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Title Sequences - Your Rankings

tigers99tigers99
in Bond Movies Posts: 582
Rank the title sequences best to worst - go!

Here's mine.

1. Casino Royale - Daniel Kleinman
2. GoldenEye - Daniel Kleinman
3. On Her Majesty's Secre Service - Maurice Binder
4. From Russia with Love - Robert Brownjohn
5. Goldfinger - Robert Brownjohn
6. Thunderball - Maurice Binder
7. Skyfall - Daniel Kleinman
8. The Spy Who Loved Me - Maurice Binder
9. You Only Live Twice - Maurice Binder
10. Tomorrow Never Dies - Daniel Kleinman
11. Octopussy - Maurice Binder
12. The World is Not Enough - Daniel Kleinman
13. Die Another Day - Daniel Kleinman
14. Dr. No - Maurice Binder
15. Licence to Kill - Maurice Binder
16. Quantum of Solace - MK12
17. Diamonds Are Forever -Maurice Binder
18. Moonraker - Maurice Binder
19. Live and Let Die - Maurice Binder
20. The Man with the Golden Gun - Maurice Binder
21. A View to a Kill - Maurice Binder
22. For Your Eyes Only - Maurice Binder
23. The Living Daylights - Maurice Binder

I found this ranking a lot harder than others, best Bond, Bond film rankings etc. Mainly because I think they're all great.
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Comments

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I will give it a try, an approximate one.

    1 FYEO
    2 GF
    3 QOS
    4 GE
    5 CR
    6 DN
    7 TB
    8 TWINE
    9 DAF
    10 LALD
    11 TMWTGG
    12 OHMSS
    13 YOLT
    14 TSWLM
    15 FRWL
    16 DAD
    17 TND
    18 SF
    19 OP
    20 LTK
    21 TLD
    22 MR
    23 AVTAK
  • tigers99tigers99
    Posts: 582
    Great Thunderfinger, interesting that you put QoS in third a lot of Bond fans denigrate it but I quite like it. I thought I'd start this because I reckon there's less room for consensus, could be wrong.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I think everything in my top 18 is great, the bottom five not so much.
  • tigers99tigers99
    Posts: 582
    I have to say I really like them all, but I have to admit that Binder's did get blander as time went on.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited September 2015 Posts: 9,020
    This is a challenge because I have to rate those title sequences as they are, an audiovisual experience, therefore some of the visually stunning credits cannot be in the Top 10 because the audio hurts them.

    Judging from the whole experience of a title sequence this is what I'm thinking:

    AVTAK - probably the winner in my ranking because it has the best Bond song ever and visually this is quite stunning, I love those neon-fluorescent colours, that's a stroke of genius and totally reflects the fashion trend of the mid-eighties. Furthermore the silhouettes skiing in black and blue colours is just beautiful.

    GOLDENEYE - could be No 1 too, not only is this the second best Bond song ever but the visuals are stunning from start to finish. The demolished icons of the cold war appearing in it and in the movie is just great.

    CASINO ROYALE - clearly a Top 10 or even Top 5 title sequence, visually probably the best ever I absolutely love every frame of it, Eva Green popping up in it is just bloody fantastic and a card game always makes for a visually great experience.
    Sadly the song hurts those titles quite a bit, it is just not Bond enough, a great pop/rock song of course (I did buy Chris Cornell's album and have everything of Soundgarden) but it should have been produced differently. U2 showed how it can be done with GoldenEye.

    GOLDFINGER - the epitome of a title sequence, objectively this should win any contest.
    Not only is the song the most iconic of the series but the simple projection of movie snippets on the body of the woman in gold is visually stunning and the song fits it like a glove.

    OHMSS - Clearly the best piece of music ever appearing in a Bond movie (it's not a Bond song - there AVTAK wins). The hourglass showing us the history of Bond so far is a real treat and this is another Top 10 entry for sure.

    FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - Sheena Easton is beautiful, her looks stand the test of time. Having her prominently in the titles was a great idea and I like it to this day. The song itself fits the titles very well of course, the video-clip feel works and it's a favourite of mine as well.

    LALD - The music if not one of my favourites works perfectly in those titles. The flames and the skulls are really something. Unique, visually stunning. This belongs maybe even in the Top 10 on spot 10 I suppose or slightly below that.


    Now for some of the not so great titles:

    QOS - visually monotonous to some degree I would like them anyway but the song destroys it completely. The song is nothing but noise on those titles, just listening to the song is better. This titles are somewhere at the bottom.

    TND - too much visually, the many screens combined with Sheryl Crow's screeching voice is ear and eye shattering. It just doesn't work on any level.

