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2. Not really. I think the script does well to not over complicate the explanations of how computer technology works. It keeps to the basics.
3. I guess there are some similarities in the villains' plots but overall I've never considered the film to be a remake of GF.
4. Hindsight is wonderful to have but I think Moore should probably have resigned after FYEO. He may have just got away with it in OP but AVTAK was a film too far. Both Cubby and Rog should have had the bottle to say "enough is enough" and a new actor should have been found. The fact that Rog may have even gone on to do TLD is a frightening thought.
5. There are two answer I'll give to this; 1. MayDay couldn't release the handbrake as the cart would have come to a sudden halt. She had to be sure she was clear of the mine as the aftershock of the explosion could still have set off the dynamite. 2. I think by the time she came out into the open and saw Zorin in the blimp, that was her chance at revenge for his betrayal. Kind of like a big "F**k you Max!". Maybe you could argue it was her redemption.
1. Ruined what was a fairly good action sequence, for me. And the ice-berg sub and willing totty just told me what kind of film we were in for! To me it almost felt like a Carry On - Carry On James: or How Double-Oh Seven Got It Up, etc
2. I was aware of microchips and computers gaining ground and didn't think that it was too advanced. As far as I was aware we all knew this was the way things were heading.
3. To me only the 'just dropped out' bit was a take from GF. But then I try not to think too hard about this particular film (but I am going to re-watch while I do the ironing tonight!).
4. I think Cubby made the wrong decision in keeping on old Moore, but then he probably thought, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Trouble was, it was broke!
5. Try to save herself? Would she really have had time to get away from the blast? I'll pay attention when I watch later. From what I remember she would never have got clear of the blast…and as Zorin saw her I think she was saying F*** You to him!
1. Casino Royale- 4.33
2. Goldfinger- 4.30
3. From Russia With Love- 4.26
4. Skyfall (6/7 reviews)- 4.17
5. The Living Daylights- 4.12
6. Thunderball- 4.09
7. The Spy Who Loved Me- 4.06
8. Licence To Kill- 4.05
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service- 3.99
10. For Your Eyes Only- 3.91
11. You Only Live Twice- 3.90
12. Live And Let Die- 3.81
13. GoldenEye- 3.75
14. Octopussy- 3.73
15. Tomorrow Never Dies- 3.63
16. Dr. No- 3.57
17. Quantum Of Solace- 3.42
18. A View To A Kill- 3.31
19. The World Is Not Enough- 3.17
20. The Man With The Golden Gun- 3.09
21. Diamonds Are Forever- 2.99
22. Moonraker- 2.96
23. Die Another Day- 2.70
Good evening fellow originals and guests! After @BeatlesSansEarmuffs recent review of A View To A Kill came in with a score of 35, the rating moved from 3.28 to 3.31 but did not change the ranking.
Continued thanks to everyone who has participated in the thesis questions. We even had some responses to the bonus questions. Overall participation continued to remain solid and the trivia continues to be popular. I even got a side note from a Bond related book author with compliments about it, which was very nice to receive. As long as everyone is enjoying these features, I'll keep them coming.
Regarding the polling of the 5 A View To A Kill thesis questions, which will include my views-
1. Like many fans, Bond music maestro John Barry cringed at the post production inclusion of the otherwise iconic Beach Boys tune "California Girls" during the PTS. Did it ruin the suspense of the scene for you, or not?
It was nearly unanimous among the respondents that the master was right, the sudden inclusion of "California Girls" was both cringeworthy and unnecessary. Yet, it didn't bother one poster nor surprise anyone too much as some sort of sight and sound gag was expected at one point or another as after all, it was the Moore era. My personal view here is that I absolutely hated it as I did almost all the cheap gags during this era, but it was par for the course and by then it was not a question of if I would get them, but how many and what effect they would have on the film.
2. The story presented here focused heavily on computer microchips and Zorin's plans to create an exclusive cartel while making himself a billionaire. Considering that most people were very unfamiliar with computers in the workplace or for personal use, was this part of the story too advanced for the audience of the day to fully grasp?
A mixed bag here, even among the original fans who were adults and already in the workplace. Some were familiar with them at work, others were not, but the general consensus held that the premise was simple and well explained enough that they were able to understand it's importance to the storyline. For myself, I rarely saw a computer back then but knew they were out there in some lines of work and were "the coming thing" for all businesses. Thus it was a little bit advanced for my experience, but it's storyline was easy enough to follow that it didn't lose me in the translation.
3. Many sources have stated that the storyline closely resembles that of Goldfinger in parallels, though obviously some of the concepts have been changed and updated. Did you find this to be so? If the answer is "yes", was it an improvement of the general idea?
The view here was that while certain elements were obvious, AVTAK was not found to be a direct ripoff of Goldfinger and stood well enough on it's own. No one found it to be a better film or one that improved on the original concepts. I agreed with all of the above.
4. Much has been made for years about Sir Roger Moore being too old for both the role as well as the 4 women chosen for his various moments of "pleasure". Did you personally feel that Cubby Broccoli should have made a change in the lead actor prior to filming, or had he just gotten too comfortable with Moore's box office popularity and become too complacent for the overall well being of the series at this time?
Sorry to say, but the overwhelming view here was that Sir Roger was simply too old for the role by then, and it was obvious to him and everyone else but Cubby. I agree with those sentiments and felt that way then as much as I do now. History though tells us that Cubby may have had no choice but to delay the production with his first choice of Timothy Dalton or others he may have been considering unavailable at the time, and thus had to turn to Moore out of necessity.
5. After May Day rode the bomb out of the mine shaft and ruined Zorin's plan after he betrayed her, while didn't she try to save herself?
This was the most compelling thesis question as far as differing points of view and rationales ventured. Some also questioned why she didn't try to live and noted she probably was clear enough of the mine to have been able to jump off, but whether she would have survived without some sort of permanent injury was still going to be questionable. Thus the consensus was she elected to ensure that there was no chance of Zorin's plan succeeding, mostly out of revenge, but also with the possible thought that she felt she had no future without him and would have to eventually answer for her crimes. I posed the question because I felt that self preservation usually motivates people to try and live, and felt that I would have tried to myself. It's very clear that if the hand brake hadn't slipped that she would have had no reason to risk her life at that time and would have likely joined Bond otherwise in his pursuit of Zorin, perhaps even killing him herself like Domino did to Largo in Thunderball while dying at the same time, which I would have personally found to be a more exciting end for her character. Perhaps I should have asked that question rather than the one I did, but nonetheless I found the answers to be enlightening and ones that better helped me understand both the filmmakers and characters motivations in context of the scene.
Well, that wraps up our look back at A View To A Kill, and now it's on to the revisit one of my personal top 5 favorites, the debut of Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights. I'm looking forward to reading what Beatles has to say about it, so until then have a great weekend everyone!
