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OHMSS vs. TLD

PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
edited December 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 3,262
I love both films(they're both in my current top 004). Both debut films for a Bond actor. Both are faithful to their respective Fleming title literary source. Both feature important relationships between Bond and the leading lady. Both have fantastic John Barry scores. Both are loved by staunch fans of the series more than the general movie watching public.

I'm going to pick TLD for the following reasons:

001) Dalton is the more experienced actor of the two Bonds.
002) The villain's scheme and the romantic story are better integrated in TLD whereas in OHMSS, Tracy disappears from the story for an hour with no mention of her.
003) The Dalton/d'Abo chemistry comes off stronger and more believable than the Lazenby/Rigg chemistry.

There are aspects of OHMSS that I prefer to TLD:

001) The villains are stronger.
002) The final battle is better.

But on the whole, TLD gets my vote.

OHMSS-0
TLD-1
«1

Comments

  • RogueThunderballRogueThunderball
    Posts: 306
    TLD, no question.
  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    OHMSS - 1
    TLD - 2
  • GeorgeLazenbyGeorgeLazenby
    edited December 2011 Posts: 295
    OHMSS

    TLD has a great score, was well written, and its tone was a breath of fresh air at the time. Dalton has never really won me over, though I appreciate his performance in TLD a lot more than I used to.

    OHMSS - 2
    TLD - 2
  • jackdaggerjackdagger
    Posts: 498
    OHMSS.
    Honestly, I don't know if I could rank any of the other Bond movies above it. Good plot, iconic villain, and BEST Bond girl.

    I love Dalton as Bond though, and TLD also gets points for John Rhys-Davies and the Walther sniper rifle. I hated the "romance" between Bond and Kara, though. They built it up as this whole puppy-love thing, but it's Bond, so she's completely gone and replaced by the time of the next movie (which makes it silly in retrospect).
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    OHMSS: Bond 1962-1971 is in it's own league. But TLD is easily at the top of the post classic period

    If we must break it down though: Better Barry score, better director, better supporting cast, much better villain, better Bond girl.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    OHMSS My all time favorite film but to break it down. It trumps all the films. Dalton is one of my favorite Bonds but TLD, though a good and enjoyable entertainment, does not hold water to OHMSS

    The Best Bond Girl of all Time
    Better Villians
    Tougher Bond who does not rely on any gadgets but his fists (Lazenby could fight)
    More Epic Scope
    Better climatic battle Royale
    Best Musical Score


  • GeorgeLazenbyGeorgeLazenby
    Posts: 295
    *ahem* :p

    OHMSS - 5
    TLD - 2
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    OHMSS - 6
    TLD - 2
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I'll have to try and salvage something for Dalton by saying Daylights is the winner here. Looked the part and was certainly up for it in his debut performance, some may have found the whole ordeal rather dull but he brought back a bit of steel and realism to the role and put a straight face again on the franchise after Moore's departure

    Lazenby for his part did not too bad a job in his only outing, as with Daylights, took over when Bond seemed a bit jaded and weary and put some vigor back in to the part, I would of liked to have seen him in more appearances.
  • DoubleOhhSevenDoubleOhhSeven
    Posts: 1,778
    My vote goes to OHMSS. I like TLD alot too but it just hasn't aged aswell for me.
  • FromCanadaWithLoveFromCanadaWithLove Canada
    Posts: 612
    OHMSS.

    There weren't any issues between Lazenby and the story. TLD had awkward jokes that were poorly delivered by Dalton. LTK is a much better representation of Dalton.

    OHMSS also shaped the character, a lot. Several other Bond movies referenced it. TLD could be taken out of the Bond timeline with no effect

    (I love TLD, don't get me wrong, but OHMSS is my favourite Bond movie.)
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    OHMSS

    I will waste no words on the competition in this thread simply because they are sheer waste like the movie is.
  • 002002
    Posts: 581
    my vote goes to TLD

    OHMSS is just dribble...the storyline is mediocre and padded out, Lazenby isnt the best bond and his dress sense is just above Colin Baker's Doctors coat...but i do think that the music is really good and the ending is the best bit
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,585
    10-4 as I will throw my hat in with OHMSS

    I agree with @FromCanadaWithLove that Dalton didn't do justice to the one liners (Bond jokes are never funny but raise a laugh if the actor gets the delivery right). Lazenby struggled with them a little as well, but OHMSS was directed with a certain amount of flair, Hunt used soft focus and flowers to suggest the romantic intent of the story.

    His editing style didnt cut it with everyone but fist fights are never clean and precise, they are awkward, rough and confusing. He gave that impression very well indeed.

    It was a beautifully made film.

