It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
I think TMWTGG had the problem of too many of the same people being on the series for too long. In all parts of the film, but particularly Guy Hamilton and the writers.
I know many liked the assassination plot but I would also have that removed and rewritten too, I mean Bond was supposed to be a Secret Agent, a spy that no one should know, and here in TMWTGG, it's like they've made him a celebrity with Scaramanga, a known assassin wanted to kill him, then there's that line "the battle of the titans", and "You see, Mr Bond, like every great artist, I want to create an indisputable masterpiece, once in my lifetime: the death of 007. Mano a mano. Face to Face. Will me mine.", like is Bond really that popular? 😅
It's no different to how Tiffany Case reads that playboy card and telling "You've just killed James Bond!", James Bond for me, is not a celebrity, he's a secret agent, an ordinary employee working for the British Government.
I prefer the book, where Bond was just sent to investigate Scaramanga as a crime lord with some connections to KGB, I wish the film stuck more to that.
Yeah there’s a lot I like. Andrea sending him the 007 bullet in order to get his help and Bond tracking her down: that’s all rather nice stuff and has some great iconography with the bullet etc. But the Solex stuff is from another film, and the film falls apart when he wakes up in the Kung Fu school.
A lot of these elements would have worked beautifully, but with an end of tenure Bond movie, not an early one. Say 1971 for Connery or 1985 for Moore.
But in any case and to get back on topic, I doubt any other actor than Moore would have survived TMWTGG. I doubt the franchise would have survived the movie either with another actor.
I was thinking that Hi Fat’s garden is almost a version of Shatterhand’s deadly one. This film is weirdly full of people pretending to be statues.
Also, those lads who have the double-sword fight at the Karate School: probably the most impressive fight in any Bond film?
Yeah possibly. Imagine how bad GG would be with Lazenby.
But Lazenby could have made those Karate scenes a bit convincing and believable given that he's an expert in those.
Bear in mind I did actually enjoy it(!), but I don't know what they were thinking all the same. Tell you what Harry: have another go at the script and release it in '75.
The MI6 Briefing is okay, but once Bond went to Lebanon from that onwards, it's cringey, I cringed a lot, it's almost near parody, this movie made Diamonds Are Forever better, it's a full romp, almost like Casino Royale 1967, my least favorite part is the close up shot of the woman's butt in the Bottom's Up Club, it's too.....Just made my eyes turned away.
It's campy in a bad way, I do liked campy films, yes this is coming from someone who did appreciate Die Another Day, but this is just so bad, it's not good, it's cringe, didn't aged well, and just terribly shot, the camera works and all.
This film didn't makes sense.
I'd rather take a boring film over this cringey film, would rather get bored than to feel uncomfortable all the time, that's the worst sin that a Bond film could commit to me, and this film did.
Bond pushing a kid overboard? Not a fan! Mary Goodnight in a bikini running around because Scaramanga preferred women in bikinis? Not a fan! The yellowish almost dirty cinematography? Not a fan! Bond pinching a sumo wrestler's butt? Not a fan! Kra? One or if not, the worst character in the Bond series, just there to act maniac pervert towards Goodnight, Sheriff JW Pepper being in this film for no reason? Not a fan.
No, not for me, it's almost unfunny as Casino Royale 1967, it's offending.
The duo of Christopher Lee and Hervé Villechaize are both great in their performances, but still couldn't make up for the whole.
He acquits himself quite well in The Man from Hong Kong (1975), both with martial acts and acting (he plays the villain). But I doubt anyone could have rescued TMWTGG without a rewrite.
Of course the franchise would have gone into a different direction, and I would not want to the Moore era, but I think Lazenby would have grown into the role nicely. He had a natural charm and his physicality would have created opportunities for some dynamic action.