After one film too many featuring the comedic Bond of the Moore era, Timothy Dalton’s Bond was a breath of fresh air in the minds of many of the series’ most dedicated fans. Dalton brought an Actor’s sensibility to the character, far more so than Moore or even Connery had done -- he was often seen on-set with copies of Fleming’s books, researching the role. Dalton was clearly intent upon bringing the Bond series back to its roots, and many fans -- myself included -- applauded him for it. Whether or not the general audience was ready for this new, grittier take on the character of James Bond, is a question that remains open to this day. During Brosnan’s tenure in the role, it became fashionable to downplay the relative popularity of his predecessor. With Daniel Craig’s rougher take on the character riding high in terms of audience acceptance, Dalton’s films have come back into vogue. Let’s take a look at the all-too-brief tenure of the man who could have been Bond in OHMSS -- but turned the role down, feeling he was too young to play 007 at that time, only to don the tuxedo and shoulder-holster several years later…
BOND 5/5 From the moment the camera catches Dalton’s face on the Rock of Gibraltar, I was totally sold on this new Bond. He even did some of his own stunts in the PTS, holding on to the careening jeep on the narrow, winding mountain roads. In the sniper scene in Bratislava, Dalton totally took charge of the storyline, portraying the sort of dangerous, international agent of espionage that we had become familiar with in Fleming’s novels -- but had not seen on-screen for almost two decades. When he took over the defector’s escape, cutting Saunders out of the loop with a casual, “Sorry old boy -- ‘Need to Know!’” I nearly stood up in the theatre and applauded. At long last, James Bond really HAD returned! Countless little moments show that Dalton’s primary intent is to bring the character Ian Fleming created back to the screen -- Bond smoking a cigarette while studying files back in the office, Bond riding a trolley car while shadowing Kara, Bond slowly falling in love with Kara while using her to locate Koskov -- this could be the most believable Bond in the film series’ history! Dalton is stunning in his action scenes -- the few minutes where he interrogates General Pushkin in his hotel room, ripping the dress off Pushkkin’s girlfriend to effectively surprise his guard; then apparently assassinating Pushkin in the middle of a crowded conference…these are probably the most densely-concentrated examples of sheer bad-assery ever put before the audience by any actor to take on the role of James Bond. The rage seething in Bond’s face when he grabs the balloon marked “Smiert Spionam” after Saunders’ death is simply stunning. But Dalton’s Bond is capable of tenderness too; indeed, his growing relationship with Kara is one of the most convincing love affairs yet committed to celluloid between any Bond and his leading lady. The laughter they share when he asks her “Are you calling me a horse’s ass?” is something that should be familiar to anyone who’s ever actually been in love. If I have any one criticism to offer Dalton’s Bond, it is to take care not to bury his “Money” lines so often. When the woman in the PTS asks, “Who ARE you?” Dalton mumbles his response: “bond,jamesbond…” Don’t be so shy about it, Mr. Dalton…for the next few films at least, you absolutely are: Bond. JAMES Bond.
WOMEN 4/5 Given that Kara is very nearly the only woman on the screen for most of the movie, Maryam D’Abo has a huge job ahead of her. She carries it off very well indeed; her Kara is innocent (in the ways of the world of espionage at least) without being stupid; talented but realistic about the options that talent provides her; beautiful without appearing to have just hopped out of the hairdresser’s chair (lookin’ at you here, Tanya Roberts…) D’Abo seems to have a solid rapport with Dalton, and if Kara is sometimes a little slow on the uptake (Sorry, honey, but you should have realized Georgi really didn’t have your best interests at heart when he convinced you to stick your head out of a window holding a sniper’s rifle…) well, we can just chalk that up to the fact that Kara hasn’t seen as many of these movies as we have and she doesn’t understand how the plot is constructed. There are a few more women in this film but not many; the lady in the PTS really could have used a more attractive hairdo and Felix Leiter’s comely assistants really ought to have done SOMEthing, anything, besides merely luring Bond into the car with them to facilitate his getaway from the weapons conference. Shall I mention Virginia Hey as Pushkin’s mistress, providing one of the very few moments of actual nudity in a James Bond film? I guess I will -- she’s beautiful and presents her moments of fear and grief convincingly. I hope this role was a springboard to better things for her. Somehow, I suspect it wasn’t…oh well…
VILLAINS 3/5 We have arrived at what is unquestionably the weakest category for this film. Joe Don Baker as Brad Whittaker is sufficiently slimy but not given enough screen time to really engage us as a top-rank villain. He’ll be back, utilized far more effectively in a supporting role when Pierce Brosnan takes over the role of Bond. For the purposes of this film I think Whittaker should have been more central to some of the action; we simply haven’t come to hate him enough to cheer when Bond takes him down at the movie’s climax. His military pretensions could have been used to render him a more thoroughly contemptible figure, as it is he just comes off as something of a buffoon. Jeroen Krabbe as Koskov is far too much of a teddy bear to be sufficiently hateable. He has offered Kara up as Bond’s target to bolster his story as a defector -- but we can’t really hold it against him! He just wants to wear cowboy hats and eat decadent western foods -- so what if innocent people have to die in order for Koskov to get a taste of the good life? Necros, played by Andreas Wisniewski, is our only really good villain in this piece, and try as he might, he just can’t make up for the vacuum at the top of the evil pyramid this time around. He’s unquestionably the best blond ubermensch in the series since Robert Shaw as Grant in FRWL, and he offers up some really great action scenes at various points in the movie…but he’s just a henchman in the greater scheme of things, and a great Bond movie really needs to have a great main villain. This time around, we missed out…
HUMOR 4/5 There’s a fair helping of humor in this film, most of it based around realistic human interactions. Bond and Kara’s evolving romance comes with some humorous moments, as previously mentioned. Bond’s exasperation at having to delay their escape from Czechoslovakia in order to snag her cello and fit it into the Aston-Martin is another such notable humorous exchange. If the resultant escape over the snowy border with Bond & Kara sitting inside the cello case seems like a Moore leftover, at least it’s been prefaced by a dryly funny sequence featuring the Aston-Martin getting a thorough work-out. Koskov’s escape from behind the iron curtain is a nice blend of suspense and humor, from Bond pulling the “need-to-know” card on Saunders to Julie T. Wallace distracting the pipeline guard with her own ample charms. Only rarely does the humor in this film seem forced -- M’s office desk incongrously placed inside an airplane and having all his paperwork scattered when the plane’s doors open to allow the exit of the parachuting 00 agents is one of the few cases in point here. To my mind this movie handles its humorous moments about as well as can be hoped for from a Bond film only one release removed from the reign of Sir Roger.
ACTION 5/5 Here’s where the movie really shines. Beginning with the PTS on Gibraltar and moving on to the sniper scene at the concert hall and Koskov’s escape from behind the Iron Curtain, the action in this film only lets up long enough to let us know WHY we’re chasing around all over Europe and Asia. Then, suddenly, BOOM! Here we go again, with Necros’ tension-filled assault on the MI-6 safe-house and Bond being assigned to assassinate General Pushkin. For fans of the more espionage-grounded storylines of FRWL and FYEO, the plot of this film is a welcome respite from the last few Bond adventures, taking the Fleming short-story that gives us the movie’s title as a springboard into a thrill-a-minute, globe-trotting adventure that Connery or Craig would be happy to inhabit. Viewed with the perspective that history gives us, it is perhaps ironic that the mujahideen form Bond’s most significant allies in this movie…but thus does history play us all for fools. Or perhaps we can just accept that (fictional) espionage can make for strange bedfellows, and move along. It’s interesting to see the “battling armies” section of this film -- a staple in so many Bond adventures -- somewhere other than at the climax of this film…but action-wise, the battle between Bond and Necros, as they hang desperately onto the cargo net, suspended from the tail end of an airplane with a bomb hidden onboard and Kara at the controls of the plane, truly is the film’s high point. So perhaps the battling armies section, which has the drug-laden plane sequence tucked inside it, like the meat to its Battling Army bread, truly is the film’s climax, and the final confrontation between Bond and Whittaker in the arms dealer’s personal war-games room is simply a post-mortem to this entertaining entry. In fact, there are so many high points to this film -- from Saunders’ introduction to his death near the Ferris Wheel, from Bond’s feigned assassination of Pushkin to his escape from a Russian jail in Afghanistan -- that it’s hard for me to chose a single favorite, and easy for me to overlook the relative let-down that is the final fate of our film’s major miscreants. At least Georgi is going to be sent back to Moscow…in the diplomatic bag.
