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I remember being shocked when I rewatched Star Wars shortly after seeing it the first time; I was convinced that for some reason they had pulled the prints and re-edited them to remove a couple of the greatest special effects shots! Turns out that in my excitement of watching and remembering the film I had exaggerated on shot in my head and completely invented another. But for a long time I insisted that I knew "what I saw" and no one was able to convince me otherwise.
This was covered quite extensively in a thread about "nudity in TLD" where a few members swear that their theatres had prints of TLD that had fully exposed breasts, where most others had a different version...
:)) this is brilliant! only last week was i watching TLD during mine and my girlfriends bondathon and i was convinced that this scene had a full lingering shot of those lovely breasts , i was dissapointed at the side boob i got but im conivinced ive seen more! maybe its my imagination!
Its my uncles birthday next week and I'm thinking to get him the SF DVD. Hes quite old and doesnt have a bluray player and I cant imagine he will get one anytime soon.
Question is:- is it moral of me to buy the bluray, nick the bluray disc to stick in my empty Bond 50 slot and just give him the bluray case with the leftover DVD in?
I'm getting the steelbook for myself anyway but it seems like a great opportunity to get a free disc to complete the box set.
"]Exclusive: 25 things we learned about Skyfall and the future of Bond
Naomie Harris, writers and producers spill the beans while promoting DVD release.
The origins of Skyfall and killing M
The death of M, played by Judi Dench, was the starting point for the writers, and discussed by Sam [Mendes], Barbara [Broccoli], Michael [G. Wilson] and Dan [Craig] right at the beginning. “We’d all agreed to kill Judi Dench and that gives you this amazing hook,” said Robert Wade.
‘Skyfall’ was an original story, but the writers mined two novels for inspiration: ‘You Only Live Twice’ and ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’. The films of the same name were only loosely based on the books.
The seeds of the Silva character [played by Javier Bardem] came from ‘Golden Gun’.
The theme of M, MI6 and Britain in crisis came from ‘You Only Live Twice’. Wade said: “The Japanese won’t share their intelligence with us and Bond, considered to be burnt out, is sent on a mission to restore British prestige. If he doesn’t succeed he’ll die and Britain is finished. It’s interesting that that’s what appealed to us, it kind of summed us [Purvis and Wade] up too.” The duo have quit the franchise to pursue other projects.
Daniel Craig was the driving force behind Bond being out of shape and too old. “[He] really embraced the idea of looking done in and being washed up - played out,” said Purvis.
The writers came up with the idea for Bond’s journey back to the Skyfall lodge in Scotland while Purvis was on a train, chatting to Wade. He was possibly passing through Croydon.
Reviving the franchise after 'Quantum Of Solace'
The Bond team took the criticism doled out to ‘Quantum Of Solace’ onboard while planning ‘Skyfall’. Purvis admitted the film felt “one note” and too focused on Bond’s revenge. Translation: it was depressing.
Producer Michael G. Wilson said they also listened to fans who wanted classic characters back. “People said, ‘we miss these characters’. The thought was to bring them back, but in a more up –to-date way... we do these [films] to please the public, not ourselves.”
Producers only told Naomie Harris she’d be playing Moneypenny in her third audition. “The first two times I didn’t know at all,” she said, “and then I met Sam and Barbara and they said ‘this is who the character really is’”. Maybe they were scared about spoilers leaking out?
It was Daniel Craig, along with Sam Mendes, who wanted to bring “more lightness” back to Bond again after the deadly serious ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum’.
Naomie Harris thinks ‘Skyfall’ was planned as a “reboot”. She said: “Sam and the writers wanted to go back to the grassroots. To start again almost like it was a baby. To look again at the books. Because you are creating something totally original, you need to go back more to the novels, to ground it, to get the true essence of what it means to be Bond. They really listened to people’s reactions to the previous films.”
Introducing new villain Silva and that seduction scene
The scene that introduces Silva in a single shot, walking through the warehouse and giving his ‘rats on an island’ monologue, was apparently inspired by a story told to Sam Mendes by Conrad Hall, his cinematographer on ‘American Beauty’.
