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Comments
A small thing- your review was absolutely spot-on, my friend!!!!!!
Well, it's James Bond's film at the end analysis and he is the hero so no surprises his heroism is allowed to shine through, at least not to me.
I did score GE higher myself and think it's an overall emotionally deeper and more intelligently written film, but I agree that TND holds together better for me as well for everything you've mentioned, plus Arnold's music is such a huge difference maker for me and my musical tastes and sensibilities.
BROSNAN- After reading your review of his performance, I still can't quite put my finger on why he seems to fit my view of Bond best of all in this film. As he said in trivia notes I'll release this evening, he was having "a bloody good time" making the film, perhaps it's this more relaxed and natural take that I'm enjoying. I haven't yet seen a film people rave on his performance in, "The Tailor Of Panama", and I can't wait to see "November Man" personally, but in the same year of TWINE he was in the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" and he carried himself in such a manner there that I wished he'd done a lot more of in the Bond films. Just an air of confident swagger is the best I can describe it as.
WOMEN- Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin is my fave Bond leading lady of the era. I have a certain affection for Natalya and the French goddess known as Sophie Marceau, but Wai Lin kicks ass in a way Berry/Jinx simply can't touch. She is clearly a martial artist in her own right and not a Berry stunt double, she has real life balls as far as doing her own stunts, and a warm and humorous way about her character that reflects her real life persona. I love her every scene and she's not your typical cold Commie type. Hatcher? Ugh. Like Pierce said, they were fools not to hire Monica Bellucci. It was all about star power, from Hatcher to Crow. And up until Skyfall, this approach seems to waste money rather than make it. Bond films have always done better with the lesser or unknown types, they always seem to work harder, and Yeoh had a lot on the line as this was her debut international film.
VILLAINS- I don't love nor hate Pryce. But can you imagine Anthony Hopkins as Carver? You'll read about how they had and lost him in the trivia. Stamper and Gupta were just sort of there. While more realistic for sure than the GE villains and those to come, the GE crew were a lot more entertaining and sinister for me.
THE REST- The action was much more realistic than in GE, the helicopter question may be the lone valid complaint and one I can't answer as far as expertise, but it was all more entertaining for me personally. The music David Arnold wrote, along with that for QOS, is still my favorite of his Bond work, the gadgets in GE I did like but those here were used more effectively to the storyline, and while I have to put up with more juvenile Sam Bond Moneypenny humor and some from M as well, another brilliant minor character in Vince Schiavelli's Herr Doktor Kaufman was as entertaining as Zukovsky for me. I mostly liked the humor otherwise. Overall, the movie evokes the big fun productions like YOLT and Spy, it's not quite as grand in a Ken Adam sense and has a similar storyline, but it's just a load of entertaining fun throughout that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet it's serious enough to hold your attention.
In the PTS, Bond surprises a guard by offering a light for his cigarette -- before knocking the guard out and muttering "Filthy habit!" to punctuate the blow. Given Bond's history as a smoker, this strikes me as a curious moment. We can simply write this off as another quip, in which case nothing is intended (by either Bond or the film-makers) other than a quick stab at levity. Or... we can consider the question of meaning. Is there any intended here? Is it Eon trying to stay current with public opinion? Could it be something deeper -- perhaps even Bond expressing distaste for his own continued weakness in regard to that "filthy habit"?
First of all, let us accept that in order for Bond to even HAVE a lighter available to use at that particular moment, it is likely that Brosnan's Bond is still at least an occasional smoker. (Jumping ahead a few films, we do see Bond smoking a Cuban cigar in DAD.) When considering the issue of Bond as a smoker, I am constantly reminded that Fleming's early passing was attributable in part to his own considerable habit. I am also entirely cognizant that Bond's habits regarding this issue are largely tied up in the personal habits of the actor playing the title role. I would be very interested in hearing the opinions of my compatriots on this matter...
@Beatles, again, great review!
;)
Well, it's become quite fashionable to bash smokers and smoking, no doubt. Some people are positively militant about it too. Indoors, I get that. It's the outdoor bans and whole town bans extending to what you can do in your home or car that have become Nazi-like in their zeal. I think it's a case of EON bowing to public sentiment more than anything psychologically going on with the character. And I do feel whether Fleming's character smokes or not has always depended on the actor. I must say that I don't actually remember Pierce having a lighter, just pretending he did.
Meanwhile, Cubby and daughter Barb puffed away and didn't let the public opinion bother them too much ;)
CONNERY- obviously he smoked cigarettes at one point during his reign.
LAZENBY- A confirmed smoker of Philip Morris Commanders, king size, unfiltered. Those were the best cigs I ever smoked, very much like a Marlboro Red but amped up a bit. Smoother than you'd think for a non-filter. If I still smoked cigs, I'd be with George on this one.
