It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Totally agree with you.
John Glen is the single most underrated director on these threads. Above all, as you say, he knew how to tell a story and his action was fantastic.
SF is a pretentious snore fest with zero rewatch-ability. I actually enjoyed SP but it's poor man's fare compared to the Glen era Bonds. I'd rather watch pretty much any of Glen's films over anything made since.
And I totally agee on DAF as well. Bizarre cheese fest that it is, I still enjoy it more than the post Dalton Bond movies.
He is! He elevates what was a fairly standard 80s drug lord figure into someone far more frightening.
I will admit, I think he is a stronger villain than Sean Bean.
Bean had the physical toughness but doesn't actually do a lot in the film other than bark orders and give speeches.
I'm not a huge fan of the Beanster. Remember thinking what an underwhelming villain he was. And what a lame cartoon villain Onatop was as well (a waste of a good actress too).
Wow didn't know that scene cost 25m.Dan crashing 4 cars probably didn't help.
I never had a problem with it when I was younger but its dated terribly and doesn't suit Bond at all.
Glad it is not only me. My brother-in-law loves Skyfall, but he thinks Bond films are shit. Skyfall is depressing and does not hold a candle to FRWL or even LALD.
And Skyfall has upped my appreciation of LTK. LTK feels like a comedy at times in comparisson, which is ironic, considering how serious some say Dalton was. But, the Craig era has boosted the popularity of Dalton. I
As M said, 'We're not a country club 007'.
Yes, on doing some thinking and reappraising, I think the old Bond films were so inventive with little resources. And the humour was spectacular. I feel modern Bond is too over-calculated and a bit too corporate. I never confused old Bond with any other films.
But, now, I am reminded of other films when I watch new Bond.
SP was a bit better, but it's like scraps from the table compared to the briliiantly to the point and witty Maibaum scripts.
Agree 100%. It feels like classic Bond. I got John Glen to sign my book in London recently, and told him how I love how LTK had elements of Thunderball with the water scenes. And he said he loved those early films and was conscious of that/
And LTK ties in with LALD. They used story elements from the novel, and we have the same Felix. I love Dalton serious, but, I love Moore campiness when done brilliantly like LALD.
I actually think TLD was after re-watching it the other day.
It's got the last score from Barry as well as the last to feature sweeping cinematography.
I've got some problems with that film, but as an overall Bond experience it works better than LTK does...Dalton prefers it too apparently.
Regarding David Hedison, I actually don't think he's all that great in LTK. His "He was married once, but it was a long time ago" is nice, but he overplays things sometimes. The moment when he mutters "Della" as he comes to is melodramatic and unconvincing.
Yes it's open to debate. At the time I felt LTK represented a major break, but now it seems closer to the Classic era than what came afterwards.
Perhaps it's more accurate to see it as a bit of a transition film.
I've grown to like it a lot more than I once did.
On balance I agree that TLD is the more successful film though.
Nice point about Dalton preferring TLD. He's stereotyped as "the serious Bond" but like Craig, he actually enjoyed and pushed for the lighter moments and the humour.
Back in Dalton's time the actors were just handed the script and that was that. I think I'm correct in saying Dalton got the LTK script 6 weeks before filming started. He was just expected to get on and do it.
Ultimately and in retrospect it does seem more like the 'classic era' though, even with all the changes they made, due to what came afterwards not having thematic consistency. There is something to be said for having the same director over multiple films.
And Glen had directed parts of the previous films as well - namely some of the wonderful action sequences. His imprint is all over so many great Bond moments.
LTK has a 'Fleming feel to it'.
TLD has more of a Fleming feel in my view.
And the villain in Sanchez is outstanding. Arguably one of the best villains in the entire series. I miss the classic Bond villain. Sanchez has it all, and the interraction between Bond and him is spectacular. It feels unsettling, because you know that Bond knows what will happen if Sanchez discovers what he is really up to.
Sanchez is so perverse, yet can be likeable. Davi is a fantastic!!!
And in LTK, you see Bond as using his intelligence against the villain. Bond is not all braun, which he is more brauny now! I mean in Specre when he says to the villain "I came here to kill you!", well, that is asking for it. Old Bond bides his time, and keeps his plans to himself.
Agreed, LTK is very Flemingesque. Dalton is the dark avenger Bond here!
Agreed, LTK is very Flemingesque. Dalton is the dark avenger Bond here! He is very commanding and is not playing to audience expectation of what they want from the character. That takes guts, as he sure got a beating for it.
Bond as the intervening years have proved, is way more than just an image.
I think even GE beats LTK in the production value department, but to be honest that's no real triumph.
LTK's strengths rests solidly on it's leading men's performances, and it's stunts (the Wavecrest action sequence is one of "80's Bond's" best), and for that alone it trumps GE for me.
I stand by my statement that it's a crying shame Dalton never got his 'full' Bond outing - both written for him and with the production/PR budget that his fellow 007's were all granted at some point...
The Wavecrest action sequence, including Kamen's score, is absolutely wonderful. Real Bondian genius, especially when Bond water ski's parallel up to the plane and lands on the side. I wish we had something like that in SP.
EXACTLY. That is what I miss in Bondfilms these days - the 'cool' factor of the action sequences.
This does not mean 'bigger' or 'louder explosions', I mean that sort of indefinable smart solution to a precarious situation which is THE HALLMARK of James Bond action, to me... see also TLD's parachute+Jeep escape.
It's that sort of stuff that Craig needs imo. And MGW wrote that sort of thing. Ergo...