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I can certainly imagine that method sounding feasible for the Piz Gloria scenes. Bond is meant to feel isolated during those sections of the film. I don't think the weird dubbing helps, and it's a part of the movie where Lazenby's Bond gets lost for me, but there's a logic there. Maybe Lazenby was being especially difficult. Maybe nothing else was working. I really don't know.
Like I said, it's worth saying that Lazenby is such an outlier when it comes to Bond. He had no prior film acting experience, was chosen to replace a very popular (and talented) Bond actor for the first time, and seems to have been cast in large part due to his looks and physique rather than his natural charisma. It's very unusual for an actor in a Bond film to have been in that position, no matter what role they play, and it makes directing such an actor difficult. The other performances in OHMSS are pretty good by comparison, so it seems to me that this is something that Hunt, and indeed the producers, struggled with handling.
I'd also say that I'm not 100% sure about some of these stories. I know you've looked these things up, but as I've seen from this forum alone not all anecdotes from film sets (usually told many years after the filming) are entirely accurate or even true. Many should be taken with a grain of salt (ie. there was a popular story about Rigg and Lazenby feuding due to her purposely eating garlic before a love scene, which seems to stem from an innocent joke Rigg made. For many years I thought the two hated each other and feuded constantly on set, whereas in reality it seems Rigg found Lazenby difficult, but it wasn't as cut and dry as them hating each other). I really can't find much evidence of Rigg biting Lazenby's lap during the final scene, at least not from any of the actors themselves. I might be wrong. Whatever way, Lazenby doesn't seem to be crying and simply cradles Tracy in the film. Again, it's a reaction of denial and shock, and it's what made the scene in the original novel so heartbreaking. So I think Hunt was right doing that take and giving that direction.
From my experience, the director can guide the actor, but they can't make them do anything beyond their capabilities. The director doesn't control the actor's performance strictly speaking.
But again, what do you think of the acting in DAD Or even Craig's inconsistent acting in NTTD (that Blofeld prison scene for example)? Isn't that a work done by a director?
Or even Talisa Soto's delivery of "I Love James So Much!" Or Barbara Bach's monotone acting and line deliveries? Brosnan's pain face? Or some other acting faults in the franchise? They're the works of the director.
And they're individual like Talisa Soto and Barbara Bach or Denise Richards, despite of the overall cast being good (maybe with the exception of DAD when half of the cast suffered).
One can blame it on the director, and Lazenby wasn't an exception to that directorial irresponsibility.
Although those mentioned above were mistakes, but in Hunt's case it's irresponsibility.
As for the question of the thread, I’m not entirely sure. It’s like being asked if I would rather be mauled by a Siberian Tiger or a Bengal Tiger; not particularly pleasant experiences!
https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/12953/george-lazenbys-diamonds-are-forever-or-timothy-daltons-bond-17-goldeneye/p3
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0064757/trivia/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/on-her-majestys-secret-service-james-bond-lazenby.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tcm-film-fest-george-lazenby-785313/amp/
https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/ohmss_the_forgotten_bond?id=1670
I'm searching for more, that one that I've read years ago.
When you say years ago, aren't you only in your early 20's? How long have you been a serious Bond fan @SIS_HQ ?
Personally I think Peter Hunt should get more credit than he possibly does. Worked on the editorial team for the first 5 Bond films.
Directed one of the most popular Bond films amongst fans, as well as being one of the few Bond films to closely follow the Fleming source material.
For me it's a shame that OHMSS was Peter Hunts final contribution to the Bond series.
Long before I joined here, maybe somewhere in 18, 17 or maybe even 16 like that.
And long before I joined here, I've been visiting this forum, checking and reading on them.
Still, undecided to join the forum then, but the discussions interested me to join.
This was the first forum I've joined, then Commanderbond forum, and Ajb007, then start joining into the discussions in the James Bond subreddit (although, I couldn't stand the toxicity in Reddit and made me leave them).
I've been listening, reading different articles about Bond, because I've became obsessed with the Franchise, that I'm curious enough to know more about the ins and outs of the Franchise.
Again, I have no against Peter Hunt, he's a part of the Bond family, I liked his works on the previous Connery Bond films, I liked his work as an editor (although Thunderball may be a bit flawed).
And yes, I do thanked him for insisting the film to be close to the source material, but in case of Lazenby (not the guy's fault, he's hired by the Producers), he needed a more hands on director, and Peter Hunt didn't gave him that.
But still I loved the film as it is, it's my favorite Bond film.
But would a second film would've likely to redeem all of that? Possibly, if not for the bad advice of Ronan O Rahilly (whom I consider as one of the real Bond villains 😁).
I wouldn't use IMDB trivia as a source (it's user created from what I can tell and has a lot of debunked 'trivia facts'). Also the last article you posted actually exemplifies what I was talking about when it comes to what actually happens on these film sets. The article is all about Hunt and Lazenby saying different things and giving different accounts, to the point where they outright contradict each other.
