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I find @Strog's analysis far more interesting: people these days indeed don't trust the government anymore. politicians are seen not only as bad, (that's nothing new) but also as money-grabbers who'd sell their mother, like bankers were at the start of the crisis. That makes it far more difficult to make an endearing and still fun movie about a government agent. QoS I think nailed it when Bond was basically the only one still sticking to his duty: protecting the people against power abuse by not only Greene, Medrano and Beam, but also his own minister. It is strange that QoS gets so much hate here.
I think the next film would be an enormous success if they had an European parliament member as the bad guy, perhaps one of Blofeld's deciples. Personally I liked the underlying connections, allthough it didn't work that well with Silva, but it did give a Dr. No/Thunderball feel to it: operatives of a bigger scheme beeing taken out. They could go back to that, even though Blofeld's in jail.
And for good measure:
a section is standing organisation
A programme is a big project which will be evaluated, and may or may not end up as standing organisation.
So, as it's been more then 50 years and Fleming wrote it like that: It's the 00 section.
And it should fall directly under the head of MI6, M. This indeed is my biggest irritation in SP. They got the basics wrong!
Civil servant CR
He killed his father because he was jealous of his favorable treatment of Bond, and this drove him to be "the author of all Bond's pain" in his adult life. All that over something so trivial. A soap opera plot at it's finest.
That certainly would provoke controversy since LTK has the most mundane, pedestrian and unoriginal 'plot' in the series.
And to think fans deny the Bourne influence.
Wouldn't have been a problem if the guy had been just Franz Oberhauser (although it would still be appallingly contrived) but to reduce Blofeld to a whiny teenager who Bond once beat at Monopoly is pitiful. As Partridge might have put it 'Stop getting Fleming wrong!'
Apart from anything else is it ever really cleared up whether Bond coming back into Blofeld's life is by design or coincidence?
Either way it's diabolical writing as with the former Blofeld has based his entire life and crime organisation on the hope that one day MI6 will send 007 not 008 to investigate Le Chiffre. Perhaps he put Le Chiffre up to making his money back at the casino knowing full well that Bond was the best card player in the service so would get assigned to the job?
If it's the latter then he was just minding his own business being an international crime lord and lo and behold who is the bloke tasked by the government to bring him down? Only that kid who used to live with him for a few weeks and nicked his father's affection. Who'd have thunk it, that blue eyed little orphan just happened to go on and work for the security services and now is in prime position to interfere with his plans so why not conveniently get some revenge while you're he's at it?
Honestly the more you pick at this festering scab the more it bleeds.
That's fair I suppose. 'Out for revenge because they killed his friend/brother/parents/wife' was the standard plot for the average Van Damme film back in the day.
The Donnie Brasco elements of Bond infiltrating Sanchez's organisation and his stitching up of Krest are interesting although his whole plan collapses in seconds if Dario doesn't go AWOL for the majority of the film.
I'm no fan of this Blofeld as he has nothing in common with the previous ones or Fleming's creation, buttaking his words seriously is taking it too far. He pretends to be all powerful and to have 'tortured'Bond (author of all his pain) but as Bond we shouldn't be impressed or take his words for it at all.
So it isn't as bad as it is made out to be here, allthough it is misuse of a name which once harboured a great character.
I think the anti-authority thing has been completely 'played out' over the past decade and a half. It's an old trope. Even the cop shows of the 70s and 80s were doing it. Bourne made it fashionable again, and Bond took the bait and ran with it. All good things must come to an end, lest they get stale.
I agree with you on a European Parliament baddie in the next one though. Post-Brexit I can see it. Werner Herzog could play it well. Someone with a grudge against the UK.
He wanted to remake OHMSS, as the original was so bad. That is how his feud with Lazenby started.
They seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place with Bond's womanizing ways. It's almost as if women must have meaning to him now, for fear of turning off the female audience if they are seen as 'disposable pleasures'.
I think they should give the female audience more credit. They will embrace old school Bond as much as men. Just have the confidence to go for it.
Fair enough. That doesnt stop it being horrifically contrived that just by chance they went into the same business (but on opposite sides) and just happened to end up bumping into each other 30 years down the line.
If Bond had joined MI5 instead of MI6 then they would never have bumped into each other again. Or if Bond had been worse at cards than one of the other 00s they would never have met again. Staggeringly lazy scriptwriting.
Bond films are at their best when they're small and focused, rather than 'blockbusters.' Highpoints that many people agree on:
-FRWL: a hunt for a typewriter, with a fistfight on a train as its centerpiece
-CR: a card game against a bent financier who supports terrorism
-OHMSS: a love story, set largely in one place
When they go too broad, they end up with Bond turning into a machine-gun-toting killing machine, or bloated plotlines, or camp. Low points that many agree on include Bond In Space or Bond Driving an Invisible Car. The better strategy, looking at the film's history, has been to keep things contained.
That's not to say that the films can't be colourful, exotic, or escapist - those things are at the heart of the franchise. Rather that it's important to give the actors space to perform, give the plot room to breathe, keep the stakes tangible, and focus in on something - location, macguffin, character, whatever - rather than being peripatetic.
Discipline is key and smaller is usually better.
Thats exactly right because the books are the best. Thats why the should finish craig and start fresh with a new bond in the 50's and follow the books. Essentially FRWL but every book and for a new generation. I love the first three bond films and if they are able to recreate that tone in the modern day that would be incredible
Even though none of his films ,safe the second half of DAD, suffered from such a logical train wreck of script, he certainly would have given a more cheerful performance.
Your perception of the old Moore movies is obviously very different from mine. Remarkable!
I wish Robert Brownjohn stuck around after Goldfinger.
His last few were awful and dare I say, amateurish...?
Loved his work on TB, YOLT, LALD and my all time favourite of his TSWLM.
Really? I thought Skyfall had a fantastic credit sequence. It worked beautifully with the films story.
I really like the FRWL titles as well, mainly because it's instrumental and when the brassy Bond theme kicks in at the end it's brilliant. The gypsy girl silhouettes are a nice touch too. I thought it was very neat how they made the titles 'dance'.
Have to admit i really like MK2 titles for QoS!
I don't find the TND or SP titles to be any better than Binder's for, say AVTAK. In fact, I'd say AVTAK's titles are a bit more iconic in their imagery. As 1985 dated as those neon water pistols are now, the dancing flame lady is still an unforgettable image.
I prefer the art of the lighting, the ladies, lasers and water to titles that were designed by CGI and the click of a mouse.
In addition, Binder had an amazing knack for getting the women to undress for him. Much more suave than clicking a mouse.
Ditto!
LALD is one of my favorites actually. TSWLM is epic. I must admit, though, I'm not as crazy about the FYEO titles. Having Sheena in the titles gives it more of a 1981 MTV video feel.........in fact I believe MTV simply used the title sequence sans credits as the video.
Its probably the theme song that puts people off! But they are cool titles. Love the travelling bullet!
TSWLM are great titles, Binder at his most playful.
I actually like the QoS titles as well.