Britain is still a country for and salutes a brave old actor turned gamekeeper called Albert Finney in a film called Skyfall

I've been to see Daniel Craig's latest James Bond film, 'Skyfall'. It was a 12.30 pm viewing and the cinema was empty, apart from another 6 middle/old age couples. The old man with the limp and lady with the walking stick both had trouble with the cinema steps, however, this was nothing compared to an old chap called Paul, who needed my assisstance and that of another elderly man. At the end of the film we volunteered to place his arms around our shoulders to help get him down the steps which he had ascended 3 hours before.

In addition to old men in the cinema, there was one old man of note in the fiilm, the 76 year old Albert Finney, who played 'Kincade', the gamekeeper of the Bond family's Skyfall  Estate. Appaently, the producers briefly considered approaching Sean Connery to play the role in a nod to the 50th anniversary of the film series, but elected not to, as they felt Connery's presence would be seen as 'stunt casting' and disengage audiences from the film, In the event, Albert acquitted himself well and said this of his role and that of Daniel :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyAsWzEJx1Y

and ...
A young 24 year old interviewed in 1960 about his stage play. 'Billy Liar'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IR81mCq6lo and in a wonderful scene at 27, as Tom Jones in 'Tom Jones', with the late Diane Cilento : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezjznL9NzM&feature=related

Nominated for an Oscar five times, Albert's absence from the screen for the past few years, bemused his fans until his agent and lawyer, announced last year that : "Mr Finney was treated for cancer. He is better now and is considering several new projects.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8514173/Film-star-Albert-Finney-wont-let-cancer-grind-him-down.html