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20 years ago it was in my Top 10 as well. Hell, it even was my favourite Connery Bond movie!
Now it's No 20 :( somehow it's just a huge borefest for me nowadays, and somewhat hard to sit through. But out of respect for that movie I'll never let it slip past No 20.
The beautiful Rome SPECTRE meeting is a great revival of the Connery era's more understated meet-ups between the organization. In SP, the meeting is steeped in eerie intrigue where heavy shadows, silence and whispers dominate the scene, a great auditory and visual representation of what SPECTRE is: not seen or heard, but making its marks. The photography is phenomenal, and the choice to forego a score for the scene amps up the tension as we hear the echoing tones of the members and Blofeld's whispers as he controls his men to do everything for him, from pulling out his chair to moving forth his microphone and ordering the other members around. It's a great introduction to his control-freak nature, and I think Waltz plays it spectacularly. The "cuckoo cuckoo" gives me chills every time. In addition, the dialogue between members as they brief the pack on ongoing operations is spectacularly TB and gives us a phenomenal idea of the nature of SPECTRE's control, and how powerful they are. This is an organization holding ransom life saving medicines from the people for crying out loud, playing God! Immaculate.
In addition, the first time I saw SP, afterwards I lamented how wasted Waltz was. I was angered at how uninterestingly they'd used him and how we barely saw him. Two viewing later, I feel the opposite, due to the fact that I paid attention to the way in which the character was being presented and the subtext behind his actions. I think Blofeld is introduced to today's audience is compelling ways here. His villainy isn't overt like so many other Bond villains, which only serves to make him even more dangerous and real world. He doesn't go around twisting his mustache and proclaiming his greatness to everyone and Bond as the agent finds a way to escape. He's slimy, sharp, precise and ruthless. One of the things I love most about him is how they've given him layers. We see instances that display his desire to control his world, from his drone-like agents to Nine Eyes and the world stage on which he operates. He'll do anything to seize his control, and his insecurity as a man that Bond exploits is also a wonderful counterbalance to his quest to show the world all he can do. He wants people to be impressed by him, but in pursuing his power through SPECTRE, it's crucial for him to hide from the world and remain undetected and hidden, his glories owned only to a mysterious and fleeting organization that has no face. It's a lose lose for him, any way you spin it. People all over the world may cower in fear over what the organization can do to them, but they never know that it's coming from Blofeld. I think that bugs him.
And of course, in Dan's performance I found myself clapping as he went full-Connery on this. I don't mean he was aping Connery when I say this; more like, he was playing Bond like Connery would in this situation, with an understated, subtle style that favored quiet moments where he showed his suave and calm coolness with just a glance or by the way he walks. When he pops both of the hitmen at Luccia's villa and saunters up to her to whisper in her ear, I was so unbelievably fascinated by him. It was like a moment straight out of the best of the Connery era, played just the way he'd have approached it. Another moment that felt very much like a 60s era Connery Bond moment was how 007 playfully waves at the SPECTRE agent at Sciarra's funeral. Again, it's a moment of understated cool, and something I could picture Connery's Bond doing as well.
Some say Dan's bored in this film, but when I look at him in every scene, relaxation and comfort and confidence is what I see. I see a man who, like Bond, has matured into his role and has gone from a rookie to a big time player. Dan knows his Bond and how he ticks, so now we get right into him on his mission, doing his thing. Gone are his burdens of old. He's not as impacted by failure or out of his depth and reckless like he was as an upstart in CR; now he's honed and precise, commanding the screen with style and exuding cool. It's a joy to watch him play in this film.
After my third viewing of SP last night, I've got some more thoughts/insights/theories I want to share with you all about some of the things that interested or stimulated me most as I watched. I look forward to our discussion, away from the rampant negativity that's leeched itself to the main pages these past few weeks. Cheers!
P.S.: In case you haven't guessed, I've never loved this film more! :)
=D>
Shout-out also to @Gustav_Graves, who spurred my reexamination of Waltz's Blofeld as a character of subtle villainy, power and depth.
Where to begin...
...firstly, congratulations on that post of yours. I feel exactly the way you do.
Craig's performance in Spectre is, I've said this before, the best performance by an actor playing Bond since Connery's heyday, I can say this without a doubt.
And you have given wonderful examples of why this is true.
