When NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN came out in 1983, SEAN CONNERY hadn't played JAMES BOND 007 since the 1971 movie DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER 12 years earlier. It's therefore somewhat startling to realize that Never Say Never Again is now almost 30 years old, because the period of time 'twixt then and now doesn't seem anywhere near as long to me as the 12 years preceding it. A dozen years seeming longer than 29? How can such a perplexing paradox be? Regular readers will know that I often theorize, soliloquize and agonize over such time discrepancies, but relax - that isn't the purpose of this post. So what is?
I was doing a little tidying up today and came across a cardboard standee I acquired from a once-local record & video shop, and which used to adorn a wall of my room in the mid-'80s. The movie had just been released on video (remember them?) and this was one of the ads used to promote the fact in stores across the country. The shop manager didn't have space for it so kindly enquired if I wanted it, knowing that I was a Bond fan. He didn't have to ask twice. At first it sat on top of my portable TV before being promoted to the wall, to better protect it from being damaged should it inadvertently be knocked from its precarious perch atop the telly.
Despite all the hype of Connery returning to the role, Never Say Never Again took a good gubbing from OCTOPUSSY at the box office, proving the folly of releasing it at the same time as the 'official' EON movie. It also demonstrated that, at least in the minds of the general public, ROGER MOORE was the 'real' Bond and Connery the pretender - which must've been a slap in the kipper to the man who'd established the part. After fulfilling his contractual obligations to promote the movie, Connery subsequently spoke dismissively of it - basically describing it as a piece of sh*t that he wishes he'd never been involved with. Hell hath no fury like a 'luvee' scorned, eh?
Anyway, I thought I'd share the ad with all you Crivvies, what with it being a lovely piece of art and all. Now all I have to do is find a space for it on my wall again - and work out why I ever took it down in the first place.
So... who was your favourite James Bond - and why?
The first Bond movie I ever saw was Thunderball, so I tend to think of Connery as the "real" 007, although I don't really like him any better than Moore. As for 1971-83 seeming longer than 1983-present, I feel the same way. Part of it may be that time passes faster for an adult; I was a child in the 1960's and a teenager in the 1970's. Also, the perception of time passing is affected by events. The more stuff happens, the more time seems to have passed. I've changed jobs and addresses fewer times since 1983 than I did in the 1970's. I'm reminded of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "At the Earth's Core." David Innes and Abner Perry get separated. When thet are reunited, Innes thinks it's been months, and Perry thinks it's been hours. That's because Innes has traveled and had a series of adventures, while Perry has been sitting in a room.
ReplyDeleteTime, eh? It's a difficult concept to get to grips with. Never read 'At the Earth's Core' - must give it a go one day.
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