SADISM 3/5 Aside from Necros burning the face of a British agent on the grill at the safe-house, and the leering of a Russian guard who hasn’t had a female prisoner in a long time, there’s not a whole lot of sadism on view in this film. That’s okay, we’ll get a double ration next time around…
MUSIC 5/5 John Barry goes out on a high note. If he had to have a swan song in the Bond series, this is a fine one. The title song, co-written by Barry and a-ha, is a catchy little number that got plenty of airplay during the film’s initial release, thus satisfying Eon’s primary desire in this regard. Perhaps the biggest musical surprise for me in this film was the inclusion of two numbers by the Pretenders. Chrissy Hynde’s voice is a stunning counterpoint to Necros’ rampage at the safe-house, spewing out of his headphones in an effective accusation as he murders the British agents charged with keeping Koskov safe: “Where Has Everybody Gone?” Good question, Chrissy! I’m a bit less impressed by her work on the end-credits ballad, “If There Was a Man,“ perhaps because it just doesn’t sound to my ears like a Chrissy Hynde song. I think I like its use as an instrumental theme in the body of the film more than I like the vocal version heard as the credits roll. With this point in mind, I suspect “If There Was…” is primarily a Barry composition with Hynde’s lyrics added on. Also not to be overlooked is the significant use of classical music at various points in this film, notably while Kara is shown practicing or performing. I don’t know classical music well enough to critique them, other than to say that if her cello really DID have a bullet hole in it, I think its’ sound would be impacted so significantly that she’d have to replace it, Stradivarius or no. Still, I’m glad for the backdrop of the classical concerts in this film, as it gives Bond’s world a touch of genuine culture that it doesn’t always hold.
LOCATIONS 4/5 Effective if not always beautiful. Desert sands and rocky islands serve as desolate counterpoint to the civilized splendor of Vienna and Tangiers. I wasn’t sure that I believed the relative luxury of the room Bond and Kara were given during their overnight stay with the mujahideen, but it sure beats a Russian jail cell in the middle of Afghanistan!
GADGETS 4/5 The Aston-Martin is back! Q’s exploding key-chain is practical but unspectacular. For me, the return of the Aston-Martin (with all of its “optional extras”) is the gadgetry star of the show this time around, even if it did end up in a snow-bank near the Czechoslovakian border! Lasers, outriggers…what won’t Q think of next!
SUPPORTING CAST 4/5 Saunders is a great presence in the film, mistrustful of Bond at the beginning of their work together but recognizing his brilliance quickly enough. Art Malik is more believable unshaven in the Russian jail than he is as a clean-shaven college graduate once he has escaped. Still, the mujahideen as a whole are a lot more entertaining than one would have expected from a batch of extremist Muslim revolutionaries. It’s always nice to see Walter Gotell as General Gogol, even if health concerns forced his departure from the Bond series after this last brief appearance. But the stand-out among the supporting cast this time is clearly John Rhys-Davies as General Pushkin. Tough, smart, not intimidated by Bond even when he’s holding a gun to his temple. Robert Brown is serviceable as ever in the role of M, and Desmond Llewelyn always a joy as Q. Is Geoffrey Keene still kicking around as Sir Frederick Gray? Oh, all right Sir Frederick -- you’re a laughingstock. Sorry to have to say so, but Caroline Bliss really doesn’t have the stuff of a good Monneypenny, Barry Manilow collection be damned. She’s pretty enough, but just not written as an interesting character. Still, if you want to see a walking non-entity, catch John Terry as Felix Leiter while you can. If anybody ever holds a competition for the worst Leiter, I wouldn’t bet against this fellow.
TOTAL AND RECOLLECTIONS: 41/50 I cannot overstate my joy at seeing this movie when it first came out. Over the years, it still holds up fairly well. It is a strong contender in the "Bond as agent of international espionage" field...a sub-genre I'd have liked to have seen more often in the previous decade or so. I wish circumstances had allowed Dalton a lot more outings as Bond than he actually received. Only one more Dalton film left to go…and that one has few problems, as we shall see next week. Still, Dalton is one of my favorite Bonds, and both of his contributions to the series are Top 10 level in my book!
THE END of this review…
But BeatlesSansEarmuffs will return
To review LICENSE TO KILL
I liked Maryam D'Abo very much, too.
Another smashing review, my friend!!! =D>
Also highly entertaining, you do have a way with words.
Beatles well done indeed having read your review it's almost as if you read my mind
Thankyou for all your reviews but this time you have done yourself and Tim proud.
Regards Coggins .
I was particularly happy to see the soundtrack given a perfect 5, although I always found the title song and a-ha in general to be a bit overrated and "If There Was A Man" to be somewhat the opposite. Seeing Barry doing his lone series cameo in his final effort during Kara's big Western bloc debut was very satisfying as well.
Trivia notes forthcoming!
CHARACTER FACTS-
- Timothy Dalton was first considered for the role of James Bond in the late 1960s, after Sean Connery left the role following You Only Live Twice. Dalton was screen tested by Albert R. Broccoli for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but he turned down the part as he thought he was too young. He was also considered for Diamonds Are Forever but turned it down again, still feeling he was too young. He was considered again for the role in For Your Eyes Only when for a time it was unclear whether Roger Moore would return. However, Dalton declined at that time, as there was no script (or even first draft). Dalton was offered the role again in 1983 for Octopussy, and yet again in 1985 for A View to a Kill, but had to decline the role both times due to previous commitments.
- Timothy Dalton was originally unavailable to play Bond because he was committed to film Brenda Starr, and Pierce Brosnan was then chosen to play 007 in 1986 and was given the script to The Living Daylights. Although he was contracted to Remington Steele for seven seasons, NBC decided to cancel the show at the end of the fourth season, which meant that Brosnan was free to play James Bond in The Living Daylights the following year. However, shortly after the end of the fourth season, NBC had second thoughts about canceling Remington Steele and subsequently approached the Bond producers directly, in an attempt to strike a deal that would allow Brosnan to play both James Bond and the Remington Steele the following year. NBC also offered to completely reschedule the shooting of Remington Steele to ensure that there were no scheduling conflicts. But eventually, Albert R. Broccoli famously told NBC that "James Bond will not be Remington Steele and Remington Steele will not be James Bond." Accordingly, Brosnan would only play Bond if the show remained canceled. NBC had a 60 day deadline to revoke their decision to cancel Remington Steele series and at 6.30pm on the 60th day of the deadline, Brosnan learned that NBC decided to make a fifth season. The Bond producers subsequently prevented Brosnan from becoming the next James Bond. Subsequently, the role went to Timothy Dalton, who was now finally available. NBC went on to make only six episodes of the fifth season of Remington Steele before finally canceling the show for good.
- In addition to Dalton and Brosnan, Sam Neill was also considered as were Mel Gibson, Mark Greenstreet, Lambert Wilson (whose thick French accent disqualified him), Antony Hamilton, Findlay Light, Andrew Clarke and Sean Bean. Bean eventually went to play 006 agent Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye opposite subsequent Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who was also one of the choices considered to play 007 in this film.