Spectre oozes the 60's in many sequences and on many levels, I was sure of this as soon as I was seeing the second trailer and the production photos with Tom Ford's spectacular clothing for Craig. The train and its interior plus the clothing of Swann and Bond is 60's galore, I absolutely LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Waltz is brilliant in Spectre. He isn't overused, and that's a good thing. What I really liked, is his early appearance in the movie. One of the things that "ripped" Skyfall apart in the middle, was that Silva only entered the movie after 70 minutes.
The scene in the "comet" room is bloody brilliant and belongs to the great moments in cinematic history in my opinion.
I could write a book of admiration on this sequence alone!
More on Craig's performance. The pre-title sequence, as spectacular as it is, relies heavily on Craig's acting.
The way he moves smoothly and cool as ice throughout the scenery up to when he realises that the building will collapse is simply irresistibly fantastic and he oozes self-confidence and coolness aplenty.
Then he switches to light humour and with an ease that it is a whoopee! His facial expressions when he realises he will fall and when he lands on the sofa and how he gets up and walks away.
Sean Connery is put to shame in that moment!
Craig makes this spectacle of a pre-title sequence perfect and I'm not sure, we will ever get a better one than this.
The dialogue is memorable from start to finish. I swear, after three viewings I was able to recite most of it.
The comparison to TB can be made. I know it's fun to say, this movie is this actor's that one etc.
Personally, for me, this is Craig's GoldenEye, because I feel, there are many similarities between GE and SP, but the same could probably be said about TB or even TSWLM.
Spectre borrowed (paid homage) to a lot of Bond movies of the past. This didn't bother me one bit. It was done with such devotion and conviction and it worked on every level.
It's almost unbelievable how many small brilliant moments Spectre has, exactly because they are recognisable.
Your example of his waving playfully at the Spectre agent at the funeral fits my opinion on this perfectly.
I'm a bid sad, that obviously enough people (here) seem to feel differently or are not able to see the obvious and hidden beauties of Spectre.
\m/
:P
The Traditional gun barrel
Opening shot and Music, wonderful. I loved how Bond swayed with the girl in the lift.
How cool is Bond walking along the roof edge.
Craig's face on realising the building is going to fall.
The Helicopter sequence ( Fantastic) and knowing because of the thin air at high altitude
some of it had to be filmed elsewhere.
The titles and theme song ( Yes I love Sam's song )
Bond's quip about M having a tricky day then calling Denbigh "C"
Bond's unfurnished flat, as I guess he's never there.
Dame Judi, a national treasure.
Tanner telling Bond to be careful getting off the boat, and Bond simply skipping off it.
The Q scene, I really love Ben as a young Q. along with his bad joke about " One piece"
I love how the special switches on the AM are roughly screwed to the dash.
Bond giving a wave to a spectre thug in the graveyard.
Bond smashing the champagne glasses, very forceful ( in the old days, I'd say Bond would have
given her a slap ) very Alpha Male.
Monica in sexy underwear ( same as me as I write this )
The spectre meeting, you can sense the fear of everyone in the room, and how they almost wet
themselves when called to speak to the head man. Even the table is impressive.
The introduction of Mr Hinx, I'd say that frightened many kids .... and a few adults too.
I love how all through the film Hinx had a half smile on his face.
The car chase was fun, Loved the interplay with Moneypwnny and how Bond is concerned about
who she's seeing. The music selection of 009 and the air bag going off in the old blokes fiat.
and the look of happiness on Bond's face when a gadget finally works.
The opening establishing shots of Austria through the mountain road and across the lake.
In fact the cinematography was just fantastic throughout.
The Bond v Mr White discussion, very atmospheric
C saying about his new building " Good God the government couldn't afford this !"
The establishing shots of the clinic, Bond's questionnaire, and his complaining at the bar.
Bond telling the security guard to "Stay" and how he dispatches the two spectre thugs
outside.
The entire snow chase sequence, amazing stuff.
I was really worried about Q, in case he got roughed up by a couple of villains and at the
end Bond casually shooting the driver.
The slight hand movement after the crash to let us know, You can't keep a bad man down
Bond stating, that he might not be coming back
M to C in the hallway " You're a cocky little bastard, aren't you !"
On the train when Madeleine, says she might shoot Bond by mistake
and he replies " Wouldn't be the first time " ( SF reference )
I love how M tells the office team that by trying to help Bond they only
make him weaker.
The drinks on the train, is very evocative of the old 1930s film noir, even the
costumes have that feel.
