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
:-??
Ah, I really enjoy Locque's death. He was easy to despise, that slimebag.
Samedi not a henchman? Hmmm. I thought he did what Kanaga/Mr. Big told him too? No? Please enlighten me. Either way, he creeped me out, but I actually did not enjoy the character.
Redheads vs. brunettes vs. blonde - hey, have there been any bald henchmen? What about that "helpful chap"? Though I think he may have had tiny bit of hair? Nah. But he was more of a goon anyway, not quite henchman material.
That Dr. Kaufman, though, was definitely vun of za most memorable! So deadpan. With that accent. With that face. Great going, there Vincent. You will long be remembered.
Yusef? I was counting Yusef as a henchman because he was so integral to the plot of CR and QOS and did what he was told to do, like a good little henchman. Poor marshmallow-spined Yusef: "Make it quick." No. None of us wanted it to be quick, you gutless dirtbag. I cheered for Bond more than ever after you were under his "care" for several hours and about to be hauled off.
Mr. White - yes, why I would count him as a henchman.
So science guys are just wrangled and blackmailed and tortured into helping the villain - but not true henchmen? Yeah, I kind of buy that, Beatles.
More henchmen and henchwomen lurking around, I am sure.
I'm off to find my après work sangria now.
Good henching everybody! :)>-
A fine selection, @OHMSS69. I did have Irma on, but I have now added Guenther.
Thanks! :)
Yusef had more impact on the plots of those two movies than his actual brief appearance at the end of QoS allowed. He didn't really do or say anything onscreen to make himself very memorable, did he?
Mr. White I see as another co-conspirator, not just a henchman. He acts in a decision-making capacity, which to my mind makes him more than just another henchman. Henchmen are told, "See that some harm comes to Mr. Bond," and higher-ups do the telling. White did the telling, so that makes him more than a henchman.
Thinking back on it, my most surprising decision in the Henchpersons' Top Ten list may have been in not including Irma Bunt as one of the Top Ten. After all, she DID pull the trigger on the machine gun that killed Tracy! At the end, I chose Locque for his death scene -- and the lack of a good death scene was the single most disappointing facet of Irma's career onscreen. I think she'd have gotten a far higher ranking if Eon had given her a memorable departure from the series in DAF!
@Beatles, I guess you and I will simply disagree a tad about Samedi - although I considered him supernatural, too, I still thought he acted totally like a henchman and he stays that way in my book.
I am firmly keeping Yusef in the henchman category for me (I may be the only one) due to his importance and actions.
I don't think I draw the line at a henchman not having any decision-making capacity at all. Hmmm.
Here are some of my picks in my own categories, just 'cause I feel like it this morning:
My favorite female henchwoman is: Xenia! Although Volpe is a close second.
My favorite most outlandish henchman is: that fab duo, Wint and Kidd! (Jaws being a close second)
My least favorite henchman is: Elvis. So meh and just a waste of film space.
The most OverTheTop henchman is: Jaws in MR; an unfunny buffoon
The most surprising that it worked so well henchman is: Dr. Kaufman! This portrayal could have gone badly wrong. It ended up sublime, hilarious, and memorable. Xenia would be my second choice here, for the same reasons.
The most classic henchman is: Grant. So solid, menacing, and well played. My second and third choices for true classics are: Klebb (if counting as henchwoman, and I am) and Locque (classic elements and a great demise).
Who was the most effective henchman/henchwoman? Not just he most menacing or most memorable - who got the results their villainous boss wanted, at least to some extent?
And, conversely, who was the least effective?
Some evil henchmen/henchwomen succeed for a while, some are flashy but not so effective, some are effective for a time but rather uninteresting (Patrice), and some are ridiculous and meh (Jaws in MR/Elvis).
For me, I think Jaws started out quite effective, ruthlessly killing the people he was supposed to target, and then petered out. Oddjob, too, seemed to do his boss's bidding effectively and sure threw that deadly hat with accuracy, yet (as we expect and enjoy) made a fatal mistake against Bond.
Xenia was, in my opinion, highly effective until her demise.
Necros - highly effective till the very end.
Baron Samedi - flashy in the extreme but I do not think very effective overall.
NickNack - flashy and ridiculous, but I think barely effective
So, I am thinking: for me, the truly most effective henchperson of all was:
Irma Bundt, who not only manipulated the way her boss wanted, but she managed to kill Tracy. She did not kill Bond. But she killed his heart/soul/spirit in a permanent way.
What do you think? Who was the most effective henchman or henchwoman? >:)
(so many glitches posting - sorry!)
The Bond stable has lots of very competent henchmen, henchwomen. If I had to nail down one (since @4EverBonded already mentioned Irma Bunt) I will cast my vote for
May Day
Not only was she Zorin's lover, she was coldly efficient in carrying out his orders to perfection. She was physically strong, mentally tough woman. She carried out her "hits" very effectively and had Zorin not betrayed her she might have finished Bond and that annoying Tracy.
(I think, though, you meant to say the totally annoying Stacey ... not Tracy). ;)
Who else has a thought about the most effective henchman/henchwoman?