- Robert Bathurst auditioned for the role of James Bond, after being persuaded by a casting director. He later admitted in an interview that his "ludicrous audition" was an "arm-twisting exercise" as the producers still wanted Timothy Dalton, with whom they were concerned was still "on the fence" as far as taking the role.
- Timothy Dalton was officially announced as the new James Bond and to appear in this movie on 7 August 1986.
- Maryam d'Abo was originally hired only to appear in screen tests opposite actors screen testing for the role of the new James Bond. When she was cast as leading lady Kara Milovy, Pierce Brosnan was still set to be the new James Bond.
- Maryam d'Abo had previously tested for the role of Pola Ivanova in A View to a Kill. Barbara Broccoli remembered her audition and recommended her for the role of Kara Milovy.
- Kara Milovy (Maryam d'Abo) is, to date, the last "main" Bond girl to be blonde. All subsequent leading Bond girls have been brunettes or red-haired.
- Maryam D'Abo has remained as a solid ambassador for the series in the years that followed, hosting the 2002 documentary "Bond Girls Are Forever", and later in 2003 co-writing a book version with noted Bond biographer John Cork. Updated versions were released in 2007 to cover the women of Casino Royale, and a new 2012 version was shown on the Sky Movies 007 channel in the UK to include the women of Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.
- Joe Don Baker, who plays the evil Brad Whitaker, later played helpful CIA agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies.
- Brad Whitaker's personal war museum included busts and statues of himself dressed up as the following leaders of military history: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Adolf Hitler, Napoléon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington and Gaio Giulio Cesare.
- German actor Andreas Wisniewski, who played Greek assassin Necros, was a noted dancer before turning to acting.
- The character of Kamran Shah, portrayed by Pakistani born, British based actor Art (real first name Athar ul-Haque) Malik, was originally known as Ranjit Khan in earlier drafts of the script.
- The character of General Leonid Pushkin, played here by John Rhys-Davies, was originally to have been General Gogol. Indeed, Pushkin is chief of the KGB, the very position Gogol held in previous appearances. A new character was created actor after Walter Gotell fell ill and producer Albert R. Broccoli could not get him insured. Gotell has said Broccoli even offered to pay an extensive sum personally but still could not get coverage. Pushkin's girlfriend was likewise supposed to be the secretary seen romancing Gogol in several films. Gotell was able to film a cameo as Gogol (now a member of the Soviet foreign office) for the end of the movie, marking that character's final appearance.
- General Gogol is credited in the closing credits as General Anatol Gogol even though in the earlier James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me the M character called him by his first name naming him Alexis.
- Nadim Sawalha, who played the Tangier Chief of Security in this movie, previously played Aziz Fekkesh in the earlier James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Peter Porteous, who played the Gasworks supervisor, was the jewel forger Lenkin in Octopussy.
- The final film of Geoffrey Keen (Minister Frederick Gray) before his retirement from acting.
- The first official James Bond movie in 25 years not to feature Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny. This is the first Bond movie in the series to feature a new actress (Caroline Bliss) in this role..
- The casting of Frederick Warder and Glyn Baker as 004 and 002 was intentional, due to their resemblance to George Lazenby and Roger Moore, respectively. For the movie's opening scene, the writers wanted to toy with the audience's expectations of which of the 00 agents was Bond.
PRODUCTION NOTES-
- Last James Bond movie to use an original Ian Fleming title until Casino Royale, a gap of almost twenty years. The film was originally proposed as a reboot to restart the Bond series, but the idea was dropped. It was taken up again with Casino Royale in 2006.
- The third Bond film with the word "live" or "living" in it. The other two are You Only Live Twice, and Live And Let Die.
- The script was originally written with Roger Moore in mind, since it was thought that he would do one more before leaving the role. When Roger Moore announced in late 1985 that he would not be returning as Bond, the script was rewritten for Pierce Brosnan. Some of the humorous bits from the earlier draft remained however making the film much lighter than the next film, Licence to Kill, which was written tailor made for Dalton's more serious take on the role.
- Due to the fatal AIDS virus garnering worldwide attention, Bond becomes a one-woman man for the first time in the James Bond franchise.
- There are three parallels in the film to the earlier James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. These occur during the beginning of the film. Koskov is being detained and debriefed during lunch, he mentions Gogol's dislike for the new policy of détente. At the end of For Your Eyes Only, Bond throws the ATAC off of the mountain and tells Gogol "That's détente General, You don't have it, I don't have it". In the kitchen of the very same building is a parrot that has a striking resemblance to Max, the Havelocks' parrot from For Your Eyes Only (the James Bond encyclopedia by John Cork and Collin Stutz confirms it is in fact the same bird). During the lunch, Koskov says of Pushkin, "We were once like brothers". In For Your Eyes Only, Kristatos also uses the same line when speaking about Columbo.
- This marks the first time Alec Mills was director of photography on a Bond film though he had first worked second unit 18 years before on On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
- In the trailer, the woman on the boat in the pre-title sequence (Belle Avery) talks with her own voice before it was re-dubbed.
- This film marked the final occasion (to date) in which M's office is relocated to an unusual location - in this case an airplane. The gag dates back to You Only Live Twice but has not reappeared in any of the Bond films made since 1987, though The World Is Not Enough comes close (The Eilean Donan Castle, located near the Isle of Skye, West Scotland).
- An ending similar to the one that featured a parody of Margaret Thatcher and Denis Thatcher in For Your Eyes Only was originally intended for the movie. It was to include instead a parody of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. However, the idea was scrapped.
- The rocket fired from the "ghetto blaster" in Q's lab was an effect activated off-screen by Britain's Prince Charles - who was touring the studio at the time of filming. The effects crew offered to allow Prince Charles to activate the rocket that was used in the final cut of the film. The Royal visit also instigated the famous footage/photograph of Princess Diana hitting her husband over the head with a breakaway bottle (apparently instigated by actor Jeroen Krabbé).
- The gourmet food contained in the picnic basket brought by James Bond to General Georgi Koskov at the Blayden Safe House included Bollinger RD Champagne, Caviar and Foie gras. The contents mentioned are pretty much the same as what James Bond has in his suitcase at the Shrublands Health Clinic in Thunderball.
- Final Bond movie to date to show a bevy of women scene. Here it was a swimming pool full of girls in bikinis at Brad Whitaker's villa mansion.
- Features the only ever deliberate nude scenes in the James Bond film series outside of opening titles. They are when two men escape from a bombed building and when Pushkin's girlfriend's top is torn off in a hotel room.
- Some unedited footage was stolen and videos were sold as if they were the completed movie. Albert R. Broccoli and the other producers then released a poster explaining that this copy of the movie was unfinished and had no soundtrack or special effects at all, saying that the only way to see the real movie was going to the cinema.
THE PTS- ON TOP OF THE ROCK
- In the opening scene at Gibraltar, real military installations were used. These included a Ministry of Defence road not open to the public. The machine gun nest on the airstrip was not authentic.
- A stuntman was originally going to play the role of The Impostor, the Russian assassin in Gibraltar at the beginning, but after watching rushes, director John Glen decided that they needed a real actor for the part and it was given to Carl Rigg. At the time, Rigg was out of work and staying home, taking care of his baby while his wife was away on business. Upon getting the call, Rigg left the baby with a neighbor, left his wife a note telling her he'd gone to be in a James Bond movie, and caught the next plane to Gibraltar to start filming.