Hinx's entrance is a bit of a shock, and the following fight is brutal, with each
combatant trying various combinations. I love how there is no music, just the
sound of punches. Bond looks finished, and out of it, overpowered by a stronger
opponent. Of course this is Bond so we get a " Happy ending" and a laugh.
The vintage Rolls Royce is a lovely "Fleming " touch.
The Crater Base, with the beautiful designed complex inside,
and nice to see spectre still using the black Mercedes as its favoured transport.
The stolen artwork in the guest rooms ( another lovely idea )
The meteor room meeting with Bond saying " I think we're meant to be impressed"
Blofeld once again just a voice in the dark, until the reveal.
The conversation in the hallway between Bond and Blofeld.
" I came here to kill you " .... " I thought you came here to Die "
" It's all a matter of perspective " line reminded me of what is said
in Dr No about which side of the glass you're standing.
The same with the " Visionaries, our Psychiatric wards are full of them " line
sounds very like " Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon...
or God." from Dr No.
I love the set design of the information control room and how at a given
moment they all switch off their screens and stand to face Blofeld.
How the guard restrains Bond with a baton, yet Blofeld never flinches.
( very like in the scene from OHMSS )
The clinical starkness of the torture room, I found the drills very scary.
Bond almost dropping his watch during the torture
Blofeld brushing off some cat hairs from his clothes. Then the drills moving
towards Bond's eyes.
Bond's escape through the compound has a very 60s feel to it and I love
how Bond uses the machine gun in short bursts or single shots. Leading to
One BIG explosion.
The Hildebrand Rare book shop, Nice little wink to the Fleming fans
Q, nearly getting shot in the Range Rover.
Bond's escape from the villains, with the neat little cable tie trick ( it's on
youtube how to do it )
The confrontation between M & C, mirroring the start of CR with Bond waiting
in Dryden's office, having removed the bullets from his gun. with
" Now we know what C stands for " ( great line)
Blofeld waiting behind the glass screen ( TMWTGG book ) Bond's bullet strikes
forming the octopus motive. With Blofeld laughing as he tells Bond " I've really
put you through it"
Bond saving the day by jumping with Madeleine into the debris netting.
The helicopter crash.
The bridge ending with the two sides of Bond's life on opposite banks, One
has his profession and career the other his love and personal life.
Lastly the restored DB5 driving off, to the Bond theme
Sitting on Monday night in the cinema, having to wait half an hour before the film began, with rising excitement and anticipation,This chubby, 51 year old was gradually transported back to when he was a blond haired blue eyed 9 year old sitting in the local flea pit waiting for LALD to begin.
Finally it began, Gun barrel back in its traditional place, oh the joy of hearing the theme blasting out again. The pre title sequence, is fantastic, beautifully filmed and edited ( It has been announced that the “One continuous shot” used to introduce Bond. Was in fact three cleverly edited together ) To be honest I had already though that on first viewing . On entering the Hotel ( Panning to poster) and the girl in the hotel room asking Bond where he was going ( another panning shot) is where I think the cuts were made, as you have to change from out door to indoor lighting, only a guess on my part and in no way detracts from an inventive and skilful sequence. The establishing shot of the street full of people enjoying the festival is splendid ( and on second viewing ) you can see Bond waiting for the villain to walk through the crowd and pass by him.
The opening stunt section is fantastic; I didn’t notice any glaringly bad cgi work, although others have. Leading into Daniel Kleinman’s beautifully stylish Titles. I have loved all his work for Bond and Sam Smith’s haunting theme merges so well with the images. ( I’m one of the few who love the song).
A brief review of the film itself, It’s a mix of the very traditional Bond film. An opening scene with Bond and M, a Q lab sequence. In which Ben Whishaw gives a truly great performance as Q. No one can ever replace dear old Desmond but Ben has given us a very different character, very contemporary but also eager and funny. I love his DB5 joke, which he obviously finds hilarious , the others, …. Not so much ( I can identify with that ). Later on Q has his own moment of peril and I found my self, genuinely worried for him. ( Fans of Ben can see him in his own BBC spy series starting on 9th November).
The locations are beautiful, the cinematography in spectre is outstanding, it gives us almost a visual representation of the “ Fleming sweep” from the novels. The spectre board meeting, so much a part of some of the earlier films, with a silhouetted villain, speaking in a dull voice asking about the mundane business of fixing the price of much needed drugs and people trafficking. The introduction of the Henchman, a truly unsettling scene, almost from a horror film. Mr Hinx is the latest in a long line of wonderfully bizarre characters from the Series.
