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Comments
Great entertainment and possibly the best sets ever in a Bond movie.
The cast is bloody great except for Berry.
PTS, Havana, The clinic, the fencing fight, Iceland, the car fight on ice, the plane all exceptionally exciting and spectacular. Brosnan is at his best too here.
I think that Die Another Day would be great if not for Jinx and the ridiculous surfing and special effects. Still, it's a mixed bag, and even the lesser of 007 films are better than most other films for me. :P
Ken Adam called and he's angry.
Wow, what a mess!
I remember Guy Hamilton saying that in Goldfinger he tried to never visit the same set/location twice, so the audience is always getting something new and interesting to see. Well Thunderball is a lesson in how not to do that.
I'd say about a third (or more) of this film is Bond underwater (in a suspiciously similar looking area each time, I might add) or Bond and Felix in a helicopter discussing what they should do next.
Then follows a new location, like Palmera. Then soon enough we're back in the helicopter, searching a random stretch of water. What's that? 'Take her down Felix, I think we've found it!' Cue underwater scene.
Sometimes they'll go up in the helicopter just to have an scene of exposition and then come down again... ?
Imagine Dr No if instead of Bond doing all that detective work at the beginning, and the audience seeing some of Jamiaca, Bond and Quarrell just sailed from island to island In that little boat, looking for Dr No's Lair. 'Nope, not here ethier. Let's try the next one along' for over an hour. ~X(
6/10
(two of those points is purely for the character of Fiona Volpe)
Thunderball has always seemed like a divise movie to me, you either love it or hate it. Well, consider me in the "love it" camp. It often gets criticized for being too slow and meandering, but theres something about thunderball that just captivates me each and every single time. A certain "panache" and style that oozes out of every scene. It's an absolutely gorgeous and exotic movie that feels like a postcard you can't quite look away from.
Connery is in top form, spouting one-liners left and right, most of them working really nicely. Fiona is a sizzling femme fatale that steals every scene she's in and although Largo doesn't get much to do, he certainly has the presence needed to be an effective villain. The rest of the cast does a wonderful job as well, although you can argue that Paula is a largely useless and pointless addition to the film.
I even quite like the underwater scenes, the bane of many Bond fans. I imagine I'd be quite tired of them if they ever appeared in other Bond movies, but being largely contained within Thunderball, they add a certain unique feeling to the movie. The underwater battle is unlike anything that's been done since or before in the bond series AND in cinema as a whole and I find myself admiring it, John Barry's wonderful score also helps it greatly. Again, I wouldn't want to sit through 3 or 4 movies like this, but the scenes work in the context of Thunderball.
Having exhausted my love for Dr.No, FRWL and Goldfinger over the years, Thunderball is the movie that slowly rises in my rankings each time I see it. 9/10
After careful consideration and MANY hours of pondering, I decided to go with OHMSS as the Lazenby movie to watch:
It's interesting to see OHMSS being routinely forgotten and sidelined by casual filmgoers and then comparing it to the reverence it has among Bond fans. One hopes that the general consensus and popularity keep rising as it's a movie that really deserves it, warts and all.
Lzenbys will forever remain at the bottom of my Bond actor rankings, that's simply the way it has to be, but it doesn't mean I don't like him. In fact, the more I see OHMSS, the harder it becomes to imagine anyone else in the role for THIS particular movie. Sure, his delivery often falls flat, but for the most part he does a fine job and the final scene is quite emotional and touching. He certainly looks the part and is very believable in fight scenes, given a few more movies and some training, who knows what could have happened.
Even if you find problems with Lazenby being in the movie, it's hard to fault any of the other actors. Diana Rigg is absolutely wonderful as Tracy, both intriguing, complex AND sultry. Draco is somewhat of a problematic (he essentially sells his daughter for money) character, essentially a gangster that acts as the necessary sidekick for the hero. Still, Ferzetti manages to make the role likable and interesting. Telly Savalas works really well as Blofeld too, much more charismatic and less cartoonish than Pleasance.