- Timothy Dalton performed the opening sequence atop of a fast moving jeep going down the side of the Rock of Gibraltar himself.
LEAVING CZECHOSLOVAKIA, NEXT STOP VIENNA-
- Contrary to popular belief that the rifle Bond uses during Pushkin's defection is a prop, it is an actual WA2000 sniper rifle, perfect for Bond since it's designed by Walther Firearms, maker of his classic PPK.
- The name of the gas pipeline which crossed from Czechslovakia to Austria was the Trans Siberian Pipeline. The gas pipeline vehicle used for Koskov's defection escape is an actual piece of equipment known as a Scouring Pig. It is used to check and clean the natural gas pipeline between Western Europe and Russia. The apparatus was adapted though for the movie so as to be able to carry a person.
- Bond and Kara were originally going to escape from Kara's apartment by stealing the car belonging to one of the KGB agent supposedly keeping an eye on her. The KGB agents give chase and Bond writes the car off on the ice of a frozen lake, the couple continuing their flight aboard a hijacked ice schooner.
- The cello case chase sequence in the snow took three days to shoot. The cello was specially made of fiberglass, and fitted with control handles on the sides and skis underneath. Firecrackers were set in the snow to simulate gunfire and during filming the case would tend to topple over as Timothy Dalton was heavier than Maryam d'Abo. The exciting sequence was the brainchild of director John Glen who had to convince doubting colleagues Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson and Albert R. Broccoli. He did this by hopping into an actual orchestral cello case himself.
WORKING IN MOROCCO-
- In the finished movie Bond's escape from the Tangier police, following the assassination of Pushkin, ends with him jumping over rooftops and heading towards the town center. The scene originally ended with Bond sliding down a rug on top of telegraph wires and landing on the back of a tradesman's motorcycle (a role played by stunt rider Eddie Kidd). The scene was removed due to the producers believing the comic element to be out of touch with the rest of the film, though it can be seen in full as a deleted scene "Magic Carpet Ride" on the DVD.
- On escaping from the air base in Afghanistan, Bond and Kara were to have been taken to Landi- Kotal by Ranjit Khan [who later became Kamran Shah] where they witness a massive arms bazaar. They are pursued by jailers from the air base and Bond disposes of one of them by pitching him into a pit full of yarn dye. He eludes his other pursuers by using his exploding key ring to set off the contents of a Chinese fireworks warehouse. The arms bazaar sequence would eventually turn up in the teaser to "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997).
- Originally, Bond and Kara did not escape from Koskov's Hercules on a jeep, but actually flew with the aircraft to a US aircraft carrier which Bond was going to attempt a landing on, despite the US navy's attempts to shoot them down. When M and Moneypenny step in to confirm the identity of the pilot, the carrier captain was to have allowed Bond to make his landing but the oversized aircraft careers off the end of the deck and Bond and Kara survive only by clinging to a cargo net.
- This was the first appearance of the Felix Leiter character in the EON Productions official series since Live and Let Die, a gap of fourteen years.
- First James Bond film where the fate of a main villain (General Georgi Koskov) was to be arrested, although it is implied that he will be executed shortly after.
FILM PROMOTION-
- The last Bond film (as of 2012) to carry an MPAA rating of PG.
- The film's Royal World Premiere was held on 29th June 1987 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royals Prince Charles and Princess Diana of England.
- The literal translations of some of this film's foreign language titles include Spies Die At Dawn (Denmark); Danger Zone (Italy); 007: High Tension (Spain); Death Is Not A Game/ To Kill Is Not To Play (France); 007 And The Danger Zone (Finland); Icecold Mission (Sweden); Facing Death (Poland); His Name Is Danger (Chile); The Touch Of Death/The Breeze Of Death (West Germany); 007 In The Dangerous Zone (Israel/Hebrew); Perigo Imediato/Immediate Danger (Portugal), 007 Destined To Die (Brazil), and In The Line Of Fire (Norway)
- Product placements, brand integrations and promotional tie-ins for this movie include Aston Martin Lagonda; Audi AG; Carlsberg Beer; Harrods; Bollinger Champagne; Cartier; Phillips Electronics; J&B Rare Scotch on red and yellow umbrellas in the opening sequence; Rolex Watches (Rolex Submariner 16800/168000)
- Although it is often assumed that James Bond wears a Rolex in this film because he does so subsequently in Licence to Kill, no such watch can be identified here. Only the bracelet on 007's "Tangier Rooftop Watch" can be seen (briefly). And his other timekeeper, the "Gibraltar Watch", shows in close-up as clearly having a black case, black bracelet, and off-white dial: Definitely not a Rolex in that one.
- The woman who appeared in a white negligee in one of the movie's main posters was American model Kathy Stangel. She was allegedly paid $600 for this modeling job. This poster caused some controversy because it seemed to evoke violence against women, as the poster girl appeared at the end of a gun barrel. The Canadian University of Saskatchewan student newspaper actually refused to run the ad for the movie when the movie was going to play on campus - and the paper was apparently nearly closed down. However, the poster did not generate as much controversy as the one from For Your Eyes Only.
- The Red Cross organization in the USA, UK and Canada protested against the use of the Red Cross emblem and symbol in the movie. It can be seen on a helicopter during the escape from the Blayden House siege and later in the film on sacks containing opium. They maintained that its use in the film was inappropriate and unauthorized. Interestingly, helicopters showing a Red Cross logo can be seen in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
- The DVD was pulled out of circulation because the 15 year distribution license sold by Danjaq to MGM had expired and the rights could not be resolved in time for the release.
- A coming next summer teaser poster issued a year before the movie was released portrayed a 1950s/1960s sports car fitted with a number plate with license number "007" and a tagline stating "Licensed To Thrill."
- As a thank you for supporting the production by loaning cars, Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett was offered a small role as a KGB colonel, but did not have the time to play the part.
MUSIC AND GAMING NOTES-
- Last Bond film to be scored by John Barry.
- On working with Chrissie Hynde, Barry remarked "Chrissie Hynde was lovely: I adored working with her".
- Conversely, Barry likened working with a-ha as "playing ping-pong with 4 different balls". Predictably, a-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen disagreed, stating "It was great. We were working with John Barry. He just wasn't working with us". Director John Glen wasn't crazy about the choice after seeing them in concert but conceded that it was done to keep the series up to date in appealing to a younger audience. Co-producer Michael G. Wilson would later reveal candidly that EON was somewhat disappointed in the collaboration's result.
- This was the first Bond film to feature a different song over the closing credits. It was called "If There Was a Man" and was performed by The Pretenders who sang two songs for the movie, the other being "Where Has Everybody Gone?". The group were originally considered for the title song but, following the huge success of Duran Duran's song "A View to a Kill", it was decided to go with a "trendier" group. Chrissie Hynde of the The Pretenders also has sung a cover version of the Bond song "Live and Let Die" which can be heard on the David Arnold Bond song compilation album, "Shaken and Stirred: the David Arnold James Bond Project".
- Naturally, with a movie that features orchestras and cellos, this Bond film features a number of pieces of classical music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 40th Symphony in G minor (1st movement) is heard being played at the Bratislava Conservatoire during the defection sequence ; Aleksandr Borodin's String Quartet No. 2 in D major (3rd movement) is heard the second time James Bond is in the audience hearing Kara perform at the Bratislava Conservatoire ; when Bond and Kara arrive in Vienna they hear Johann Strauß's Wine, Women and Song Waltz ; the opera they hear in Vienna is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Il Nozze di Figaro (act 2) ; Kara practices Antonín Dvorák's Cello Concerto as Bond returns to the hotel room ; and at the film's end, Kara is playing Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. These pieces of music are not included on the movie's soundtrack because they are only excerpted for the film. After this movie, James Bond does not visit the opera again in a Bond film until Quantum of Solace where the Te Deum scene and parts of Act 2 of the opera "Tosca" are seen.
