The James Bond Questions Thread

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  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,431
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Why did Roger Moore do AVTAK? Doing OP made sense too compete with Connery, but what was the reason to do AVTAK?

    From MR on Moore would only sign for a picture at a time. He'd raise his price and Broccoli would match it. When it came to OP Broccoli decided the price was too high and he cast Brolin. But then when NSNA was getting going the studio wasn't sure about a Connery Bond going up against a new Bond. So they shelved Brolin and gave in to Roger's price. The story I heard that AVTAK was offered as a thank you for doing OP. Who knows they could have done something more interesting with the age difference between Bond and Zorin but that wasn't really touched on.

    I have mixed feelings about AVTAK. I think OP would have been a better send off to Moore as Bond.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    This tracks about the studio and OP vs. NSNA.

    I have mixed feelings about AVTAK. It is more or less terrible...but that cast (Roberts, RIP, aside)! A (prissy and pissy) Moore interacting with that cast! Gold.

    I'd argue the problem with AVTAK is not Moore nor his age, but the script. They could have taken a page from NSNA and referenced his age throughout the story.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,431
    echo wrote: »
    This tracks about the studio and OP vs. NSNA.

    I have mixed feelings about AVTAK. It is more or less terrible...but that cast (Roberts, RIP, aside)! A (prissy and pissy) Moore interacting with that cast! Gold.

    I'd argue the problem with AVTAK is not Moore nor his age, but the script. They could have taken a page from NSNA and referenced his age throughout the story.

    Agreed! EON has done the younger Bond, would be interesting if they went and took the older Bond route. Nothing depressing about a Bond that is broken, but an older Bond still with his mojo and outsmarting or at least holding his own in the tech world of today.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2023 Posts: 16,413
    Yeah an occasional mention of his age wouldn't have been a terrible idea I think. Especially as the media seemed to concentrate on it a lot when it came out. As you say, NSNA made it work and it didn't make him any weaker as the hero. Instead they decided to surround him with even older people in the first half of the film, in an attempt to make him look young?

    I love AVTAK, I'm glad it exists, but I can't pretend that it couldn't have been improved upon! :)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited July 2023 Posts: 4,483
    In the PTS of GF, what is the name of the unseen main antagonist? His name is mentioned by Bond's ally in the night club after the explosion.
    Someone said it is "Mr. Ramoles". I hear "Mr. Morales." The gernan subtitles are also translated with Morales.

    Oddly, the german voice says "Mr. Ramirez". This makes also more sense: A wall had the name Ramirez painted on it and I thought that it is also Ramirez in the novel?
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    edited July 2023 Posts: 9,040
    I see your point. www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/g/goldfinger-script-transcript-james-bond.html (a transcript of the dialogue only, not the original script) has "Mr. Romales" in the second line.

    The script (supposedly also only a transcript, but going beyond the dialogue - how???) that you can download as a PDF via https://assets.scriptslug.com/live/pdf/scripts/goldfinger-1964.pdf opens (after the gun barrel) with "FADE IN: EXT. RAMIREZ' WAREHOUSE - NIGHT" and after the explosion quotes Mr. Sierra as saying: "Mister Ramirez and his friends will be out of business."

    I think Ramirez makes the most sense, but then I have never wondered about the name of a non-recurring character.

    I just put my GF Blu-ray from my (UK edition) 50-year collection into my PC (with a "free" BD player software) but somehow didn't manage to get a sound out of it (no, I don't use it for regular film watching, but only to look at special scenes or to extract an image). Anyway, the subtitles read like that:

    ramirezoeiaj.jpg

    I think that it makes the most sense, even without actually hearing again what the guy said.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited July 2023 Posts: 4,483
    Thanks a lot for your informations and your research. Great work @j_w_pepper
    I'm curious now if others hear Ramirez or something else. It definitely doesn't sound like Ramirez to me.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,582
    That's right, it's Ramirez.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Ok, Ramirez it is.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,582
    It's always Sierra who I forget the name of, then just to be reminded... There's a certain charm in discovering a minor character has been given a name, when it could've simply been 'guy at the bar'.

    I remember learning of Vogel and Moreau at the SPECTRE meeting, and being kind of wowed at this basic level of detail - it's not something you think about while watching the film.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Was Sierra already mentioned this way in the screenplay? I don't think he appears in the credits of the movie (?)

    It was nice to see Vogel again in NTTD.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,582
    Not sure where I first read of Sierra - maybe IMDb, but unfortunately the end credits on these earliest films are very short and leave a lot of the cast uncredited.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,040
    On IMDb, Raymond Young is listed as "Sierra (uncredited)" at the very bottom of the cast list.
  • edited August 2023 Posts: 1,993
    In NTTD was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    Posts: 3,789
    CrabKey wrote: »
    In NTTD, was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?

    Primo? Yes, he worked for both.

    He's a SPECTRE agent before (in the first half), but Logan Ash recruited him to be a part of Safin's team, it's seen while Q was analyzing the information inside the bionic eye.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    SIS_HQ wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    In NTTD, was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?