One also forgets just how beautiful the entire movie is, especially on bluray. Every scene, every location, every frame is vibrant and looks immaculate. From simple hotel rooms to Piz Gloria to christmassy mountain ranges, the entire thing just feels alive. Probably the best looking Bond movie of the 60s.
It's an entry I enjoy so much that the small issues I have with it annoy me that much more. Even after repeat viewings, the sudden sidelining of Tracy for the entire middle portion of the film feels awkward. They essentially build up her and Bond's romance, to then drop it completely and have Bond continue with his usual "Screw everything that moves" ways. She is then shoved back into the story 40 minutes later for a marriage proposal. The entire thing doesn't QUITE gel as well as it should. Bringing Sir Hilary to Piz Gloria has always seemed like a rather flimsy way of getting Bond there, considering the "virus omega" plan was already ongoing and Blofeld would demand the title as ransom anyways. I've also never been a great fan of the bobsled climax after the wonderful attack on Piz Gloria, mostly due to the haywire editing and silly way Blofeld gets dispatched.
But none of that is enough to ruin or even sully the movie in my eyes, there are many "slow" and uneventful moments in even the best of Bond movies, where you are just waiting for the next great scene to come around, but with OHMSS, every single scene is a treat and nothing feels superfluous. 9/10
Onwards to Spy Who Loved Me in the near future.
:)) and rightfully so!
I meant to say ...since Ken Adam, honestly!
Nothing will ever beat his sets!
Than what?
The plane? The Ice hotel?
The hotel in the desert pales in comparison to the ice palace imo
The plane? Am I missing something? That was a CGI crapfest, especially as it disintegrated.
The hotel in the desert was real, and had a post-modern isolated industrial concrete Adam'esque feel to me. The Ice Palace was a joke from my perspective.
I meant the interior of the plane which I like a lot.
I like the ice palace, the car chase through it is spectacular fun imo.
The hotel in the desert looked like any common real building. Villains lairs have to be utopian, bigger than life and arty in Bond movies.
Ok fair enough. The interior of the plane and the interior of the ice hotel were interesting.
The exteriors were not up to standard though and that took me out of the experience in both cases (the plane was obvious terrible CGI and the hotel looked like it was painted).
There was character in the QoS hotel in comparison. A starkness that characterized the best Bond sets all the way back from DN (Dent's first visit to pick up the spider).
Just having seen DAD I'm afraid you are right on the exteriors. In HD the ice palace looks fake, like a matte painting of the sixtees, the plane falling apart looks real enough I think, just watch Captain Americas finale and compare, but I agree it could have been better.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
-The Bond Film That Time Forgot
Plot
Blofeld is back, and his scheme is as cunning as ever. On a personal journey of love, death and despair, Bond must follow a dangerous trail that leads him to the Swiss Alps, where he must foil his arch nemesis’ deadly operations.
Review
Sean Connery, often cited as the greatest and unparalleled actor to have played the role of James Bond, had left the role with the release of You Only Live Twice in 1967. The race was on to find the next man to fill Connery’s rather pristine shoes; many established actors were considered for the role, including a young Timothy Dalton (who would go on to play Bond in 1987), but who was deemed too young at the age of 24. Instead, producers Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman settled on the relatively unknown Australian model George Lazenby, who had never acted in a film production prior to that point. His good looks, and his prowess in physical combat, had left a lasting impression.
It was this gamble, casting the inexperienced Lazenby after the legacy of Connery, that has often lead to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service being dismissed altogether by critics and the general public alike. If one takes Secret Service out of context, and relieves oneself of any prejudice or preconceptions, then one will find that the vitriol that Lazenby’s performance received is unfair and unfounded ("He looks uncomfortable in the part like a size four foot in a size ten gumboot", writes one critic).
It was evident at times in You Only Live Twice that Connery’s Bond was becoming more and more akin to a superhero, rather than a British spy. This is something that George Lazenby, perhaps unintentionally, managed to remedy and he successfully brought the character back down to earth. His performance conveys a certain raw grittiness and vulnerability, a character trait that had not been seen during the Connery era, and something that was also possessed by the character that Fleming had created in 1952.
