YOLT: All style and no substance?

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  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Which would you all rather watch, YOLT or SF?

    Skyfall.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,343
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Which would you all rather watch, YOLT or SF?

    Skyfall.

    Indeed, a no-brainer surely?
  • TubesTubes The Hebrew Hammer
    Posts: 158
    YOLT is a film that demands a big screen. I mean a BIG SCREEN, like THX certified levels. On a smaller display, the film seems childish because the scale isn't really translated well. On a bigger setup, I've enjoyed the film more because of the sheer staggering extravagance of the production. It doesn't remove the flaws of the film, but it does compensate for them a bit. It also helps that the film keeps it's brisk pace going, avoiding any dragging sections that could really hurt the film.

    It's not one of my favorites by a long shot, but I've never not been entertained by YOLT.
  • Posts: 1,098
    What does impress me about YOLT is the construction speed of the Volcano film set, which was massive, and actually had a working monorail, and a rocket that could actually lift off..............all this being designed and built, in what must of been a very short period.
    As there were only 16 months between the openings of TB and YOLT.............and to think todays film makers complain if they don't get at least 3 years in between films.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,829
    mepal1 wrote: »
    and to think todays film makers complain if they don't get at least 3 years in between films.
    Lazy punks. And they have CGI to fill in the blanks...
    :-??
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    There were 18 months between TB and YOLT, but no matter. There were 11 months between FRWL and GF.
  • Posts: 1,098
    There were 18 months between TB and YOLT, but no matter. There were 11 months between FRWL and GF.

    No.........actually YOLT was released in April 1967................though i do believe the film wasn't released in North America until June 1967.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    mepal1 wrote: »
    There were 18 months between TB and YOLT, but no matter. There were 11 months between FRWL and GF.

    No.........actually YOLT was released in April 1967................though i do believe the film wasn't released in North America until June 1967.

    You are mistaking it for Casino Royale.
  • edited December 2015 Posts: 1,098
    mepal1 wrote: »
    There were 18 months between TB and YOLT, but no matter. There were 11 months between FRWL and GF.

    No.........actually YOLT was released in April 1967................though i do believe the film wasn't released in North America until June 1967.

    You are mistaking it for Casino Royale.

    Yes.......you are right it was actually June 1967. :)

    Shame that spoof CR was ever made............and i believe it did hurt YOLT's BO a little bit.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,829
    Birdleson wrote: »
    And let's be glad that YOLT's box office was a step down from it's predecessor. If it had outdone TB, we may have gotten a version of OHMSS that was as over the top as what was to come later, rather than the restrained, wonderful film that we did get.
    OH yeah!
    :)>-
  • Posts: 533
    I never had a high opinion of "YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE". I did enjoy John Barry's score, the movie's two leading ladies, the actor who portrayed Tiger Tanaka (especially) and the battle sequence inside the volcano.

    But as a story . . . meh. And Bond pretending to be Japanese? Oh dear.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,829
    Aki & Helga were to die for.
  • Posts: 3,336
    DRush76 wrote: »
    I never had a high opinion of "YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE". I did enjoy John Barry's score, the movie's two leading ladies, the actor who portrayed Tiger Tanaka (especially) and the battle sequence inside the volcano.

    But as a story . . . meh. And Bond pretending to be Japanese? Oh dear.

    I pretty much agree with this

  • SeveSeve The island of Lemoy
    edited December 2015 Posts: 440
    Check your brain at the door and it's still one of my favourites in the OTT category of Bond film, the volcano villain's lair can't be beat

    The special effects obviously date badly, but that's an occupational hazard for the Bond franchise, being the sort of film that is expected to be cutting edge and push the boundaries in that regard, but today's cutting edge is often tomorrows cheese

    Most Bond films have a few dodgy moments, like the Connery dressing up as Japanese
    Craig's movies are supposed to be more gritty and realistic, but then they give us the Austrian airplane scene... it's all part of the fun

  • edited December 2015 Posts: 4,622
    timmer wrote: »

    Re Osato and Brandt not recognizing Bond, its not clear that they even knew who he was, so the newspaper article wouldn't have necessarily registered, if they even saw it.
    Blofeld is the one with the Bond history.

