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Comments
1. PTS - greatest stunt in the whole series; my favorite ever stunt, period!
2. Rio Carnival - a giant clown approaches down an alley. Brilliant use of ambient sounds instead of soundtrack music is what makes this scene so eerie. A slow burn that pays off when Jaws finally reveals himself to the horrified Manuela.
3. Centrifuge scene.
4. "Such good sport" and Corinne's death.
5. Bond lured to pyramid.
2 - Rio; arrival, Carnival
3 - Centrifuge
4 - Drax’s jungle lair set
5 - Bond snooping around Venice laboratory
6 - The whole Barry score
Its like you read my mind!
Ca I just put +1 here, though I agree also the clock tower fight is great! I also love the battle in space climax now that I know how Derek Meddings did the explosions! Oh and lets not forget the "re-entry" scene of the ending!!!
2. Bond's jungle walk to find Drax's base, stunning photography
3. "Such good sport" and Corinne's death.
4. Q's " Re-entry" line, one of the best one liners in all the Bonds
5. the space sequences, I think they look better than some of the
other effects heavy movies from the late 70s.
2. centrifuge scene
3. Bond snooping around Drax' lab
4. Rio carnival, including globe warehouse and alleyway fight
5. Amazon jungle lair, and explanation of the orchid
Special mentions:
space station reveal (the model work is out of this world)
sniper pheasant falls off his perch
Corinne's death: nice dramatic, tragic scene, but it always annoyed me that she doesn't attempt to climb that one tree.
I don't actually rank the PTS too high, it's not one of my favourites, although I loved the reappearance of Jaws (inexplicable though it is) and I admire the huge effort they went to in terms of filming it. Jaws with his 'flapping his wings' moment brings a titter, one of many in this film that sees Jaws reduced to comedy extra, but again I don't mind that.
Jaws steals many of the highlights for me in this film. The cable car fight is right up there with my favourite parts, I just love this, the cramped space, the huge drop, Jaws really does tower over Bond here, and the excitement as the car descends out of control towards the bottom. Naturally followed by his encounter with Dolly. Sorry guys, but again, I'm a big Dolly fan. It's just such a 'happy' moment for Jaws. I think little kids (and big kids like me) really have a soft spot for Jaws, and I always wanted him to escape, survive, and now he has a moment of happiness, a girlfriend! The way they smile at each other, it lights up the screen (helped with a little Tchaikovsky). I'm one of the 'I'm sure I remember Dolly having braces' brigade, and that would have finished off the visual gag nicely, but even without the braces it warms my heart every time I see it. And of course the carnival backstreet scene is nicely atmospheric and macabre.
Talking of that scene I love the fight with Chang as well, really nicely choreographed and staged around the props, glass shattering everywhere.
Drax is probably my favourite villain. He is so deadpan with his humour, it matches my humour so well. He gets some outrageously delicious lines to deliver. I always look forward to him pressing me for a cucumber sandwich, seeing Bond appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season and hoping that some harm comes to him. And it almost does in that wonderful centrifuge scene. Many people believe Roger's cheek rippling was created thanks to air being blown on him, but no, it's all thanks to the years of cheek muscle training Roger did in preparation for just such a role - that's dedication for you!
Where most people turn off (Bond goes into space) I just get more excited, I love the space shuttle scenes (who'd have thought they were so roomy and spacious inside, I'm surprised Bond didn't have a double decker bed fitted in the cockpit) and that first reveal of the space station - with that soundtrack ... still looks great to this day, especially on the big screen. And all ending with a bit of Disco Moonraker!
Of course I love gadgets, and the Bondola is bonkers, but brilliant. The surprise of it turning into a hovercraft to ride up onto land is basically a rehash of the Lotus leaping into the water (in fact pretty much everything in MR is a rehash of TSWLM, only more outrageous!), but that didn't bother little old me when I saw it on the big screen, I loved it just as much. And the double-taking pigeon? Well, wouldn't any pigeon if he saw Roger in St Mark's Square ... 'bloody hell, it's James Bond ... in a gondola ... turned into a hovercraft ...wait till I tell Max!'
