Our first movie portrayal of James Bond, Sean Connery’s is still my favorite. How did I see Dr. No or Goldfinger before an era of streaming and video services? I don’t remember. They were magical, though. Dynamic.
And brutal. Even for the time period, when violence would’ve been handled in a sanitized way, Connery’s Bond was ruthless. Shootings were still punctuated then with a music soundtrack. Bang bang was a double scrape across the violin strings while Connery barely blinks. The opening to Goldfinger has Connery manipulating Jill in order to get the angle on Auric. And then the angle on Jill. He’s so confident, so focused, and mostly lacking in regret.
I want to say Eight as this particular Bond’s Enneagram number. Emotions are very sparse. The mission is everything. He’s pleasant enough to people, charming if he wants, but does Bond really care about Moneypenny? It’s a part that he plays — flirt with the secretary — on his way to do business with M. It also annoys M. Two for one.
Why an Eight and not a Four? Connery is too even keel for a Four. Wit is secondary to force. Close call, though.
He’s a socially aware Eight. He’s deadly serious, literally, but the veneer is a pleasure to be around. This light touch that Connery brings helped define future portrayals that stray from the book’s Bond. How much of our understanding of Bond is established by Connery’s choices? Interesting.