    DN - respecting what's it done for the series I nevertheless don't like it. The first part with the many dots and squares with the 007 in it or the colourful Dr. No letters is absolutely ok, but then the music changes two times to incorporate some of the music in the movie and that's just not working. The dancing silhouettes are nice of course too but all those ingredients just shown one after another is not good.

    SKYFALL - too dark, dreary, an animated Bond drowning and rescued by....(mermaids?) monotonous and the song clearly fits it, dreary, boring and Adele screeching at the end destroys the climax altogether. Highly forgettable.


    That's 11 out of 23 so leave it to that for the moment, and to be honest I have to re-watch the rest of the titles again. Luckily there is this special feature on the bonus Blu-ray where all 23 titles are played in a row.
  • tigers99tigers99
    Posts: 582
    Thanks BondJasonBond006 I greatly enjoyed reading your comments. I see what you mean about too much going on in TND, would have been interesting if the titles had more restraint and matched with KD Lang's Surrender. And I hear you with Dr. No, for me just goes off in another direction. But I love the Skyfall titles :)
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    Luckily there is this special feature on the bonus Blu-ray where all 23 titles are played in a row.

    There's one use for that massively underwhelming "Bonus" disc
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    edited September 2015 Posts: 1,756
    It's easy:

    Daniel Kleinman
    Robort Brownjohn
    MK12














    (Huge gap)







    Maurice Binder (hate his titles).
  • SJK91SJK91
    edited September 2015 Posts: 1,310
    dominicgreene wrote: »
    It's easy:

    Daniel Kleinman
    Robort Brownjohn
    MK12














    (Huge gap)







    Maurice Binder (hate his titles).
    I know that Binder kind of got lazy after The Spy Who Loved Me, but I can't comprehend your list with that huge gap. Binder was responsible for the gun barrel sequence, and the titles of Dr. No, OHMSS and TSWLM. I feel that is far more merit than the horrendous Coke Zero advertisement of a title sequence MK12 did for Quantum of Solace.

    However, I do agree with you that Kleinman is the best.
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    edited September 2015 Posts: 1,756
    SJK91 wrote: »
    dominicgreene wrote: »
    It's easy:

    Daniel Kleinman
    Robort Brownjohn
    MK12














    (Huge gap)







    Maurice Binder (hate his titles).
    I know that Binder kind of got lazy after The Spy Who Loved Me, but I can't comprehend your list with that huge gap. Binder was responsible for the gun barrel sequence, and the titles of Dr. No, OHMSS and TSWLM. I feel that is far more merit than the horrendous Coke Zero advertisement of a title sequence MK12 did for Quantum of Solace.

    However, I do agree with you that Kleinman is the best.

    I'm exaggerate a little, I like his OHMSS and TSWLM but that's about it. His titles always felt like it was really awkward to film, as if he told the girls to just dance randomly, and they didn't get it, but he told them to continue anyways.
  • tigers99tigers99
    Posts: 582
    I'm a big Binder fan, I like his titles and the series owes a lot to him stylistically. But I have to admit that his titles did get less inspired, for me, as time went on. I think it's fair to say that they became quite samey. What I like about Danny Kleinman is the way that he really works to incorporate elements from the film's narrative.
  • PDJamesBondPDJamesBond
    Posts: 669
    Here is my list. I find it interesting – and a tribute to Daniel Kleinman – that my favorite title sequence of the series is set against my least favorite song. But Mr. Kleinman transforms that song and uses it to make one of the most arresting visual sequences I’ve ever seen, and it tells a story, too. All of his work has been exemplary, in my opinion (can’t wait to see what he comes up with for SP!). Maurice Binder had some wonderful sequences as well, but he got a little complacent as time went on. This is just my opinion, of course, although it seems like it’s an opinion shared by many fans.

    DAD
    CR
    TSWLM
    TB
    OHMSS
    AVTAK
    GE
    SF
    YOLT
    TWINE
    DN
    GF
    TND
    QOS
    DAF
    LALD
    TMWTGG
    FRWL
    OP
    TLD
    MR
    FYEO
    LTK
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @PDJamesBond

    I'm so glad you have AVTAK and DAD so high in your ranking.

    I thought I'm alone again with loving AVTAK so much, not only has it the best Bond song ever but I so love those neon fluorescent effects and the skiing silhouettes.

    DAD's visuals are so stunningly good that even Madonna's quite awful song can't destroy it.
  • PDJamesBondPDJamesBond
    Posts: 669
    @BondJasonBond006: I agree, I don't know what's not to love about the AVTAK OTS. The fact that it's my favorite song of the series helps, but the visuals are great. And you summed up the DAD sequence very nicely :-)
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    AVTAK being a favourite theme song cannot help those awful images in the title sequence.
  • tigers99tigers99
    Posts: 582
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    AVTAK being a favourite theme song cannot help those awful images in the title sequence.

