Sean Connery turned 77 this weekend. Seen receiving the 2006 American
Film Institute Life Achievement Award, Connery rather subtly retired
from acting early this summer by declining to reprise his role as the
father of Indiana Jones in the new sequel now filming.
** CONNERY AT 77. Sean Connery turned 77 this weekend. In June, he essentially retired from acting by finally deciding not to reprise his role in the latest Indiana Jones film, which is now shooting and will be released in May 2008.
In 1989′s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third in the series which began with Raiders of the Lost Ark, still my favorite action movie, in 1981, Connery played Harrison Ford’s dad. As director Steven Spielberg put it, who better to play Indiana Jones’s father than James Bond. Fittingly, Ford presents Connery with the 2006 American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in the video you see above.
Connery starred in the first two movies I can ever remember watching, Goldfinger and Marnie. He is, of course, the first and arguably best of the Bonds, and defined the role, and for many around the world, the nature of masculinity itself in a sharply etched yet subtle fashion. He did that in not only the Bond films, but also in such films as The Longest Day, The Wind and the Lion, The Anderson Tapes, The Molly Maguires, The Man Who Would Be King, Robin and Marian, A Bridge Too Far, The Great Train Robbery, Outland, Highlander, The Name of the Rose, The Untouchables, The Hunt For Red October, The Russia House, Robin Hood, Rising Sun, First Knight, The Rock, Entrapment, Finding Forrester, and his last film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which he assayed a most formidable 72-year old action hero named Alan Quatermain, H. Rider Haggard’s Victorian Age creation, who fittingly dies in the end. Or does he?
Sean Connery introduces himself to the world as “Bond, James Bond” in Dr. No.
I’ve met quite a few movie stars, including most of the actors who’ve played Bond and the governor of California, many years before he became governor, but I’d have to say that the only one I was ever nervous about meeting was Sean Connery. Perhaps because I had too much time to think about it, having learned I was invited to a dinner party he was attending. I overcompensated by appearing less than thoroughly impressed, which didn’t fool him for a second as I’m sure he’d seen the technique many times before. He was forceful, opinionated, and charming, and effortlessly held the field amongst a group of people who were the furthest thing from laid back personalities.
Connery was knighted in 2000 by Queen Elizabeth on the nomination of Prime Minister Tony Blair. If he has retired, it’s unfortunate, as you’ll see from the speech above. His absence from the new Indy picture is to be lamented.
** MALIKI AND ALLAWI AND REPUBLICAN POLITICS. With senators in both parties — California’s Dianne Feinstein is the latest — trying to manage Iraqi politics by calling for the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, it turns out that a very high-powered Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the Bush White House is coordinating a campaign in Washington to denigrate Maliki and boost former interim Prime Mininster Ayad Allawi. Allawi, a British-educated doctor who married and brought up a family in Britain, has been discussed on NWN before. He seems quite amenable. But I’ve been told he has dual Iraqi/British citizenship, and he has been traveling on a British passport. Which is perhaps not the best for someone parachuting into the midst of a volatile nationalist and sectarian political cauldron.
** NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY CRACKS DOWN ON FLORIDA. As discussed earlier on NWN, national Democrats yesterday sanctioned Florida for moving its presidential primary to January 29th, well ahead of the February 5th date allowed under party rules. The move is prompting other states to further accelerate the process, with South Carolina, which had been scheduled for January 29th, opting to move forward, which in turn may cause the other earliest states — Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire to revisit their timing.
The Democrats’s rules and bylaws committee in Washington voted unanimously to enforce the strictest possible sanction on Florida for the move: The removal of all its delegates to the Democratic National Convention next summer in Denver, Colorado.
A presidential nomination is won by winning the majority of convention delegates. This would be a huge blow, and would turn Florida into a so-called beauty contest rather than a real presidential primary.
Florida’s move was prompted by seeing first California, then New York, move presidential primaries to February 5th. Florida has 30 days to rethink the move before the sanction becomes permanent.
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Sad to see Connery walk away. A movie in his later years that will stay on my all time favorite list is “Finding Forrester”
Sad to see Connery walk away. A movie in his later years that will stay on my all time favorite list is “Finding Forrester”
Connery retired? No! That’s terrible.
Right, Hap, the one about the reclusive novelist who mentors the ghetto kid!
I’ll add that to the list.
Oh! You added the first “Bond … James Bond” video. Fantastic.
Yes, I’d misplaced the clip in the video pen.
I thought Daniel Craig is your favorite Bond.
Daniel Craig didn’t star in the first movies I remember seeing. Goldfinger and Marnie, which I suppose are revealing.
The action to crack down on Florida came from a rules committee that obviuosly had no choice since it was a clear rule violation. But does anyone here really, really, think that the DNC is going to penalize the fourth largest state and deny them seats at the convention? This is what happens when the nominating process is left completely up to the states and the powers that be are so afraid of Iowa and New Hampshire (!) that allow anarchy to reign.
