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Guy Hamilton 1922-2016

BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
edited April 2016 in Bond Movies Posts: 15,169
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/21/james-bond-director-guy-hamilton-dies-aged-93

Guy Hamilton director of four James Bond films has sadly passed away at the age of 93.
Hamilton born in 1922 was director of Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun.

Sir Roger Moore tweeted :
Incredibly, incredibly saddened to hear the wonderful director Guy Hamilton has gone to the great cutting room in the sky. 2016 is horrid.

Whilst I'm not a big fan of Hamilton's later Bond films, as a Bond fan I cannot overlook Goldfinger and the contribution it made to the series. One has to wonder if the series would've lasted this long without the success brought by Goldfinger. And for that I do appreciate Guy Hamilton.
A sad day for Bond fans.
Guy Hamilton RIP.
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Comments

  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,584
    Whatever you thought of him he is an indelible part of Bond history. GF and LALD remain firm fan favourites.
    For my part I liked DAF and to a lesser extent TMWTGG as well.

    Either way it's sad to see him go.
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    Definitely not a fan of his later films, but he still gave us the oft-acclaimed Goldfinger, and he must've been a favorite for those who joined Bond in the 70's. As a person who contributed to the creation of and transition of Bond from Connery to Moore, Hamilton deserves praise and has my condolences.
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    A sad day, RIP Mr Hamilton...
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,169
    As with many of the legends of the series, I never saw Hamilton say a bad word about Bond.
    He contributed immensely to the DVD commentaries and making of special features. And for that I must say I appreciate his loyalty to the films, the series and the fans.
    I may not be a big fan of all his Bond films, but they were all entertaining.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Rest in peace. Quality wise I don't like any of his films, but damn DAF is fun
  • stun_harvestingstun_harvesting
    Posts: 337
    Just came on for a brief check and saw this. Very saddened to see him go. On top of his masterful Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever with Sean Connery, he gave me my first two Bonds in Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun in the mid-70's. My heartfelt sympathies to him and his family.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited April 2016 Posts: 15,723
    As most are aware, TMWTGG is my favorite Bond film, and I really enjoy LALD, DAF and of course GF. He made Connery act like Moore, and Moore act like Connery. His later 3 outings are probably the most unique succession of films in the series - a caper in Vegas, a blaxploitation film and a kung fu film.

    RIP Mr Hamilton.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited April 2016 Posts: 7,207
    Goldfinger and The Man with the Golden Gun are among my favourites of the franchise.

    Out of his non Bond work, I especially liked Evil Under the Sun and Force 10 from Navarone.

    Furthermore, he was the assistant director of the legendary The Third Man.

    Rest in peace, Mr. Hamilton.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Rest In peace Mr. Hamilton. Thanks for the memories and your unforgettable contributions to the James Bond franchise. All highly charismatic and memorable films, with the last three in particular imbued with a unique quirkiness & charm which make them continually very watchable for me. TMWTGG is also one of my favourites.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    Not a fan of any of his Bond films, but it's always sad to see a member of the Bond family leave us.

    R.I.P
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,592
    R.I.P Guy Hamilton.
  • DoctorKaufmannDoctorKaufmann Can shoot you from Stuttgart and still make it look like suicide.
    Posts: 1,261
    RIP. Prior to CR, GOLDFINGER was my favourite Bond movie. To some extent I kinda liked TMWTGG. LALD was alright apart from the silly death of Kanaga. DAF is a mixed bag IMO.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,343
    Condolences to the family, friends and fans of Guy Hamilton - such an influential Bond director with the most Bond films directed besides John Glen. I'd started working on an article on something that happens in his Bonds so I'll have to try to get that completed soon in memory of the great man.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    RIP Guy Hamilton.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,022
    As you know, the first Bond movie I saw was TMWTGG. And the second was LALD. So, even if both movies were not the best Bonds he directed (that's GF, if you must know), Guy Hamilton was a great influence on my formativve years as a Bond fan. Plus, I saw a few of the other movies he directed: "Battle of Britain", "Force 10 from Navaronne", "The Mirror Crack'd" (I may be in the minority, but I quite liked this one), "Evil Under the Sun" (not a fan of Ustinov as Poirot - give me Suchet anytime - but not bad), "The IPCRESS File" (a masterpiece), and "Remo Williams : The Adventure Begins" (fun). So, I am saddened by this passing, even though 93 is a good age to go.
  • fire_and_icefire_and_ice
    edited April 2016 Posts: 6,432
    This quote from Remo sums up how I felt about Guy Hamilton Bond movies... 'Remo Williams: You know, Chiun, there are times when I really like you.'

    LALD was my first Bond experience so holds a special place, Hamilton was a huge contributer to the series, GF nailed the Formula.
  • Crazysoul95Crazysoul95
    Posts: 3,336
    R.I.P Guy Hamilton
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,045
    Diamonds was the first Bond I saw. So this obsession is all down to Guy Hamilton. I owe him. RIP
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Benny wrote: »
    As with many of the legends of the series, I never saw Hamilton say a bad word about Bond.
    He contributed immensely to the DVD commentaries and making of special features. And for that I must say I appreciate his loyalty to the films, the series and the fans.
    I may not be a big fan of all his Bond films, but they were all entertaining.

    So true. RIP Mr. Hamilton

    This year has been brutal so far.

  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited April 2016 Posts: 4,537
    http://nos.nl/artikel/2100623-bond-regisseur-guy-hamilton-overleden.html
    http://www.volkskrant.nl/film/bond-regisseur-guy-hamilton-93-overleden~a4286894/

    Suprised a litle bit there don't say: Goldfinger regisseur overleden (English: Goldfinger directer passing a way.)