But it cannot be denied that George Lazenby does not have the same screen presence as either Sean Connery or Roger Moore; he does not command his scenes, but it is rather commandeered by his co-stars, Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas. Perhaps it was the enormity of the whole thing, but it does seem at times that Lazenby is a deer caught in the headlights.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was directed by the one-time Bond director Peter Hunt (who had also worked as an editor on the previous five James Bond films), who lavishly displays an aptitude for filmmaking craft and a strong understanding of the James Bond character. The film is beautifully shot, its cinematography not to be bested until the release of Skyfall in 2012, and its editing is snappy and to the point, owing to the innovative editing style of Hunt who uses the revolutionary technique of the time, jump cutting. Secret Service is certainly unique amongst the 23 other films in the series; this film departed from many of the Bond film tropes that had been established since Goldfinger, and this would not happen again until a total reboot of the franchise with Casino Royale in 2006. This includes the omission of any ‘’gadgets’’ that had become a significant aspect of previous Bond films, which meant that Bond had to rely on his senses and physical ability to overcome arduous situations; notably, in the scene that requires Bond to use his initiative to escape a mountain-top base. No convenient jetpack here.
Telly Savalas takes the form of this film’s antagonist: the bald, Nehru suit-wearing mastermind- Ernst Stavro Blofeld, complete with a Persian cat at helm. Tyrannical, transcendent, the übermensch of the Bondverse, he is to Bond as Moriarty is to Holmes, as Khan is to Kirk- the ultimate extortionist, the puppeteer of governments and the brains behind the ominous organisation, SPECTRE. Renowned for playing shady characters and gangsters, Savalas manages to add a thuggish, Mafioso-style edge to the character, as if he is ready to pull out a Tommy gun at any moment and blast Bond to smithereens.
A major part of any James Bond production is the leading lady, or ‘’Bond Girl’’; however, I feel that labelling the character of Teresa ‘Tracy’ di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) as such does not do the character justice. She is not just the usual love interest of Bond, in that she is the only woman to have truly have captured 007’s heart. It is easy to see why Bond eventually married her: classy, confident and captivating, she oozes intellectual flair, as she amply displays in a scene where she recites the poem The Story of Hassan to the film’s Bond villain, and she can hold her own in combat situations, demonstrated in the climatic finale where she impales, and subsequently kills, a heavyweight boxer on an ornamental piece of spikes.
Final Thoughts
Is it a perfect film? No. As with any film ever made, Secret Service has moments that don’t quite work or where filmmaking becomes a little complacent: for example, the film over relies on the use of rear projection in some scenes, particularly the scene in which Bond and Blofeld battle it out on a moving bobsleigh and some cases which involve Bond and Tracy skiing. Ask me instead ‘’is it a perfect Bond film’’, then the answer would be a resounding yes. It satisfies all the ingredients that make the Bond films unique, but it does so like no other Bond film before or after- it’s the apotheosis, the crème de la crème of the lot, a Bond film of Herculean proportions. Unfortunately, the backlash that the film received upon release in 1969, and an amalgamation of other detrimental events (Lazenby’s agent reportedly told him that there was no future for Bond beyond 1970), meant that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service would be the only Bond film to feature George Lazenby. However, in recent years, Secret Service has become increasingly popular and more revered amongst Bond fans and contemporary critics, so much so that it beat the likes of Goldfinger and Casino Royale to be named the Citizen Kane of Bond films by 007 Magazine in 2012. Film Director and self-confessed Bond fanatic Christopher Nolan has also declared that Secret Service is a personal favourite film of his (good taste, sir). It is heart-warming to know that I am not the only one to say that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service truly is the film that thrilled me.
Just finished it.
Wow, just wow. Once again I'm blown away by its brilliancy.
The first hour is bloody perfect, and the whole second act in Montenegro is bloody more perfect.
Daniel Craig really is at his best there. Seeing it after SF makes me realise that Martin Campbell delivered the two best Bond movies of the last 25 years with GE and CR.
SF pales in comparison. The whole drama in SF really is annoying.
Casino Royale kicks some serious ass right from the get-go and never really stops.
Had the last act in Venice been written better, CR would clearly be the No 1 Bond movie.
