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'This is MY Bond film' : which film means the most to YOU and why .

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  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Love this thread, THIS is why i joined the forum in the first place, to hear and share stories like this...

    Pleasently suprised to see Goldeneye leading the field with most indoctrinated Bond fans around here.
    Wasn't any different for me. I was aware of a fellow called Bond before 1997, but when the n64 game came around i got immediately sucked into this World.
    Then one day i decided to watch the Movie as well and boy it didn't disappoint.
    Haven't looked back since.

    It still holds up to me, it is pure 90's for sure but i love that.
    Monte Carlo, the Casino, Puerto Rico... pure Eye Candy.
    Bond is cool as Cucumber and... on(a)top of things,
    one of the best cast of villains in the whole franchise... what else do you need?

    Also i love the fact that Goldeneye has created its own little universe inside the Bond franchise through a novelization, a video game that expanded the Movie quite a lot plus a remake that completely reimagined the Story, and lots of other fan projects etc around the internet... its a world i love to revisit every now and then.

    Second most important Movie for me would be CR, since it got me into Fleming
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    00Agent wrote: »
    Love this thread, THIS is why i joined the forum in the first place, to hear and share stories like this...

    Pleasently suprised to see Goldeneye leading the field with most indoctrinated Bond fans around here.
    Wasn't any different for me. I was aware of a fellow called Bond before 1997, but when the n64 game came around i got immediately sucked into this World.
    Then one day i decided to watch the Movie as well and boy it didn't disappoint.
    Haven't looked back since.

    It still holds up to me, it is pure 90's for sure but i love that.
    Monte Carlo, the Casino, Puerto Rico... pure Eye Candy.
    Bond is cool as Cucumber and... on(a)top of things,
    one of the best cast of villains in the whole franchise... what else do you need?

    Also i love the fact that Goldeneye has created its own little universe inside the Bond franchise through a novelization, a video game that expanded the Movie quite a lot plus a remake that completely reimagined the Story, and lots of other fan projects etc around the internet... its a world i love to revisit every now and then.

    Second most important Movie for me would be CR, since it got me into Fleming

    Great stuff Agent.

    If you like this thread, may I direct you to the Advent Calendar thread from last year? You may well have already seen it but there are some wonderful memories posted by a good few members on here. Well worth a look if not seen it.

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/17349/the-great-mi6-community-james-bond-advent-calendar-new-year-s-eve-celebration/p1



  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    thanks @Shark_0f_Largo, i will have a look
  • gumboltgumbolt Now with in-office photocopier
    Posts: 153
    I have a peculiar memory from childhood - I must have been young because I got my first complete Bond VHS collection when I was 10/11 (until then I just had to watch and tape on ITV). Anyway, Diamonds Are Forever was on some Sunday night. My Granny was visiting from the other end of the country and staying for a few days. She was already annoying both my parents(!) and we all sat down to watch DAF together. I was very excited of course (about the film) and had my blank tape ready. As Sean Connery enters the oil rig to meet Blofeld, my Granny suddenly announces she wants to see the BBC News, which is starting about now. I kick off (naturally) and my parents side with me! No other telly in the house. She had to make do with the later ITV News that evening and I got to see the climax of the film. 1-0 to me.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    I remember the longest wait of my life was from qos to skyfall, because 4 years could just not pass quick enough. I was bang on board with James Bond, had watched all the films, enjoyed qos, and then had waited for the next one but it never came. Then about 2 years later when I was 9I decided I would go with my friends to the park every day after school to should bond 23 because the bond makers wernt doing it quick enough. Our film was garbage but not bad for a child endevour. Eventually skyfall released after Forever and I was so surprised that they didn't continue the qos - CR storyline or have Felix or anything like that. I also as 12 year old thought it was rather boring comparing it to the last 2 installments.
  • CatchingBulletsCatchingBullets facebook.com/catchingbullets
    Posts: 292
    OCTOPUSSY. It changed my movie life and then eventual life and has become - oddly for a film - a great family and personal friend. It is also testament to how life, like those white dots in a Bond movie, can go full circle in rather special ways. For various reasons, my partner and I named our top table at our Pinewood wedding "Octopussy". You can only imagine the mothers faces.... (they were fine).
  • barryt007barryt007
    edited March 2017 Posts: 19,339
    Yes i know its sideways but this is on my wall in my living room,centre stage ,pure wood and bloody expensive...like i said when i created this thread,OP,is the Bond film to my heart.