Lots of action, humour, romance. Even if not a Bond fan, spectre gives you your moneys worth. The second half of the movie, the pace changes, a more serious tone settles in, a little more depth to the characters is added, the romance between the two is enforced.
A familiar Villain’s liar, ( Base in a Volcano/crater now where have I see that ), with the
Usual Bond villain’s touch of having vibrant green grass in the middle of a desert. The
Design of the control room, I loved, even the act of at one point the lights dimming and all the control staff rising from their seats to turn to face their leader. Visually it was very effective.
The torture scene was very effective (for me anyway) I think most of us have a fear of drills, and the idea of someone drilling into your head, is as scary as hell. (I had a dental appointment the next day, so that didn’t help my anxiety).
It also uses some lines from the torture scene from Col Sun, as Bond begins his escape you can see the drills positioning themselves to drill out Bond’s eyes !
I simply love Bond’s escape from the villain’s compound. There’s just something about a Man in a white shirt firing a machine gun protecting a lady. That simply fills me with so many nostalgic memories of all those spy films from the 60s.
The final sequence back in London, is equally exciting. The safe house with the well know name to Bond fans, was a nice little touch. I was genuinely surprised to see the scar on the villains’ Face, I wasn’t expecting that. One last battle and Bond drives off with his latest romantic conquest.
I enjoyed spectre more the second time of watching, and was able to make a note of some of the little things that, just “tweaked my nipple of enjoyment “ ……….
As Bond and pretty lady are about to leave the lift in Mexico, they sway to the music.
I only realised that the laser attached to Bond’s gun wasn’t for targeting but rather was his vibration bug to hear the conversation.
Q, …… I just love the character. Congratulations to Ben for making the role his own.
Bond giving a friendly wave to one of the spectre thugs at the graveyard.
In the Villa as Bond and Monica are kissing and Bond explains he can help her. A tear rolls down her cheek, which I think is a way of showing that the lady has gone from despair, to having the chance of “Hope” being brought to her by Bond.
This may have been “Digitally” put in ( you can’t tell these days) but I prefer to believe this is just a consummate actress giving a role, everything she’s got !
The Car chase, so many funny moments, but especially Bond intrigued by who is in Moneypenny’s flat .
I’m very happy with spectre, it’s now my #2 Craig bond ( after CR), I have read about plot holes etc, But To be honest.
I’m not an educated guy ( as my spelling and grammar proves) my love for the Bond films and books, comes from my gut!, I’m not really interested in picking faults, I had a great night out, I enjoyed my self. So a big thanks to all at EON, the cast and crew, office staff etc, for letting me into Bond’s world for a few hours, and making me feel nine years old again
I can do better.
I agree 102,3 %
Spectre has this instant classic feel like CR, GE, TSWLM or OHMSS.
No dull moments, great memorable dialogue and one amazing sequence after another.
The plane chase has dethroned the tank chase in my best chase rankings.
The train fight is only rivalled by Connery's elevator fight in DAF and his fight with Grant.
Swann is such class and style.
The Scooby-Gang is fabulous, even Tanner gets some decent scenes imagine that.
Overall a marvelous positive experience.
And while some call this propaganda ;) I call it love and appreciation for a favourite movie :D
I walked out with that feeling you get when you've seen a film that you realize will be important to you forever....
:)>-
I left SP pretty pumped and happy too. Was an enjoyable experience I admit.
Who needs a car chase if you got a plane/car chase :)
Having said that, it's very 'Craig'.
Some doubt.
There's nothing in SP that comes near the parkour in CR and it's very tight between the stairwell fight and the Hinx fight and to be honest I'd have them as a dead heat as just can't make my mind up.
The QOS car chase is better than the SP one (editing aside).
The SF PTS is easily the equal of SP and personally I find it a lot more satisfying.
I would say the Hinx fight aside the action in SP is 7/10 across the board. Not bad but not blowing you away either.
Actually that phrase applies to the film as a whole.
The PTS of SF is brilliant but nowhere near the originality and greatness of SP's.
The stairwell fight is better than the train fight.
Overall SFs "action" is a sleeping pill against SP's, except the shootout in the mansion.
How exactly do you make a judgement of the car chase from QoS with the "editing aside". Are you telling me you could actually tell what was happening throughout that scene?
Woah!