    TLD is probably Glen's best effort. The pacing is good, the romance is good and convincing - Dalton has the element of surprise as a first time Bond and gets by thanks in part to that and in part to Maryam d'Abo's performance (she proves a leading lady can be vulnerable without being an air head). The action is top notch, but so is OHMSS.

    For style as well as content OHMSS takes it.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    OHMSS easily between these two films.

    OHMSS - 11
    TLD - 4
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited December 2011 Posts: 14,003
    As requested, a poll has been added. For me, TLD sits no only within my top 5, but at the very top of my list. OHMSS sits way down in the bottom 5.

    So my vote goes to TLD. Better Bond, better Bond Girl, better chemistry between Bond 7 Bond Girl (not that there was any chemistry between Lazenby & Rigg, but still), better Villain(s), Better Music, better Editing... better everything.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    Interesting choice for a comparisson. OHMSS is better because it's from the 60s - Bond always seems more at home the further back in time you go. By the 90s he's a forlorn, sad and lost pathetic creature. Any way, despite all that, TLD is an entertaining little movie and Dalton did a great job given the time and the circumstances. The end is very limp, but up until then it rattles along nicely.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    MajorDSmythe wrote:
    As requested, a poll has been added. For me, TLD sits no only within my top 5, but at the very top of my list. OHMSS sits way down in the bottom 5.

    Thanks, Major.
    Getafix wrote:
    Interesting choice for a comparisson. OHMSS is better because it's from the 60s - Bond always seems more at home the further back in time you go.

    There's a lot of validity to that argument.
    jackdagger wrote:
    I hated the "romance" between Bond and Kara, though. They built it up as this whole puppy-love thing, but it's Bond, so she's completely gone and replaced by the time of the next movie (which makes it silly in retrospect).

    I love both films and both leading ladies but can't a similar argument be made for OHMSS? Tracy is murdered at the end. Then Bond is back hunting for Blofeld in DAF but no mention is made of Tracy, Bond doesn't appear to be in mourning for her and is quite happy to spend his time with Tiffany Case and Plenty O'Toole.

  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited January 2013 Posts: 12,837
    TLD is better. Dalton is the best 007 ever and was awesome here. OHMSS would've been better if lasenby was more experienced.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    The Living Daylights for sure!
    I hate the middle of OHMSS- nothing happens at all. It's the most boring part of any Bond movie ever. There's nothing to hold your attention after the meeting with Draco. I mean, you might as well just pick it up from the cable car escape to the end, but skip the scene in the barn with Tracy and Bond- nothing there either. Also, I'd pick Dalton over Lazenby anyday, anytime!
    As for this thing with TLD's villains, I know they're not the coolest, but Necros makes up for it. He's better than Bunt, you've got to admit that. As for action, they're about equal once OHMSS actually gets going, but TLD still beats OHMSS in my book.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    OHMSS takes the win for me. It's such a cool and beautiful movie. Classic. TLD is awesome too but I think OHMSS beats it and many other Bonf flicks for the sheer fact that it seemed everyone involved upped their game to overcompensate for not just only a new lead actor but the new lead actor's inexperience.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    OHMSS seems a bit stifled sometimes, and as someone quite rightly pointed out there are large parts of Inactivity particularly at the Piz Gloria retreat. Lazenby did OK for his one showing and Savalas was one of the most memorable Blofelds we had, but just missed that certain ruthlessness that could of been employed. It brought the 1960s from a Bond perspective to a nice close but I'll never include it is as a 007 classic

    Even Daylights gets a bit dull every now and again but componsates in the knowledge that Dalton is in the lead role and there are other action scenes such as the Blayden safe house and Air strip in Afghanistan that gets things moving along. I can't argue the point some have made before that D'Abo was one of the most forgettable and colorless Bond girls ever to grace the series, she seemed like a more intelligent variation of Sutton from AVTAK is maybe the best way you could put it

  • jackdaggerjackdagger
    Posts: 498
    PrinceKamalKhan wrote:
    I love both films and both leading ladies but can't a similar argument be made for OHMSS? Tracy is murdered at the end. Then Bond is back hunting for Blofeld in DAF but no mention is made of Tracy, Bond doesn't appear to be in mourning for her and is quite happy to spend his time with Tiffany Case and Plenty O'Toole.

    Yeah, you do have a point. It was even rather tasteless that Bond and Tiffany were sharing the honeymoon suite.
    I always attributed that though due to the fact that Connery was back so they didn't want to make any direct references to what happened when Bond was Lazenby (like they were pretending it never happened). I figured they would have addressed it better if Lazenby had returned in DAF, but we'll never know. At least Tracy was mentioned in later films.

