Famous actor, Sir Roger Moore, who was best known for playing the role
of James Bond with much flair, recently passed away at the age of 89. The actor
passed away after “a short but brave battle with cancer,” as tweeted by his
family. However, beyond his role as the iconic 007, the renowned actor also
donned many other caps, one of which would see him extend his cinematic reach
as far as Goa.
That Goa has rich historical Indo-Portuguese literature is no secret. It
has over time, been a source of inspiration for many projects across the world.
‘O Espião Alemão em Goa’ by José António Barreiros is one such example; better
known for its 1980 war film that was also shot in Goa, called ‘The Sea Wolves’,
which starred Sir Roger Moore alongside Gregory Peck and David Niven.
The plot of the film centred around how during World War II, German
submarines were sinking thousands of tons of British merchant shipping. The
British intelligence based in India, believed that information was being passed
to the U-Boats by a radio transmitter hidden on board one of three German
merchant ships interned in Goa, then a colony of Portugal. However, as Portugal
was neutral during the Second World War; the ships could not be attacked by
conventional forces.
Sir Roger Moore was at the centre of the plot of the production, and led
an all-star cast for the same. As such, he had a connection to people on the
local front. Café speaks to people who recall his presence in Goa at the time,
as well as some who are fans of his work:
Sir Roger Moore was a very down to earth and calm human being. The first
time that I spoke to him was over a small gathering of refreshments held at
Fidalgo, in Panjim. Thereafter, Mario Miranda and I worked on a carnival scene
in the movie that was designed to incorporate him in it.
Francisco Martins
For the longest time, Roger Moore has been my favourite Hollywood actor.
I think that he lived a fairly long life, full of ups and downs, of course. He
also did true justice to the role of a spy by playing James Bond for 13 years,
across seven movies. Two of my most favourite works of his are ‘The Fiction
Makers’ and ‘Sunday Lovers’.
Joseph Rodrigues