- Morten Harket, the lead singer of the title song performing pop group A-Ha, was offered a small role as a bad guy in the movie. He turned down the offer due to extensive touring in Japan.
- A company called Domark issued a video game entitled "The Living Daylights".
THE RETURN OF THE ASTON MARTIN, GEORGE JUNG AIRWAYS, AND OTHER VEHICLES-
- Vehicles featured included a gun-metal gray colored 1986 / 1987 5.3 liter Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Series 2 seen in both coupé hard top and convertible soft-top editions; a Series III MOD British Army short-wheel base Land Rover; an Audi 100 Avant for 007 driving in Tangiers and a stone gray metallic Audi 200 Quattro as a defection getaway car; General Pushkin's two Mercedes-Benz Pullmann limousines; Army jeeps and trucks including a Soviet Army UAZ-469 jeep; a GMC Vandura Red Crescent Ambulance; various Lada models used as Slovakian Police cars: VAZ 2101, VAZ 2102, VAZ 2103, VAZ 2106; VAZ 2105 (vehicle that KGB spy waits in when Kara and Bond flee away from her apartment); a GAZ 3102 Volga (car in which Kara is taken away after picked from tram); a Lockheed Hercules C-130 cargo airplane; a British Aerospace Harrier T10 V/STOL; a Transport Allianz C-160 Transall aircraft; two Panhard AML 245 armored-cars; a land rover escape vehicle; a Vienna Tram; a Chevrolet Impala convertible; an Airporttractor with staircase; Iveco Ford Cargo truck; a VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé - Armoured Vanguard Vehicle) AFV (Armoured Fighting Vehicle); a gas pipeline Scouring Pig for fast defections; a combo cello-cello case two-seater ski rig; a Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter with dummy Red Cross markings; and a Moonmaiden II Yacht for Bond dropping in during the opening sequence.
- Gadgets included on the Aston Martin Volante featuring in the movie included a laser beam cutter, lower front firing automatic missiles, studded tyres, skis that protrude from under the doors, plane cockpit style head-up display, a special radio with multi-transmission accessibility, hinged number plates, bullet-proof glass, a rocket jet propulsion unit and self-destruct button.
- A Hercules plane is unable to taxi with its ramp lowered on the ground. During the escaped scene in Afganistan, the production team built the rear end of a Hercules on the back of a large furniture lorry, hence the different ramp design and narrower fuselage when Kara drives in. It was not a C-123 in these scenes as previously suspected.
- The MediVac helicopter, a Bell UH-1 "Huey" (registration G-HUEY), was originally used by the Argentine Army. It was captured by the British during the Falklands War, and used as a support aircraft until being sold to the private sector.
FLEMING AND OTHER REFERENCES-
- "The Living Daylights" short story, the third short story in Ian Fleming's "Octopussy" (aka "Octopussy and the Living Daylights") collection is briefly referenced at the start of the earlier James Bond movie, Octopussy. This is when a British agent is seen trying to escape from East to West Germany. This is where the original "Living Daylights" short story is set. The equivalent sequence in The Living Daylights movie is not set in East/West Germany but set in Czechoslovakia/Austria.
- "Octopussy and The Living Daylights" was the 14th and the final Ian Fleming James Bond book published in 1966. Sometimes released as just "Octopussy", it was the second posthumous book in the series after "The Man With The Golden Gun". Before he died, Fleming had intended to produce a second book of James Bond short stories like the "For Your Eyes Only" collection. "The Living Daylights" short story was first published in The London Sunday Times color supplement on 4 February 1962. Its working title was "Trigger Finger".
- The first line of the Ian Fleming James Bond "The Living Daylights" short-story read: "James Bond lay at the five-hundred yard firing point of the famous Century range at Bisley." The last lines read: "James Bond said wearily, 'Okay. With any luck it'll cost me my Double-O number. But tell Head of Station not to worry. That girl won't do any more sniping. Probably lost her left hand. Certainly broke her nerve for that kind of work. Scared the living daylights out of her. In my book, that was enough. Let's go".
- The character of Kara Milovy is suggested by the golden-haired cellist sniper known as "Trigger" in the original Ian Fleming short story "The Living Daylights". Ian Fleming is said to have based this character in the original short story on Amaryllis Fleming, his cellist half-sister. The sniper sequence in this movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of this short story. The original story read: "There was something almost indecent in the idea of that bulbous, ungainly instrument between her splayed thighs. Of course Suggia had managed to look elegant, and so did that girl Amaryllis somebody". Bond's assistant sniper Captain Paul Sender becomes Saunders in the film.
- The sniper-duel scene is a reasonably straight adaptation of the eponymous Ian Fleming James Bond short-story. The rest of the film is a new creation. The tale of General Georgi Koskov was inspired by 1985's true-life defection of KGB agent Vitaly Yurchenko who soon shortly after re-defected back to the Soviet Union. The war in Afghanistan and Soviet politics also contributed to the movie's storyline.
- The plot relating to the embezzlement of Soviet funds by Soviet official General Georgi Koskov contains story elements used by Ian Fleming in the James Bond novel and film versions of "Casino Royale".
- General Pushkin's surname is a nod to the Russian poet and novelist Alexander Pushkin, just as General Gogol's name was a nod to the Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol.
CAMEOS-
John Barry: as the conductor of Kara's orchestra in the final scene.
Michael G. Wilson: At the opera, sitting near Saunders, to the right of the lady with a white dress.
Simon Crane: The Stuntman as Gibraltar Soldier No. #1.
Paul Weston: The Stuntman as Gibraltar Soldier No. #3.
Barbara Broccoli: As a soldier during the snow sequence.
Thanks for the compliments as well. I am hoping the George Jung quip gets a chuckle out of you and others ;)
I can only echo Sandy's words.
Glad I got the Portuguese title right this time ;). Thanks again for your many contributions to this thread :)
LMFAO , oh brother :D
I can see it now! After getting drunk at the Mojava Club, JW pepper got lost and wandered around the pyramids.
Where da hell am I goin!?! *soon bumps into Jaws.* Who are you some kinda doomsday pointy head? *Jaws proceeds to finish him off and dump him in the pyramid afterwards.*
-MZ/MD beats Necros
-TLD prolly beats AVTAKs score , although AVTAK was a very good ost too.
-Kara beats Stacey
-Necros beats Scarpine
-Mortner vs Whitaker , tie afai concerned
-TLD beats AVTAKs plot
-TLD is more mature mood , like OHMSS.....very low key humor
-TLDs action beats AVTAK (although horse fight/GG fight delivered the goods)
-TLD car beats AVTAK (MZs Rolls was a beauty though ;)
-Airship vs Hercules plane.....blimp wins , although it's difficult cuz they're both cool in their own way.
-AVTAK "GG" Gouzee poster beats TLDs "Dalton in circle" art although TLD is very nice too (yrs before I saw AVTAK I was facinated by the GG VHS sleeve art , very iconic)
LTK also had a better villain than TLD , as charming Georgi could be though ;)
1. Timothy Dalton has always been a bit of an unloved Bond in the public eye. I am going to give my answer to this question in context of myself so the question can best be answered the way I would like it to be. When I first saw Dalton in the 1986 film "The Doctor And The Devils", I thought he looked like he could be Bond, but decided like the others that came after Sir Sean Connery, he also had to convince me he could be the Bond I wanted to see. There was a certain moment in TLD when he convinced me of that. Did that moment happen for you during this film, or during LTK, or was it in hindsight after his tenure had ended?