    Primo? Yes, he worked for both.

    He's a SPECTRE agent before (in the first half), but Logan Ash recruited him to be a part of Safin's team, it's seen while Q was analyzing the information inside the bionic eye.

    So who is he working for when he and the team break into the lab in London and take Obruchev?
    It's clearly Safin on the phone to Obruchev warning him of the attack.
    The whole story is so muddled and confusing.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Benny wrote: »
    SIS_HQ wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    In NTTD, was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?

    Primo? Yes, he worked for both.

    He's a SPECTRE agent before (in the first half), but Logan Ash recruited him to be a part of Safin's team, it's seen while Q was analyzing the information inside the bionic eye.

    So who is he working for when he and the team break into the lab in London and take Obruchev?
    It's clearly Safin on the phone to Obruchev warning him of the attack.
    The whole story is so muddled and confusing.

    Primo is working for SPECTRE in the lab attack. Obruchev is working for Safin.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Benny wrote: »
    SIS_HQ wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    In NTTD, was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?

    Primo? Yes, he worked for both.

    He's a SPECTRE agent before (in the first half), but Logan Ash recruited him to be a part of Safin's team, it's seen while Q was analyzing the information inside the bionic eye.

    So who is he working for when he and the team break into the lab in London and take Obruchev?
    It's clearly Safin on the phone to Obruchev warning him of the attack.
    The whole story is so muddled and confusing.

    Primo is working for SPECTRE in the lab attack. Obruchev is working for Safin.

    So how does Safin know about the impending attack by Primo?
    Or is it just coincidence?
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Benny wrote: »
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Benny wrote: »
    SIS_HQ wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    In NTTD, was the henchman with the Bionic eye working for both Blofeld and Safin?

    Primo? Yes, he worked for both.

    He's a SPECTRE agent before (in the first half), but Logan Ash recruited him to be a part of Safin's team, it's seen while Q was analyzing the information inside the bionic eye.

    So who is he working for when he and the team break into the lab in London and take Obruchev?
    It's clearly Safin on the phone to Obruchev warning him of the attack.
    The whole story is so muddled and confusing.

    Primo is working for SPECTRE in the lab attack. Obruchev is working for Safin.

    So how does Safin know about the impending attack by Primo?
    Or is it just coincidence?

    The film doesn't explain this explicitly, but it's clear that Safin has somehow acquired inside information on Spectre's plans, the same way all these powerful Bond villains operate from the shadows.

    Spectre steals the nano-weapon for their own benefit (to use it and/or sell it), but also plans to use it to murder Bond, as a spectacle for Blofeld's twisted birthday party. By holding Obruchev, a valuable asset for MI6, in Cuba, Spectre intends to lure Bond, who is in Jamaica, to the birthday party and to his death (hence Primo monitoring Bond's actions in Jamaica-- it's safe to assume Spectre expected Bond would get involved in the situation, considering his previous history with the organization, and this in fact happens when the CIA recruits him to help them). Accordingly, Primo requests that Obruchev prepare the nanobots to attack Bond. But Safin, who knows all the heads of Spectre will also be at the party and wishes them dead, orders Obruchev to surreptitiously modify the nanobots so that they attack the Spectre members (with the USB stick that Obruchev swallows in the lab, and later uses at the party).

    Later, with the heads of Spectre now dead (excepting Blofeld), Safin sends henchman Logan Ash to recruit Primo. From that point onwards, Primo works for Safin.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    NTTD is not the best story wise is it?
    Safins motivation/ plan is also very weak.
    The last two (and even three) Bond films have been let down story wise. On reflection the plot doesn’t hold up very well. Especially the motivation of the villain/s
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited August 2023 Posts: 3,789
    Benny wrote: »
    NTTD is not the best story wise is it?
    Safins motivation/ plan is also very weak.
    The last two (and even three) Bond films have been let down story wise. On reflection the plot doesn’t hold up very well. Especially the motivation of the villain/s

    NTTD like what I've said many times, have many plot contrivances and plot holes, it's too muddled, overstuffed and patched the subplots altogether, what the writers only have was Bond's death, but a plot or story to support it was suddenly they hadn't prepared.

    I believe it's a film that's written backwards, starting from Bond's death, then worked their way through the plot that they didn't know where to start, so we've ended up with a lot of lazy retcons, plot contrivances, plot holes, and over complications (over magnified) of the plot.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    After recent viewing's of AVTAK and partially through TLD, I have a couple of questions regarding both films. It's quite possible they've both been asked before. But after 205 pages, I'm not going to go back through that lot.

    1. In AVTAK after Zorin has killed Tibbet and made an attempt on Bond's life at the same time, why doesn't MI6 increase their pressure on Zorin? Rather than let Bond continue on his own (albeit with one CIA agent as backup). It seems a little half assed really.

    2. In the PTS of TLD, how does the intruder know that MI6 and the SAS would be on a training exercise in Gibraltar?
    Specifically to kill one of the OO agents and plant the Smiert Spionam tag on them
    Operations like this would no doubt be highly classified, and the only way to know about it, would to be someone of fairly high rank to leak it.