    Except of course the bit where Blofeld says 'only one person we know used this gun. James Bond'

    And they answer 'But Bond is dead. It was in all the newspapers' rather than 'Terribly sorry Ernst but I haven't the faintest idea who you are talking about.'
    ahh yes of course, that's right. But the scene can still work in that the two had never met Bond, they believed him to be dead, so had no reason to suspect that this man who came to visit was someone presumed dead. The photo wouldn't necessarily be ingrained in their memory
    Plus they quickly identified this man as an imposter but not Bond come back from the dead.They knew Bond by rep, but with no actual experience of him they wouldn't necessarily recognize him the same way their sharper Chief might.
    Anyway that's what I think, plus Helga just wanted to boink/interrogate, and then kill this handsome spy person or whoever he might be.Osato also just wanted whoever this guy was to be dead.
    He didn't seem to care who he was.
    I think it hangs together OK.


  • Posts: 4,622
    SaintMark wrote: »
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Which would you all rather watch, YOLT or SF?

    Yolt first and the PTS from Sf second. The rest third.
    This is maybe the easiest question I will ever answer.
    When I heard YOLT was getting 4k digital treatment at 2012 Tiff Bond festival, I practically did cartwheels, and boy did it look good from start to finish.
    Way more excited for that than even my first viewing of SF, and certainly not my 2nd viewing, as the first viewing didn't exactly bowl me over.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited December 2015 Posts: 9,117
    timmer wrote: »
    timmer wrote: »

    Re Osato and Brandt not recognizing Bond, its not clear that they even knew who he was, so the newspaper article wouldn't have necessarily registered, if they even saw it.
    Blofeld is the one with the Bond history.

    Except of course the bit where Blofeld says 'only one person we know used this gun. James Bond'

    And they answer 'But Bond is dead. It was in all the newspapers' rather than 'Terribly sorry Ernst but I haven't the faintest idea who you are talking about.'
    ahh yes of course, that's right. But the scene can still work in that the two had never met Bond, they believed him to be dead, so had no reason to suspect that this man who came to visit was someone presumed dead. The photo wouldn't necessarily be ingrained in their memory
    Plus they quickly identified this man as an imposter but not Bond come back from the dead.They knew Bond by rep, but with no actual experience of him they wouldn't necessarily recognize him the same way their sharper Chief might.
    Anyway that's what I think, plus Helga just wanted to boink/interrogate, and then kill this handsome spy person or whoever he might be.Osato also just wanted whoever this guy was to be dead.
    He didn't seem to care who he was.
    I think it hangs together OK.


    A bit on the thin side but I'll grudgingly give it you. They do say 'all the newspapers' so perhaps the ones they read didn't have it as front page with a picture hence they don't recognise him?

    As an aside it's embarrassingly sloppy spy craft from Bond to go for a meeting at Osato Chemicals the day after he's killed several of their employees. There's not going to be one security guard who remembers him or any security tapes?

    Would you be better getting Tiger to send one of his agents?
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited December 2015 Posts: 7,207
    I used to consider YOLT as a fairly middling affair. I never quite liked Donald Pleasence as Blofeld, the Bond girls didn't convince me and the whole Bond as a Japanese was rather quaint.

    However, I must admit that recently it has grown on me for a few reasons. I've learned to appreciate Pleasence after having seen him in Halloween. Telly Savalas is still my favourite of Blofeld's faces but Pleasence comes in second.

    The girls, Aki and Kissy, might not be the world's biggest beauties but their characters are far more competent than you might give them credit for. Also Aki's final moments are definitely chilly. I still like Karin Dor's femme fatale better though.

    But the best characters here are the allies, Tetsuro Tamba and Charles Gray both do wonderfully well and they would both make my top 10 favourite allies.

    James Bond's disguise is still rather poor I must admit but the film makes up for that in atmosphere. Ever since I became a fan of Italian horror I quite love the 'style over substance' approach and YOLT is certainly a good example of that. The music, the cinematograhpy, the sets, it's all wonderful and it makes for a great Bond adventure.

