Lee Tamahori recently chatted up CINESCAPE's own Andrew Osmand about what drew him to directing this November's new James Bond film, DIE ANOTHER DAY and how Pierce Brosnan's Bond differs from those of years gone by.
"I got tired of Bond during the Roger Moore years, as a lot of us did, when it got a bit hokey," Tamahori told us. "Timothy Dalton was OK, but it was when Pierce Brosnan came along that Bond got re-enlivened. GOLDENEYE revamped the character in a really fantastic way. Instead of a smooth, suave sophisticate, this was now a new MI6, SAS assassin-type Bond."
While Tamahori is eager to take his own spin on the series, he's resists those who would want to completely remold the series, as some spy fans have been calling for.
"There is only one James Bond and he's been going for 40 years," Tamahori said. "Let's face it, he's always been desirous of beautiful women! You cannot escape the fact Bond is about girls, gadgets and big action. It's a kind of mantra. [But] if you only serve those things up, I think you do a disservice to the 40 years of the genre. I grew up watching Bond as Cold War spy thriller FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was probably my favorite. Later, the series moved into the outrageousness of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, then into the high-camp Roger Moore years with big action and spectacular stunts. All the time, it's been metamorphing. You can't go back to Ian Fleming's Bond now, because the 40 years and 19 past movies have changed people's perceptions of what this guy is. He's not Sean Connery anymore, and certain things do not hold true now. I find it very dull when Bond goes off to casinos or the opera it's so boring! Tuxedos and wandering 'round Monaco and chips and roulette wheels... you need some more juice these days."
Hmmm.
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