    I quite like them, but they do feel somewhat dated, the way the titles sometimes 'Mickey Mouse's' the music in that one does feel a bit cheesy.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    1 GE
    2 SF
    3 FYEO
    4 DN
    5 SP
    6 GF
    7 QOS
    8 CR
    9 TB
    10 TWINE
    11 FRWL
    12 YOLT
    13 DAF
    14 OHMSS
    15 TND
    16 DAD
    17 TMWTGG
    18 TSWLM
    19 LALD
    20 AVTAK
    21 OP
    22 LTK
    23 MR
    24 TLD
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    edited November 2015 Posts: 1,984
    OHMSS showing all the Connery Bond scenes kind of detracted from it, IMO, even though it was meant to distance Lazenby from Connery. I also reckon a lot of Moore's titles, despite having great themes, had really strange visuals and psychedelic effects that seem really dated now, but I guess they're saved by having such tremendous themes (Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better, For Your Eyes Only & A View To A Kill). I think I prefer the visuals of something like The Living Daylights more, but I don't think it was anything good itself. I just despised LTK's visuals.

    GoldenEye, Casino Royale, The Spy Who Loved Me (other than Bond strangely disappearing in the middle of a jump) and classics like FRWL and Goldfinger are the best, in no particular order. DAD was surprisingly good in terms of visuals despite Madonna's unimpressive song.

    I think QoS, TND and Moonraker were just the worst, in that order. QoS just failed on every level (hate the theme song, and the visuals were annoying too), TND is a less severe version. Moonraker isn't horrendous, but it's just the same thing we've had in Bond titles for the last seventeen years. There's nothing new, and while Shirley Bassey's theme song isn't bad by any means, I felt it was a relatively weak addition to a decade full of blazing Bond songs (except TMWTGG, which is also one of the worst IMO).

    Also, I understand that it's dated, done with a limited budget and that there was nothing else to go by at the time, but I feel like Dr No is one of the lower ones as well. The theme is good, but the weird psychedelic dots just don't make a cohesive title sequence. Also, the dancing silhouettes were by far the worst version we've ever seen in a Bond movie.

    The ones with interesting twists (LALD with the fire and skulls, GoldenEye with the amazing effects except the gun coming out of the woman's mouth,TWINE with the women made from pitch, Casino Royale with the card theme, and Skyfall with all the settings) are all good, and they're pretty much all accompanied by brilliant theme songs.

    SPECTRE isn't looking all that great, IMO. Not a fan of the octopus stuff or Sam Smith's song.
  • tigers99tigers99
    edited November 2015 Posts: 582
    Having seen SPECTRE I think I have a new number 1!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,248
    Rankings can easily go here, where we have 12 pages of PTS discussion and ranking already.

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/1408/what-is-your-favorite-pre-title-sequence-update-least-favourite/p12
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    edited May 2018 Posts: 1,714
    The first Bond movie I saw in full, Goldeneye, knocked me out mostly because of the gun barrel-PTS-title sequence. My second Bond, A View to a Kill, really got me excited because I saw this formula again, and realized they all (well, more or less) start this way. There's something about the Bond title sequence that just screams confidence: "Get ready, it's a James Bond movie."

    Such sequences used to be more common in all times of film, but are relatively out of fashion now, and when one sees one nowadays it sort of calls Bond to mind. It's the only movie keeping this thing alive.

    Anyway, my favorites:

    LTK: Not a popular choice, but the shot of the wedding dress turning into a comical moment in the titles, the "OO7" locking around Dalton's face, and the title shot of Bond in the smoke firing away, all to the reappropriated Goldfinger riff...it's just magic for me.

    SF: This thing's a work of art. It's a perfect expression of the movie's themes, and nothing crap in the middle to ruin it.

    GF: Everything about this is classic. I especially like how understated the film's title is. Also of note is the cute way Brownjohn incorporates moments from the film that connect with what they're being projected onto. :D

    Least favorites:

    OP: What a piece of s***. I don't know why Maurice thinks we want to see these models making dopey faces at the camera, or why he had Mischka/Grischka play Bond in the titles, or why Bond has five arms wrapped around him (Is the film called "Pentapussy?" Didn't think so), but this is just god-awful.

    TLD: More dopey model faces visible for the camera. God, why? And how many hands coming from offscreen firing guns do we need? Did we have a single idea for this one?

    SP: Let's combine eroticism with octopi! Seems popular online!