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  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    Very nice.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    @barryt007, that image isn't loading for me, unfortunately. Opening it in a new tab doesn't do the trick, either.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Hmmmm unusual.....i wonder why...
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Seems like for most of us, that first Bond film we saw will always be special. For me, that was FOR YOUR EYES ONLY in September 1981.

    Seeing OHMSS and GF as Christmas reruns that same year was just as special.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    This is very easy to answer and while I have told the story several times in other threads I will try to tell it again from a different perspective.

    THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS 1987

    I was 14 years old when I saw this near the end of 1987. My dad took me to the local cinema, Odeon in Bournemouth UK.

    In 1987 my dad started to take me to films that are not exactly aimed at 14 year olds.
    Lethal Weapon for instance which also had a huge impact on me.

    Interestingly TLD was not my first Bond. In fact it was my third!

    I did see Octopussy in 1984 when it was shown again but only remember being infatuated with Octopussy, loved her looks, the long beautiful hair and her face.

    Two years later, at 12 it was DURAN DURAN that shook my world. While I was already a huge fan in 1984 thanks to discovering their first two albums plus the newly released Seven And The Ragged Tiger, it was A View To A Kill, the song, that influenced me greatly in what kind of music I would love most from then on. Romantic Pop, forever.

    A View To A Kill has remained my favourite song of all time.

    Still, even when going to the cinema to see AVTAK, I was only interested in the title sequence for the music. Having seen the fantastic promo-clip for AVTAK the song I couldn't wait.

    I remember LOVING the PTS of AVTAK and again it was a lady that I remember most, the Blonde waiting in the Iceberg-Sub.
    The experience of seeing and hearing the title sequence of AVTAK was out of this world. Roughly three minutes that made my whole body shiver. It was heavenly.

    Probably the reason why to this date, AVTAK remains my favourite title sequence. I love the NEON colours, I love the blue/black silhouettes. I just LOVE IT.

    But back to the film that changed my life. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS.

    When we went to see it, I had no expectations at all. I even didn't think of it as another Bond I'll see. I simply had more or less forgotten about OP and AVTAK, the film by then.

    The Pre-title-sequence was enough to make it a life-changing experience.

    Let me just repeat that I had become a para-scout with Swiss Special Forces five years later. TLD and LTK are responsible for that, there is no doubt about it.

    I loved Timothy Dalton, immediately.
    The only other "hero" I had seen on screen before was Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. But Gibson seemed out of reach for me. And it didn't help that I had a huge crush on Gibson.

    Dalton on the other hand was the kind of man, I felt, I could become. Serving for his country, loyal to the end, suave, dashing, dry wit, always dressed properly and oh so romantic. I loved how he was helping Kara and how they ended up in the end as a couple.
    That Dalton shagged the lady on the yacht "better make that two" I simply didn't get at that age :lol:

    I loved TLD's locations. Especially Vienna (which I had been before several times as a kid, including the big wheel). And Afghanistan, the military airport base.
    I didn't know a lot about its history, so I just loved all the characters.

    To this day, once the Afghanistan sequence begins, a romantically glorified view of it kicks in. I just love every part of it.
    But let me be clear, even looking at it as objectively as possible, I think it is a great sequence. The cinematography and Barry's brilliant romantic score make it work big time.
    The bridge sequence is bloody awesome. Sure, if you look closely you can see it's a model, but even so, it is done beautifully and has stood the test of time imho.

    The soundtrack in general made TLD work for me as well. I already was a fan of a-ha, if not as big a fan as of Duran Duran and their title song was a great addition to their already impressive, still very young, body of work.
    The soundtrack album was the first one I listened to several hundred times probably. It was also that album that started my interest in soundtracks/scores.

