something a bit cold and dangerous in that face. Looks pretty fit. May have been attached to Templer in Malaya. Or Nairobi. Mau Mau work. Tough-looking customer. Doesn't look the sort of chap one usually sees in Blades.
Bond knew that there was something alien and un-English about himself. He knew that he was a difficult man to cover up. Particularly in England. He shrugged his shoulders.

Moonraker
CHAPTER IV
THE 'SHINER'

He's described with a cruel mouth, scar etc. I think Craig fits the bill.

Post by **carl stromberg** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:52 pm

I think you are being rather selective in your views as Bond is desribed as being tall and handsome with black hair!

Some of Fleming's Bond's attitiude may be in Criag's interpretation; but Craig looks nothing like Fleming's Bond, IMO.

BondFan007 · Post by **BondFan007** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:39 pm

carl stromberg wrote:I think you are being rather selective in your views as Bond is desribed as being tall and handsome with black hair!

Some of Fleming's Bond's attitiude may be in Criag's interpretation; but Craig looks nothing like Fleming's Bond, IMO.

So he hasn't got black hair, thats the only part that departs.

Post by **carl stromberg** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:47 pm

Bondfan007
So he hasn't got black hair, thats the only part that departs.

And he's not tall and "film star" handsome!

I suppose it's just a matter of opinion: you'll start another argument!

BondFan007 · Post by **BondFan007** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:04 am

What do you mean he isn't tall? He's 5'11, that's above average height.

Gary Seven · Post by **Gary Seven** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:59 pm

I imagine Bond to be tall and handsome like a Lazenby or a Dalton.

But everyone has their own image of James bond from reading the novels.

James1090 · Post by **James1090** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:23 am

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet since I'm kinda of new to the forum but if you compare Fleming's choice for James Bond and EON's choice I think that Craig would not have been a choice by Fleming. Cary Grant and David Niven look better than Craig does now.

Post by **Kristatos** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:34 pm

James1090 wrote:Cary Grant and David Niven look better than Craig does now.

Quite an achievement, considering they've both been dead for decades.

Robert Stirling · Post by **Robert Stirling** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:11 pm

Dear pro-Craigers! Do write that Craig is a great actor, that he was (is and will be) great as Bond, that he is tough and rugged, that he has an edge, that he is exactly as Fleming described Bond and what else you want as often as you want, but please don’t even try to sustain the position that he’s anyhow handsome.
It’s a matter of opinion you would say. Yes, but only to a certain extent. There are some universal canons defining masculine good looks and Craig by no means fits into this definition. So in the classical and universally accepted meaning of the term he definitely isn’t handsome. Of course, canons do change (compare contemporary supermodel with the women from Rubens paintings) and maybe some day the common idea of handsome man will be much closer to the Craigian type, but as long as we are at the beginning of the 21st century let’s face the facts.

Moore · Post by **Moore** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:53 pm

Cannot disagree with you Robert. You're 100% right!

Post by **Kristatos** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:22 pm

Babs obviously finds him sexy, but "sexy" doesn't necessarily equal "classically handsome" and certainly doesn't equal a "Bond look". Tom Cruise, Heath Ledger, Denzel Washington and Johnny Depp are all men who a lot of women find attractive, but I couldn't see any of them as Bond.

Post by **The Sweeney** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:17 pm

Robert Stirling wrote:Dear pro-Craigers! Do write that Craig is a great actor, that he was (is and will be) great as Bond, that he is tough and rugged, that he has an edge, that he is exactly as Fleming described Bond and what else you want as often as you want, but please don’t even try to sustain the position that he’s anyhow handsome.
It’s a matter of opinion you would say. Yes, but only to a certain extent. There are some universal canons defining masculine good looks and Craig by no means fits into this definition. So in the classical and universally accepted meaning of the term he definitely isn’t handsome. Of course, canons do change (compare contemporary supermodel with the women from Rubens paintings) and maybe some day the common idea of handsome man will be much closer to the Craigian type, but as long as we are at the beginning of the 21st century let’s face the facts.

Being handsome is subjective, but I would define Craig as more rugged than handsome. Fleming often described Bond as being handsome `but in a cruel way'. He also depicted him as a `nasty looking customer', and in TSWLM the heroine thinks Bond is a villain too on first sighting him. Read into that what you will. How we imagine Fleming's Bond from the novels to appear is subjective too.

However, apparently Craig has sex appeal though, regardless of what you think of his looks -

http://www.beautyden.com/celebrity/dani ... -man.shtml

http://www.askmen.com/gossip/daniel-cra ... craig.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainm ... 757571.htm

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php ... est_man_po

http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/w/star/n187 ... lanet.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/danie ... 22951.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006570371,00.html

http://www.exposay.com/durex-poll-names ... an/v/6916/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebrit ... named.html

http://www.mansized.co.uk/talk/thread.phtml/thread6830/

Moore · Post by **Moore** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:05 pm

This man - Mariusz Pudzianowski (3 times "Strong Man" world championship winner) is also considered as sexy, but would you see him as a Bond?

stockslivevan · Post by **stockslivevan** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:55 pm

Of course not Moore, but Craig is still identified as being a sexy Bond.

Post by **Dr. No** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:38 am

Kristatos wrote:
James1090 wrote:Cary Grant and David Niven look better than Craig does now.
Quite an achievement, considering they've both been dead for decades.

LOL

one thing that came across to me is Bond has class but was not a snob. Craig's spy was not and is not that.

Anyone can pcik and choose descriptions to make claims. What if we ran a check on how Fleming described the Bond bad guy namely the hench men, I think we'll find more in common with Craig's spy.

azurit · Post by **azurit** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:42 pm

Sexy and handsome are two different things. You might say that he has some rough-looking pitbull charme but I dont think he is handsome. I dislike potatoe shaped noses.

Fleming described a dangerous looking and handsome Bond, so Craig is a 50% Bond.

Post by **carl stromberg** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:36 pm

azurit wrote:Sexy and handsome are two different things. You might say that he has some rough-looking pitbull charme but I dont think he is handsome. I dislike potatoe shaped noses.

Fleming described a dangerous looking and handsome Bond, so Craig is a 50% Bond.

Welcome to the forum!

Your view that Craig emobodies some of the "tough" characteristics of Fleming's Bond but does not look like Bond in any way seems to be a common one.

Personally I feel the personality of "CraigBond" is unlike Fleming's Bond as well.