The movie wears many hats. It can be read as a spiritual successor to GoldenEye and The World is not Enough (Brosnan's two more emotionally involved movies), a look at Craig's Bond later in his career, and a grand return to the early days of Connery. Finally, it's an interesting experiment that keeps many of the classic Bond tropes while inverting the formula.
Its resemblance to the two Brosnans is that it relentlessly examines the place of Bond in the modern world and the possibilities of betrayal and revenge in the game of shadows. The examination of Bond this time deals with his place in the shadowy digital world of the 2010s, rather than in the post-Cold War landscape of the 90s. It also doesn't focus on Bond in particular, although there are questions about his fitness for duty after his return from his apparent death. The focus, rather, is on how the old-fashioned M and MI6 are supposed to operate in these new times. Much like GoldenEye, it flirts with their obsolescence but eventually comes down resoundingly in their favor.
The betrayal and revenge are explored in the person of Raoul Silva. Like Elektra King, he's a figure with connections M's past who believes she has wronged him grievously (he has a much stronger leg to stand on than Elektra did) and wants to exact his revenge through whatever means necessary. He's more concerned with personal vengeance than King, who simply opts to kill M as part of her broader plan to nuke Istanbul. Like Alec Trevelyan, he's a version of Bond gone wrong,and again, he has a more sympathetic reason for his collapse than Trevelyan, though he's less of a direct counterpart than the evil 00. Bond is therefore confronted with the question of why he keeps on with his way of living when it leads to the ruin of men just like him.
We see the same cold-hearted agent as we did in the first two Craig movies, although he's mellowed with age, less impetuous and less likely to hold a grudge, which is either a sign of peace or of Bond dying inside. There is one weakness here, though, and that's in the sudden turnaround from Bond's rash, seemingly inexperienced behavior in Quantum of Solace and the sudden appearance of his age and physical health as an issue here. Perhaps this can be chalked up to MGM's financial troubles causing a delay between QoS and this movie, but it's further exacerbated by the end, where Bond reunites the old MI6 crew.
Yes, by the end of the movie, the old MI6 is back in action. Q is younger, but he's back, Moneypenny is black, but she's back, and Gareth Mallory looks to be a worthy successor to the gruff but lovable old Miles Messervy, sitting behind the very same desk. Bond, however, has gone from being potentially too old to continue to the figure of relative youth from the Connery days. Perhaps Spectre will shed some light here?
Throughout all this, the movie tells a classic, emotionally resonant story with all the familiar Bond tropes, albeit in a much different order. Rather than having Bond search for the villain throughout many different locales, the film opts to have Silva let himself be captured and escape, a la The Dark Knight and The Avengers, before attacking M at the hearing and again at Skyfall. The story itself is filled with many highs and a few lows. The PTS is a fine, action-packed sequence. Bond's introduction to Silva is one of the finest interactions between Bond and a villain in series history, up there with the laser table and his meeting with 006 in the Soviet junkyard. M's speech before the committee is brilliant filmmaking, interspersed with Bond and Silva's impending arrival. Her death is one of the most devastating moments in series history, along with the deaths of Tracy and Vesper.
All the same, the film sadly has a few logical conundrums, which don't damage it too much but must be addressed. How did Bond survive getting shot and falling a hundred feet off a bridge? Where did those helicopters come from? How did Silva know where M was going to be when he escaped? Why didn't M leave the committee rather than endanger everyone there? Why did Bond bring no backup at all to Skyfall? And what is going on with Bond's age?
Overall, Skyfall was a triumph and will deservedly be remembered as among the best of the Bonds. Spectre awaits, in just over 48 hours.