    For me, every episode of the sixties is classic Bond. I love them all.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I still like Karin Dor's femme fatale better though.
    I continue to find her lips as mesmerizing as she appears to find Bond'syou-only-live-twice-1.jpg
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Ever since I became a fan of Italian horror I quite love the 'style over substance' approach and YOLT is certainly a good example of that. The music, the cinematograhpy, the sets, it's all wonderful and it makes for a great Bond adventure.

    For me, every episode of the sixties is classic Bond. I love them all.
    I just love the unashamed machismo of the 60's Bond's. We need to get that back. Just class all round imho.
    You_Only_Live_Twice_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    It's flaws (and there are many) have definitely shown up more as I've gotten older, but if you don't think too much it is quite entertaining
  • Posts: 1,985
    Other than Brosnan not getting a 5th movie, this was the biggest mistake of the franchise.

    YOLT the book had a great story following OHMSS. They fucked it up so bad. I still can't believe cubby and company went this route. Why? Just to take advantage of the audience in Japan? You still would of had that audience 2 years later anyways
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Other than Brosnan not getting a 5th movie, this was the biggest mistake of the franchise.

    Brozza not getting another film and YOLT bigger mistakes than the slide whistle, double take pigeon and everything in DAD? Sorry I'm not having that.
  • Posts: 1,985
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Other than Brosnan not getting a 5th movie, this was the biggest mistake of the franchise.

    Brozza not getting another film and YOLT bigger mistakes than the slide whistle, double take pigeon and everything in DAD? Sorry I'm not having that.

    I should have said IMO.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Other than Brosnan not getting a 5th movie, this was the biggest mistake of the franchise.

    Brozza not getting another film and YOLT bigger mistakes than the slide whistle, double take pigeon and everything in DAD? Sorry I'm not having that.

    I should have said IMO.

    That's a defence?
  • Posts: 7,653
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Other than Brosnan not getting a 5th movie, this was the biggest mistake of the franchise.

    Brozza not getting another film and YOLT bigger mistakes than the slide whistle, double take pigeon and everything in DAD? Sorry I'm not having that.

    I take the Double take pigeon over empty streets in Rome, empty train in Morocco and empty 9Eyes building 30 minutes before going on line.
    As for the slide whistle it is always mentioned by people that fail to recognize that the stunt was more brilliant than anything SF & SP had to offer, and not even CGI either.
    Brosnan should have had his FYEO before they rolled out CR.
    And YOLT while I prefer the book, is still a highly original movie whose budget shows on the screen and Connery is still brilliant. Too be honest so are the women and the finale makes sense compared to the recent 007 outings.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    There was an homage to the slide whistle in SP as well. Sort of, when the helicopter does its thing, Newman give us a variant on it.
  • Posts: 7,653
    bondjames wrote: »
    There was an homage to the slide whistle in SP as well. Sort of, when the helicopter does its thing, Newman give us a variant on it.

    Wanna bet nobody will be talking about is several decades later? >:)
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    SaintMark wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    There was an homage to the slide whistle in SP as well. Sort of, when the helicopter does its thing, Newman give us a variant on it.

    Wanna bet nobody will be talking about is several decades later? >:)

    Not me.

    All I heard was the bloody repeated theme from SF
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Birdleson wrote: »
    w2bond wrote: »
    SaintMark wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    There was an homage to the slide whistle in SP as well. Sort of, when the helicopter does its thing, Newman give us a variant on it.

    Wanna bet nobody will be talking about is several decades later? >:)

    Not me.

    All I heard was the bloody repeated theme from SF

    Same with me, I really focused this time. I caught no slide whistle homage.

    There's a musical flourish (I hate to use a word flourish that implies some sort of creativity when describing Newman's shoddy SP score but it's the best word I can think of right now) when the helicopter does one of its loops that sort of follows the same melody as the slide whistle in TMWTGG but it's not actually played on a slide whistle.

    It only lasts a few seconds and then Tom is straight back to ripping off SF.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    Just joined this thread but I see same topics as others. We just need one giant convenient thread to rant, insult each other, and whine about Newman/Arnold.

    Oh and to answer the topic of the thread. No it's a classic and should be viewed and interpreted as from the time period it was made.
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