Weekly Bond Poll: Round 59: secondary Bond girls & helicopter flights

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  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Any other voters this week?
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Tha airport scenes in DN and FRWL are great examples of the more classic spy movie. It is and exciting setup to see all these characters who are interested in Bond and the Viewer asks himself "Who are they? Are they good or bad?" Of course, the excitement isn't the same after you watched the movie 20 times but the Scene still has a lot of "old school spy charm".
    The hotel room scenes are fantastic. Like @Max_The_Parrot , I had books and box for kids with materials for spying and also tried to fix a hair on my furniture door. I mean there were a lot of spies who were interested in my underwear etc... Maybe it is for nostalgic reasons but I relly love these hotel scenes, perfectly played by Connery and combined tith the Bond theme.

    Trainstation wins. This Scene is completely different: We don't hear what they talk, we don't see the murder...But we realise that Grant is a smart and cold-blooded killing machine and he will be a real threat for the rest of the movie. Perfect movie moment.

  • Posts: 1,927
    On the Bond theme in the hotel room: back when TBS used to show Bond movies a lot in the late '90s, my work friends and I would watch on the TV in the newsroom. Although they were big fans, they were amused by the Bond theme being played while doing a routine check of the hotel room as being way too much. Maybe a less energetic and slower version would've worked better.

    You think of the Bond theme when he does something Bond-like, as David Arnold once put it, not checking for bugs and listening devices. They then made up scenarios for mundane situations when the Bond theme would be played.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    Like @Max_The_Parrot , I had books and box for kids with materials for spying and also tried to fix a hair on my furniture door. I mean there were a lot of spies who were interested in my underwear etc...

    Hehe I remember doing the same on my chest of drawers, just in case some unknown SPECTRE against tried to sneak in and steal my comics or toy Matchbox cars! Can’t be too careful! ☺️
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Amusing memories @Max_The_Parrot ;)
    @BT3366 I absolutely see your point. After watching FRWL last weekend I can at least say that I really loved it that way. It would be a bit weird to have such an energetic version of the theme in a similar scene with Brosnan or Craig. But it is alright for me because it was only the second movie and we haven't seen huge stunts so far. Checking for bugs was bondisn enough in 1963. There is at least one scene where I don't like the Bond theme: the action with Little Nellie isn't exciting at all with the standard Bond theme! You know from the first second of the the zheme that Bond isn't in real danger... (I tried to use it once for a poll question but couldn't think of a fitting second scene and maybe it is only me feeling that way).
  • Posts: 1,927
    Amusing memories @Max_The_Parrot ;)
    @BT3366 I absolutely see your point. After watching FRWL last weekend I can at least say that I really loved it that way. It would be a bit weird to have such an energetic version of the theme in a similar scene with Brosnan or Craig. But it is alright for me because it was only the second movie and we haven't seen huge stunts so far. Checking for bugs was bondisn enough in 1963. There is at least one scene where I don't like the Bond theme: the action with Little Nellie isn't exciting at all with the standard Bond theme! You know from the first second of the the zheme that Bond isn't in real danger... (I tried to use it once for a poll question but couldn't think of a fitting second scene and maybe it is only me feeling that way).

    On the question, maybe when Bond seems to have it too easy and as a viewer you really don't think he's in any real danger; I think of when Bond and Madilyn are escaping Blofeld's HQ in SP that he just shoots a couple of guards from a mile away and gets into a helicopter with little to no reistance. I recall one writer saying of the YOLT scene that Bond uses the devices in almost the same order that Q explains them.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    edited February 2020 Posts: 7,314
    I suppose I'd pick the Airport scenes, although there's always some unintentional laughter when Felix is trying to be inconspicuous. All four scenes are vital though and provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of a secret agent before GF made him larger than life. As for the comments regarding the Bond theme in FRWL, Calvin Dyson made a video about this some years back that I'm still laughing at today. I can't watch the scene without thinking about it now, that bastard!! It's part of the charm of those early movies though, when they were still finding their way.

    I'll also vote for the PTS. What an incredible introduction to Grant and then to find out he was being tested by SPECTRE! The shock of Bond's death and the lights coming on. I can still remember my surprise from a very young age. The train station bit is good (and I must say I'm somewhat surprised by how many voted for it) but it's just not as captivating to me as the PTS.
  • Posts: 1,927
    pachazo wrote: »

    I'll also vote for the PTS. What an incredible introduction to Grant and then to find out he was being tested by SPECTRE! The shock of Bond's death and the lights coming on. I can still remember my surprise from a very young age. The train station bit is good (and I must say I'm somewhat surprised by how many voted for it) but it's just not as captivating to me as the PTS.
    It's been lonely here, Pachazo. Glad to have you for company.

  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Thanks. I enjoyed reading your comments regarding the ingenuity of the original PTS.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Results of round 23:

    Old school spying in DN/FRWL: Hotel room scenes win against airport Scenes: 5 : 4
    Grant scenes: Trainstation (killing and replacing Nash) wins against PTS: 7 : 2

    Great comments of you all as usual. But the number of votes decreased dramatically...

    For the 25th round I thought it would be a welcomed variation to use questions of other members. If you have one or two good ideas for poll questions, I would like to read your suggestions in my mailbox.

    Round 24: White and red

    A) Which character from QoS should have got more screen time? Mr. White vs. Strawberry Fields

    Connery wearing the white dinner jacket with the red flower is stylish in the PTS of GF (checking the time/explosion). But has it more style as another Connery scene with the red flower: the scene in DAF with Bond on the elevator in Las Vegas.
    B) Which scene do you prefer: The part with the white dinner jacket in GF PTS vs. on the elevator in Las Vegas


  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    I would have been interested if Mr White had a bit more screen time in CR, but by QOS I was a bit fed up of him, and would have preferred more Fields - I enjoyed Gemma in the role and had a good on-screen chemistry with Bond, similar to Vesper.

    GF - lean and mean, whereas Sean had put on a little too much weight by the time DAF came around, and it showed! 😉
  • Posts: 631
    Fields. I would write more, but I can’t seem to find the, um, stationery.

    DAF. DAF DAF DAF all the way to the top of the Whyte House

  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Fields is a waste of space in Quantum of Solace, IMO. Poorly acted and doesn't add much relevance to the film, whereas Mr. White should've had more screen time as this would've given us a better understanding of the organization. You consider that White and Greene are colleagues, you don't see them interact once throughout the film, with the exception of Tosca. Just demonstrates how little thought went into the narrative of this film.

    It has to be Goldfinger as Connery provides easily one of the most iconic moments in Bond history. Although, I do like the interaction between Connery and the goons in Diamonds are Forever.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    MR. White
    GF
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,173
    As much as lovely Gemma is too look at, her character serves little purpose.
    However Mr. White is an established character who is still shrouded in mystery. As @Octopussy mentioned, even though White and Greene are both members of Quantum, they have no scenes together. Aside from the Tosca gathering.
    More Mr. White please.

    The second pairing is a no brainer for me. GF, hands down.
  • Posts: 631
    Personally I quite like that Mr White remains a mystery. If you saw more of him, some of that mystery would drain away
  • Posts: 631
    Also, it’s a (slightly) similar situation to Blofeld in FRWL and TB, easily my favourite Blofeld. We see little of him and he’s an enigma. Then in YOLT they decide to give him more screen time, and look what that got us. So, IMO sometimes less is more
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,223
    Fields and GF
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Personally I quite like that Mr White remains a mystery. If you saw more of him, some of that mystery would drain away

    Fair point.
  • Posts: 1,927
    For the first, it's kind of a no-win. The less we see of White the more mysterious he remains. I wouldn't want more of him, save for the deleted scene at the end. Fields is just an excuse to give Bond a bedmate with a cute name as he and Camille were platonic, which I was fine with. It's a standard extra shag, unnecessary.

    She's also a sacrificial lamb, unnecessary in that Mathis's death is so much more impactful, and to do an homage to Jill in GF. So I guess by default I'll go with White.

    The second is one I have to curse goldenswissroyale for as both are iconic scenes which are why I take so much pleasure in Bond. Given how much credit GF already gets, I am going with - sacrilege! - DAF.

    The film gets endless flack from fans, not without good reason, but it was the first Bond I saw in the cinema when it was new and I was a preschooler and it's always had a sentimental place as such and for years was my personal favorite and that scene is one that stands out.

    There's that beautiful Ken Adam bridal suite set, Bond in tux, pulling out the flower, casually opening the window and saying "Just popping upstairs for a moment." He walks to the ledge and casually gets on, sniffs the flower and the wind blows his hair as he coolly rides the elevator up is just iconic, especially the pull-away shot. The follow-up where he nearly gets flattened was repeated in other films showing characters hanging onto elevators and gives some genuine suspense as he's left hanging and a few cables to support him.

    Trivia bit: I've read the DAF script and when he's suspended in the air, Bond had a line "So help me, Q, if I fall I'll kill you." I don't know if that was shot and cut or just wasn't used but it would've fit in.

    So you guys can revel in your GF worship, I'll go with the underdog in this case.
  • Posts: 698
    Fields- Mr White got his due in SP
    GF PTS
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited March 2020 Posts: 4,490
    Jesper Christensen is a fantastic actor and although the interrogation scene in QoS is very brief, it is a very strong scene. “one thing you should know about us...“ is the line from QoS that sticks in my mind forever. As mentioned by @IGotABrudder the character of Mr. White works better because he is kind of a mystery. I would love to see more from Christensen but Mr. White works fine the way it is.
    Fields looks stunning and her chemistry with Bond is good. Her appearance is too short! More of Fields, please.
    I'm a fan of this DAF scene. Easily one of the best parts of DAF. @BMT216A described it beautifully.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited March 2020 Posts: 4,490
    Results of round 24:
    Fields should have got more screen time in QoS compared to Mr. White: 5:4
    Style with red Flower: GF PTS wins against Bond on Elevator in DAF: 6:3

    Round 25:

    A) Which scene do you prefer? Bond drives the digger and jumps from the digger in the train (SF) vs. Bond drives the car on the rails and jumps on the train before the car is crushed (OP)

    B) @Max_The_Parrot would like to know:
    A) Which of Roger Moore's train fights do you prefer? Bond vs. Tee Hee or Bond vs. Jaws





  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The previous round was too hard, but this is easy: The scenes in OP and TSWLM.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,173
    Loving these rounds @goldenswissroyale they're all so random.
    The first match up is easy. Part of my love of OP is because of impressive train sequence.
    So Bond in the Mercedes on the train tracks then jumping onto the Octopussy circus train is clearly the winner for me.
    The second match is a little harder. I think they're both great. I like Bond's inventiveness in the fight with Tee Hee. Using the playing cards to try and distract him.
    Though the fight with Jaws is similar in some ways, and due to Jaws immense size he's a very threatening enemy in a small space. As a kid I remember jumping more for the Jaws fight, and because of that, I'll give it the win.

    OP
    and
    Jaws fight for me.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    A) stream of conscious time: I like both of these scenes. One thrilled me as a boy and has continued to do so. OP was inventive with the way they executed the scene with miniature cars, blue screen, stuntmen. The other, SF, thrills me because of the audacity and connection to the Bond of CR who never quits as barges through walls and the like. My heart thumps more, I think, with the Bond I connect with more. The win, by a hair, goes to SF.

    B) TSWLM
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Round 25:

    A) The OP car train sequence

    B) Bond vs. Jaws in TSWLM
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Sorry I missed the last round. As for this week, they're both close calls for me.

    First off, I do enjoy the SF scene. Bond's determination and toughness are on full display here, especially after he gets shot. However, M barking orders and Moneypenny being along for the ride are huge detriments to the overall experience, unfortunately. Minus points for VW Beetles. OP, on the other hand, has Bond on the run in an exciting and adventurous chase, with a little humor thrown in. It is the more entertaining package for me.

    The second match up is tough, but I have to go with Bond vs. Tee Hee. I think Hamilton directed Moore's action scenes better than Gilbert. I also enjoy that Tee Hee is coming back for revenge and Bond's smirk before he throws the cards in his face. The Jaws fight plays out in a similar fashion and perhaps is a little too familiar with what came before. It's still entertaining in it's own right though.
  • Posts: 1,927
    By far, the OP train scene. It was a stunning stunt sequence in 1983 and still holds up well today. It's a relentless scene with so much going on. I'll go so far as to say the entire sequence from when Bond pursues the train up until the disarming of the bomb at the circus is one of the more underrated sections of any Bond film, combining breathtaking stunts, action, suspense, and as pachazo points out above, a little humor but not too much. No gadgets or souped-up cars, just Bond and his resourcefulness.

    Not a big fan of SF to start with and the teaser in particular. Again, I agree with pachazo above about the M and Moneypenny combo being more distracting than contributing to the scene. A lot of fans loved it, but the whole cuff straightening as Bond boards the train seemed a rip-off of Brosnan's signature tie-straightening action sequence habit.

    I rewatched both train fights and both were good. Moore was tougher in LALD than I remembered. My choice is TSWLM.

    At that point of the film. Jaws is still a frightening presence. When Anya opens the closet and sees him it's one of the better jump scares of the series. Kiel's sheer physical size in the small train compartment also adds to the odds Bond faces. Moore's Bond is always more about his resourcefulness than sheer physicality and this scene showcases that. My thing is what if that lamp had become unplugged during the struggle?

    My big minus in the Tee Hee fight is I'm guessing the overnight bag is Solitaire's and I can see why there'd be nail clipper scissors, but who carries a wire-cutter or whatever that is among grooming accessories? It's a too-handy accessory when Bond needs it for a very remote situation.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited March 2020 Posts: 4,490
    OP is the winner. I love the cuff-straightening and the train action before is okay but it has no chance against the OP scene: The car on the rails is a bit over-the-top (how narrow/small is that car that it fits on the rails?) but it looks great, is very amusing and Roger Moore's Bond is definitely allowed to do such a crazy thing! The jump on the train is again a very good scene: Bond needs to use his skills without a gadget there. It is intense, spectacular and the car landing in the water is fun and useful for the plot.
    I wouldn't go that far and say that the hole part from here up until the bomb disarmig is a highlight but the train action in OP definitely is a huge pleasure to watch.

    I choose the fight against Tee Hee:
    The jumpscare with Jaws in the closet is good and his huge presence feels even more impressive here (look how big his hands are compared to Bond's head!!!) but what I miss here is a real fight…
    The interaction with Tee Hee feels more like a fight (at least the first part) and I like it that some walls, a ladder and a window are destroyed. Your point of critique about the scissors almost changed my decision @BT3366 (fair point!) but there is also the fact that I love it to have this kind of "revenge" action scene at the end of the movie.
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