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. Casino Royale
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. GoldenEye
6. Skyfall
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. Dr. No
9. Licence to Kill
10. For Your Eyes Only
11. The Living Daylights
12. You Only Live Twice
13. Tomorrow Never Dies
14. Thunderball
15. Quantum of Solace
16. Octopussy
17. The World is not Enough
18. Live and Let Die
19. Diamonds are Forever
20. A View to a Kill
21. Die Another Day
22. The Man with the Golden Gun
23. Moonraker
*spoiler free*
I remember walking out of CR super thrilled, super hyped, super enthusiastic. Having seen QOS, I felt kinda meh. SF left me confused. But SP, for sure, is the first Bond film since CR that got me super thrilled, super hyped and super enthusiastic again! :-)
Since I promised to remain spoiler free, I won't go into too many details but let me just say that besides
- the great acting
- the tremendously exciting action
- the wonderful locations
- the brilliant photography
- the clever story
- the good score (yes, Newman delivers the goods)
SPECTRE is also a real treat for Bond fans. The phrase, "it's all connected", suits the film fine. ;-) This is a grown-up Bond film, not DAD. But unlike SF, SPECTRE has all the details right. I'm in love with this movie. For the first time in 25 years, a Bond film not directed by Martin Campbell rocks my world. Thank you Sam, Daniel, ... for this trip to Bond heaven! :)
Unlike with the previous two Bonds, I had fun with SPECTRE from start to finish. I'm a fan! Will watch the film again this Friday and most likely again next Wednesday. I want to see it again NOW.
I still think of it as my second favorite from the Connery era (my number 1 is Dr No) and i loved it but this time it felt a bitt more slow than the first time i watched it.
But the story is great and with two of my favorite Bond girls of the Classic era and Sean had wonderful chemistry with Both ladies Claudine and Lucciana Paluzzi.
Now this time i understood better what happened with Domino's Brother and how Bond knew Largo Killed him which it wasn't like he thought anyway.
Bond just mis interpretated the Method, he thought he was murdered in the air plane when he was murdered long time before that.
I also loved the scene where Domino dances with James, there was a special magic between in that scene.
Ageless. Very few Bond films can transcend their time period and this happens to be one of them. Some moments and pieces of tech are very 1980's, but there lack of emphasis allows the film to age gracefully. alton hits the ground running and gives Bond little moments that round him out as a character. Stylish, tense, and thrilling.
LICENCE TO KILL
Dalton came in like a wrecking ball and went out with a bang. Bond finally aged out from it's ever softening predecessors and gave us a bloody, brutal throwback to Fleming. It's only problem is it's legacy was cut off by six years of legal wrangling.
1. LICENCE TO KILL
2. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
3. GOLDFINGER
4. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
5 FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
6. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
7. THUNDERBALL
8. OCTOPUSSY
9. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
10. MOONRAKER
11. LIVE AND LET DIE
12. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
13. DR. NO
14. A VIEW TO A KILL
15. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
16. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
I have a feeling this will make some people very upset.
Lets see any other Bond actor do that.
For me the first half of LTK feels a bit too clichéd and, worst of all, I've grown to dislike Della - the sacrificial lamb and the main reason for the revenge plotline. The acting in the film also ranges from very good to so bad it's laughable.
Sanchez however is a knockout adversary for Bond. Davi makes what could now be a fairly clichéd 80s drug lord more sinister and memorable.
I can tell you who WOULD disagree with these rankings - Timothy Dalton ;)
Important, but overrated. Note that I didn't say "bad" or even "mediocre", yet it's reputation as a top tier Bond film is somewhat unfounded. Brosnan isn't quite there yet for the role and the film has a weird meandering section after the title sequence that consists of box ticking and plot setup. It takes a whole half hour for the film to finally get itself in gear. When it does, it takes off like a shot. Sean Bean is terrific villain material and Famke is nearly Volpe tier in the femme fatale department. Despite it's flaws, still good fun.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
The best edited Bond film in 20 years. Brosnan's best performance. Arnold's best score. A mediocre script elevated by slick action and stylish photography. Some of my good vibes are chalked up to sentimental value (this was the first Bond film I'd ever seen), but even without that it remains an entertaining film. Unencumbered by the "innovation" the subsequent films would try to bring, TND just succeeds at being thrilling.
1. LICENCE TO KILL
2. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
3. GOLDFINGER
4. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
5 FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
6. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
7. THUNDERBALL
8. OCTOPUSSY
9. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
10. GOLDENEYE
11. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
12. MOONRAKER
13. LIVE AND LET DIE
14. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
15. DR. NO
16. A VIEW TO A KILL
17. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
18. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN