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

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  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited June 2020 Posts: 4,490
    I didn't know that you like TND that much @BT3366. I'm a fan of the bike chase but prefer the boat chase overall. The boat chase was my favourite bond scene as a child and it is still ranked very high. Great stuntwork and very amusing.

    I have to admit that the argument made by @zebrafish is justified. Nevertheless, my vote for the jump itself goes to the bike jump. It sticks better in my mind probably because it was shot in a more spectacular way. But the boat jump is impressive, no doubt. The point is, that the boat jump (and the car jump in TMWTGG) are shot in a way that the stunt looks much easier than it was.

    I love the parkour chase. One of my most beloved action scenes in general. The two short moments are cool and funny at the same time. You don't want to mess around with this guy! Run Mollaka, run! I would love to vote for both scenes but I go with "Trough the wall" because I laughed the loudest there.

  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    edited June 2020 Posts: 2,611
    Great scenes, especially the boat chase and the parkour.

    Boat jump, not only because I like this chase sequence very much which was perhaps my first Bond encounter, except for TMWTGG, maybe.
    The bike jump is a good stunt, but I don't find its optics and effect really outstanding in the overall sequence.
    Catch the gun, remarkable moment.

    EDIT: Oops, I thought I had time till Sunday morning (7 days)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited June 2020 Posts: 4,490
    Results of round 39:
    The bike jump (TND) and the boat jump (LALD) have the same amount of votes: 7 : 7 (thanks to @marc who voted at the last possible moment).
    Badass moments of the parkour chase: Easy win for "catch the gun" against "trough the wall: 11 : 3

    Round 40:
    If I remember it right, there are only two gunfights between two groups in the middle of Bond movies (inclusive Bond and two of the most likeable allies):

    A) Which gunfight/melee scene do you prefer: FRWL (Vavra's gypsies against Krilencu's Bulgarian) vs. FYEO (Columbo's men vs. Kristatos' men at Albanian warehouse*)
    * The subsequent scene where Bond chases Locque and kills him shoud not be included here. This death scene was already played before and isn't really part of the gunfight.

    My second question is a bit unusual but I give it a try anyway.

    B) Which suddenly appearing animal(s) in John Glen movies made you jump (more)/or at least made you wince a bit (more) the first time (or even at later viewings): Stacey's cat (AVTAK) vs. pigeons (any; add the Glen movie of your choice)

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The FRWL confrontation and the pigeon(s?) in FYEO during the rock climbing scene.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    Admittedly I'm not a fan of shoot-outs unless they're remarkably choreographed. It's very tough to film these sequences and keep tension since so many faceless people we have no investment in fill the screen.

    To make it work, our hero should be in some kind of peril (after all, we have emotionally anchored ourselves to him or her) .

    FRWL is the winner... it's a neat twist of the hero being in peril: Bond is in great peril in this scene, but it is more to do with the Guardian Angel Grant making sure 007 is kept alive long enough so that he, Grant, can complete his mission for Spectre. An amazing and layered sequence.

    (FYEO looks and feels flat to me)...

    B) In FYEO, Roger-Bond is climbing up to St. Cyril's monastery-- the pigeons that fly out add to the tension of this climb and makes the guarding henchman a little more suspicious... They have a small, yet effective role to play in making this trek even more dangerous.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,594
    I'll have to agree with the previous two:
    FRWL Gypsy Camp Gunfight
    FYEO Rock Climbing Pigeons
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,370
    FRWL and pigeons from LTK
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    FRWL
    Pigeons in TLD
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,173
    As ever @goldenswissroyale you really do get me thinking about the matchups. And which I prefer.
    I really enjoy both the gun fights in FRWL and FYEO, Connery helping to defend the gypsy camp. Unaware Grant is serving as his guardian angel.
    Moore taking part on an assault on Kristatos warehouse, destroying part of the latter's smuggling ring.
    Whilst I love the FYEO scene, I think the gypsy camp battle wins this one. FRWL

    As to the second round. So many choices.
    The bird that flies out of the rock face in FYEO as Bond ascends to the monastery above.
    OP has several entries, the birds that fly out as Bond escapes his room at the Monsoon palace and makes his way to Magda's room.
    The spiders web Bond is entangled in when hunted by Kamal and his men.
    The tiger that startles Bond, which he then commands to 'Sit!'
    Stacey's cat when Bond first arrives at Stacey's house
    The birds that fly out at Whitaker's garden startling Bond in TLD
    The birds that fly out as Bond abseils down to Sanchez office to place the plastic explosive in LTK.
    I think that's it.
    I'm going to go with.
    1pts4bo3d0jl.jpg

    The spider web from OP.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Thanks for your list @Benny. You did all the work for me.
    In my rounds, we usually have only two options. This is why I asked for the cat or the pigeons. But you can go with the spider web as it is a special question anyway and you even added a nice screenshot. ;)
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,222
    The gypsy camp for the first one.

    For the second one, as a cat person, I would have to go for Stacey's cat. The Gibraltar monkey from TLD would be a strong contender here too though.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited June 2020 Posts: 2,426
    I love myself a Bond animal round, and whilst I’m a big fan of the Glen’s penchant for feathered friends, as we are voting for which one gave the biggest scare I can well remember jumping out of my skin at Stacey’s cat (see how I managed to resist the temptation of making a pussy joke?) In fact it still makes me jump now and then when I’m not paying full attention.

    As for the fights gotta be honest neither of them do much for me, but whilst I happily check Twitter when the FYEO fight comes on, FRWL as a whole is growing on me of late and I’m finding certain pleasures in the FRWL fight, including perfecting my Vavra impersonation.
  • Posts: 1,927
    More interesting and thoughtful selections from goldenswissroyale this week.

    You'd think with a character whose gun is almost part of his body that there'd be more shootouts in the series. Peter made a good point about that above that a shootout needs to be choreographed very well to be effective and I agree. I think of that scene in the Police Squad! series where they are absurdly close shooting at each other as a reminder

    I always appreciated FYEO including the warehouse shootout and fight as part of its down-to-earth approach and I think it was part of the book too. It's a good scene as it also incorporates the fighting and the eventual climax.

    But I choose FRWL. Although filmed on the Pinewood lot, it felt atmospheric. It's classic Bond, working his way through the fight, helping colleagues out and getting saved. You actually see elements of this echoed in TB's underwater battle. As others have also pointed out, Grant's intervention also figures into the plot later, making it stand out even more.

    Glen's jumping animals were one of his directorial signatures. You could even say that John Wu lifted his use of pigeons from Glen - or not. I think Glen was there first.

    I vote for the pigeons all the way as they are involved at more precarious points than a mere cat. The cat also figures into another of AVTAK's numerous cheap double-entendres later on with the label on the food bowl when Q's rover comes in at the end.

    I also like the monkey that startles Dalton's Bond on Gibraltar in TLD's teaser. It shows early on that he's more human and can be given a fright, building the suspense just a tad more.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Funny video @BT3366. I've seen the later movies (loved the first one as a kid) but didn't know anything about Police Squad.

    The shootouts aren't highlights for me but they are solid, at least.
    The gypsy action is a cool set and a lot is going on in this scene. However, I vote for FYEO because I like the tension in the warehouse (there is a great moment of silence) and Columbo is great in this scene.

    Sorry that my second question was a bit confusing. I thought it could be fun to ask you once NOT which scene you prefer, but which one MADE YOU JUMP (MORE) the first time you saw it. It seems that most of your votes are for the preferred scene?

    I prefer the pigeon scenes (especially in FYEO and LTK) but I really almost jumped out of my seat when this Pussy is screaming. This sound isn't healthy for my heart and I really have to focus whenever I rewatch this movie and I say "Only a few seconds left and the cat will scream! Focus!" I believe that I jumped at least the first five times (!) Good to read that I'm not the only one @Max_The_Parrot.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    Us parrots have a natural aversion to cats, but I’m glad to see Pussy is also the stuff of your nightmares 😝
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    Posts: 2,611
    FYEO - can't beat Columbo and his pistachios

    For the second, I can remember there's something startling about Stacey's cat, but I can't remember it so well, so I vote for the pigeons; the FYEO/TLD ones come to mind most easily.
    Since the OP tiger was mentioned - in the german translation they used the then very well-known ESSO commercial slogan 'Put a tiger in your tank' as Bond says something like 'you belong into the tank' to the tiger. Crazy line, but it never fails to make me laugh/smile.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    FRWL Gypsy Camp Gunfight

    and

    it's not often I pick something from AVTAK but I have to say Stacey's cat as it made a stronger impression on me unless the unnominated Gibraltar monkey from TLD counts.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,490
    Results of round 40:
    Shootout in FRWL wins easily against the one in FYEO: 10 : 2
    The pigeons in the John Glen movies (especially in FYEO) made you jump more than Stacey's cat: 7 : 4 (one vote for the spider's web in OP)

    Round 41:
    A) Which “addition“ with the aim to enhance the atmosphere/emotions do you prefer? poem (M quotes Tennyson while Silva is approaching) vs. classical music (Vivaldi plays when Lucia arrives at home)

    Replacing Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn is a very difficult job, especially when you have only two films to show up...Who did a better job? Caroline Bliss in TLD vs. John Cleese in DAD?

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Vivaldi and Cleese.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,944
    Tennyson, very fine that's in the film. Vivaldi scene is also excellent.

    Cleese. He's great as Q.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Vivaldi, one of the 2 or 3 best scenes in SP for me.

    Sweet Caroline although I do like Cleese's Q also.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,594
    Poem, but I love both (all of Rome in Spectre is like a dance, and the Vivaldi certainly helps), and John Cleese.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,173
    The Tennyson poem from SF and Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny. I always felt that John Cleese brought too much Basil to the role of Q.
    As ever @goldenswissroyale two thought provoking options for us to ponder.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    edited June 2020 Posts: 1,081
    Vivaldi, one of the 2 or 3 best scenes in SP for me.

    Sweet Caroline although I do like Cleese's Q also.

    Better make that two. I agree with @Benny regarding Cleese as Q.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    Tennyson poem for the win (although I loved the Vivaldi scene-- just not quite as powerful as M reading the poem, while we cut to Bond rushing through the streets to save her)...
    This second one was really difficult at first since neither Cleese, nor Bliss, impressed me. So I took a different tact: which one did I least dislike, and that would go to Caroline Bliss for the win. I felt that Cleese was really over-doing it and he was going for laughs that only he found funny.
  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,722
    Tennyson Poem- both these scenes are excellent so no shame in SP losing out to a really striking second act moment in SF. The film as a whole is a gift to Dench, just as Dench has been a gift to the series as a whole. The music, imagery, tension, words and performance in this moment are memorable and well constructed.

    Caroline Bliss Always a favourite, TLD has a special place in my heart, and Bliss does well in her brief moments. She gets nothing in LTK which doesn't help her cause but I think she's good in TLD...I'd definitely be checking out the Barry Manilow collection.

    On paper Cleese should work as Q, especially in Brosnan's era, but I find him tough work in that first scene of TWINE. I suspect he may suffer being in the shadow of Desmond Llewlyn too directly. It's been a while since I watched DAD, but I think I prefer his performance in it to his debut in TWINE.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,870
    I’ve always found the Tennyson Poem scene from SF to be a real highlight – not just of the film, but of the entire series. For me it serves as a kind of validation of the first 50 years of the series.


    Caroline Bliss. Maybe she tried a little too hard to copy Lois Maxwell, but she was still a welcomed addition to Dalton’s movies. And while I adore John Cleese from his other work, his Q (“R” 😊) never really worked for me. Ms. Bliss also has an interesting post-Bond history.

    (from April 2020)

  • Posts: 1,927
    The first contest is polar opposites for me, a tale of two Mendes. I know a lot of people love the Tennyson scene but for me it's a blatant example of what makes SF overrated. If I were in that courtroom it would move me to want to get her out now to spare us that cliched moment stretching out the inevitable. You know at this point in the film that M isn't going to just be gunned down anyway, so I also find it less dramatic. Will Bond get there in time? Yes, nothing to see here.

    The Lucia Vivaldi scene on the other hand is one of the underrated moments in the much maligned Spectre. There's actually more dramatic tension there as you know she's a marked woman and it's just a matter of time and the way Bond makes it there coming from out of focus into the frame is beautifully shot. Much of that early section of the movie up until the car chase is up there with some of the better Bonds for me. Sadly it just goes straight downhill mostly from there. So music over poetry is my preference.

    For question 2, both characters are unnecessary, let's get that out upfront.

    I just said in another thread that Caroline Bliss is a blank slate and the Moneypenny character should've been retired with Lois Maxwell. Nothing particularly wrong with her, just nothing that stands out either. Q is necessary, M is necessary, Moneypenny not so much. Maybe they could've put in Penelope Smallbone or Loelia Ponsenby from the novels at that point. Having scenes more aimed at Moore or Brosnan wasn't helpful, but Dalton being the pro he is didn't really hurt as he does it well. The LTK cameo is even worse, Moneypenny is worried for Bond, just rather unnecessary.

    I'll go with Cleese. At the very least he brings smiles. I don't care that he's basically playing himself or other beloved characters, his fussiness at the devil-may-care attitude of Bond works and Brosnan plays well off him.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,370
    Tennyson and Cleese. I quite like Caroline Bliss and if you see her in the promo material leading up to TLD, she is far more engaging and her look is perfect. The way they made her up and scripted her was poor, so it's not a knock on Caroline who I think could have been a fantastic successor, but it fell short.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,222
    Vivaldi and Miss Bliss.

    Absolutely love Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny.
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