MOORE- He smoked cigarettes at one time, but had abandoned them for the occasional cigar by the time he became Bond. He'd quit tobacco altogether by the time he was no longer Bond.
DALTON- Tim loves his Silk Cuts.
BROSNAN- like myself, he is a cigar guy, and probably smokes more than I do. For him, obviously it's not an issue. He's spoken of smoking cigarettes so I imagine he's done so at one point in his life.
CRAIG- An ex-smoker, who like his wife may have fallen off the wagon from time to time. Both he and Rachel have smoked in recent films, Daniel looked more like he was trying to get away with not starting again more than the missus.
CHARACTER FACTS-
- With the pressure of making his debut as Bond in the past, Pierce Brosnan was notably much more relaxed in the role, stating in an Associated Press article at that time "There was lots of pressure on the first film. I was the new kid on the block. Now, the part is mine, the shoes fit. I'm just having a bloody great time."
- Academy Award winning actor, the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins, who had previously been offered and turned down roles in previous Bond films, was successfully cast as Elliot Carver and joined the production. He then walked after three days because the production was in chaos and there was no completed shooting script; due to the pressure on Eon Productions to finish the film on time, new pages of the screenplay were being delivered every morning. The part was eventually given to Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce.
- Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge was in the running to play the lead Bond girl at one point.
- Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, who got the leading Bond girl role as Wai Lin, the Chinese answer to 007, was considered by way of notoriety and paycheck to be the top Asian actress in the world at that time. She was much loved on the set by everyone involved, and Pierce Brosnan was impressed by her choice, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work".
- Producers considered starting a film series based on the Wai Lin character but this never materialized.
- When Götz Otto was called in for casting, he was given twenty seconds to introduce himself. Saying, "I am big, I am bad, and I am German", he did it in five.
- Götz Otto dyed his hair blond to play Stamper. Although he is only ever called "Mr.Stamper" during the film, the character's first name is Richard.
- In the original drafts of the script, Stamper was to have suffered a brain injury that caused pleasure to be registered as pain (and vice versa). The idea was dropped, but a version of it made it into the next Bond film The World Is Not Enough, where the villain Renard is unable to feel pain.
- Italian actress Monica Bellucci was allegedly cast and scheduled to appear in the film as Paris Carver but was replaced by American TV star Teri Hatcher before shooting began. In an interview conducted by Playboy magazine, Pierce Brosnan called Bellucci his "ideal Bond girl" and those responsible for casting "fools" for not choosing her.
- American actress Sela Ward also auditioned for the role of Paris Carver, but the then 38 year old lost out, reportedly being told the producers wanted her, but ten years younger. Eventual choice Teri Hatcher was seven years Ward's junior.
- Teri Hatcher says that she accepted her role of Paris Carver to fulfill her then husband's lifelong dream of being married to a Bond girl. As it turned out, her scenes had to be filmed quickly because of an unexpected pregnancy. She later expressed her dissatisfaction with the part, saying it was "an artificial kind of character to be playing that you don't get any special satisfaction from it".
- A love scene that was filmed between 007 and Paris Carver was dropped from the film due to Teri Hatcher's pregnancy at the time.
- Though it has long been part of the James Bond character's reputation in story and dialogue, this is the first instance in the EON Productions official series where James Bond has an on-screen relationship with a leading Bond Girl who is actually known to be married to another man.
- The character of Henry Gupta was originally written as a young man from India. Writer Bruce Feirstein said he named this character after the "Gupta Bakery", which he passed on the way to the studios.
- Ricky Jay, who plays Henry Gupta is also an acclaimed magician who holds a world record for the fastest throwing playing cards. The producers initially wanted a scene where he threw playing cards at Bond. They set up the scene to block, Ricky was 50 or 75 feet away and was asked to hit Pierce Brosnan in the face. Ricky warned them it wasn't a good idea, safety wise. After they convinced him to do it, he agreed and hit pierce right above the eyes. To his disappointment, for one reason or another, they never asked him to repeat it on film. Gupta is shown throwing cards in the DVD deleted scenes.
- American born actor Vincent Schiavelli's character Dr. Kaufman once played a hit man in one episode of "MacGyver" (1985), who was after Teri Hatcher's character, though not as successfully as he was in this film. Schiavelli succumbed to lung cancer on December 26, 2005, at the age of 57 at his home in Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian town where his grandfather was born. He was buried in the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
- Joe Don Baker made his 2nd and last appearance as CIA liaison Jack Wade in this film.
- Geoffrey Palmer, who appears in the PTS as Admiral Roebuck aside Judi Dench's M character, once starred along Dench on the British TV show "As Time Goes By".
- According to the book "The Bond Legacy", a farewell scene for Q was written for this film on the assumption that Desmond Llewelyn would soon retire from the role. The idea was dropped, only to be revived for the next Bond film The World Is Not Enough.
