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What was it other then the money that made him enjoy Bond again in that movie?
Golf! In his contract and everything. Plus in the shooting went over for the day, he got paid a lot.
He got laid again.
I think the reason Connery loved DAF so much was the money and the fact he could produce another couple of films. Though I think only one film ever was made as part of that deal. The fact it was also written in that he got a significant bonus if they went over schedule was an inducement.
It's 1968, you are the producer of the Bond series. You have decided to cast a relative raw actor named George Lazenby to the role of Bond. You are impressed by his physicality and his confidence. Now that he's cast you talk with the director of the picture and look again at the script. You are having doubts about Lazenby being able to do justice to OHMSS. You decide you will look at the remaining books to see what might play well to this new fella's strengths and be a better debut for your raw actor. So for this scenario we shall change it up and pose these questions...
What if George Lazenby had debuted as Bond in another adventure?
Lets pick any of the Fleming novels that hadn't yet been on the big screen and that EON had the rights.
Do you think changing the film or adventure would have set Lazenby up for longer success as Bond?
Or would you keep it status quo and have him star in OHMSS as planned?
What say you Mi6? What if George Lazenby's debut Bond adventure been different from OHMSS?
LALD - I think the actual 1973 film would have served as well a debut for Lazenby as it did for Moore, probably more so given how it's much more action oriented and would have benefited from Laz's physicality. But a LALD in 1969? Would have been a very different kind of film. EON intentionally steered clear of this novel because of its racial politics, and it was only because Mankiewicz chose it that it became the 8th film as he felt it was the right time to update the 1970s era of Blaxploitation.
MR - It certainly would not have turned out like the 1979 film in any capacity. To my recollection it had always been passed over by EON because it was considered dated, and it was the last title novel to be used for a very long time before CR. Would have been interesting to see them do this in 1969, though I'm sure it would have been spiced up a bit, maybe even becoming as unlike the novel as Moore's was.
DAF - It was almost a new Bond's debut film, so maybe Lazenby having a ball in Vegas would have worked? Like LALD, it wouldn't have had Mankiewicz in the writing process so it might have been done in a more straightfoward manner. Blofeld probably would have still replaced the Spang brothers much like how he replaced Colonel G
TSWLM - Given that Fleming stipulated only the title could be used and none of the plot, it could have turned out to be anything the filmmakers envisioned in 1969, being the first wholly original adventure for an actor's debut (which didn't happen until GE, though that film loosely used elements of the MR novel).
TMWTGG - Again, it probably would have been a very different beast without Mankiewicz given how far that veered off from the novel. There wouldn't be the kung fu elements. I dunno if this would have served as a good debut for anyone really, depending on what exactly they do with the material.
Finally the short stories in, which I doubt EON ever considered as early as the 60s. They wouldn't touch these until they exhausted all their available novel titles.
Looking at all these remaining Fleming titles, had OHMSS been skipped, I think DAF would have been the one to go for. In fact, I feel like I understand why EON would choose that after OHMSS because it held more promise than the remaining titles. Aside from GF, EON was clearly focusing on Fleming's better titles for the 60s, so in a sense the 70s basically dealt with the remaining weaker ones. When I say “weaker”, I mean as a potential Bond cinematic adventure. Even though the MR novel is very excellent, it’s pretty small scale with England being the only location. It’s really no wonder the 1979 film pretty much used the title and villain name only.
I wonder if Lazenby had a less demanding adventure. Demanding in the amount of acting required to pull off the movie if he would have been better set up for success. Though I suppose he'd still get the crappy advice that Bond was over and he'd move on regardless.
I agree with @thedove on Lazenby having a first tough acting gig with OHMSS, especially for a novice. A less demanding script that didn’t involve Bond falling in love for the first time, marrying and having to change personalities midway through the movie only to revert back, would’ve certainly helped any new actor coming into the franchise. Not to mention also being the first actor (sic) to follow on the heels of Connery. As it was, Lazenby really did have the most demanding Bond script or role that any 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s actor could have wished - or not wished for - as their first 007 outing.