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    jackdagger wrote:
    PrinceKamalKhan wrote:
    I love both films and both leading ladies but can't a similar argument be made for OHMSS? Tracy is murdered at the end. Then Bond is back hunting for Blofeld in DAF but no mention is made of Tracy, Bond doesn't appear to be in mourning for her and is quite happy to spend his time with Tiffany Case and Plenty O'Toole.

    Yeah, you do have a point. It was even rather tasteless that Bond and Tiffany were sharing the honeymoon suite.
    I always attributed that though due to the fact that Connery was back so they didn't want to make any direct references to what happened when Bond was Lazenby (like they were pretending it never happened). I figured they would have addressed it better if Lazenby had returned in DAF, but we'll never know. At least Tracy was mentioned in later films.

    Good points, I'd never thought of those. I just recently watched DAF, and I was a little disappointed in the direction they took the pre-title sequence. It should have been a lot better, considering how OHMSS ended.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    00Beast wrote:
    The Living Daylights for sure!
    I hate the middle of OHMSS- nothing happens at all. It's the most boring part of any Bond movie ever. There's nothing to hold your attention after the meeting with Draco. I mean, you might as well just pick it up from the cable car escape to the end, but skip the scene in the barn with Tracy and Bond- nothing there either. Also, I'd pick Dalton over Lazenby anyday, anytime!
    As for this thing with TLD's villains, I know they're not the coolest, but Necros makes up for it. He's better than Bunt, you've got to admit that. As for action, they're about equal once OHMSS actually gets going, but TLD still beats OHMSS in my book.

    Glad to see love for TLD. I would recommend the next time you try watching OHMSS, start around the 0:57 mark when "Sir Hilary Bray" enters the Alpine Room and meets the "angels of death" to the end. You'll find it a very fast-moving experiencing and it might improve your opinion of it.
    jackdagger wrote:
    PrinceKamalKhan wrote:
    I love both films and both leading ladies but can't a similar argument be made for OHMSS? Tracy is murdered at the end. Then Bond is back hunting for Blofeld in DAF but no mention is made of Tracy, Bond doesn't appear to be in mourning for her and is quite happy to spend his time with Tiffany Case and Plenty O'Toole.

    Yeah, you do have a point. It was even rather tasteless that Bond and Tiffany were sharing the honeymoon suite.

    And Miss Moneypenny asking "Peter Franks" for a diamond ring. Ironically, Bond's far more monogamous in DAF and Tiffany's in the film for most of the story unlike Tracy's 1 hour disappearance from OHMSS's story mid-film.
    jackdagger wrote:
    I always attributed that though due to the fact that Connery was back so they didn't want to make any direct references to what happened when Bond was Lazenby (like they were pretending it never happened).

    Indeed. A casual fan could watch all the Connery EON Bonds in order and go directly from YOLT to DAF and think Connery's Bond was just still in Japan looking for Blofeld after he escaped from the Japanese volcano.
    jackdagger wrote:
    I figured they would have addressed it better if Lazenby had returned in DAF, but we'll never know. At least Tracy was mentioned in later films.

    True. That's one reason I enjoy the much-hated PTS to FYEO.

  • chuck007chuck007
    Posts: 172
    OHMSS for me better than TLD in everyway

    To me Lazenby is very much a better Bond compare to Dalton, his fighting scene far more convincing, his approach to ladies much more better.
    OHMSS also had many talented actors/actresses. Telly Savalas as Blowfeld was awesome. Diana Rigg was also awesome.
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    This is easy OHMSS altough i like TLD but i cant compare them
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    This is a tough one but I vote for TLD. Both have brilliant scores (I'll go so far as to say my favourites + TB), action/fighting sequences and fun factor. OHMSS has a better lead villain/s but I really like Necros plus his fight scenes. Dalton is the better actor but that's no dealbreaker. OHMSS dubbing, and editing, irks me sometimes. I would probably rather watch TLD, in full, more often than OHMSS
  • SAMSAM
    Posts: 107
    In summary:

    The Living Daylights was a very respectable and underated James Bond movie - and Timothy Dalton was a very respectable and underated James Bond 7.5/10

    But On Her Majesty's Secret Service was an outstanding Bond movie - I have not one criticism 9/10; and From Russia With Love and Casino Royale (possibly Thunderball) are the only Bond productions that could honestly compete in comparison.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    OHMSS was my favourite Bond film until CR came out. Interestingly, FRWL was my choice for "best" Bond film (as opposed to favourite) until CR came out as well.

    I'd say that Dalton as Bond is the one thing that TLD has over OHMSS. In every other department I rate OHMSS higher.
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