    In 1989 I knew more about the Bond franchise, but it was only after I had seen LTK that I became the life-long fan I am now. After LTK I searched for the other Bond films and watched them all between 1990 and 1991, OHMSS I may have seen in 1992 as the last one I discovered.

    So that's that. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS has always remained somewhere at the top of my ranking. It was No 1 until GoldenEye and No 2 until last year.
    Only recently I finally put OHMSS at No 1 in my ranking because it belongs there and has managed leaving GE and TLD behind.
    As you may know I regard SPECTRE as my No 1, but as it is still too new I will wait for final judgement. Just now I have it at No 4 behind OHMSS-GE-TLD, it may go up again, not to No 1 though, OHMSS will forever stay there.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,858
    Casino Royale I remember being on the website nearly every day I was so excited seeing the picture and the trailers and just... it's the perfect film
  • 007ClassicBondFan007ClassicBondFan
    Posts: 2,296
    From Russia with Love, having seen a few of the Brosnan and Moore enteries prior, this was the film that film that really got me into Bond (no doubt thanks to the video game which I owned), and also turned Sean Connery and James Bond into two of my favorite idols.
  • DoctorNoDoctorNo USA-Maryland
    Posts: 755
    Casino Royale: The movie I was waiting for my whole life... one that could stand next to the best of the 60s with a fantastic new actor as Bond. And it has the best ending scene/scenes of any of the films imo. It ends with such a high and buzz with the music setting in... the only sad aspect is it ends with the promise of more to come and that never happened again at this level.

    The Living Daylights: Saw as a teen and it was what I wanted, a return to something with an edge, a young Bond, a great story, score... it was all good. I saw it many times and took friends who by this point thought Bond was lame (old Moore and goofy movies leaving their impact). I realized Dalton, who I liked, wasn't the full package, but I was looking forward to many more with him to develop... another disappointment

    Never Say Never Again: Family night at the movies... my mother wasn't going to miss this one. We didn't bother with Octopussy. My Mom liked Moore, thought he was so charming, but Connery was her Bond. She was the book lover who grew up on Fleming and had us watching all the movies on TV as kids.

    Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me, The Man With the Golden Gun, Octopussy: Around 12 or so and really falling in love with Bond movies... going to the video store for VHS tapes and watching these on lazy afternoons. I remember vividly the first time seeing DAF with it's intro and opening chords of theme song, I was so excited... oh, this is going to be good. All the other Bonds I had seen and were pretty well established in my mind, but seeing these during those days was like discovering lost gems.

    Thunderball: The one I liked most on TV as a kid with Mom and family. It was always my number #1, also as a teen, measuring all other Bonds against it. Only later would FRWL and CR dethrone it. But I still LOVE this movie.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    DoctorNo wrote: »
    Casino Royale: The movie I was waiting for my whole life... one that could stand next to the best of the 60s with a fantastic new actor as Bond. And it has the best ending scene/scenes of any of the films imo. It ends with such a high and buzz with the music setting in... the only sad aspect is it ends with the promise of more to come and that never happened again at this level.

    Definitely the best ending in the series.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited May 2017 Posts: 8,452
    Dr No is my favourite Bond film due to the simplicity of its premise, and how they are able to follow through with it. With Bond films, its sometimes more of a achievement to stay focused and not get distraction or bogged down. Dr No is one of the cleanest tellings of a Bond story on the silver screen. And ironically, its that pirspicuity of idea, and the economical way it spends the audiences time that gives the film its energy and life. The completely opposite of today, where the narrative is so convoluted and unfocused that the addition of countless action sequences is necessary to keep people interested. It's a completely different way of making a film. Instead of bashing the audience over the head at regular intervals to keep them awake, Dr No is skilled in its use of foreshadowing and escalation that there is no reassurance needed. There is an inherent sense that something big and dangerous is happening, and the fact that there is a mystery around Crab key and this Dr No means the audiences is already in anticipation. Its such a well crafted film in such a simple package. Would I want them to attempt something similar today? Maybe not, but there are certainly many lessons EON could learn by taking a look back at how they used to do things.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Mendes4Lyfe wrote: »
    Dr No is my favourite Bond film due to the simplicity of its premise, and how they are able to follow through with it. With Bond films, its sometimes more of a achievement to stay focused and not get distraction or bogged down. Dr No is one of the cleanest tellings of a Bond story on the silver screen. And ironically, its that pirspicuity of idea, and the economical way it spends the audiences time that gives the film its energy and life. The completely opposite of today, where the narrative is so convoluted and unfocused that the addition of countless action sequences is necessary to keep people interested. It's a completely different way of making a film. Instead of bashing the audience over the head at regular intervals to keep them awake, Dr No is skilled in its use of foreshadowing and escalation that there is no reassurance needed. There is an inherent sense that something big and dangerous is happening, and the fact that there is a mystery around Crab key and this Dr No means the audiences is already in anticipation. Its such a well crafted film in such a simple package. Would I want them to attempt something similar today? Maybe not, but there are certainly many lessons EON could learn by taking a look back at how they used to do things.

