Never Say Never Again starred Sean Connery, which to my way of thinking automatically qualifies it as a "real" Bond film, Broccoli family involvement or no.
I grew up with Roger Moore, who to me is the "real" James Bond. But Daniel Craig just blows all the stuff that came before out of the water. I think his Bond is superb.
The Connery movies are legendary, but when was the last time you actually went back and watched one? They're pretty slow-paced by modern movie standards.