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No One Should Ever Have Played Moneypenny After Lois Maxwell

posted 8 years ago by CalvinValjean
8 replies | jump to latest

I've been saying this for years: after Lois Maxwell left the series, they should have just retired the Miss Moneypenny character altogether. She really did embody that role and I don't feel it's one that could ever be recast. The reasons that different versions of Bond, M, and Q have all worked is because those characters actually play major roles in the plot and so you always need them. Moneypenny, on the other hand, never really directly affects the plots: instead we just like her because she's an endearing character. She's someone who's attracted to Bond, but they also have a special friendship that's unique. Lois Maxwell created something that couldn't be recreated.

Opposite Sean Connery, she was great. Perfect chemistry, perfect flirting and innuendo, and they just feel like classic scenes. Opposite Roger Moore, the chemistry wasn't as strong, but it still was always nice to see her as Lois Maxwell was just so likeable and a hallmark of the franchise.

As for the other actresses, Pamela Salem and Caroline Bliss both just played Moneypenny as a mousey librarian. Samantha Bond was a little better and gave her more sass, but left fairly little impact. As others have said, the scene in DIE ANOTHER DAY where she has a virtual reality fantasy of Bond seducing her just felt like a violation that went against what the character had always been about. All of these actresses could have been completely cut from their respective films and you wouldn't have even noticed it. Naomie Harris has been the most unique new take on the character, but I don't really buy her origin story.

Because Moneypenny is a character we like not as a plot point but as a personality, only one version of the personality was able to really leave an impact.

[–] Pink_Gold_Peach 8 years ago

No thoughts on Lazenby and Maxwell?

[–] CountJohn 8 years ago

Their chemistry is a bit iffy, but the scene where he throws her the hat is almost as much of a gut punch as Tracy dying, largely because it reminds you of the great moments with Connery.

[–] CalvinValjean 8 years ago

Yes, she was great opposite Lazenby as well. I figured since it was only one movie there was no need to really go into it, and my post was already getting long. But she's great in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE; in fact, it's probably her best performance of the entire series.

[–] CountJohn 8 years ago

I think the Q character should have been retired but I like Moneypenny too much to not have her be a part of the franchise.

[–] glynnpadraic 8 years ago

I thought Samantha Bond did a good job as Moneypenny

[–] CountJohn 8 years ago

Yes. The only bad one was Bliss in the Dalton movies.

[–] ant-mac 8 years ago

I also enjoyed Lois Maxwell's work as Miss Moneypenny - or Mish Moneypenny, if you're Sean Connery - as well as her other work on film and TV. However, if you can replace the actor who plays the central character, you can replace anyone in the film series.

In any case, apart from Lois Maxwell, I also thought that Samantha Bond did a very good job as Moneypenny.

ant-mac

[–] pking-2 8 years ago

While Maxwell was the best, I am still glad they recast her and made her immortal, like James.

And, while the DAD scene is tawdrily silly...I don't think it is out of character at all for Moneypenny to be fantasizing about James. It's just the jokey high tech version of what we all know Lois' Moneypenny did similarly during bubble baths in her cold lonely flat. And I'd have enjoyed seeing that, too.

Now, this is a signature gun, and that is an optical palm reader.