2. A great question proposed by @BeatlesSansEarmuffs. As we know from history, the Mujahideen (meaning "strugglers", "those doing jihad/holy war") Army rose up as a loosely knit group during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Many of these early fighters, including the late Osama bin Laden who financed the efforts as well as actively participated, formed the anti-Western al-Qaeda group after the Western powers were no longer useful once the Soviets withdrew. So in hindsight, did the alliance between Bond and Kamran Shah's band of men seem ill advised, and if so why, or was it in timely step with the West's view of the situation that these "freedom fighters" needed all the assistance we could give them at the time to fight the Soviet "evil empire"?
3. How did you personally feel about Bond becoming a "one woman man" during this film? Did you also find it to be antithetical to the usual cinematic character and thus an overreaction to the AIDS epidemic, or conveniently simply more in line with Flening's literary version of the character that Dalton was portraying?
4. Starting in Afghanistan, the innocent citizen Kara all of a sudden becomes scrappy and starts fighting the bad guys with fists, feet, and metal pails. Again, antithetical to the character portrayed beforehand, or something you could accept as simply someone just fighting as best as she could for her survival?
5. There was a major editing gaffe seen when we see a plane wing crash into the jeep Koskov was driving in pursuit of Bond and explode it into flames, only to see Koskov emerge seconds later just a little bit beat up and bail out. Did this negate your enjoyment of this sequence in any way?
When was the moment when Dalton became Bond for me, a Bond that I would really embrace, the Bond I wanted to see? (to paraphrase your #1 thesis question).
I was convinced Dalton had the looks and moves to be Bond from the beginning of the wonderful PTS (my image of Bond was shaped by Connery and Moore yes, but also by the books) - but it was when he did not shoot Kara that gave me a solid Bondian feeling. His whole attitude about it, his curtness with Saunders, just every way he played that entire scene of not shooting her and his attitude and actions afterwards. I totally bought him as Bond then, and it reflected back to the Bond I loved from the novels. I remember it almost as a physical sensation, like a tingle, because I knew I could settle back and really get into this movie with Timothy Dalton as Bond. And I was not in any way disappointed.
And #3: How did I feel about this Bond being a "one-woman" Bond? I liked it, actually. First of all, technically, we feel that he had a good hour of shagalicious time with the woman in the PTS on the boat, so it was not entirely a one-woman Bond film for him. But other than that, and after he met Kara, yes he was only with her. But because of her character being so compelling, their chemistry being so just right I felt, it was perfectly okay with me. This movie ended up with a truly romantic final moment, and I for one loved it. It was rather refreshing for me, and yet was still very much James Bond. It may well have been decided because the climate of the time was becoming sensitive to the explosion of AIDS worldwide. I do not know. Kara was also dressed comparatively demurely this entire film. But I enjoyed them together and I thought they sparked each other. I think it was a good move because it set this movie apart as different from the past Bond films, notably the last one with Moore which had him shagging 4 women and the glaring age difference. So nice to go the other way, to put Timothy's Bond in a fresh new light; yes, that too.
I will get to the other questions later - thanks again, SirHenry, for this fantastically interesting and thoughtful thread. :-bd
Between then & now I read all the Fleming novels, so when I gave Tim's movies a second go, his excellence hit me like a ton of bricks.
2. This was one thing that I really didn't like back in '87, being as politically knowledgeable as I was then. I felt the Mujahideen were portrayed as kind of warm & fuzzy for my Eighties sensibilities (and even MORE so in Rambo III). But now, looking back, it works as a "The enemy of my enemy..." kind of thing in the espionage game.
3. Bond shagging only two females was fine with me- the AIDS thing was and is irrelevant to Dalton's Flemingesque depiction of the character.
4. Kara was consistent in the movie IMO. She became as feisty as she needed to become to survive, within the scope of her physical abilities.
5. I'm used to editing gaffes and can easily see my way around them. If anything, that moment made me reflect fondly on the Bruce Willis movie "Hudson Hawk" when Danny Aiello's character exclaims "Airbags! Can you f***in' believe it?!?!?!"
:))
1) I first saw Dalton as Prince Barin in Flash Gordon, and was quite impressed with his obvious charisma. He absolutely took the screen away from that movie's alleged star every instant he was on screen. "This guy could be an Errol Flynn-type Robin Hood," I thought at the time. "This guy could be James Bond!" My TLD review earlier this week notes some of my favorite scenes in this movie with Dalton as Bond, but the moment he absolutely sealed the deal for me was in the sniper sequence, when he switches from his dinner-jacket-and-black tie Bond "costume" to the all-black "sniper" outfit with what seems like the single snap of a velcro flap, and suddenly the debonair concert-goer becomes a man with a license --and instructions-- to kill.
2) At the time, the move made political sense, as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and I knew full well that the western powers were already aiding the mujahideen by supplying them with weaponry. But there was a little sneaking sense in the back of my mind that some day we might very well look back at this film with ironic eyes.
3) In those days, the only advance word we got on upcoming films was through articles in the newspapers and magazines -- and each of them told us dutifully that Bond's newfound monogamy in this film was a response to the onslaught of AIDS. I didn't believe it then, and I don't believe it now. Fleming's Bond was a serial monogamist, and the differences between the literary Bond and the cinematic one are many. I'm among those who think that this situation is more a matter of Dalton's well-known and amply demonstrated desire to bring his interpretation of the character back in line with Fleming's original blueprint.
4) I think Kara is consistent throughout the movie. Remember, at the beginning of the movie we find her sticking her head out a window, pointing a rifle at her lover. Kara was plenty feisty from the get-go!
5) Yes, I was vaguely surprised to see Georgi survive -- but, hey! I've seen plenty of movie serials where you expect a major character to die in a similar explosion at the end of one episode, only to find out a week later, at the beginning of the next episode, that he jumped free just in time. My suspension of disbelief gets lubricated on a regular basis, so this was a matter of little consequence for me.
2) I was afraid of the Afghans and felt uncomfortable with the alliance. I think that @DarthDimi made a great point in his thesis thread that Shah's Western manners and English accent made the audience more comfortable with it all. I know that this was certainly the case for me at the time.
3) This was all over my head at the time of course. I will say that I really liked the chemistry between Dalton and d'Abo and I bought into the romance completely. I feel the same way 26 years later.
4) I found it to be a little awkward to be honest. I don't think that it suited her character very well.
5) Not such a shocker considering that we were only one film removed from the Moore era ;)
Only you can judge your available time, @Soundofthesinners -- but I'm pretty sure every forum member is entitled to respond to the thesis questions, or to express your opinion on any matter that comes before us. I believe that "original" status only applies to being able to have your scores tallied in the running totals that SirHenry updates regularly. Please, let us know what you think!
1. I was too young to go to the cinema when Dalton became Bond, so I cannot tell you how I felt about him. However, the moment when he turns to the camera during the PTS is one of my favourites in any Bond film and that alone could have sold Dalton as Bond to me ;)
2. I think it was ill-advised, at least from what I used to hear the opinion in Europe was that the Americans only supported these "freedom fighters" because they were against the Soviets, in a sort of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" way. There were signs that they were extremists from the start, after they beat the Soviets they had to find some other enemy to focus on...