- Chief of Staff Bill Tanner was intended to return in this movie after appearing in GoldenEye, but actor Michael Kitchen, was unavailable. He returned for The World Is Not Enough.
PRODUCTION NOTES-
- MGM exerted a lot of pressure on the producers to come up with a follow-up to GoldenEye that was as successful. This was mainly at the urgings of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who had recently bought the company and wanted the release to coincide with MGM's public stock offering.
- Martin Campbell declined the chance to direct again, not wanting to make two James Bond films in a row. Campbell would do the same in 2006 after the success of Casino Royale.
- Writer Bruce Feirstein's nine word pitch to the film's producers was: "Words are the new weapons; satellites, the new artillery."
- The initial script was written by Bruce Feirstein who had also worked on GoldenEye. Director Roger Spottiswoode then reworked it when he came on board. He gathered 7 leading screenwriters in London for a brainstorm, eventually choosing Nicholas Meyer to perform rewrites. The script then went to Daniel Petrie Jr. and David C. Wilson before going back for one final polish to Feirstein who retained sole writing credit.
- Crime writer Donald E. Westlake also provided a script treatment.
- As shooting began on 1 April 1997, neither Jonathan Pryce nor Teri Hatcher had been cast yet.
- The original title of the film was "Tomorrow Never Lies", which makes sense when you consider media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) was creating the next day's headlines in advance, then causing those events to happen. But a typo on an early script draft was adopted by the producers, and Tomorrow Never Dies was used instead.
- In earlier drafts of the script, the villain Elliot Carver was known as Elliot Harmsway and Wai Lin was known as Lin Pow. Michelle Yeoh pointed-out that "pow" in Chinese meant "bun" and it was changed. Carver was also the surname of CIA Agent Rosie Carver in the earlier James Bond movie Live and Let Die.
- The first draft of the script was set during the July 1997 transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule with Carver a zealot bent on destroying Hong Kong rather that hand it over to the Chinese. According to director Roger Spottiswoode, this plot was dropped when former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was acting as a consultant on the production, warned that, if something actually did occur during the handover in real life, the film would look ridiculous. Furthermore, this would have instantly dated a film that was due to open in November, so in January 1997 when production was kicking off, a frantic rewrite of the script was taking place. With all the actors on board and ready to film, the new script also had to tally with their visions of their characters. Both Jonathan Pryce and Teri Hatcher were unhappy with the route their characters were taking in the new script, prompting even more rewrites.
- Because the producers had already secured a release date, the production couldn't find studio space at Pinewood. This was the second James Bond movie in a row in which Pinewood Studios was predominantly unavailable. It was booked-up for shooting "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" as it had been for GoldenEye when it was being used for First Knight. For this movie, They ended up shooting much of the interiors in a converted Asda (the British branch of Walmart) warehouse and former Radlett aerodrome site which was renamed as Eon / Frogmore Studios.
- The 'Situation Room' set designed by Allan Cameron was decorated with books on display hired by the meter, with titles including "The Companies Act, 1985", "The Insolvency Act, 1986", Protection and Industrial Decline" and "EEC and the Third World: A Survey".
- An alternate version of the briefing-in-the-car scene was filmed where the characters drink cocktails during the high-speed ride. The cocktail references were removed by using close-ups of the actors.
- The headline "The Empire will Strike Back" so admired by Elliot Carver when reviewing media reaction to the impending British attack mirrors a real headline run by Newsweek during the Falklands War in 1982 picturing HMS Hermes and the headline "The Empire Strikes Back".
- The film made particularly heavy use of gadgetry because some fans thought there was too little of it in GoldenEye.
- HALO stands for High Altitude Low Opening Jump. Stuntman B.J. Worth had to make eighty jumps out of a plane in order to film the HALO jump sequence, eight jumps less than the 88 required for Moonraker.
- A lot of the model work and underwater sequences were filmed in the tank at Fox's Baja Studios in Mexico, just days after Titanic had completed filming. The tank was named for that film.
- At the end of the movie, M plans a newspaper story concerning the death of Elliot Carver. She mentions similar events which surrounded real-life British media tycoon Robert Maxwell's death in 1991.
THE PTS-
- With the release date set for 12 December 1997, The second unit began filming the pre-title sequence (with a look-a-like substituting for Pierce Brosnan) in the Pyrenees on 23 January 1997. When Brosnan visited Hamburg on the 25th of March to promote Dante's Peak, Desmond Llewelyn was flown to Germany to film the beginning of his scene at the airport. The rest of this sequence was later completed at Stansted Airport, England after principal photography began on April Fool's Day.