    Directer:

    Goldfinger
    Diamonds Are Forever
    Live And Let Die
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

    Other:

    The Making of Thunderball
    The Thunderball Phenomenon
    Preproduction of The Spy Who Loved Me

    293full.jpg

    Thank you..
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,256
    He wanted us to "just have a little bit of fun".

    Guy, we had a lot of fun, thanks to you!

    Sleep well.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Would it be fair to say that Golfinger might be the most famous and widest seen movie ever?
    Thank you Guy, you'll be remembered always.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited April 2016 Posts: 24,256
    Pasted from another thread:
    CatchingBullets wrote:
    “My guess is that if they now choose to change of director for every other film, it’s just because you can’t really change the formula, you can merely try to film it your way.” – Guy Hamilton

    In what continues to be a harsh year for the deaths of cultural pioneers, news comes of the passing of Bond director, Guy Hamilton.

    Guy Hamilton was the second director to shape Bond’s cinematic journey. When he came on board to direct 1964’s Goldfinger he steered a 007 bullet that would define everything that came after. Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun were not just further entries in Bond’s cinematic output. They were the films that Hamilton enabled Bond in the 1960s and 1970s to fully echo the timbre and essence of the decade they had to cinematically dominate.

    The effect of Goldfinger on cinema, culture and of course the onscreen fortunes of James Bond 007 cannot be underestimated. It’s not just 007[img][/img] that emerges from the shadows at the beginning of Goldfinger, the modern day blockbuster does. The first two Bond films are brilliant films, yet visually and narratively very static. As soon as we get to Goldfinger the whole film’s about movement. We’ve got the Aston Martin DB5 and the film opens with a diver at a Miami hotel falling down into the water and the camera goes with it. That is down to Guy Hamilton opening up both the visual and pacing dynamic of Bond. Goldfinger is one of the first really visual films of the Sixties. Terence Young’s brilliant Dr. No (1962) and From Russia With Love (1963) are still quite tied to that cerebral, dialogue-based spy world. We are often told the story through dialogue. But in Goldfinger and under Hamilton’s command we are not told a woman’s going to be killed. We see her, painted in gold and dumped on a bed. It is a visual, adult and visceral currency Hamilton afforded the Bond franchise forever more.

    A great many of the visual tics of Goldfinger are part of the lexicon of Sixties cinema. Bond waking up with Pussy Galore putting a gun to his face, Bond on the laser table, the DB5, Robert Brownjohn’s gilded titles, Bassey’s notes, a deadly hat and Shirley Eaton dead on the bed – they are all as much a vital beat of 20th century entertainment as they are when Bond turned a dramatic corner on film.

    Hamilton returned to direct Sean Connery’s [first] last spin of the Bond dice, 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. He then continued and bedded Roger Moore into the role with the subsequent Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). In all his Bond work, Hamilton gave Bond a cinematic head-start for two decades where 007 had to be at the top of his movie game or he may well have floundered at the box office. Blessed with cracking dialogue and pacing from screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, the back-to-back trio of 007 bullets are a rich run of adventures that weathered a less public rift between founding producers Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. When EON Productions and Cubby went solo with 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, it was Hamilton who ensured the series was left in a solid enough place for the public – and EON’s – confidence to move forward.

    Hamilton was often circled to return for other Bond movies (he was first approached for 1962’s Dr. No but reportedly turned it down) and was the first director attached to helm what became 1978’s Superman The Movie (a tax situation meant he had to ultimately pass on the reins to Richard Donner). Hamilton also directed Harry Saltzman’s Battle of Britain (1969) and possibly the best Harry Palmer film, Funeral In Berlin (1966). Other work included Alistair Sim’s An Inspector Calls (1954), The Party’s Over (1965), Force Ten From Navarone (1978) starring Harrison Ford and 1980’s The Mirror Crack’d which gave an early role to future Bond, Pierce Brosnan. In 1982 he returned to the world of Agatha Christie to direct possibly the best of the on-screen adaptations, Evil Under The Sun. The film is a delicious and meticulously plotted treat with Diana Rigg and Peter Ustinov on full sail and a cracking Cole Porter score.

    In perhaps his best gift to the Bond franchise, Hamilton proved something that had yet to be proved for 007 himself – that you can successfully recast a Bond director and take the series forward. Again, it is the legacy of movement and momentum he gave to Bond.

    Rest in peace, sir.

    Guy Hamilton – 16 September 1922 – 21 April 2016


    This piece originally appeared at http://markoconnell.co.uk/rip-guy-hamilton-the-director-who-gave-bond-his-momentum/

  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Wow. Sad day. It really makes me sad how many Bond family members are dying lately.
  • fjdinardofjdinardo
    Posts: 1,985
    Rip Guy Hamilton. Even tho your later Bond films are considered not so good by many I didn't think so. You brought a different feel and energy to the Bond movies. You will be missed
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    RIP to the highly talented, legendary beast that is Guy Hamilton. Your work and talent will never be forgotten, and infinite thanks go to you for delivering some of the most classic, entertaining films in the series. You'll be missed.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,223
    :( My favorite Bond director along with Terence Young now gone. Damn. 2016 really does suck.
  • cooperman2cooperman2 Uk
    Posts: 380
    Diamonds Are Forever gets a lot of hate on various threads on this site but it holds a very special place in my heart. It was my introduction to Bond and the first film I ever saw in a cinema. It made me a lifelong Bond fan, a lifelong Connery fan and most importantly a lifelong cinema fan. Thank you Guy Hamilton for giving me and many others such joy. The man who in many respects defined the cinema Bond with Goldfinger. A template for success that many have tried to replicate but rarely with the wit and sophistication that Hamilton bought . R.I.P
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    He also directed this film featuring a familiar face:

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Love that film. Pierce cracks me up in that scene.
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