Sam Mendes had the set for this scene (a huge warehouse) designed to be just the right length to fit Bardem’s monologue.
The famous ‘seduction’ sequence right after this - where Silva flirtatiously intimidates Bond - was in the script but amped up by Craig and Bardem. “It was a real headgame, both seeing how far they can push the other in a psychological chess game,” said Wilson.
Daniel Craig’s BAFTA snub and behind-the-scenes influence
Purvis thinks Craig’s BAFTA nomination for ‘Casino Royale’ cost him one this time round. “I think that worked against him.”
Barbara Broccoli considers Craig to be “the best actor of his generation” and was the driving force behind hiring him originally.
Wilson was annoyed that Craig was not acknowledged for ‘Skyfall’. He said: “I don’t think he gets enough credit in the awards end of things. I do feel that he hasn’t been acknowledged for the important role, and for his talents in the awards this year, which I think is a shame, because he’s so highly talented and deserving of something.”
Craig should have a producer credit, according to Harris, as he puts so much work in behind the camera on his character and the direction of the franchise.
Why Bond doesn’t win Oscars
Bond has been nominated for 42 BAFTAs but only won once before this year (for Ted Moore's cinematography in ‘From Russia With Love’ in 1963). “I think it is weird,” said Purvis.
Bond is too British to win at the Oscars, according to Wade. “Bond represents Britain. He was the most memorable thing about the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Bond is this symbol of what Britain could be or might’ve been or was once and this doesn’t go over well with the Americans. British optimism versus the American optimism. Look at the films that are nominated. ‘Argo’, about an American success. Same with ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, ‘Lincoln’, even ‘Django Unchained’ is celebratory.”
The future of James Bond
Wade reckons Mendes assembled a “fantastic troupe of actors” to stand the franchise in good stead for several movies. “Naomie Harris. Ben Whishaw. Judi Dench is a hard act to follow but Ralph [Fiennes] is not too shabby himself. And he knows his Fleming as well.”
No one confirmed that Mendes will be back, but it’s clear everyone wants him to. “I would love that,” said Harris. “I’m sure everyone would like him to come back and do another one,” said Wade. It seems inevitable.
Broccoli and Wilson seem fairly certain that the behind-the-scenes talent like cinematographer Roger Deakins, nominated for an Oscar for ‘Skyfall’, and production designer Dennis Gassner, will also return for ‘Bond 24’ with Mendes. “We’d love to have them all back, they’re really top notch,’ said Wilson. “[For] the next film or two, I hope so.”
The duo has not considered a replacement for Craig yet when he eventually hangs up his tuxedo. “It’s kind of like saying to someone who’s in love, ‘what if you break up? ‘What if your wife leaves you?’ I don’t really want to think about that,” said Broccoli.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/25-things-we-learnt-about-the-origins-of-skyfall-and-the-future-of-bond--132513731.html[/quote]
Well, I'm giving my mother the DVD and keeping the bluray for myself but it's not going to be a birthday present :-?? Why not giving him the bluray+DVD and then kindly ask him if he doesn't mind you keep the bluray? Might work!
I agree, present it to him and say what you've done by the sounds of it he wouldn't mind one bit. I doubt you would hurt your Uncle's feelings Wizard.
I say go for it.
http://m.uk.ign.com/articles/2013/02/20/skyfall-writers-on-past-present-and-future-of-bond
A few new facts come to light.
Thomas Newman's score really stands out as well. I have a new appreciation for it; his musical cues are near perfect, especially the brass intro as Bond first appears out of the shadows in the opening shot, or the string allusion to Adeles theme while arriving in Macau, or the various peppering of the Bond theme throughout. The sound really blew me away both the music and the sound effects - the sound of Eve grazing the razor over Bond's face was pristine. I highly recommend the Blu-Ray experience to everyone, it's well worth it, even if you have a smaller sized screen. The sound alone is worth it.