- The opening arms bazaar sequence, filmed in the French Pyrenees, was originally intended to appear in the earlier James Bond movie The Living Daylights. The weapon being sold at the arms bazaar were described as a Chinese Long March Scud Rocket and on the jet aircraft were Soviet SP-5 Torpedoes. Neither of these weapon systems actually exist, however. The Long March program was an Chinese program designed to launch missiles into space, and the "SP-5" nuclear torpedo simply doesn't exist in Russian or the former Soviet arsenal.
- Director Roger Spottiswoode was insistent on having an authentic Russian rocket launcher for the opening sequence. Luckily for the production, a decommissioned unit was found and had to be driven from Moscow right across Europe to the location.
- Because snow was an essential ingredient for the opening action sequence, and the existing snow was already melting, the art directors had to truck in loads of extra snow just to meet production requirements. This sequence alone took two weeks to complete.
HOT DOGGING IN HAMBURG-
- Elliott Carver's Hamburg newspaper factory is actually the printing presses of London's Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard.
- 500 extras were used for Elliott Carver's launch party where Bond reconnects with Paris.
- The alleged "Atlantic Hotel" car park rooftop actually belongs to an electronics department store. This car park is located on Steintorwall / Steinstraße, in Hamburg but not in the neighborhood of the real "Hotel Atlantic". Bond's car is then propelled from the top of yet another building, a clothes retailer on Mönckebergstrasse/Lange Mühren, which has no parking facilities of its own, let alone on its roof.
- When they had to re-shoot the car park scene it was too expensive to go back to Germany so it was done at Brent Cross shopping centre in London. Posters around the stores told shoppers that the explosions were nothing to worry about. It took ten days to shoot this car park scene and seventeen BMWs were used.
THAILAND BECOMES VIETNAM-
- Because the second half of the film is set in Vietnam, the production negotiated for some time for permission to film there. Although it appeared close, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture and Information eventually refused to allow it. Roger Spottiswood stated in an article carried by The Associated Press that "they chickened out", and surmised that it could be a carryover of old and ill feelings towards the West and how Communists were previously portrayed as the enemy, and also noted that the country had a weak filmmaking infrastructure.
- The production decided to use Thailand as Vietnam, with Bangkok substituting for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). At one point during filming, a helicopter mistakenly hovered over the American Embassy to Thailand, causing fears that it was spying.
- Stunt performers Mark Southworth and Wendy Leech performed the skyscraper jump on May 21, 1997 in Bangkok, with temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Wendy also doubled for Michelle Yeoh during the motorbike chase with French rider Jean-Pierre Goy driving the BMV R1200 C cruiser. A dummy was strapped to Goy's back as he performed the rooftop jump over the helicopter on the same bike on 24 July. The helicopters blades had been removed to be added digitally in post production. On that same day, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh were filming their close-ups hanging thirty feet up at the side of a five story building to complete the Carver building stunt.
- Director Roger Spottiswoode had hoped that Bond and Wai Lin's descent outside the Saigon building could be done by computerized special effects, but in the end a 7 story section of wall was constructed and the stars lowered down alongside it.
- Just before shooting the scene where Bond and Wai-Lin get on the motorcycle, Roger Spottiswoode took Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh aside - each without the other's knowledge - and told each of them not to let the other get in the driver's seat. The result is in the final film: Bond and Wai-Lin fight over who gets to drive before getting on the bike.
- Michelle Yeoh, who did all of her own stunts that the producers would allow her to do, asked her fellow motorbike stuntman to drive faster in the helicopter chase scene as it would make her hair fly out behind her, adding to the effect of speed.
PROMOTIONAL NOTES-
- Dedicated to the memory of long-time Bond-film producer Albert R. Broccoli.
- First EON Productions James Bond movie to be presented by the "Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions" credit.
- This is the first James Bond movie in the official series to have a running time under two hours since Diamonds Are Forever. The next film to run under 120 minutes would be Quantum of Solace.
- First James Bond movie to be released by MGM Distribution Co. due to a name change from MGM/UA Distribution Co. The former named company had released all the EON Productions Bond films from Octopussy through to GoldenEye.
- The film was originally going to be called "Tomorrow Never Comes". There are video tapes that were in distribution when the film was released on video that do have the caption "Tomorrow never comes" at the very beginning of the tape, not the beginning of the movie.
- The film's Charity World Premiere was held on Tuesday December 9, 1997 (which is also Judi Dench's birthday) at the Odeon Theatre Leicester Square in London, England. The launch was not a Royal Premiere on this occasion. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the King George's Fund for Sailors. The after-party was held at Bedford Square home of Jonathan Cape, the publisher of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. The American Gala Premiere in the USA was held in Los Angeles on Tuesday 16th December 1997 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
- Both this film and 1997 Academy Award Best Picture Titanic were released in the same week in the USA, causing this to be the only one of Pierce Brosnan's 4 James Bond films not to open at number one in the US box office charts.