    There's a lot of attention to detail too, small actions characters especially Bond do that say so much about their character without M needing to explain it to the audience.

    Casino Royale does that too, Campbell inserts little moments that propel the story along.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    You'd be hard pressed to find a film and script more essential than Dr. No where literally every line and shot matter to the story it's telling. I think modern fans have come back to appreciate it after writing it off because it's very fine structure and clean storytelling is a nice counter to the much larger Bond adventures that pump the screen with money.

    I always knew it was special, but I'm happy to see it getting so much recognition now.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Someone is going to make a film like this again and it's going to be a blow out global success, resetting the genre like Bourne did 15 years ago. The question is who will do it? Hopefully EoN.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited May 2017 Posts: 8,452
    YES, YES, YES!! I'm absolutely convinced that suspense and the gradual building of tension is about to make a major comeback, like the suspense thrillers of the 90's that GE and MI originally took inspiration from. In the years after Bourne the reliance on head-smashing action has balloned to the point that the genre itself has begun to tread water. It's time for a reset that's for sure, and right now so many factors seem to be aligning themselves. The best Bond films are always the ones where it feels like they capture a moment in time in a bottle and distill it. The conditions are looking ripe again for another ripper of a Bond film, with major shifts on the horizon. There's a great opportunity for the producers to catch this wave early, if they see it coming.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    I've said before on several threads DN is the ideal blueprint for a Bond relaunch. What a film that is.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    RC7 wrote: »
    I've said before on several threads DN is the ideal blueprint for a Bond relaunch. What a film that is.

    Never have you said anything that I have agreed with more. So many lessons they could learn (or remember) from this one.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited May 2017 Posts: 28,694
    If elements of DN were played up for a modern Bond, I think it would be refreshing to see, considering that parts of the 60s approach haven't been explored again since. I for one want Bond to travel to just one major location again, an aspect of the series that was lost after YOLT as globe-trotting became the new mandate. With how heavily Bond hops from nation to nation, a film that forces him to stay grounded would be great.

    You'd also think that the production only shooting in one major area would actually be a cost-effective measure for the budget, where they wouldn't have to worry about hauling equipment, cast and crew to multiple locations over a major shooting schedule, and where they wouldn't have to constantly location spot or get shooting permits from different areas across the globe.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    If elements of DN were played up for a modern Bond, I think it would be refreshing to see, considering that parts of the 60s approach haven't been explored again since. I for one want Bond to travel to just one major location again, an aspect of the series that was lost after YOLT as globe-trotting became the new mandate. With how heavily Bond hops from nation to nation, a film that forces him to stay grounded would be great.

    You'd also think that the production only shooting in one major area would actually be a cost-effective measure for the budget, where they wouldn't have to worry about hauling equipment, cast and crew to multiple locations over a major shooting schedule, and where they wouldn't have to constantly location spot or get shooting permits from different areas across the globe.