I'm going to have such a hard time picking my top 5 out here with so many of my favourite Bond moments. 'It's in the trees ... it's coming' Poor Corrine! The assassin in the tree. Ha, you don't fool Bond! Holly's CIA gadget collection. The Amazon. The speedboat chase. Bolas! Chang, anytime he appears. Dolly, anytime she appears. Jaws, anytime he appears. Drax, anytime he appears! The wrist-mounted dart gun. The little camera with his number on in case he loses it. The lab keypad with the CEOTTK musical motif. The British Airways billboard. It's all shameless stupid and I love it.
I shall now go and sit in a darkened room with Moonraker on loop and emerge in several days time with a top 5!
PTS
Drax's château
Centrifuge
Investigating with Corinne
Feasant hunt
Corinne's demise
Venice investigations
Bond v Cha
Carnival
Cable car
Boat chase
Flight into space
Space laser shootout
Globe hunt
Attempting re-entry
The film provides for some surprisingly darker, more dramatic moments as well, such as Bond's close call with the centrifuge trainer, Corinne pursued through the woods to her death, and Manuela stalked by Jaws dressed as a clown at Carnival. I've never had a thing about clowns, but the sequence really is very suspensefully staged. The thought of what Jaws could do with those metal chompers... There never has been a henchman quite like him before or since.
On the action front, the opening freefall and midair fight for the parachute is simply one of the most daring, most thrilling stunts of the series, and the fight with Chang through the museum and up the clock tower doesn't disappoint. I'll join others as well in expressing great satisfaction when Bond snipes his own would-be assassin out of a tree. The cocked eyebrow and ensuing quip "Did I [miss]?" is pure Moore.
There's a lot to like in this one. They really did try to put it all up there on the screen.
Drax send the dogs
Time for a litle breath (Bond kills Drax)
Boat chase in brazil
Hospital car scene in brazil
Shaken not stirred (Bond meets Manuela)
The surprising thing is that the darker moments (perfectly described above by others) in this sci-fi comedy are better than many dark moments in more serious Bond films (?!)
Before Jaws is falling in love in Rio I'm always falling in love with Corinne. ;)
As it was said by others: There is a lot to enjoy here (regardless if you are a fan of the whole movie)
2 Freefall sequence
3 Boat chase
4 Tree assassin
5 Can I press you to a cucumber sandwich?
2. Drax send the dogs
3. Bond and Jaws fight in air above Brazil
4. Shaken not stirred (Bond meets Manuela)
5. Clock tower fight
In any case, even a “bottom tier” (IMO) Bond film has some great moments and Moonraker is no exception. And since I’m late (yet, again) to this round, I’ll give my top five moments as well as a listing of my favorites
Top five:
5. Cable car fight
4. Corrine’s death
3. The Introduction of Hugo Drax
2. Bond takes over manual control of the laser to destroy Drax’s final globe
1. Bond escapes the Centrifuge
Random Highlights
PTS (“…one more inch Mr. Bond and my ears will pop…”). The great stunt work almost makes up for a totally unrealistic Space Shuttle high jacking. *
The Introduction of Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) (“..may I interest you in a cucumber sandwich” and “…see that some harm comes to him…” are classics IMO).
Centrifuge (among Moore’s best acting)
Corrine’s death. IIRC, there were some critics at the time that opined that Corinne Cléry should have been the main Bond girl. I don’t know how that would have worked, but Lois Chiles’s performance always seemed “distant” to me.
The lab scene where we first glimpse the full nature of Drax’s plans.
Manuela (Emily Bolton) (“…do you come with the room?...”)
Cable car fight (“…his name is Jaws…he kills people…”)
The Launch of multiple Moonraker Shuttles – again, from a real-world view – total BS! but very impressive and dramatic in the context of the film. **
Bond and Holly approach the Space Station (It is notable that Harry Lange (“2OO1”) did some of the art direction for MR)
US Shuttle astronauts take on Drax’s crew – dramatic and well filmed (and unrealistic as hell!!)
Bond takes over manual control of the laser to destroy Drax’s final globe.
John Barry’s score isn't really a moment, but his musical ques for Corrine’s death and the “flight into Space” are among the very best that he did for the series. It’s also interesting to note that when Moonraker’s August 1979 release was planned, it was hoped that NASA’s Space Shuttles would be flying around the same time. Of course, that failed to come about when the Shuttle’s first flight was delayed until April 1981..