I actually think Brosnan's acting in DAD is pretty good and confident at times. Better than his attempt at the more dramatic scenes in TWINE (again, it may have been out of his capabilities to play these scenes subtly as an actor). Craig's acting during those scenes in NTTD seem to be deliberate choices. I suspect the concept of Bond being more 'talkative' after his years of exile from the Service was written into the script and discussed during pre-production with Craig. He probably even offered ideas. When it comes to filmmaking, it's not really a case where the director gets credit for the actor's performance. Fukunaga probably gave Craig guidance, worked on the blocking with him, but ultimately allowed him to 'do his thing' and may have given him some notes from take to take. It's not a case where he controlled every minute detail of Craig's performance. Craig's performance is his own in this sense.
For what it's worth, this is where I personally come from with this: I have worked on a number of smaller film and television sets, and have seen directors work with actors. Not one would claim that they can control an actor's performance. They can only guide it. Not one of those directors would ever, for example, recite a line or make an expression in a way they'd want the actor to do it (it would be incredibly stupid - they either embarrass the actor or embarrass themselves). They certainly don't want to highlight the actor's lack of ability to do something, or embarrass them in front of everyone and cause tension. Moreover, all directors I have spoken to have said one of the most important aspects of all this is casting. If you don't have the right actor for the right role it becomes difficult. I've also even seen some actors behaving in a very difficult manner on film sets and know how it can impact things.
It's not that control, when I said handling, it's their way of directing, and what Hunt lacked was the support, the guidance, it's evident in how he treated Lazenby, what am I trying to say is Lazenby just needed a better director to handle him (the damage was done, he's hired by the Producers), it's up to the director on how to handle him and Hunt failed in that think of it, he's in better performance every time he's with Rigg, Lazenby shines every time that he's with Rigg, because she's guiding him, that's why some here were saying that there's no Diana Rigg to support him in the second film, because she's the one guiding him.
And again, no matter how great the actor are, if the wrong was in the director's part, there's no way they could've handle it by themselves (it may have no relation to the Lazenby thing, but since this is getting too far, this is a bit worthy of inclusion).
Again, think of the DAD (maybe with the exception of Brosnan himself, or let me be specific, Halle Berry or Toby Stephens, for example), and there's Denise Richards? Or Talisa Soto.
Again, they're experienced actors but why they've still suffered from those performances that people now usually despise? Could we safely say it's something wrong on the part of the directors? One may blame it on the writing, but it's the director's job to make them execute it better, at least, the execution of what's written.
And also Barbara Bach with her performance (a performance that even makes Lazenby's performance more appreciative to me) with her monotone, almost one dimensional performance, and with her silly fake Russian Accent (don't give me that she's Russian, she's cold kind of reasoning, there's Natalya Simonova and Tatiana Romanova and both are far more convincing in their roles than Bach).
Okay, let's discount Craig, given your explanation.
This is getting longer, and I'm afraid that it's already taking up space in here, when we're supposed to be in a different discussion. 😁
This is much easier.
Another Way To Die on endless loop would be far more acceptable than Sam Smith singing The Writing's On The Wall.
Well, I think a major part of this discussion regarding Hunt is this: how do we truly know what he was like as a director on-set? As was hinted at, it seems like some of these stories about him being 'hands off' (or at least not talking to Lazenby) might not be 100% accurate. All we have to go on is the finished product. It's the same with any other director.
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at with the DAD examples. I wouldn't say Toby Stephen's performance in that film was particularly bad. Gustav Graves is meant to be (on the surface anyway) a young adventurous playboy billionaire type, slightly arrogant, with that undercurrent of darkness. The concept of him actually being a Korean General is daft, but Stephens plays the character fine and his casting makes sense. Beyond some cringe lines ('yo mamma') I can't remember Halle Berry being bad in that film either, but perhaps I just haven't seen the film in a while. Again, it's just a case where her character is a bit one dimensional and boring, but the performance is ok or at least suitable.
As for Bach, yes she has a bit of a monotone, but Anya is a professional and rather 'by the books' Soviet spy as you said. I'm not sure why you use Natalya and Tatiana as counter examples because those are very different characters. Tatiana is particularly meant to be quite naive, and both are essentially ordinary people compared to Anya. I'd say it makes perfect sense that Anya has that tone of voice and it gives off a very specific impression of her character that's arguably right for the role, whether you like the performance or not. I've never heard anyone complain about it beyond these forums. Was this down to Bach's decision as an actress or is it a case where her lack of expression happened to work and the direction leaned into this? If it's the former then it points to a clear method on the part of Bach, and if the latter then it points to effective direction. Maybe it's a mixture of both. I don't know.
I don't think everything you're saying about film direction makes sense when applied in practice. There are often many factors at play. Sometimes if an actor doesn't do a particular accent for example then it's because the director thought it most suitable for the film and didn't want to get them to do something beyond their capabilities. Sometimes if an actor struggles with an accent then it's a case where perhaps it wasn't the right casting, the director shouldn't have gotten them to do it, or indeed maybe a producer demanded the actor do it and it didn't go well. We often don't know. It's not a straightforward case of it being solely the director or the actor's fault.