    Brilliant!
  • LegionnaireLegionnaire
    Posts: 142
    A particular Bond film is difficult to identify. In literature and in film, the defining issue is the character of James Bond. Well bred, a man of the world who has a depth of experience that gives him the confidence to master difficult situations, and even life threatening encounters with criminal masterminds intent on his destruction. Probably CR does this best for my money. I read and enjoyed the books a kid, but had given up on the movies, until some friends insisted that we watch CR, QOS, and SF before going out to a midnight viewing of SP. Prior to that TB would have been my film of choice, though 007 burnout was pretty strong after a few marathon sessions of Connery, Dalton, and Bronson, (I usually headed out for another beer if Moore was on), post high school. I finally sat down and watched the entire series DN to SP, and even managed to get through Moore’s monologue ‘extra’ after each of his films (a kind of induced self-torture, like monks who whip themselves prior to absolution). OHMSS was always the odd duck in the group but not a bad film and entirely watchable. Craig’s CR was a kind of reimaging of the 007 story that brought me back to what makes James Bond good entertainment.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @Legionnaire, so Craig's era has pulled you back into it again? I assume your view of his four is quite favorable then, despite them being what many would call very different Bond films from what is expected? (I know you enjoy SP, as we've discussed it before, but I haven't heard your thoughts on the other three)
  • LegionnaireLegionnaire
    Posts: 142
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 While there is certainly a great deal of criticism on this site about the films in the Craig series of James Bond roles, I would imagine that EON is laughing all the way to the bank. There are approximately 7 billion people in the world, and while perhaps not all of them are 007 fans, enough are, so that the producers are most likely sitting in a terraced garden somewhere in Monte Carlo playing a serious game of backgammon and oblivious to their detractors, I know I would be, so the opinions here are relatively meaningless, except perhaps as a point of argument among fans (a bit like Monday morning quarterbacking the game). Looking back at the history of complaints dating to the release of DN, someone someplace is always very unhappy. The entire Craig series added a nice touch of spice to a tired recipe and I have enjoyed it immensely.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    @Legionnaire , I'm 43; Dad let me stay up to watch TB on, I think it was Sunday CBS at the movies-- I was 4.

    I fell in love with Connery and for many years, into the VHS years, always thought he was the only Bond.

    Then, in the early VHS era, I learned of Moore. I liked him. Enough. Not Connery, though... I missed the rough and tumble and the masculine of Sean...

    But there was something passable about Moore, and still elements of this amazing character I discovered way-back-when, in his depiction...

    About this time, I started reading the novels, so when Dalton was cast in '86, I was happy... He looked great, and he wasn't Moore, so an added bonus...

    TLD was a strong debut, but, even at fourteen, I saw melodramataic cracks in his acting. But at least the story was grounded and I was excited. I hung in tight with Dalton...

    Growing older, and with the passage of time, I became conflicted with TD, and hated the casting of Brosnan even more.

    My first viewing of GE left me pissed. I felt I couldn't identify with this Bond (But, with more years added on me, I actually do enjoy the film much more now)... But as the Brozzy years went on, I fell off as a lifetime Bond fan... The films became too loud and splashy, and ... meh, to me...

    When CR came out, I saw it three times on the first day coz I was like, WTF happened??? This WAS the Bond film I was waiting for: sex, danger, a character who was so brave, macho, but fucking up as he took the next step forward, then, finally, finding the right step again... CR was exhilarating, and certainly gave me a re-birth into this universe again.

    Some people may not see DC as being Bond, but, I can't help BUT see Bond in DC because of this film...

    I hope my rant makes sense... And, it is only my opinion!
  • LegionnaireLegionnaire
    Posts: 142
    @Peter In literature Fleming’s Bond was a master dualist. In film that sense of “Master of the Sword” (as a metaphor) is difficult for an actor to capture and portray. Connery had it (which perhaps is why his films are liked all these years later), and Dalton was able to bring it off in TLD and LTK, Bronson never seemed to find it as Bond although he didn’t shy away from the fight, but Craig’s Bond is a classic dualist. Cold, calculating, expert and skilled, even in verbal arbitrage with “M”, his isn’t a trite wit, but curt with a sharp twist of a phrase that ends in subtle silence and draws blood at the same time, like “…last rat standing” from SF or “…no I think I’ll call you C,… C.” from SP (the audience can almost hear the wind from his saber as it cuts through his opponent). It’s a gritty interface with his character that I find helps to give Craig’s Bond a sense of place in the story.
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