BTW: Ms. Bolton
:-c
* While it would be possible for someone to detach the Shuttle from the 747 and fly it to a landing (that is how they were first tested in 1977 and 1978), having the SSME fire and launch itself is BullS**t. The Shuttle’s engines run on LH and LOX, and there isn’t a fuel tank in sight! And that is just the first of many technical issues that I – as a space nerd – have with this movie. This has always bothered me, since for years afterwards I would have to explain to friends that you can't launch a Space Shuttle from a 747.
** While Drax’s space station may be invisible to radar, those falling solid rocket boosters (and external tanks) are not. They’re coming down somewhere – and would hard not to notice.
“Distant“ is a fitting description for Chiles' performance.
2. Centrifuge
3. Creepy clown in Carnival
4. Pheasant hunting and death of Corrine
5. Bond lured to pyramid and python fight (it's always looked real to me!)
Other highlights: hijacking of shuttle, arrival at Chateau Drax, fight with Chang, arrival in Rio and meeting Manuela, and flight into space
Chiles was going through some personal things during the filming of Moonraker. I imagine she wasn't in the best place at that time to be doing a big, campy Bond film.
Your presence is highly appreciated. Always great to meet new fans on this forum (and on this thread).
Would you like to rank these five moments from #1 to #5?
We always start with a suggestion round and the second part is to rank your five favourite moments of the specific movie.
2. Bond v Cha
3. Centrifuge
4. Flight into space
5. Château investigations
OK, let's try:
1. Tea and cucumber sandwiches with Drax
2. Zero gravity fight on the space station
3. Cable car fight
4. Hai Hai Hijinks (fight with Chang) and Jaws dressed with clown (can't split them and need to squeeze the Bondola in sorry!)
5. Bondola fun
6. Everything else! :)
Thanks for allowing us all to share the Moonraker love @goldenswissroyale, I've enjoyed reading!
Here is my top five:
1. Phesant hunting and death of Corinne
2. Giant clown comes along
3. Pyramide: Adam set, beautiful women and a snake!
4. Centrifuge
5. Corinne flies Bond to the Château
Also very good: Fight against Chang, the Bondola, PTS: Bond fights for a parachute, the short fight in the ambulance, attempting reentry, every second with Corinne
And yes the pyramid control room is an absolutely magnificent set, one of Adam's best if you ask me! 👍
Looking forward to seeing how the vote goes!
1. The centrifuge
2. Giant clown in the alley
3. Corinne's death (and the former pheasant shooting)
4. PTS Part 2: Freefall
5. Bond vs. Chang in Venice
We have five movies left. All with different Bond actors. Last round for Brosnan! Easily my favourite of his movies and one of my favourite Bond movies in general. Maybe one of you can convince me of which moment deserves to be called the best?
Favourite Bond Moments - Round 20: GE - Part 1: Suggestions and discussion
Maintitle and second gunbarrel. (Nice that CR try to mix barrel at the start of the maintitle, but GE this at the end. I also like it that take Tina Turner for title song, it have special feeling as Tom Jones did one. Only shame is that not asking George Michael for doing QOS.)
9 years later aka Aston Martin /Firari chase
Hidden Satelite.
Satelite fight with 006. Who conclussion of Alec death get a reference in Casino Royale maintitle (as happend also with room fight of Tomorrow Never Dies who followed after it and i see as symbol Bond fight him trow the years.)
Show me the rose aka meeting Jack Wade.
Meeting Valentine (and his cat) and reference to discribe James Bond (Shaken But not the stirred) and that he loves it that M is woman.
Taken the helicopter
Natalya need a lot of PC's.
Natalya and Bond on the beach / at Beach house
Michael G Wilson and waiting on Ouromov
Return of Alec
Libery scene Part 1: Boys with Toys (Bond and Natalya are taken)
Libery Scene Part 2: Escape Plan (Bond and Natalya try to escape and then she is taken and Bond escape from a window.)
Tank Chase
Goldeneye activated (Meeting Boris, Natalya and her escape from death).
Scene that Bond discover Natalya and we see her with the dogs.
Meeting Q (and his lunch)
Nerves Boris playing with Q Pen.
End credit Text over movie footage (Whyle it only be for a short time. This was also last time this happend and if you ask me Bond 26 re-introducing this.)
RIP Peter Lamont (Production designer. Died in 2020), Derek Meddings (Production designer of Satelite, Goldeneye activated Explosion from outside. Died in December 1995.) Michael France (First writer died in 2013).
.....eh!..thats it!!!!