"Okay."
He defined 'can-do'.
Agree, but we do not know what happened between 1969 and 1971. She may have gotten her comeuppance for all we know, after all.
They could have dealth with her in the PTS of DAF but since the actress had passed away after the release of OHMSS I suppose EON decided to just forget it.
Today we are moving on to our next topic: Cinematography in Bond films.
Yes: the good, the bad, and the ugly. :-B
Cinematography - is it important to a film? A little or a lot? For me, I think it is quite important. The way a film is shot, the frame of each scene, the length of shot, the way it is lit, the decisions by the director to linger or show the full background in scenes. It goes hand in hand with editing, sure. But if you are the director and you have an outstanding cinematographer at the helm, you can tell your story far more competently and true to your vision than if you have just an average, perhaps less experienced or less talented (or less passionate) cinematographer. With a great cinematographer, you can paint a picture so glorious, yet so subtle, that the immense skill of the cinematographer can be almost hidden. What I mean is, the cinematographer can enhance a film considerably and help tell the story in a way that is also natural, does not feel forced.
Glorious cinematography can add such great ambiance to a scene, stir our emotions, add depth of feeling, and more.
I'll add more of my thoughts later. But let's get started! :-bd
Here are some points to consider - but do just give us your thoughts, in any way, concerning cinematography in Bond films.
~ Is cinematography important in a Bond film? It is not an "artsy" film per se, just a great action spy flick with adventure and style. Why would cinematography matter for James Bond?
~ What are some of the Bond films that had memorable cinematography? Can you point out some specific scenes?
~ Are there are Bond films where you feel the cinematography was clunky, not a factor, or wasted? Any examples of not-so-good cinematography in this series?
~ Do you have a few favorite cinematographers? Has any been part of a Bond film yet?
~ Which cinematographer would you like for Bond 24? Can you give examples of his or her work?
Thanks, fellow and sister agents! That is your current mission. | B-)
All about cinematography in Bond films.
Ciao for now!
In MY memory, the stand outs for excellence in cinematography are:
YOLT
OHMSS
TSWLM
TLD
TND
SF
Starting with DAF, I saw the films at the theater often before it left town. I have always appreciated the cinematography in Bond films - it showed me a fabulous and beautiful, often exotic world. And the thing about Bond films is that it is a world I have always wanted to participate in. I wanted to live in that fun, fantastical yet so tantalizing world of James Bond. I wanted to grow up to be a Bond girl, believe me. (Jill started me on that track!)
YOLT for me, for all its flaws, has two magnificent things going for it - and they are vastly important - John Barry's gorgeous and so appropriate music, and the cinematography. Lovely, alluring Japan!
I appreciate TSWLM a lot, even today. It holds up well for me; it was so much fun and it sparkled! It showed me the pyramids of Egypt, too, and that is the one film I keep wanting to live through. Very memorable cinematography; well done throughout.
I darn near cried real tears when I learned he would not be returning for Bond 24. What a superb cinematographer he is. He also did the amazing (and very different) The Shawshank Redemption. So, I thought I would simply copy my bit from my review of Skyfall. I gave it 5 out of 5 points. Here it is (I am discussing locations):
* * * * * * *
Oh my goodness, I would run out of words explaining why I love the locations in this film so much - thanks most of all to my new idol, Roger Deakins, whose every shot is immaculate and makes this film soar cinematically above most movies today (not only Bond films).
I am especially partial to the U.K. and was happy so much of this Bond film is featured there. It is quite a British film this time around, more than usual, and that pleased me. I thrilled to see London featured so lovingly (including that truly iconic and magnificent shot of Bond on the rooftop at the end of the film, looking at the London skyline with the British flag flapping in the breeze). Scotland, too, so beautiful and fitting for this story.
To top it all, I have to say Shanghai was captured simply stunningly. I know it is easy to use the word "stunning" but really now, I don't see how that entry into Shanghai flying in, the city lit up at night, going over the skyscraper luxury hotel with the rooftop pool and we just barely see a figure swimming in it, then cutting to Bond swimming in that pool - followed by the incredibly lit and beautiful skyscraper scenes, the fight, and yet another Bondian iconic look as we first glimpse Severine, the wind blowing her hair as she stares back at Bond through the shattered window - and that followed by the lush and gorgeous entry of Bond on the boat entering the casino's harbor ... how that can be called anything less than "stunning," I don't know.
Breathtaking locations filmed by a master, and I do feel Deakins should have won the Academy Award for this effort. As SirHenry mentioned, too, plenty of credit to Dennis Gassner for his wonderful, superb set/production designs.
* * * * * * *
^:)^
I know you hate the film but how can you not include MR in that list?
My top group for memorable cinematography (just off the top of my head) -
Skyfall
TSWLM
YOLT
FYEO
MR
OHMSS
TND
CR
FRWL
OHMSS
TB
OHMSS
TSWLM
MR
CR
SF
Honorable mentions to GF and YOLT
So good it deserves twice the honour! ;-)
I hadn't noticed but HELL YEAH :p