Of course Lazenby is damned with faint praise for his OHMSS work, but it would’ve been interesting to see how he would’ve faired in a more lightweight Bond caper such as TMWTGG, LALD, DAF or even TSWLM for that matter. I’m sure the critics would’ve been kinder to him.
I’m not exactly what you’d call a fan of DAD, so anyone involved in that terrible production I wouldn’t want to see anywhere near an authentic MR adaptation, I’m afraid. Maybe it’s for the best that a proper adaptation hasn’t been tried yet as there’s still scope for a future version. It’s the completely different narrative of YOLT that baffles me.
My understanding of YOLT being chosen was because of its location setting. I assume the filmmakers figured that book was never going to get a proper adaptation ever down the line, just because it wasn't compatible to the cinematic formula? EON always is always talking the talk about sticking to Fleming, yet you'd have to point and ask about certain decisions made. They couldn't do OHMSS because there wasn't snow, but they still had a plethora of other novels to pick from and they chose that.
Yes, you’re quite right about YOLT being used due to the lack of forecast snow in Austria that year when they originally wanted to make OHMSS with Connery. Subsequently, the whole Japanese fortress-by-the-sea was dropped when it was discovered by their location scouts that the Japanese didn’t build their ancient castles by the sea. Like they couldn’t have built a castle in place of a bloody giant £1m volcano set at Pinewood studios instead! Yep, go figure. Like you, I think it was just an excuse for Cubby (or whoever) to concoct their own first big Bond story away from the Fleming narrative. Maybe it was a trial-run for the future? That’s not to say Dahl didn’t come up with some pretty good ideas and dialogue, I just don’t think Lewis Gilbert was really the right man to implement them. If I’m being honest, some of YOLT looks a bit amateurish in its execution. Especially when you compare it to how Hunt shot OHMSS a few years later. Maybe had Young or Hunt directed YOLT, it might’ve been a better movie?
Yeah. Pike was wasted. Bit like Famke in GE IMO and perhaps Halle Berry and Sophie Marceau as well. Bit of a pattern there...
Anyway, the question. I think if Lazenby's film had been any other Bond film he'd be even more of an afterthought than he already is. OHMSS is at least memorable as the one where he gets married, which stops the masses from completely forgetting about him. And most of the praise Lazenby gets from fans comes from how he handled the emotional/romantic scenes. Stick him in any other 60s Bond film without those elements and all you're left with is a more wooden Sean Connery.
I think it's time for a new what if scenario.
From what I know EON has the rights to the Fleming adventures. They "own" the character. I don't believe they have the rights to any of the continuation novels. Going on this theory lets pitch our next what if.
What if EON started to bring the continuation novels to the big screen. Whose novels do you think would translate well? Would this help to give the series some better plots?
What say you Mi6? What if EON started doing screen adaptions of the continuation novels?
I haven't really delved onto the novels myself with the exception of COLONEL SUN. I read some of LICENCE RENEWED, which I thought was fine reading, but didn't grab me the way Fleming novels did.
Even back in the days of Broccoli and Saltzman, the films were never too concerned with staying 100% close to the plot of the novel they were based on. That policy continued with Barbara and Wilson with CR, which, while faithful in sections, still has over half its runtime made up of scenes that weren't in the book.
And with the reboot there's no conflict for continuity.
I have always wanted to see Caber from Licence Renewed as I felt he would translate well to the screen. Even the Laird would be an interesting villain. To me Gardner was writing a hybrid with some hallmarks from the film series and then would throw in some Ian Fleming for good measure. IceBreaker is another good yarn in my opinion.
I can't see it being any worse then SP in terms of blo-bro and some of the other changes they made.
:D
...and aspects of those novels, mainly certain sequences and characters, would make great groundwork for new additions to the franchise. For example, it may have been interesting to see a blind villain in the franchise akin to the leader of the Union, or have snowy-mountain climbing sequence akin to High Time to Kill :)