The same with Lazenby, we never know, we have no idea, like the garlic scene with Rigg, as it made out to be false, here, in how he really acted on set, we even have no idea, in that last article that I've posted, there's Lazenby and Hunt contradicting each other, so we have no idea.
Again, it's the execution which was the problem in DAD, at least at how they could execute their lines, the dialogues, the same case for Stephens ("You can't kill my dreams, but my dreams can kill you"), and Halle Berry's execution of those lines like that ("yo momma") line, ("read this bitch"), I mean it's surprising that you're not offended by those, but some people did, one of them is me, and I disagree, the character of Jinx, on paper was great, she's tough and made as Bond's equal.
But in that film, I felt that they've seemed to overact, maybe it's subjective, you see it that way, and I (or the other people) see it that way.
Halle was a great actress, but it's obvious how she's botched in here, the same for Toby Stephens.
You can ask those people who disliked Halle Berry's performance for example and they might give you the right answer.
You know, it's just a shame as she could've been so much better, many people even shouting to recast her, and I disagree, I think she's finely cast, the problem was how it's made for her to execute.
The same maybe for Toby Stephens.
But still, even a Soviet Spy, think of Xenia Onatopp, is she cold, yes she's a villain, but she portrayed the part better than Bach did.
And the part where her boyfriend died, there's supposed to be a heavy emotion going on there, but Bach played it monotone with no emotion or whatsoever.
Even Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin) had more life and complexity to her performance than Bach did, and Wai Lin was also an agent trained in foreign country, China.
Okay, let's discount Savalas of that accent, as it's not intended and obvious in the first place (might've been a nitpicking on my part), but Anya was a Russian Spy, it's obvious, now how could someone buy her into the role if her Russian Accent sounds bad, at least Savalas wasn't trying and again, the character wasn't obvious in that way, but Anya, she's a straight up Soviet Spy and what we're presented was the one trying to master a Russian Accent and came off as silly and ridiculous.
And Natalya, she's not just an ordinary woman, she's a Russian Programmer who's traumatized, she's cold, yes, but not monotone.
Bach, she played it as a one note performance, she's like a mannequin, she's a lot more wooden than Lazenby, people can say what they want at Lazenby, but at least the guy can still move and still have facial expressions and reactions, compared to Bach whose performance felt like a moving Barbie Doll, beautiful but she's not credible to the role, it's obvious how she spoke her lines like just reading the script in lifeless mode (I know she has fans, I do understand that, but it's just my observation).
And again, what's your opinion on Denise Richards? On Talisa Soto?
Since, we're talking the Bond Girls Actresses already, I think we could proceed it to this thread: https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/20809/the-bond-girl-actresses-get-too-much-blame#latest
As I have my opinion already laid in there.
Even DAD? 🫣
All joking aside, I sincerly hope Madge makes a full recovery!
Unless I give a bit of an edge to AWTD, I'd say I'd rather try and get someone to unstick the elevator. If that doesn't help, so be it.
Is this supposed to be a tough choice? I would listen to Sam Smith all day if I could. The bonus of suffering through AWTD is I might find a second or two that's good if I need to listen to it on a loop. Terrible song, terribly produced, bad singing. It's a weird song.
WOTW is a good song and Sam sings it okay. I love his voice, but it took a little time to get used to it in a Bond context. Some days I even prefer WOTW over Skyfall, making it Craig's second best after YKMN.
Okay on to another one!
Would you rather get a Bond film every 2 years OR get a Bond film every three to four years?
In saying that, there's not guarantee having a film every three to four years would be an improvement. So long as the story and script are good. Going forward I think 3-4 years is the best approach.
Three years between films but not four. Two years doesn't really give me enough time to fully sink in a new entry and gather all the merch/props. Four years wait sucks, and a longer wait is no guarantee of a top notch film.
I think his MR performance is overall better, although FYEO is a better film.
I do wonder if the PTS and ending of FYEO was tailored for Moore. I'd like to see the script.
Two years would be great, but unlikely to achieve on a constant basis. The last two-year stretch between two Bond movies was CR to QOS, and it shows in QOS's quality. Likewise, the Brosnan films didn't exactly improve over time, although the nadir was reached after a three-year break.
But if they start afresh and have a concept they may start the planning early enough to get back to a two-year rhythm, instead of starting to plan the next one after the last one came out.
It would be nice to always get one two years but there's also the possibility that things end up rushed, the Bond actor gets fed up of being locked to only doing Bond (unless there's a way for him to film stuff inbetween Bond movies), the scripts are not up to par, etc.
Now, that's not to say, a film taking more years is guaranteed to be better. But whatever works best for each entry. And ideally no I don't wanna wait 5 years for every entry.