I’ve come to a conclusion that surprises me. My favourite James Bond is Roger Moore. And there is really no contest.

This surprises me because I find many people, sometimes even myself, have a tendency to dismiss Moore as Bond. Too frivolous. Too … 70’s. Too 80’s. Until recently, that’s how I felt. But …

I have all the James Bond movies in the recent James Bond Ultimate Edition box sets and I have been ploughing my way through them over the last few weeks. If I include the recent Daniel Craig entry into the Bond canon, I’ve got 21 James Bond movies of which I’ve watched 15 at this point. (Actually, I’ve seen them all over the years - I’m referring here to my current rewatching of all the movies.)

Having seen them all, and having rewatched most, Roger Moore’s Bond is the one I like. I’m not speaking of the “best” Bond - I’m not really sure what that’s supposed to mean. But in terms of gut response, in terms of sheer pleasure, it’s the James Bond movies with Moore as 007 that I most enjoy.

Why?

I think, for me, it is the humour. The sensibility that informs the movies which is, admittedly, light and not too serious. But that’s what I find appeals to me.

The Bond movies are all basically the same formula. But the approach to the formula, that sensibility I refer to, definitely changes over the years. In fact, one of the main reasons I picked up all four of the Ultimate Edition sets is because the films cover four decades and reflect the culture and mood of the varying periods they cover.

We’re currently in such a gloomy, dour period culturally and socially, and the movies we see are so grim-faced in their violent heroism, that I think my response to seeing the Moore Bonds is one of great relief, a feeling of, “Thank God someone is happy and isn’t so damned serious about everything.”

The sex in the Moore Bonds is interesting too. Yes, he’s the usual misogynistic 007 but in these films sex is seen as flirtatious and fun, not a stern-jawed power struggle. Imagine that: enjoyng sex simply because it’s fun, not because it’s a gymnastics competition or a strategic maneuver to get the upperhand. It’s actually fun.

Moore’s Bond is less a physical presence than the other Bonds. He’s more a suave icon of elegance. At least, that’s how he develops over the 7 Bond films he was in, which grew sillier as they went on. I find that, while the films get sillier, Moore manages to somehow separate himself from the silliness. He seems a bit apart from it all, although he’s central to it, and I think this is because he brings a kind of wry humour to the role along with the sense of sophistication. He’s not just an elegant Bond. He’s an elegant and quietly amused Bond.

And for me there’s something quite appealing in all that.

For the most part, watching Roger Moore as James Bond was highly enjoyable because it was such great fun. I regret not having thought more highly of him as Bond before.

Roger Moore played James Bond in the following films:

• Live and Let Die (1973)
• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• Moonraker (1979)
• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• Octopussy (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1975)

(By the way, as an aside, when Roger Moore took over the Bond role with 1973’s Live and Let Die, he was not unfamiliar to me. I had been seeing him here in Canada for quite some time as The Saint.)

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