Sean Connery: Shaking And Stirring The Film Fans' Hearts.

Towards the third quarter of 1990, us students of Form Five sat for a trial exam to prepare ourselves for the biggie at the end of the year (then, called Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia, or Malaysian Examination Certificate). As usual, I sucked at Additional Mathematics and Chemistry, and usually, I would end up not answering most questions.

This time, after finishing not answering the chemistry paper, I flipped the question paper, on the blank sheet at the back and started sketching. Very intensive sketching. I was about to finish when one of the invigilators, a teacher from our school of course, from behind me, proclaimed: “Mrs. Sukeshini (another teacher) have you seen any Seen Connery films?”

Yes, I was sketching a still of Sean Connery posing for, I believe, From Russia With Love. The teacher pronounced the “Sean” wrongly, and I answered all the papers' question equally wrong.

Such was the impact of Connery and James Bond in my teen life. If I were to blame anyone, it would be my Acha (father), who allowed us brothers to watch Dr. No on TV, when the world was celebrating the film Bond's 25^th anniversary in 1987.

The first time we see James Bond, was from the back...sitting by a round table, gambling, Baccarat. There would be an exchanged with a very pretty gal, and when she prompts, “....Mr...?” We see, him, lighting his cigarette and responds. I was hooked from the moment Connery uttered, “Bond, James Bond”.

I still have goosebumps when I recall that.

When I was the school English Club president and the teacher in charge decided to publish a magazine, I became the editor and used my dictatorial power to wrote my own piece on James Bond, mainly praising Connery's take on the character. A teacher who saw the piece asked if I had done the research, I arrogantly said, no no need research it is all in here (pointing to my head). I kid you not. I am writing this without referring to IMDB or Wikipedia. Its all in my goddam head, though my family and friends can testify that I have memory issues with regards to the stuff. And that was the genesis of my career in both feature article writing and scriptwriting.

Coming back to the man....to me and many other fans, Connery is James Bond. Not favourite James Bond. My favourite is Timothy Dalton who did his best to bring the Bond from the books. Connery's was the prototype Bond that was MEANT for films. He became the yardstick that the following actors playing Bond were measured against, so much so that the first one, George Lazenby, who did a decent job considering the film itself had a fantastic script and is now considered one of the best, unfortunately, was heavily compared to Connery and was dismissed by most fans back then.

When I asked Acha who is his favourite Bond, his answer is simple: “Sean”. I know, we all say “Connery”, but to Acha there is only one Sean, and the way he says the name, it sounds as if both of them played Sepak Takraw together.

Ah, Connery. What style, one would exclaim. What presence, the other would praise. But as I start looking at his non-Bond films, I say, what a fantastic actor.

He belongs to the category of “limited actor”.... which means, he plays with his limitation. He isn't Brando, nor is he the latter generation of Method actors, like Pacino or de Niro. He is one of those classic stars like Humprey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, or Spencer Tracy, coming from “read the lines and mean it” school of onscreen performers.

Yes, Connery, in a Mr. Universe competition
pre-acting career. When asked about it,
Connery said that in comparison to the current
Mr. Universe contestant, he "looked like a little girl".

When he had done three Bond films, director Sydney Lumet (very underrated, please go and watch the films he directed, he is awesome... I have read his memoirs, which is sort of a guide book in filmmaking and its awesome...dammit, HE is awesome).... cast him in a very tough film called The Hill (1965). Connery, a certain critic described, played a caged animal effectively. He did another film, A Fine Madness, playing of course, an off-balance poet. A rebelling miner in Molly Maguires, an ex-con, ex-prisoner looking for that one last score in The Anderson Tapes, and post Bond, the brilliant psychological crime thriller, The Offence (the last two also directed by Lumet).

These were testimony that he was more than the suave, sophisticated types. In fact, he never was. Apparently, he had to learn the accent for James Bond (despite his Scottish brogue leaking here and there) and reportedly slept with his tuxedo 

so that it will be like his second skin.