    Of course they are only movies. ;)
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,431
    The first question is interesting! Some say that AVTAK is a remake of GF. In GF Bond being captured keeps M and team from sending in more folks. They think he has the situation well in hand. But in AVTAK that isn't the case. Like you say Zorin basically revealed himself as the mastermind of evil. He's killed one British agent, and left another for dead.

    It's one of those things that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. How would he be allowed to travel? Why wouldn't other agencies pile on him and shut him down? Cause the film needs that not to happen.

    Second question, I am guessing that Whitaker or Koskov had received a tip? After all Koskov was still with the Russians. Maybe he sent the info to Whitaker who set up the whole thing. I'd wonder why diplomatic channels weren't used to diffuse the situation. Seems harsh that Britain reacts by assassinating the head of the KGB. That would surely escalate to a war or at the very least some threats.

    But again as you stated, it's only a movie! :)
  • Posts: 1,993
    Has it been determined why Safin wanted to kill millions?

  • Posts: 5,994
    2. In the PTS of TLD, how does the intruder know that MI6 and the SAS would be on a training exercise in Gibraltar?
    Specifically to kill one of the OO agents and plant the Smiert Spionam tag on them
    Operations like this would no doubt be highly classified, and the only way to know about it, would to be someone of fairly high rank to leak it.

    Well, given that the operation was set months _in advance (remember, the SAS agents were all equipped with paintball guns), it's likely that someone talked, probably in Gibraltar.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited October 2023 Posts: 3,789
    While James Bond is doing his mission abroad, of course, he's always on the field all the time, is there anyone who looks after his flat? Or does he clean his flat when he's off duty? (It seems not, because he's always having a vacation abroad with the girl he'd met from his mission).

    Imagine Bond's flat full of cobwebs, the pipes are already rusty (since it's been a while since of last use), or too dusty, does Bond hires a plumber when the pipes are in need of fixing?

    And does he bring his clothes to a laundry shop (because he have no time to wash them?), does he go to a Supermarket to buy groceries? (In Live And Let Die, he had the coffee).

    Or does he have a refrigerator? How does he pay his water bills? Electric bills?

    And where he would've likely to use his salaries?

    I'd liked to know more of what Bond is doing while he's not on work.

    Also, what do you think his neighbours would thought of him? Maybe, they're questioning themselves of why there's that flat that seems no one's living? 😅
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Read the novels and it may answer your question .
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited October 2023 Posts: 3,789
    Benny wrote: »
    Read the novels and it may answer your question .

    Yes, I've read them (May was his housekeeper and the one doing those things), but what I meant is the film Bond, of course 😉 (May never existed in the films, so, I often wondered about it).

    Kincaide? But he's only taking care of the Skyfall lodge, but what about Bond's official flat in London? Whose taking care of it?
    And who's the one paying the bills? (Electric, water, and etc.).

    I've realized it that in SPECTRE, Bond's flat in there felt a bit messy (the furnitures aren't arranged enough), for example.
    Then in Live And Let Die, there's Bond preparing a coffee for M.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Well in the films it's still May the housekeeper. Though she's never seen or mentioned because it's not that exciting to have Bond on a mission wondering if he paid the electric bill!
    It's the same with many everyday things we do, that get ignored in the cinematic world. The short answer is nobody really cares about who looks after such things.
    James Bond saves the world, just in time. And he managed to get an extension on his water bill as he's out of the country.
  • edited October 2023 Posts: 4,162
    SIS_HQ wrote: »
    Benny wrote: »
    Read the novels and it may answer your question .

    Yes, I've read them (May was his housekeeper and the one doing those things), but what I meant is the film Bond, of course 😉 (May never existed in the films, so, I often wondered about it).

    Kincaide? But he's only taking care of the Skyfall lodge, but what about Bond's official flat in London? Whose taking care of it?
    And who's the one paying the bills? (Electric, water, and etc.).

    I've realized it that in SPECTRE, Bond's flat in there felt a bit messy (the furnitures aren't arranged enough), for example.
    Then in Live And Let Die, there's Bond preparing a coffee for M.

    I always presumed the reason that Bond’s flat in SP is a bit bare/messy is because it was packed up when he was presumed dead in SF. Does play into the idea that Craig’s Bond is dedicated to his work/hasn’t bothered redecorating in that time though.

    I do like that compared to other times we’ve seen Bond’s flat in the series (DN and LALD) it’s much smaller and looks like…. Well, a flat someone would actually have in London. Poor sod’s probably paying at least a grand a month for that (unless he owns it, which I think is the most likely scenario considering he gets it back so easily after being presumed dead. That too would be expensive as it’s a decent flat in Chelsea). Don’t think Craig’s Bond would have a housekeeper like May. Think he’d just do the cleaning himself considering how small it is. Same for the shopping.

    Not that any of that makes for great Bond movie viewing!
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