- Product placements, brand integrations, promotional tie-ins and sponsorships for this movie include BMW in their second film in a three picture promotional deal; L'Oréal Cosmetics; Heineken Beer; Dunhill; Ericsson Cellular Phones; Omega Watches, James Bond wears an Omega Seamaster watch; Smirnoff Vodka i.e. Smirnoff Red label Vodka; Brioni Clothing; Bollinger Champagne; Avis Rental Car Hire; and Electronic Arts' tie-in video-game, Tomorrow Never Dies. This is the first movie in film history to have its entire budget be covered in product placement campaigns. Various companies each chipped in enough in endorsements to allow for the film's $100 million budget.
- A promotional advertisement for BMW tying-in with the movie showed its three vehicles (two cars and one motorbike) together with the logos for the movie and BMW. The main tagline read: "How could Bond possibly be faithful to just one? BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine" And the bottom tagline read: "See James Bond's new loves in the film Tomorrow Never Dies on general release from 12th December".
- The literal translations of some of the movie's foreign language titles include James Bond 007: The Morning Dies Never (Germany); Agent 007 Tomorrow Never Dies (Italy); James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies (Slovenia); Tomorrow is Indestructible (Turkey); Tomorrow Never Dies Not (Poland); 007 Tomorrow Never Dies (Brazil); O Amanhã Nunca Morre (Tomorrow Never Dies- Portugal), The Tomorrow Never Dies (Argentina, Peru, Italy, Spain); and The Empire After Today (or 007 and the Empire of Tomorrow) (Romania).
- Sales of real and toy replica Walther P-99 pistols went through the roof after this movie was released.
STEALTH BOATS AND OTHER VEHICLES-
- Vehicles featured included a silver gadget-laden BMW 750iL car; a brief glimpse of the silver birch Aston Martin DB5; a BMW Cruiser R1200 C motorbike; Sikorsky S-65 and Eurocopter 350B A-Star, Eurocopter EC 135, and Eurocopter Panther AS 656 Attack helicopters; two Aero L-39 FENIX (aka L39 Albatross Z0) jets; a Ford Sierra; an Opel Senator 3.0i car; a Transport Allianz C-160 Transall airplane for the HALO jump; a Chinese Junk; a Daimler Limousine; an Asian trawler; a Mercedes Benz; a Range Rover; ships HMS Bedford, HMS Chester and HMS Devonshire; a Chinese MiG jet; a black rubber dinghy and Elliot Carver's black catamaran-designed Stealth Ship.
- The plane flown by Bond in the opening scene is NOT a MIG-type fighter but a L-39 FENIX from Czechoslovakia, the Czech name for this plane is Albatross. It was however also based in the USSR and GDR.
- The ships used in the film are Type 23 Duke Class Anti-Submarine Frigates. The interior shots were all filmed at HMS DRYAD ship simulator, and most of the personnel in the background are real Royal Navy personnel. Most of the dialogue and commands are very accurate, though some has been modified so the viewing public can understand it.
- The stealth ship is not a fictional invention. Lockheed secretly constructed and demonstrated one in the early 1980s, but the US Navy finally decided they didn't want any. The prototype, called the Sea Shadow, was 160 feet long and the movie's ship closely resembles it in shape.
- The BMW 750i that Bond uses in this film is the first Q-Branch car in the series that has four doors.
- The number plate of Bond's BMW 750iL is "B-MT 2144". This ties in with his Aston Martin DB5's number plate "BMT 214A". The original movie Aston Martin, (from Goldfinger), had "BMT 216A", which could not be used for legal reasons.
- Seventeen 750iL aspen Grey BMW's were used for the car chase. Four were adapted to be 'hidden driver' cars, in which a concealed driver would sit in the back using a small steering wheel. Video monitors were attached to cameras hidden in the wing mirrors and on top of the windscreen. Three more BMW's were used as backup for the hidden drivers. One car was equipped with the sliding glove compartment revealing a safe and only used for this one scene. Another, dubbed the 'cannon', was specially prepared to be propelled off the roof. It was stripped off as much weight as possible in order to be fired from a special rig. The remaining seven 'pristine' cars were used only for back-up and exterior shots, including one that was being kept in Hamburg for shooting there.
- 15 BMW 750's were destroyed in the making of the film.
MUSIC AND GAMING NOTES-
- One of the main reasons why John Barry turned down the opportunity to score another Bond film was because the producing team could not guarantee that he would have anything to do with writing the title song, which had already been assigned to Sheryl Crow by the MGM/UA music department. Barry was indignant at this stipulation, given his track record of success with Bond songs that are then echoed in the accompanying score, and even more so by MGM/UA's refusal to meet his minimum asking price, offering him considerably less than other top composers were getting at the time. Calling the failure to meet his demands "non-negotiable", he passed. The gig then went to David Arnold, who was equally unhappy about having the title song imposed on him. Arnold's only choice and solution was to write a new song for the end credits - "Surrender" performed by k.d. lang - which thematically crops up throughout the score in the Barry tradition.
