I remember in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner, when at the end of the movie the King calls out during the wedding ceremony, holding it up so he could preside. I don't believe there was soul in the theater who did not recognize his voice - so distinctive that it is. And later, people talked about Sean Connery in the film when he had all of three minutes on screen. Obviously he has touched our souls.
And then, in 2000, Sean Connery became Sir Sean Connery when he was knighted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Obviously, this was not given lightly by the crown and I must agree, it was well deserved.
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I was almost surprised when he was eventually knighted. His generous support of the SNP(Scottish National Party) seemed to ruffle some British feathers, but eventually they did the right thing by bestowing him with the honor.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Connery's Bond was a modern day knight? He fought evil, had a code of honor, "rescued" damsels. Well in most of the Bond movies at least one of his damsels ends up dead, but, that aside. Does a knight have to be chaste? That would seem to disqualify Bond as a knight in the classical sense. Do we need to redefine some of a knight's characteristics for modern times?
What do you think?
Interesting question. I never really thought about whether Knights were chaste or not. Sean Connery as King Arthur was not. Sir Lancelot was not, but not being chaste did get him banished and almost beheaded. I guess the rest of the time Knights were busy protecting innocent damsels from rogues. Given that argument, and Sean's reputation for being a little rough with the ladies, he might in fact be disqualified. But the Queen saw something special in him - and perhaps he is reformed?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I think modern knighthood is conferred more for commercial reasons than chivalrous ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Sean Connery and I greatly admire his acting skills. I also think his work for an independent Scotland is laudable. I think he deserves his knighthood as much as any actor can but I am sure there are people whose service to the Queen exceeds Sir Sean's and yet they will probably never receive the same treatment. But then I am way too cynical at times.
ReplyDeleteNo, I agree totally. There are a lot of unsung heroes keeping the UK free of everything from external attacks on a mass scale to internal street crime between citizens. But is being a hero sufficient to warrant knighthood?
ReplyDeleteGreat question. I think it takes more than being a hero, it takes living a heroic life. Someone can become a hero by being in the right place at the right time, or wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it. They react to a situation, their adrenaline kicks in and they become a hero. I don't mean to trivialize their accomplishment, not everyone would react in the right way, but none the less, the situation had a lot to do with the heroic act.
ReplyDeleteKnighthoods seem to be given later in life, a lifetime achievement award as it were. An honor that reflects living a life the right way and accomplishing things that matter. I would have to say that Sir Winston Churchill would be, in my view, the quintessential "modern" knight. He saved Britain during its darkest hour. Have you ever heard, or even read the text of, his We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech? There is even a line in the speech that says "Every morn brought forth a noble chance, every chance brought forth a noble knight." Gives me goosebumps every time.