James Bond is known for his witty one-liners, but a deleted scene from 1985's A View To A Kill provides a rare glimpse at Roger Moore's Bond swearing. Since his on-screen arrival in 1962's Dr. No, James Bond has been a figure of suave sophistication. Original James Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman took some artistic liberties with the character, transforming the “blunt instrument” from Ian Fleming's novels into a smooth-tongued super spy.
Sean Connery's portrayal of the character provided numerous legendary one-liners, from the famous Bond Martini order to proclaiming “I think he got the point” after shooting an enemy with a spear gun. Aside from the odd “bloody” and one jarring example of “b*tch”, Connery's Bond never cursed, and his composed portrayal of the character set the standard for decades to come. By the time Roger Moore arrived to take over the role in 1973, James Bond had solidified his unflappable persona. Moore himself would deliver his own series of memorable Bond quotes - all the while maintaining Bond's calm disposition.
Because of Bond's history, it was a bit unnerving to witness Moore - in-character as Bond - letting an f-bomb slip during a deleted scene from A View To A Kill. The scene features Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton, who is fired by the mayor of San Francisco (Daniel Benzali). Bond meets her outside before asking her what happened. When he's told Stacey has been fired by the mayor he replies with an uncharacteristic, “f*ck him”, in an improvised line delivered by Moore as the scene ends. Introduced by veteran Bond director John Glen, the scene originally appeared as part of the special features on the 2006 'Ultimate Edition' DVD release of A View To A Kill. Of course, it's now presented in all its uncomfortable glory on YouTube - providing an online record of this humorous, if surprising, moment in Bond history.
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line from The Man With The Golden Gun. But never before - or after this clip - have viewers witnessed Bond actually uttering such an expletive. Obviously, in this instance the clip demonstrates Moore's sensibility more than it does the James Bond character, but it strikes somewhat of a discordant tone to hear "f*ck" come from his lips while still technically in-character. In Glen's introduction, even he says he wasn't expecting the “tag on the end”.
Does this clip do anything to tarnish the refined image Bond has become known for over the years? No, but it's certainly a reminder that keeping Bond clean is more than just a way for the studio to keep the films' ratings at an accessible level for all audiences. It's also a reminder that one of the character's best assets is his ability to stay disionate in even the most deadly situations, and that having Bond curse at the most trivial developments wouldn't necessarily be a trait any future Bond director should embrace.