- David Arnold was eventually chosen to compose the score. The producers, particularly Barbara Broccoli, were impressed by Arnold's compilation album of Bond songs covered by other artists called "Shaken Not Stirred", as well as by the personal recommendation of John Barry, who had enthusiastically embraced the freshness of Arnold's work on that record. After Barry told Arnold and the producers personally that Arnold was "the rightful heir", which Arnold called "a bit of a trip", he was offered the job.
- The title song tune was chosen by way of a competition, of which the various artists were unaware of. There were about twelve entries including songs from Emil Jørgensen, Pulp, Saint Etienne, Marc Almond, Sheryl Crow, and David Arnold. The first choice was written and performed by Danish rock band Swan Lee but they were turned down because they were not famous enough. It was suggested that another artist sing their song instead but Swan Lee rejected this idea. British pop group Pulp wrote a theme song which later appeared on the B-side to the group's single "Help the Aged" following a title change to "Tomorrow Never Lies," the same name as the working title for this film. The Sheryl Crow song which eventually won out did not chart at all in the USA, but charted as high as #11 in the UK.
- The competition and eventual choice of Crow's song was roundly criticized by the artists who made submissions. According to David Arnold, both Pulp's Jarvis Cocker as well as Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon were under the impression they were being asked to write the title song and were unaware of the "cattle call". Saint Etienne singer Sarah Cracknell would later state "I thought it was a bit rubbish, actually" in reference to the Crow song. Surrender lyricist Don Black summed up the control MGM/UA had of the title song quite succinctly in the Burlingame book- "I do honestly think ours was the better song; it tells the story of the film. With the Bond (title) songs, it's changed a lot. They've (MGM/UA) gone very much for who's going to sing it as opposed to what it is. With John (Barry) and David (Arnold), it's always been: get the song right, then get the artist". To date, neither MGM/UA nor Sony have repeated the stunt.
- The end credits song "Surrender" was composed and sung in the style of a Shirley Bassey song, Bassey being a stalwart of Bond songs having sung a number of them. Composer David Arnold wanted this song to be used in the opening credits (the lyrics prominently feature the title 'Tomorrow Never Dies') but the producers preferred Sheryl Crow over k.d. lang. However, Arnold did incorporate the song instrumentally throughout his score.
- The movie's score was not complete in time for the release of the soundtrack. As such, a second soundtrack album was released on 11 January 2000 by Chapter III Records. This album added additional tracks not featured in the first release but removed the songs "Tomorrow Never Dies" by Sheryl Crow, and "Surrender" by 'k.d. Lang', the tracks "Station Break" and "Killing Benjamin Evans" and Moby's Remix of the James Bond theme. The added tracks included a David Arnold interview as well as the tracks "Helicopter Ride", "Bike Chase", "Bike Shop Fight", "Kowloon Bay", "Boarding the Stealth", "A Tricky Spot for 007" and "All in a Day's Work".
- The movie's DVD release of the movie contains a music track where people can watch the movie without dialogue and with the score and background music only.
FLEMING AND OTHER REFERENCES-
- Not counting the regular characters of Bond, Q, M and Moneypenny, this is the first Bond movie to contain absolutely no Ian Fleming references (GoldenEye was named for Fleming's estate; Licence to Kill used elements from several Fleming stories).
- Jonathan Pryce played James Bond creator Ian Fleming in "Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began".
- In the movie tie-in novelization, it is revealed that Stamper's hobby is making "snuff porn". He enjoys kidnapping young women and filming them while they're being raped and tortured, and sells the videos on the black market to thrill-seekers. That is why he has a man filming the execution of the naval officers.
CAMEOS-
- Michael G. Wilson: as Tom Wallace, one of Elliot Carver's subordinates on a television screen when Elliot Carver discusses his new story.
- Daphne Deckers: the wife of the 1996 Wimbledon winner Richard Krajicek as Elliot Carver's Hamburg PR Lady. Reportedly, she wanted to audition for the role of Paris Carver. Being too late for this, the production wrote in this small cameo role for her.
- Gerard Butler: makes an appearance as "Leading Seaman - HMS Devonshire."
That's a really interesting and informative list, Sir Henry, thanks!
1. Of the four Pierce Brosnan entries, while GoldenEye is often cited as the best film, the performance of Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies has been noted by many as his best. Do you agree with this sentiment, and if so, why do you feel his sophomore performance was indeed better? If you do not agree, tell us why you don't. If you feel he was better in one of his last two performances you may do so and elaborate on that if you wish.
2. The hiring of Teri Hatcher and both her exit comments and lackluster portrayal have often been criticized, including Brosnan himself. If you had the final say and had to choose between the other two candidates, who were Monica Bellucci and Sela Ward, who would have been your choice? You can elaborate on why if you wish. And if you felt Hatcher was the right choice all along, then why was she?
3. One of the criticisms of the Tomorrow Never Dies script is that it rehashes the plots of both You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me by having a villain controlled vehicle capturing vehicles of other countries. Is the criticism fair, or do you feel it is unfair and that this film does enough to firmly separate itself from the other two in it's storyline?
4. As we've read, long time Bond composer John Barry anointed David Arnold "the rightful heir" to his legacy after declining to score another film. For you, was Arnold's very similar yet updated style of Bondian music the correct direction for the future of the series, meaning "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", or should the producers have continued to seek a more original composer with different sensibilities to re-define their new post Cold war era of films?
5. We know from You Only Live Twice that Bond received top marks from Cambridge in their Oriental languages course, yet in this film he cannot read the Chinese characters on Wai Lin's keyboard. Do you suppose this was simply an oversight due to the rushed production of the film, or is this perhaps a new kind of Bond not so "expert" in so many different areas as previous Bonds were?
2. Any actress who could, well, act would have been a considerable improvement over Hatcher, whose acting range is on a par with that of a soap star. TV is her absolute limit. Not movies and certainly not Bond movies.
3. Yes I can see where the connection could be made to the plots of YOLT, TSWLM and MR but it's one that I never made myself so yes it is perhaps unfair.
4. Whilst I've often found Arnold's scores to be hit and miss (although TND was excellent) he was the best person to take over from Barry, especially after the debacle of Eric Serra.
5. This is an example of anomalies which frequently occur in Bond films (I always think back to Bond admitting to Tiger in YOLT that he'd never been to Japan before despite recounting a tale to Tanya in FRWL of an experience he and M had shared in Tokyo). It's lazy writing as it appears to me that the screenwriters/producers don't bother to check the content of previous films.
2. Teri hit all the correct basic notes for me, but Sela Ward would have lent real pathos to the part in a way Ms. Hatcher could only have dreamed, and Monica would have been too distracting in such a small role (She really needed to have been a full-on co-star in one of the Bond movies, but alas...).
3. Similarities yes, but it was much more original than TSWLM in construction & execution. That the main villain is not physically unusual or intimidating was very refreshing for me.
4. Arnold is and was the best possible composer for the Bond series since Barry left it.
5. Being fluent in 'oriental languages' & being able to type efficiently on an unfamiliar Mandarin Chinese keyboard can be two different things.
So who would you choose, Bellucci or Ward?
Ward. Bellucci would only be there for the "eye candy" crowd. Her abilities are also limited as an actress although still considerably better than Hatcher.
2. Teri was a big mistake. Her acting abilities are so limited you could put them in a bottle of nail varnish. And her looks are at best so-so. Monica on the other hand was so hot even the sun needed cooling down everytime she stood in daylight. I understand her acting is quite good as well. Now her death would've felt as a true loss to me in this film. Teri's was more of a 'good riddance' feeling.
3. To me the storyline is different enough. I never noticed any similarities whilst watching the film, so that's fine. And in the end, all films share some basic traits. Who cares? If the story is compelling enough...
4. I thought David did hi best to make his a different tune, so to speak. And I wasn't too happy about it. I never liked the techno sounds. I finally started to appreciate his work when CR came along.
But hell, anything's better then Serra!
5. I'm not quite familliar with the curricula of Oxford's studies, but for me Chinese seems a tad different from Japanese. Like utterly and completely. I'm with @Chrisisisall on this one.
Rest of the thesis answers coming from me later. :)>-
I assume that's a vote for Bellucci then. Me too, we're tied at 2, oops, 4Ever made it 3-2 for the magnificent Monica. And I couldn't agree more, Hatcher was one Bond girl I wasn't sorry to see go unlike my poor Berenice :(
P.S- The best I saw Hatcher look was in "Tango And Cash".
That's a fair assumption to make my dear sir! ;-)
Belluci could've been the new Paluzzi when it comes down to sheer smoldering sex-appeal.
2. Both Sela Ward and Monica Bellucci are fine actresses in my opinion, however I would have gone with Bellucci for, I think, obvious reasons. She is gorgeous! Teri Hatcher was a disaster considering that the character had potential. She played it badly and her ridiculous outfit and hair style didn't help. By the way, I think the female outfits in this film are incredibly ugly, by far the worst in any Bond film.
3. While there are some common point between them I still think TND had a very interesting idea, the manipulative role of the media. The Murdock case just a few years ago shows how good the idea was.
4. I like David Arnold, that is no secret. Serra was a terrible mistake so they went with a safe choice, I can't blame them. Would another composer, with a different style, be right? Nobody knows.