Because... he was from a blue-collar neighbourhood... the world of James Bond was alien to him, and that is why he set the tone, he gave additional ruggedness to the supposedly Upper Class-ish character created by Fleming who came from the same background. Fleming himself was often described as snobbish, a label applied to his books as well. When, at first, he saw Connery playing his famous creation, he dismissed the latter as “overgrown stuntman” because Bond in the book was six feet and athletic. Connery was six feet two, and once competed for Mr Universe.

But the “stuntman” label could have been correct. Bond was brutal when it comes to violence in the books... and you can notice immediately that during the tensed scene, when Connery's Bond is in the room...you know that glasses are going to break, the furniture will be in pieces, and there will definitely be broken bones.

That's Robert Shaw Connery is strangling in 

From Russia With Lovev(1963)... Years Later 

Shaw will lose a fight with a shark (Jaws, 1976),

 poor guy.

Moving away from Bond, as Connery got increasingly tired (it showed in the last two Bond films he did, though they were still interesting flicks), he went on experimental mode. Gone were the wigs, in came the facial hairs.

The most notable film he did in the 70s was The Man Who Would be King. Directed by the brilliant John Houston, he was paired with his close friend, Michael Caine. Both were amazing, and Connery especially was most un-Bond, balding, with handlebar moustache and brutish mannerism enhanced by his more pronounced Scottish accent more, he played an ex-British soldier who was mistaken for Alexander The Great's descendant, and he played along, and he started to believe it himself. And then, there was the exciting The Great Train Robbery, borrowing a bit of Bond's mannerism as a gentleman thief alongside the amiable Donald Sutherland (Kiefer's dad), the Lumet films that further stretched him as a character actor.

Michael Caine gave up and just went for clean
shave look... who can compete with that moustache?

The eighties were a slower decade, though once he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the brilliant atmospheric The Name Of The Rose (1986), playing an eccentric Holmes-ish detective monk in the Middle Ages, before landing the role of an Irish cop who inspires Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) who recruits him and others to nail Al Capone (Robert de Niro) in The Untouchables (1987)...finally landing the role of Indiana Jones father in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). Spielberg, who openly declared that Indy was inspired by James Bond, said in the making of that film a documentary that “who else can play Indy's dad but the original James Bond himself”. Without overshadowing the star himself, Connery was a perfect foil for Harrison Ford and the film benefited largely from his casting.

Speaking of which, his films henceforth added quality from merely having Connery on board. Connery is now a legend, all that is required is his presence to give the films a touch of class. No one complained about him even if most of the films sucked a great deal. Critics loved him and had mixed feeling about the films.

It was an open secret that Connery never cared much about acting as he was collecting remuneration from the films. He was the first to ever be paid a million dollars (for the Bond film he returned to, Diamonds Are Forever, after four years of gap... he came back only if he was paid that much and the money was to go to his Scottish Education Fund). He inspired many other actors. As mentioned, he became the yardstick all the other Bond actors were measured against, and only Craig comes close to the embodiment of his charm, sophistication and penchant for violence.

T

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). 

True story: Apparently it was so hot filming in Egypt, 

that Connery wore just shorts during the mid to 

close-up scenes.Harrison Ford was annoyed...at first.. 

then, he felt it was a brilliant idea and did the same.

The last film he did, The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman became the nail to his list of acting resume because he hated the experience of making it. He called it a day and only appeared to lend his voice for a Scottish animation as a favour, and the Bond video games for money.

Later he was knighted, because of his generosity (the fun), but who are they kidding... it was for Bond, for making England recover from the nasty reputation of the English as colonising bastards as Connery's Bond made them look good. Really good.

And now, he is gone, at the ripe age of 90... and what a legacy he has left behind. I wanted to become him. Many early Bond fans wanted to become him. He even made balding men sexy, who can beat that?  

Alas, he is no more. But the strings of wonderful performances are there for us to enjoy. Connery is more than that superspy who fought the baddies and bedded the beauties. He re-invented strong screen presence... the presence that will always be felt in the annals of film history, because of the way he had shaken AND stirred the hearts of many fans. Rest In Peace, Sir Sean Connery.... this fan from Malaysia owes you his career.

F*** The Rock.... this was where "the eyebrow" came from...
which I have shamelessly been copying ever since.
Goodbye Sir Sean... I will miss you, terribly....