Howard Dean is adamant that the inmates don’t end up running the asylum.
Your statement that the nominating process is left up entirely to the states is wrong.
lol
lol
< Bill Bradley :
Daniel Craig didn’t star in the first movies I remember seeing. Goldfinger and Marnie, which I suppose are revealing.
Aug 26, 2007 01:20 PM
Ha ha.
You’re the man now, dawg!
The first Connery movie I saw was Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”.
Why doesn’t the Florida Legislature enact a law that makes a party’s spot on the November ballot contingent on recognizing the validity of the January primary?
The first Connery movie I saw was Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”.
Why doesn’t the Florida Legislature enact a law that makes a party’s spot on the November ballot contingent on recognizing the validity of the January primary?
Don’t forget that Sean Connery was a Mr. Universe finalist.
In the days before contestants became so … bulky.
I think the Florida state law you so helpfully suggest would run afoul of federal law.
Ah, right.
Meaning … ?
>Tommy Boy :
Hap Hazard :
Sad to see Connery walk away. A movie in his later years that will stay on my all time favorite list is “Finding Forrester”
Aug 26, 2007 12:31 PM
You’re the man now, dawg!
Aug 26, 2007 01:39 PM
lol squared.
lol squared.
< Bill Bradley :
Ha ha.
Aug 26, 2007 01:35 PM
I’d have been intimidated by Sean Connery, too.
Not “intimidated.” Nervous.
Actually it is since state legislatures set the time and place for things like primaries and caucuses. The DNC asked states to agree to a rule whereby none could go earlier than 2/5 except for Nevada and South Carolina that were added to give a greater demographic composition. But, really, this is about kissing New Hampshire’s and Iowa’s ass.
The two parties could get together and agree to rotating regional primaries or the like with some Federal guidelines (this is a Federal election, after all). I note that the GOP has no rule prohibiting a primary before Feb in Florida and the FL legislature, controlled by the Republicans, may have pased this to embarrass the Dems but also in anticipation that the DNC would insist that any such primary be “Beauty Contest” on their side. Irt won’t be for Republicans and there are some very important GOP backed initiatives that will be on that ballot and it would help if Dem turnout that say were depressed.
In any case the DNC is not going to piss off the fourth largest state and allow the Republicans to say Dean is a big bad mean machine guy!
Well, Richard, no.
The parties decide whether delegations are seated or not.
Florida is wildly in violation of DNC rules.
The DNC did not “ask,” as you erroneously put it, anything. It laid out the rules. Florida is in violation. That’s why it will be a beauty contest as currently structured.
Then there’s the lefties who believe what they want to believe. See “Calitics.”
The first Connery movie I saw was Darby O’Gill and the Little People. Very different from most of his later career — but quite a good kid-friendly film.
I’ve, actually, never seen that movie.
But it appaently caught the attention of the wife of one of the Bond producers, Cubby Broccoli, And the rest, as they say, is history.
What actors who played James Bond have you met?
Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan.
In other words, every Bond except for George Lazenby and the terrific Daniel Craig.
I’m glad you got “Name of the Rose.” Sean Connery as a monk. No wonder he won the British Academy Award.
Sean Connery plays a monk. lol
There is certainly no shame in being overawed by Sir Sean.
He is nearly as intimidating as Clint Eastwood.
(wink)
There is certainly no shame in being overawed by Sir Sean.
He is nearly as intimidating as Clint Eastwood.
(wink)
There is certainly no shame in being overawed by Sir Sean.
He is nearly as intimidating as Clint Eastwood.
(wink)
I apologize for my difficulty clicking on your effing site.
Not to worry. These contraptions can be difficult, no question about that.
As great as Mr. Eastwood, and a few others are, there is not quite a substitute for Sean Connery.
Is the right wing going to install Allawi again as head of Iraq?
Not, as they say in England, bloody likely.
I started re-reading From Russia with Love – the best of the Bond books and movies – last night.
It seemed appropriate, given the state of Russian-Anglo relations.
Didn’t know it was Sir Sean’s birthday until now!
Scotch for everyone!
Scotch?!
Actually, considering the state of the lector, not to mention the state of one Tatiana Romanova, that would be a martini. Shaken, and not stirred.
A line from “Finding Forrester” which appeared in the trailer, and began a web meme amongst those crazy kids their internets.
It also spawned a website, http://www.ytmnd.com.
Maybe in the context of the film it works, but it was so laughable to me in the trailer that I skipped the movie entirely.
I also am no fan of Gus Van Sant.
Here’s the line on YouTube – in what looks like footage shot by a movie pirate. You’re the man now, dawg!
OK, without spending my time trying to figure out what you’re saying, or in clicking the link:
What are you saying?
Actually, if someone close to the movie is looking, I believe it is properly called the Lektor.
Incidentally, NWN passed 38,000 comments sometime in the last week.
For my dad, sitting me down on the sofa to watch Goldfinger with him on the ABC Sunday Night Movie circa 1970 was his way of showing me what it was to be a man.