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<font color=blue size=7><b>TB owes most of its success to GF.</b></font>
Thesis 59 - Yes and no.
It's a great film, with loads of action and interesting to watch, however, Goldfinger did a lot to the series, and possibly without it and some other icon Bond movies- like GF, TB, TSWLM, FYEO, OP, GE, CR-, Bond would not longer exist.
The use of the rocket pack is a case in point of a film trying to go "bigger" than its predecessor.
I tend to disagree. Thunderball only beat Goldfinger by around $17 million at the box office, while Goldfinger beat From Russia With Love by around $46 million. I think GF benefited from FRWL just as much, if not more, than TB did from GF.
It did try to top all other Bonds and be the biggest Bond of all, and it worked. TB was a phenomenon and a great movie in it's own right; but it owes its success more to Bond Mania than GF specifically.
Like I said before they had the rocket pack in TB. In GF it was all about the "ejector seat" toy car. Apparently that was the big "must have" present in 1964. My dad used to own it.
I partially agree in the sense TB also owes in equal parts to DN and FRWL as well. TB took the strengths built over the first 3 films and added to it the big budget widescreen feel that would later character Lewis Gilbert's Bond films along with a swaggering self-confidence that resulted in the most financially successful Bond film(figures adjusted for inflation, of course).
The Bondmania really began with GF though. From what I've read Connery didn't attend the TB premier after someone threw themselves at the windscreen of his Aston Martin during GF's premier.
I'm talking large scale Bondmania. The hysteria after GF and into TB was huge. Bond merchandise, posters, the whole 9. It was at the peak when TB released, because Bond was great entertainment and the character and his world was pure escapism.
Both excellent samples of good 007 movies, close to the novels but still very much the movie 007.
Precisely. At its peak when TB was released - and then quite a marked tail off for YOLT on the back of the dullfest that was TB.
Not that I'm a big GF fan but from DN, then FRWL and then GF Bondmania had been crescendoing and everyone was mad for TB. Would always be difficult to keep such memento going though and even though the box office was spectacular, I dont think anyone can argue that there was nowhere near the hype and anticipation for YOLT indicating at the very least a levelling off of Bondmania, if not a downright decline.
Thesis therefore in not necessarily accurate. Connery was past his supreme best by 1965 and it's a shame that Gf was the disappointment that is was (for me) as I feel after two outstanding appearances he could not quite manage it for a third successive time. I really must watch Thunderball again soon
Disagree there. Sean Connery circa 1965 is the best James Bond IMHO. He was at his most superconfident in the role before either boredom or weight problems would hit him.
Granted, Connery was very good in Thunderball, it is a very good Bond release, I merely feel the Scot was at his most Bond like in his first two releases, the pinnacle of his tenure I feel safe to say, therefore 1962-63 for me will always be Sean's Bond. He was the very essence of the James Bond character in his earliest appearances. Well I'm sticking with that anyway
I do agree that Connery was terrific in 1962-1963. I just think he got better with each of his first 4 performances reaching his apex in TB.
That's one way I see it anyway
I also agree. DN was a decent debut, I think his performances in FRWL and GF are similar although there is a hint of the supercool drifting in with GF. By TB it's effortless.
<font color=blue size=7><b>GoldenEye deliberately tried to distance itself from Dalton's films.</b></font>