That's why I'm keep wondering about Noel Harrison replacing Moore in the role of Lord Brett Sinclair, but not knowing about how it turned out, they've decided to stop the show, I'm a bit sad, I think Moore gave new life to the franchise after Connery left the role in 1971, but watching The Persuaders and wondering that what it could've been if Moore continued to the role, perhaps he's also old at the time he's cast, he's already 46? When the Producers could hired some actors younger than Moore at the time, but at the age of 46, he's still cast as Bond, but as already discussed here, we're also not that sure if how the Franchise would've survived if Moore wasn't cast in the role.
I don't think a modern version of The Persuaders would've worked either, none of the actors today could've pull the banter and chemistry between Curtis and Moore.
Thoughts?
The personalities and relationship of its stars make it rise above the usual ITC fare for me; and they're obviously encountering the same old hackneyed plots that The Saint and The Baron and the like encountered, but they're not taking it seriously and just making it so much fun. That there wasn't a second series is the one minus point about Roger getting the 007 role for me.
I don't know the specific history and someone corrects me if I'm wrong but I understand Roger Moore was cast as a transitional Bond, hence he was cast much older. They had tried with an unknown with Lazenby and it hadn't worked, people wanted Connery. With Moore, they had a popular veteran actor with his own fanbase, so Connery's shadow was not as much as an issue with him as with another candidate. They needed someone who would be accepted as Bond early on so the role would not be exclusively associated with Connery. But he was not meant to last as long as he did. I think the reason why TMWTGG was produced so quickly after LALD was partially because they wanted to establish Moore quickly as a returning Bond.
I'm not sure Moore was ever considered a transitional Bond...Cubby seemed to go to great lengths to keep him in the '80s!
Moore in 1973 looked a lot younger than he was.
Yeah but again from what I understand this was due to circumstances. They were considering to replace him by FYEO, but because of McClory and other reasons they kept him for one more film, then one more film, then one more film. Back then of course audiences were accustomed to him as Bond.
Let's move on from another What If.....
It's an interesting trivia of how the Union Jack Ski Parachute in TSWLM was actually originated from Lazenby himself, having it as his meant for a scene in OHMSS, but lack of materials prevented them from doing so, it's not until after 7 years that they could've used it in another Bond film, TSWLM, the tragedy was, he's not credited for this scene when it's should be.
So here's my what if, What If the Union Jack Ski Parachute was used in OHMSS as Lazenby originally intended?
I mean, I'm sure a parachute jump would have fitted into OHMSS's ski chase, but it's not necessarily a great loss that it wasn't included. The chase is tense enough as it is and retains a down to earth quality. TSLWM, on the other hand, benefits from such a crowd cheering opening. Different films/scenes in that sense.
I think George was considered the failed Bond. Even today there are still some who feel this way.
I don't think he had the clout that Connery had, in EON asking him back for more.
From IMDb
Amongst the actors to test for the part of Bond were Julian Glover, John Gavin, Jeremy Brett, Simon Oates, John Ronane, and Michael McStay. Frontrunner was Michael Billington. United Artists wanted an American to play Bond: Burt Reynolds, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford were all considered. Albert R. Broccoli, however, insisted that the part should be played by a Briton, and put forward Sir Roger Moore. After Moore was chosen, Billington remained on the top of the list, in the event that Moore would decline to come back for the next movie.
Strangely John Gavin is on the list, who famously got signed as Bond in DAF, before Sean Connery returned. Jeremy Brett could've made an interesting Bond, though he may have been too intense for 70's audiences. It's hard to imagine anyone but Roger Moore as Bond in LALD.
Thanks, @007HallY
Is this right? The story I'd read was that Cubby saw an ad with skier Rick Sylvester that was somewhat faked for the ad but Cubby was inspired to try the stunt for real for TSWLM.
Re: about Lazenby originating that idea, it's real.
Maybe that ad triggered the idea, but the one originated or proposed that stunt was Lazenby.
Of course, it's been 7 years since he suggested it, so that ad reminded them of the idea, so that ad had been given the credit instead of the one who originally suggested the idea.
Actually that Lazenby trivia can be found anywhere.
And we all know the history between Cubby and Lazenby, how Cubby was disappointed in Lazenby so of course that's the thing he would likely to say.