3. I have no problem with it, as it is much more in line with the book Bond. But after an ageing Moore had no less than 3 (!) women in the last film it surely must have looked strange to casual movie goers.
4. All I can say is better late than never! Survival instinct is a powerful force so it doesn't look that strange to me.
5. Not at all, it's just a minor detail.
#2 - I had no real opinion at the time and in hindsight, it seems that we (U.S.) seemed to always too quickly call people "freedom fighters" if they were against any communist regime, especially the Soviets. So we come off looking not so good, I think.
#4 - Kara's change not only did not bother me but seemed natural to me - she was hanging out with James Bond, after all! And she has guts at the beginning, to try to pose as a sniper. No, it never seemed out of place to me.
#5 - Again, did not bother me at all in my James Bond universe; so minor I never thought of it really.
1. Casino Royale- 4.33
2. Goldfinger- 4.30
3. From Russia With Love- 4.26
4. Skyfall (6/7 reviews)- 4.17
5. The Living Daylights- 4.11
6. Thunderball- 4.09
7. The Spy Who Loved Me- 4.06
8. Licence To Kill- 4.05
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service- 3.99
10. For Your Eyes Only- 3.91
11. You Only Live Twice- 3.90
12. Live And Let Die- 3.81
13. GoldenEye- 3.75
14. Octopussy- 3.73
15. Tomorrow Never Dies- 3.63
16. Dr. No- 3.57
17. Quantum Of Solace- 3.42
18. A View To A Kill- 3.31
19. The World Is Not Enough- 3.17
20. The Man With The Golden Gun- 3.09
21. Diamonds Are Forever- 2.99
22. Moonraker- 2.96
23. Die Another Day- 2.70
Good evening fellow originals and guests! After @BeatlesSansEarmuffs recent review of The Living Daylights came in with a generally accepted score of 41 out of 50, the rating barely moved from 4.12 to 4.11, a negligible difference that did not change the ranking.
My continuous thanks to everyone who has participated in the thesis questions. Overall participation was little down this week but solid enough for some resolutions, and the trivia is still popular.
Regarding the polling of the 5 The Living Daylights thesis questions, which will include my views, here's the consensus-
1. Timothy Dalton has always been a bit of an unloved Bond in the public eye. I am going to give my answer to this question in context of myself so the question can best be answered the way I would like it to be. When I first saw Dalton in the 1986 film "The Doctor And The Devils", I thought he looked like he could be Bond but decided like the others that came after Sir Sean Connery, he also had to convince me he could be the Bond I wanted to see. There was a certain moment in TLD when he convinced me of that. Did that moment happen for you during this film, or during LTK, or was it in hindsight after his tenure had ended?
A mixed reaction here as to when, but a very positive one all the way around. Those of us who knew of Dalton beforehand thought he would do a good job, those who first saw him act in this film bought in within the first 15 minutes, only one respondent initially thought he was "okay" only to realize in time that he agreed with the rest of us regarding his greatness. For myself, it took awhile longer during opening weekend. I noticed he had the "stone killer" eyes during the sniper sequence, which is what I always look for first in any new Bond actor, but thought he was a little heavy handed in his delivery (his "strawberry jam" quip as an example) until the moment where he confronted Pushkin. That was what sold me completely on him, and I've never had reason to not love the guy since.
2. A great question proposed by @BeatlesSansEarmuffs. As we know from history, the Mujahideen (meaning "strugglers", "those doing jihad/holy war") Army rose up as a loosely knit group during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. With many of these early fighters, including the late Osama bin Laden who financed the efforts as well as actively participated, having formed the anti-Western al-Qaeda group after the Western powers were no longer useful once the Soviets withdrew, does the alliance between Bond and Kamran Shah's band of men seem ill advised in hindsight, and if so why, or was it in hindsight in step with the West's view of the situation that these "freedom fighters" needed all the assistance we could give them at the time to fight the Soviet "evil empire"?
Everyone realizes in hindsight that it was a grave political error to help the Mujahideen, but at the time it was indeed an "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" deal and @Sandy is right in what she heard- I highly doubt that the NATO powers, with the U.S and the U.K leading the way, would have provided nearly the level of assistance if a then hated communist power like the Soviets hadn't been involved. Of course, NATO turning their back on the ruined country once the Soviets had been driven out sure helped al-Qaeda's personal agenda, and for myself this was the bigger mistake committed there. We would have looked much better to the Afghans and Arabs in general by helping them get back on their feet, rather than as Craig wisely notes in QOS, "leaving them to pick up the broken crockery". @Pachazo's point via Darth Dimi regarding how palatable Kamran Shah was to Western audiences via his accent, English education, and general manners, the same parallel that existed for actor Art Malik in real life, certainly added to the "goodwill factor".
3. How did you personally feel about Bond becoming a "one woman man" during this film? Did you also find it to be antithetical to the usual cinematic character and thus an overreaction to the AIDS epidemic, or conveniently simply more in line with Fleming's literary version of the character that Dalton was portraying?
No one had a problem with Bond suspending rampant shagging in favor of romance with a single woman. Not to mention that the press beforehand told us that this is what we'd be getting. I noticed two things for myself. First, only one person answered my thought that in a typical Fleming story, Bond tended to be a one woman per mission type, and agreed with my stance that it was obviously clear that the previous eras were indeed a cinematic adaptation antithetical to the books in this regard, and thus fitting with Dalton's ideas. The other was that Bond slept with yacht lady Linda, which I personally thought didn't happen. It seemed obvious that he didn't stop so much as to smile when interrupting her phone call, but when offered a drink he decided with a smile that some happy hour celebration before reporting was in order. The idea didn't fit with the one woman deal they maintained we were getting.
4. Starting in Afghanistan, the innocent citizen Kara all of a sudden becomes scrappy and starts fighting the bad guys with fists, feet, and metal pails. Again, antithetical to the character portrayed beforehand, or something you could accept as simply someone just fighting as best as she could for her survival?
The most mixed response to all this week's questions. Some thought it made sense, others didn't. My thoughts were that if Kara looked enough like an amateur for Bond to notice and show mercy by not blasting her dead and then having to defend his decision to disregard an order, not to mention how naive she seemed in general, I didn't buy her sudden feistiness too much and thought it a bit out of place. I just rationalized it as simply a case of her realizing she had no choice to fight for her life because she sure couldn't keep up with Bond like others. Definitely more in line with Tanya Roberts than Carey Lowell as a relevant example of the movies at that time.
5. There was a major editing gaffe seen when we see a plane wing crash into the jeep Koskov was driving in pursuit of Bond and explode it into flames, only to see Koskov emerge seconds later just a little bit beat up and bail out. Did this negate your enjoyment of this sequence in any way?
Everyone noticed the gaffe, but it didn't seem to have any discernible effect on us as viewers. I will assume everyone was very happy with the movie in general and gave Glen a pass as a result.
Well, that wraps up our look back at The Living Daylights, and now it's on to the revisit of yet another of one of my personal top 5 favorites, Timothy Dalton's swan song after much too short a tenure, Licence To Kill. I must admit that Beatles comments about a few problems have already made me nervous as to what he has to say about it, but I also realize it's one of those "love it or not love it" more controversial entries and so we'll see. Until then, have a great weekend everyone!
I think you'll do just fine as far as the thesis questions go ;) And to be fair, you were just that your review and I'm sure Beatles will be as well.