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Except for the GE scene, the rest are all great, especially LTK.
Good call.
1. Zorin's skyship blimp meeting with other of his Manufacturers from AVTAK.
2. The Tracy and Gunther fight from OHMSS.
3. The same could be said for Goldfinger having a meeting with the gangsters in GF.
4. The meeting between Le Chiffre and Obanno in Africa in CR.
Yes that's a great suggestion.
Technically Bond was in that scene, but it is a great scene! ;)
I enjoy all the SPECTRE scenes of TB where we gradually see the organization's plot unfold. That movie really lets you ride front seat with the villains in a way we don't see as much, as the screen time of most of the films always prioritize Bond and what he's doing more. FRWL is also brilliant at this, letting us see Klebb and Grant scheme and play their own shadowy game as Bond is none the wiser.
I also immediately thought of Greene and Medrano's meeting in the desert at the end of QoS. I just love how cooly Greene plays the general and gently leads him into exactly the corner he wants him in to get what he wants. A great example of a villain being a genuine smart threat, and also a nice example of how powerful the organization was. I also appreciate it as a modern way of making a Bond villain menacing without going over the top. QoS may be the most grounded Bond villain plot we've had, and that's one of the things I really appreciate about it.
The MI6 toast to Bond after his death in NTTD is also one I think of. I just enjoy how downplayed it is, which is fitting for Bond. He wouldn't want a funeral, or big send-off, and the way that scene was handled made perfect sense for the man that hated reading his obituary in SF for the same reasons. He'd have respected the quick toast sans the pomp and over emotion, and understood that even in his death "the show must go on" as there are always new threats on the horizon. The rest of the world doesn't know who Bond is, no matter how many times he's saved it, and I love the bittersweet nature of his small but trusted group of allies/friends toasting the mysterious and complicated man that inspired them to be better, and to live as he lived. Savoring every moment, living without regret, and making the most of what you have. Bond worked and lived in the shadows, so he must be mourned in the shadows as well, unknown to the rest of the world but unforgotten by his comrades. I just love that, and I think it is a suitable adaption of the very bittersweet nature of the service that Fleming wrote about in his books.
This all being said, I can't think of any non-Bond scene that has stayed with me like this one has:
M during the inquiry, firing on all cylinders and fighting for her agents and the 00 program with fierceness, eloquence and bravery. Her back against the wall, she speaks so beautifully and so forcibly. Everything comes together, from the staging of the sequence to the evocative music and Dench just being Dench, at the top of her game. The quote from Tennyson is the icing on the cake, a perfect symbol of who this M and Bond were, daring and strong survivors that never gave up. The scene never fails to bring tears to my eyes, as it just hits all the right notes. I think it's also a good shout for this topic because while the film intercuts between Bond and the inquiry, he's not there when M needs him, though he's trying his best to get there. The anxiety and tension of the scene is increased all the more because we know Silva and mortal danger are there at the inquiry, but Bond is not. I love the shot that lingers on M in close-up as Silva has her in his crosshairs. Unafraid, accepting of whatever may come, she stands for what she's done without regret. What a legend, and the M to end all Ms.
Yes, I also forgot this! I would vote for this if belongs in the option, no one could go wrong with Diana Rigg speaking poetry!
Ah yeah that was legendary, paired alongside the "mercy flight" scenes with Draco and Bond... so brilliant.
- TMWTGG pre-titles, sets up the great villain that carries the rest of the film, his preferred weapon and his deadly funhouse.
- Orlov’s speech in OP, this guy is totally insane and has way too much power. Great set, too.
- Necros infiltrates the Mi6 safehouse and ‘captures’ Koskov in TLD. The competent henchman in action with exploding milk bottles on a kick-ass Barry score.
"I want to see the dawn."
I honestly struggle with that one. Either FRWL or TB. But then again I think there are maybe even better or just as good scenes in these two movies: when Blofeld is introduced for instance and the chat between Largo and Fiona Volpe. Or when Largo tortures Domino. Or when Derval is murdered. I love the scene on DN too. Or the introduction of the three blind mice.
Oh the inquiry, of course. I guess perhaps the intercutting to Bond makes it arguable that he isn't in the scene (although I think I'd agree with you that he isn't!) but it's got to be the best M-in-charge scene of the lot. I think my vote's with that one! :)
And anyone who says Newman was the wrong man for the gig can suck on this scene frankly :D
You convinced me @CommanderRoss . My vote goes for TB, after careful consideration. Simply because for villain(s)/scheme introduction, I don't think it has been topped yet.
Trying not to go with the early stuff, but - FRWL and SPECTRE Island...with a tour for Klebb lead by General Gogol's twin, eh ? He later dies on a boat learning that boats and fires do not mix well. At any rate, Klebb gives Grant a helluva punch and he doesn't flinch. It's funny how this scene was adopted thereafter for Q to show Bond something new as they walk by a variety of new gadgets being worked out. The first time it was done, though, it was with bad guys. By the way - where the BLEEP is SPECTRE Island ?
The beginning of NTTD is just spectacular. It starts so innocently, and builds to this surreal, horror styled sequence that feels like it belongs in a genre film around Halloween and not in a Bond movie. It's refreshing, not just for how truly unsettling it is and for how surprising it is to see in a movie of this kind, but also for how it puts a child in true mortal danger (not all that common in movies these days, really). I also love that it sets up a future conflict to come while teasing our villain and gives us context as to what Madeleine has faced and overcome in her life. Seeing that moment in her life gives us a lot of understanding of why she is as strong as she is, why she's guarded and why she can understand men like Bond. And that mask...oh, that mask.
1-The fight between Necros and Green Four, TREMENDOUS UNDERRATED SLUGFEST in The Living Daylights.
2- M's inquiry in Skyfall, especially when she's quoting Tennyson.
3- Hugo Drax letting the dogs loose on Corrine Dufour, Moonraker
4- Meeting between President Hector Lopez and Sanchez; "Remember, you're only President for life"... from Licence to Kill.
5- Severnaya's destruction by Goldeneye.
If I have to stick with the nominees, my vote goes to "Give her his heart".
That is a great line.
Best M.
My choices:
Gold Medal: Ralph Fiennes
Silver Medal: Dame Judy Dench
Bronze Medal: Bernard Lee.
Silver. Robert Brown
Bronze: John Huston
Silver : Robert Brown
Bronze : Judi Dench
Silver: Bernard Lee
Bronze: Ralph Fiennes