5. I think it was an oversight, I think that entire scene was a bit unnecessary to be honest.
Teri not only had a most unbecoming hairstyle (the worst I have seen her wear) but also had a bump between her eyes, like a hidden blemish that makeup could not completely conceal. It drove me crazy - and that shows how poor her acting was, when I am actually thinking how bad the dress is, her hair and makeup, and generally feeling like she is a waste of space in this otherwise very fine Bond film.
Bellucci or Hatcher? My vote goes to Bellucci. It was such a pity that EON chose a "hot" TV actress over a woman who exuded sexuallity and could have been more believable as a woman who Bond would fall for.
Sela Ward has the maturity and the acting chops and would have made a believable Paris as well.
This was the first time that a particular problem pop up in the Brosnan films. And then continue during his stint :: Stunt casting. Get a leading lady who can barely act and have zero chemistry with Brosnan. What a waste and a shame.
2) I would have definitely gone with Monica. She's smoking hot and a better actress than Hatcher. Sela would have done a fine job as well, perhaps better, but since this was a minor role then I'm going to give it to the hottest woman available! Imagine what that love scene could have been like if only...
3) I think that this criticism is very fair. The sequence where the British ship is attacked always reminded me of the beginning of the TSWLM, with a little bit of FYEO thrown in for good measure. Let's not forget that Bond is also teamed up with a female agent that is supposed to be his equal just like XXX from TSWLM.
4) I have mixed feelings on Arnold. His scores for the Brosnan films were okay but I don't think he hit his stride until the Craig films. So if he continues on in that vein (if he does another one) then I think that the right choice was made. It just took him a little time to get there.
5) I believe that you're giving them too much credit by making this a question because it's obvious that they hadn't thought of that little detail at all.
I disagree with your assumptions about Brosnan. Maybe Craig would have gotten his way, but how do you know Pierce did not pressure them to have Bellucci? He could have fought hard for her; you don't know that, unless you have sources that state otherwise. I feel that he did argue strongly for her. Why wouldn't he? It wasn't his first Bond film; he had some weight behind his arguments.
My thesis answers are:
1) I think TND is Brosnan's best performance - more confident, more gravitas, versatile, and very much a strong James Bond. I think TWINE was not as consistently a great performance from him. But in TND he shines through and I think gives an outstanding performance as Bond.
2) Belucci by an immeasurable margin. As everyone has stated why; I concur. She would have been gold standard as Paris and helped cement the film even higher in many viewers' opinions. Paris, as it stands with Hatcher, is a weak part of the film.
3) I did not immediately feel the rehash of plot ideas; no - with the press angle I thought it was relevant and well done. It doesn't bother me that some ideas are recycled for Bond films. This was not an issue for me and it was not glaringly noticeable to me at the time (or even now).
4) Arnold is light-years ahead of Serra as a Bond composer. I like his work on TND, but I think he definitely improved as he went on. But thank God he was there for TND to infuse some of the Bond style back into the films.
5) I do not know what top marks in Oriental studies from Cambridge (circa the 40's or 50's) means really. Or even for today's graduates. However, it is not a big deal in this movie. Speaking the language and reading the language are two very different things. If Bond is assumed to have been able to read Chinese capably, then maybe it was a minor flaw ... but using a computer in that language is also a different skill set. For me, it was not a flaw in the film. I knew Bond had the Oriental studies background, but it didn't seem odd to me that he couldn't sit down at a computer/command center all in Chinese and immediately do what was needed. His Chinese partner, who was his ally, was right there and it was her computer. I think he was smart to let her handle it - time was of the essence, no?
I do love TND - and mainly because of Pierce; Yeoh was a strong positive factor, too. A fun, exciting, and very good Bond film indeed. :-bd
1) TND is Brosnan's top film for me. He goes from mourning Paris at one moment to facing down Dr. Kaufman in the next, to his ultimate "Boys with Toys" scene riding around the parking lot in his remote controlled BMW in the very next scene. A quick view of three different sides of Brosnan's Bond makes this film his best performance to my way of thinking.
2) Yes, Hatcher was poorly cast here. I have to admit I've never seen a film with Monica Bellucci so I can't comment on her. I'd actually have cast Sela Ward simply because of the age factor that caused Eon to pass her over -- she'd have been more believable as an old flame of Bond's to me.
3) No, I had no issue with this aspect of TND. If Eon waits a few decades between recycling plot concepts I'm just fine with it; additionally, the "media as a weapon" apect was totally new to the series and quite fresh in my opinion.
4) Arnold. Hands down. No contest.
5) I thought it was all in service to the joke here. I had no issue with it.
His motivation is that he blames the British government for the death of his parents. I'm sure that his Cossack heritage plays a part in it as well but it's much more personal than just that.