Christopher Nolan’s favorite James Bond movie and actor belong to different eras

James Bond fans are a tough lot. Nowadays, most are introduced to the character through films, which has always led them to read Ian Fleming’s easy-to-read novels. When they come out the other side of that experience, they’re either more picky about movies or more open to the crowds that an MI6 agent licensed to kill can contain depending on who’s writing it and, of course, who’s brandishing the trusty Walther PPK (or, for short, the latest Walther P99).

Even after reading the books, 007 people’s preferences tend to be across generations. Baby Boomers swear by Sean Connery, Gen He loves Pierce Brosnan But I absolutely adore Daniel Craig. Zoomers are still waiting for their bonds, thanks to the ongoing dispute Between 007 producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon Studios, it looks like they’ll be waiting a while. But for those of us who have seen all the films on multiple occasions and spent hours arguing with friends and fellow 007 travelers about Fleming’s secret agent, Bond’s sweet spot is more elusive.

This is especially true for filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, who have stuck with the character (if you’ve never read the latter’s tribute to “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” Please remedy this). It’s a very serious matter for Christopher Nolan, who has said that the 2010 sci-fi/action film Inception is essentially his Bond film. (I think “Tenet” is also in the Bond groove). Given his age (54), you might think Nolan is either a Roger Moore henchman, or perhaps Connery’s old-school boss. But even though he’s very fond of both, his favorite Bond film and his favorite Bond film may not be what you expect (although if you’re a 007 fan, you know exactly where this is going).

Nolan’s favorite James Bond film of all time is actually 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. According to the director, “It’s a great film, it holds up very well.” If you think this is an odd choice given that its star, George Lazenby, is considered the worst Bond in the 62-year-old series, a) Lazenby is good, if a bit dry, b) Diana Rigg’s Tracy is Bond’s best love interest, c ) Huge action sequences are expertly orchestrated, photographed and edited by director Peter R. Hunt.

As Nolan once expressed about Empire (trans Playlist):

“What I loved about ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ which we tried to emulate in this movie (“Inception”) is that there’s a tremendous balance between action and scale and romance and tragedy and emotion. Movies, they’re by far the most emotional, there’s a love story and Inception is kind of… Love story plus everything else.

As for Nolan’s favorite Bond actor, well, that is no Lazenby. It’s actually Daltonwhich Nolan believes is the closest to the gruff and ruthless incarnation of 007 in Fleming’s books. The only reason Dalton isn’t widely liked is the timing of his casting: Pierce Brosnan was scheduled to inherit the role from Roger Moore after “A View to a Kill,” but NBC forced him back for an unwanted fifth role. Season “Remington Steel”. So, when The Living Daylights was released in 1987, many moviegoers couldn’t help but compare Dalton to the very different Brosnan.

If these choices still don’t rub you the right way, you need to revisit “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” “The Living Daylights,” and the first half or so of “License to Kill.” Nolan knows his bonds, and these are great choices.