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Okay, as requested by someone earlier, the next line up is:
From Russia with Love vs. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
I have a feeling this will be a good one!
For years (for me at least), it was FRWL. But in recent years, I have to in all sincerity say it's OHMSS. So my vote goes to OHMSS. These are literally my #1 and #2. So close!
I have to give the edge to FRWL for several reasons:
-Sean Connery is more engaging than Laz and does not have a third of his dialogue dubbed
-The epic verbal confrontation/fight between Connery and Shaw - my vote for best scene in the series
-Anthony Dawson is a scarier Bloefeld than Telly
Also the little details like the White wine/Red wine mix up as well as the lesson on Simese fighting fish just give the film a little bit more...flavour IMO.
OHMSS is the more epic movie and is just so beautiful to watch. I have no problem with Lazenby.
However, I'm giving the win to FRWL. A more suspenseful thriller, Connery is just pure win. Red Grant, Istanbul, Kerim, Tatyana, the list goes on.
FRWL has the better Bond, and has a good cold war plot, but Blofeld is used more in OHMSS and some of the action is better.
This is as tough as it gets, but FRWL gets my vote here. OHMSS is more unusual and controversial with the public (a 1-time rookie Bond actor, Bond's voice dubbed for long periods, breaking of the wall, Bond marrying, the unique editing) but these points don't bother me at all.
Still, despite an endless array of OHMSS pros to its name (including the better Barry score), FRWL seems the perfect all-round Bond flick without any bits which people can moan and groan about. The whole train journey is one of the best sequences of the entire 50 years. One of the film's only limitations for me is the Venice backdrop at the end, which should have been real. Still, a minor point in an outstanding film. These two films make me proud to be a Bond fan.
"Red wine with fish. That should have told me something."
Another very good point
For me, it's a matter of #2 versus #22, so no comparison! FRWL has the better villains, the better 007, the better storyline, a more entertaining pace, and feels like a Bond movie, whereas OHMSS feels misplaced, in my opinion.
...But <b>OHMSS</B> easily is the favorite for me. It's the most epic of Bond films, it has a story with heart (Connery could have never pulled off that kind of emotion convincingly). Added to the fact, it has breathtaking location shots of the Alps and Piz Gloria, a FANTASTIC cast with Telly Savalas and Diana Rigg, some of the most intense action sequences ever put to celluloid, and one of the best, if not THE quintessential John Barry score (certainly more developed than the FRWL score). Let's not forget the last recorded song by Louis Armstrong either! There are also so many memorable shots in this film: starting with the obscured profile of Lazenby in the Aston Martin in the PTS, to the dagger on the 13th of the calendar, to the scene of Tracy pulling up to Bond in the ice skates. There's true mystery, danger, and I'll say it again...heart. This film is magical to me.
FRWL is the perfect subdued 007 spy film. But OHMSS takes the series to another level.
Plus there are some issues I have FRWL: the gypsy camp fight feels like something out of a 50's western movie and also the helicopter/boat chase scenes after Grant is killed go on too long and aren't that necessary to the plot. I also thought Rosa Klebb's character with her spiked shoes was a bit campy for the tone of the film.
3. From Russia With Love (1963) - 9.5/10
4. Dr. No (1962) - 9/10
5. Thunderball (1965) - 8.5/10
6. The Living Daylights (1987) - 8.5/10
7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) - 8.5/10
Both quality of films (the two best films of the 1960's imo followed closely by GF and Tb) and are memorable.
The clincher though for me is Rosa Klebb. Outstanding performance by Lotte Lenya , memorable and iconic.
FRWL for me though take nothing away from OHMSS
Don't get me wrong, there is A LOT going for FRWL. It's a masterful film in so many ways. Imo, so is OHMSS. With this question, she just kept popping into my head. I think she is very underrated as a Bond villain, perhaps shadowed by the equally magnificent Red Grant played by the late great Robert Shaw. She is one of the naturally menacing Bond villains and was the clincher for me in this battle.
George, is that you? ;)
Me too, a 20 movie gap to be exact! Haha.