    Other:

    QOS is crazy underrated. It's got one thing going the whole time, sure, women and deserts. Why is that so bad? Fits the movie. I prefer something like that to LALD, where we get some great imagery with flaming skulls and what have you, only to be interrupted by a clearly unchoreographed "dancer" slowly rotating in front of fireworks. No.

    DAD: Great work, Kleinman. Can't believe I was able to sit through that song so comfortably.
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,045
    LTK always seems too dark to me.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited May 2018 Posts: 7,198
    Hmm interesting:

    1. GoldenEye
    2. Thunderball
    3. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
    4. The Living Daylights
    5. Casino Royale
    6. From Russia with Love
    7. Tomorrow Never Dies
    8. The Spy Who Loved Me
    9. Diamonds Are Forever
    10. Licence to Kill
    11. A View to a Kill
    12. The World Is Not Enough
    13. Octopussy
    14. Moonraker
    15. Skyfall
    16. Goldfinger
    17. Dr No
    18. Live and Let Die
    19. The Man with the Golden Gun
    20. You Only Live Twice
    21. For Your Eyes Only
    22. Die Another Day
    23. Quantum of Solace
    24. Spectre

    Late Binder efforts end up higher than in most lists and DN, GF, YOLT and SF a tad lower.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited May 2018 Posts: 7,198
    double post
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    I can't do a full ranking right now but some of my favorites are FRWL, TB, YOLT, OHMSS, DAF, LALD, TSWLM, MR, GE, DAD, CR, QOS, and SF.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,599
    I can't really rank them but FYEO and LTK are my least favorite due to Sheena Easton and Binders camera fetish
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    CR won our elimination game last year, while LTK came last.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    1. GE
    2. YOLT
    3. SF
    4. LALD
    5. TB
    6. OHMSS
    7. DAF
    8. DAD
    9. QOS - really underrated I think.
    10. TSWLM
    11. CR
    12. GF
    13. MR
    14. TND
    15. FRWL
    16. AVTAK
    17. FYEO
    18. TWINE
    19. LTK - as @ProfJoeButcher said, the first part of this sequence is really cool.
    20. TLD
    21. OP
    22. DN
    23. TMWTGG
    24. SP
  • GBFGBF
    Posts: 3,197
    01. GE
    02. TWINE
    03. TB
    04. YOLT
    05. TSWLM
    06. CR (vry inventive, yet maybe a bit too violent)
    07. TND
    08. AVTAK (very colourfull and bizarre; I like the fire and ice elements)
    09. DN (I really like these dots)
    10. SF (good but too many elements of the films are included)
    11. DAF
    12. LALD
    13. GF
    14. FRWL
    15. LTK (underrated in my eyes, has something dark and mysterious)
    16. FYEO (I don't mind Easton in the TS)
    17. TMWTGG
    18. TLD
    19. MR
    20. OP (dull but sexy)
    21. QOS (looks like a screen saver)
    22. SP (pointless)
    23. OHMSS (too dull for me, I am not a fan of including footage of previous films)
    24. DAD (not a fan of this idea)
  • mattjoesmattjoes Pay more attention to your chef
    Posts: 7,054
    I think at the moment my two favorites are YOLT and DAF.

    YOLT's title sequence does so much right. Visually and narratively, it has the perfect lead-in in that shot of Bond, presumably dead, lying on the bloodied bed. But then it presents these instantly striking images: the rotating Japanese umbrellas over which the credits are presented; the gorgeous and busy shots of volcanic activity, with a lovely color palette consisting mostly of red and brown, but also pleasing shades of blue, grey and green; the silhouettes and shots of Japanese women-- elegant and beautiful, and not as sexually charged as in other title sequences, which fits the concept of showcasing the beauty of Japanese culture over the usual elements of the Bond formula. Between all these elements, we get just the right amount of things to focus on, and to create variations from, throughout the sequence-- not too few, not too many.

    The music also greatly adds to the sequence. The pre-title sequence ends on such a dramatic surprise --the protagonist is dead-- but we segue into this seemingly peaceful melody with mysterious lyrics that speak of dreams and apparently, the afterlife. And the song is set against those images of fiery lava--what a fascinating dissonance!

    My favorite moment of the sequence is the superb marriage of sight and sound right after the song goes "...and life seems tame", followed by that amazingly beautiful shot of the woman's eyes --superimposed over the lava-- turning to face the camera, and followed by that gorgeous chord change from B to Emadd9 played on lush violas and violins. And then "'till one dream appears..." Such an ethereal mood-- not happy, not sad, just mysterious and almost transcendental.

    Have a look. It's perfection: https://youtube.com/watch?v=lxjcN609cm4&t=47s

    Last but not least, I adore the typefaces employed, both for big and small sized text. It's a shame later Binder sequences mostly settled on a specific typeface, with little variation.
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