james mason Tagged Articles at Cinematical
British Computer Scientists Prove That Connery Is Bond!
Filed under: Action », Classics », MGM », Sony », Fandom », Tech Stuff », James Bond », Remakes and Sequels »
There have been countless debates about which James Bond is best, and as we saw from Kevin's post last November, the fans are all in disagreement. But those who side with Sean Connery can now celebrate a scientifically conclusive victory over the others, since a computer has apparently proved that the first Bond was the true Bond. Two U.K. psychologists -- one based in Scotland and one based in England, in case you think there's regional bias -- produced a composite image using a prototyping technique on a computer, and of all the Bond actors the image most resembles Connery.
The funny thing is, according to their procedure, the psychologists' proof is incorrect. Maybe they should have stressed that Connery is the closest thing to a real Bond ever portrayed in an official 007 film, because the real movie Bond would have to be David Niven, who plays the character in the parodic adaptation Casino Royale (the 1967 one). See, the composite image was made by feeding the computer pictures of other actors who Bond author Ian Fleming had said in 1961 had a facial structure similar to what he imagined for the character. Those actors were Stewart Granger, Richard Burton, Patrick McGoohan, James Mason, Rex Harrison, Cary Grant and, yes, David Niven. Considering the fact that McGoohan is still alive, there is still time for a tie, but I'll go ahead and crown Niven with the honor despite what a computer tells me. Either way, though, one important thing the composite seemed to indicate is that Daniel Craig is the furthest of all from being the true Bond.
Vintage Image of the Day: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Vintage Image of the Day »
As Martha noted, director Richard Fleischer died Saturday at age 89. While he directed a number of solid thrillers and action films, the film I remember most is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which he directed for Disney in 1954. It's not that I was a big fan of the film, but as a child, I kept encountering it repeatedly in various social situations. The movie must have been one of the few "family films" available cheaply as a 16mm print, because the nearby grade school/church showed it frequently as a weekend activity for kids. Also, I believe the film was shown regularly during a local summer kids' movie series, which we were sent to weekly.
What I remember about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is that I was jaded enough to find the special effects to be pretty cheesy, especially the big octopus or sea monster or whatever it was. It was the late 1970s/early 1980s when I saw this film, and I was a kid from the Star Wars generation. I also found Kirk Douglas' character Ned Land to be annoying and grating. But even at a young age, I rather liked James Mason as the enigmatic Captain Nemo. He was my favorite part of the film.
I wonder if I would enjoy the film at all now. I didn't realize at the time that the cast included Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, and allegedly Charles Grodin in an uncredited role. These days, I'm still a fan of James Mason ... but I might consider Nemo a bit of a drama queen, playing his organ during climactic moments at sea, brooding in his beautifully appointed private rooms, and so forth. However, at age 10, or 12, I was a sucker for a British accent and especially a moody genius that no one understood. (Don't even ask about Gene Hackman in the Superman movies.) Have any of you seen 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea lately, in theaters or on DVD, and is it worth another look?
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