This:
"The famous ‘seduction’ sequence right after this - where Silva flirtatiously intimidates Bond - was in the script but amped up by Craig and Bardem."
inevitably reminded me not only of the scene, but Sam explaining getting asked "Can I push it?" and him replying "Yeah, you can push it further. Push it further." And the giggles. And the Graham Norton Show... Daniel did say "He encouraged it, though" - not "we" right? (Well, he would say that.) Javier was definitely talking of "we" though. (Well he would say that.) And Daniel "complaining" in a presser that he was tied to a chair and couldn't move. I'm just =)) here now... Soooo... let me guess... (mostly) Javier? Well done! Though Sam admitted pushing him "hard" on that scene, too, so... :P Damn, I love the three of them.
Skyfall' Dominates Home Video Sales Charts
The latest James Bond movie sold more than five times as many copies as it closest competitor, "Hotel Transylvania."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/skyfall-dominates-home-video-sales-422893
There's nothing on YouTube yet i think.
Alright Germanlady, I'll take your bait...it's not that the numbers don't mean anything, it's just that popularity can't alone be an indicator of quality, as I'm sure you've heard time and time again on here. But I will agree with your argument in the sense, that phenomenons like Bond exist because they have that "it" factor. There was something about Skyfall that really spoke to the mass audiences: 1. it's Bond, and will sell on brand and history alone 2. big name actors attached: Bardem, Fiennes, Dench, Craig 3. Adele theme song...but then there are the other factors, which separate SF from other recent Bond outings: a. the performances really come across to the audience - just as Heath Ledgers Joker's performance was a standout, I think people responded well to Silva's memorable character. b. the overall execution of the film: the pacing is smooth, the editing clean, the dialogue is sharp, the visuals stunning, the music riveting (compare this to QOS, which these factors were not the case, save for the visuals maybe).
So I agree with you on your view that the billion dollar box office and the high home video sales are telling...
An example on the other side of the spectrum was: Dark Knight Rises. This was expected to be huge following the heels of Dark Knight. While it did actually exceed expectations at the Box office, it really UNDERperformed on DVD/Blu-Ray. There was something about that movie that didn't quite connect as well as it's predecessor did, that as many people wanted to own and rewatch that film again. So yes I think you have a point! Skyfall's CONTINUED popularity is a testament to it's longevity as a quality film.
Well it appears that the clever folks at Comingsoon are indeed right. Judi Dench's M is Olivia Mansfield.
I heard whisper that in her final moments intially she revealed to Bond her real name but this wouldn't have made sense seeming that bond already teased her with the fact in CR.
Furthermore, if you freeze the screen on the moment Bond gets the bulldog you can see the handwritten note at the front of the box revealing the name.
So who was Barbara Mawdsley? Was she Brozzy's M and Mansfield is Craig's? Makes sense I suppose.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing @Pierce2Daniel. Funny fact, I checked and Olivia is the name of Craig's mother. I wonder if there was more to that report.
Yes I think your right. Dumb and Dumber also confirmed it back in 2006:
http://www.hmss.com/films/casinoroyale/interview/
I always thought Judi's M was going to be the odd one out and never receive a name (Mawdsley was never really cannon), so it's nice to see that her M did indeed have a name.
I'm curious to read what you mean by underperformance for this. Are you talking about the UK ? What are the figures ?
On the US, TDKR on the first week sold 4 times more DVD/BR than the 2nd. Here the news is that SF sold 5 times more than the 2nd. But that's actually very similar, because TDKR on the first week sold 4 times more than the 2nd that was... the TDK trilogy set ! DVD/BR seems a very focused market (hence the mass marketing) whatever the place.
To me, that's another example that, roughly speaking, SF is a bit for Europe what TDKR was for the USA, each one doing half more than the other in their respective "countries of choice".
http://ladymanson.com/galleries/movies/Movies0/displayimage.php?album=2&pid=59060#top_display_media
Clear as the day