It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
As it happens, no. I feel slightly differently towards each film, mind. I can see more pros and cons in each than before, mind and I'm really into Connery. I think he's great.
I would agree on the slide whistle ruining the great stunt. Also you have a point about the film looking cheap in some places. I think this is where the use of scope photography and a more vivid colour scheme would have helped the film out. Despite the film being shot in some of the most stunning locations the film does employ a rather drab colour scheme in certain sequences. Thailand is bursting with colour and I think they could have used that a lot more. I've always quite enjoyed the character of Goodnight...
Good taste.
OMG what a controversial view :p
This time around I wasn't sure what to think of about these films. Very grounded in realism and Dalton is closest to Fleming's Bond, exciting action that is in no way campy. Ruthless Bond in LTK, beautiful looking Pam Bouvier, Miami Vice vibes.
I'm not sure about Dalton. I mean he's great Fleming's Bond, but is he a great movie Bond? This time around I couldn't make up my mind, and I felt like I would've needed to see a third Bond from him to make up my mind. With Sean , Roger and Craig I had already made up my mind with the first and second movies. Not the same thing with Dalton. Maybe I have been influenced by some posts here, saying he's a bit boring as Bond and with this viewing of his two films I kind of have to agree with the sentiment.
Great movies still. I was on a roll, and after Dalton, I needed a break from Bond since I didn't want to go headlong into the Brosnan films after Dalton's tenure.
It's always a nice reminder though. I've never felt disappointed in Connery's performance after watching any of the first 4 movies. I always feel like "wow! Connery really owns this role! Such charisma!" Then I'm reminded how all future Bond actor's have fallen short to some degree (not bad mind you, just not to the level of the Great Scotsman)
1964-65 Had lost some vital characteristics by this point, not as powerful as before, had faded away somewhat, but still a damn fine Bond
1967 Simply not as affective or influential as I remember, seemed to have become a shadow of the character I remember, but still had that certain quality and seemed plausible in places
1971 Almost unrecognizable from the early years, a more bloated and out of sorts Bond, who didn't seem that interested, as with You Only Live Twice before it, a shadow of his great early performances and a pale imitation of what I remember
I think that's a pretty accurate interpretation. Though I read it slightly different:
1962-63 Completely agree: the most Fleming presentation of the character
1964-65 This is where I think screen-Bond really comes alive and transcends the character of the book. Sean Connery has gained much more swagger and confidence by the time of GF and TB, that the iconic Bond is forever established.
1967 Still great, maybe lost a little, but not much. Connery is well versed in the role, that even though he may be going through the motions, he has a firm understanding of the character. The over-the-top plot is what may detract from this film
1971 Disagree here. It's a totally different take for sure than 1962-63, but it's refreshing in that sense. The Bond character almost mimics the actor and vice versa, in the sense of it being a "coming out of retirement" performance, shows that Bond (and Connery) still have it. Connery looks to be having a lot of fun back in the saddle.
I’ve been binging on Bond. Which is most unusual for me; I usually watch the entire series in a Bond-athon, every two years. I’ve fallen of the wagon big style.
Firstly I watched Die Another Day, on Tuesday and then yesterday, I watched The Living Daylights.
You can read my DAD “review” here…
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2624/dad-is-actually-pretty-good/p15#Item_430
TLD
Top notch; this ranks as one of the very best Bond films. Glen’s direction is assured while it also features probably the best cinematography of his tenure. The screenplay is as intelligent and complex as any in the series. Barry’s score serves as a fitting swansong to this great man. The film is filled with a real sense of Fleming, yet all the cinematic hallmarks are here, and executed brilliantly and originally.
Full marks have to go to Timothy Dalton, who on his first attempt nails the character of Fleming’s 007 completely. Well almost completely – he does not have, in my humble opinion of course, the subtlety of the finer things in life e.g. drink and food etc; I don’t get the feeling with Dalton. He’s professional about his work, sure, but that carries on in to his private life; the way Fleming’s Bond would plan his meals so meticulously - after all it may be his last one. Just a small thing, that in no way detracts from a quite superlative performance. Kudos to Dalton, I’m obsessing about trivial facets to Bond character. No other Bond actor has done this. As usual I was transfixed by Dalton’s performance; he has layers of depth to his characterization. Really, rather superb.
The romance, this time, is touching and genuine; I think they made an excellent couple. Dalton’s Bond is quite cynical, but he is revitalised by Kara’s innocent and naivety. Bond really cares about this woman.
I also liked when Bond, Q and Moneypenny are in Q’s lab; I got a real family vibe. However, I was disappointed when Bond and M are having their briefing. It should have been tense edgy a’la Goldfinger or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Dalton is really trying here, perhaps to raise Robert Brown’s performance, maybe, but Brown is too avuncular in the role. Ah well.
9.5
Superb Mr Dalton, superb!
Next up is Live And Let Die and Goldfinger, I think. Then I will clamber on board the wagon….
EDIT
A View To A Kill
Well... there's one Bond film that hasn't improved since my last viewing. Chris Walken can do loopy like Terry-Thomas can play a cad. The rest of the film however is lacking energy, with the increasingly obvious use of a stuntman for Moore is now too much to overlook.
But beneath all the mould, I bet there's probably a decent Bond waiting to claw it's way out. With a bit of recasting, AVTAK would be on it's way to being a decent Bond. The thought of Dalton going up against Walken certainly intriques me. :-?
And if they had to cast one of Charlie's Angels, why couldn't it have been Jaclyn Smith instead? She's by far, more attractive than Roberts imo.
2012 Bond Ranking
1. You Only Live Twice
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr No
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. For Your Eyes Only
6. Thunderball
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. Live And Let Die
9. Octopussy
10. Goldfinger
11. Diamonds Are Forever
12. The Man With The Golden Gun
13. Moonraker
14. A View To A Kill
Next Up: The Living Daylights
I think TLD is FYEO done right. Both films are back-to-Fleming reboots of sorts after one that didn't follow the literary source material. But TLD's got Dalton, John Barry, more chemistry between Bond and the leading lady and a more exciting finale.
It certainly seems that way.
FYEO ahead of TB with Claudine Auger's Domino, Major? @-)
You and I have discussed this before PKK, the opinion that FYEO is a bit overpraised and that it has it's share of shortcomings, an opinion that I have agreed with for some time.
However, I have had a slight change of heart on the matter recently. Barry is clearly absent, but having had some time to sit with Conti's soundtrack, he does some nice work, like in Submarine, FYEO instrumental and Cortina.
Also, there is a bit more "atmosphere" to FYEO than I would say compared to TLD. There is a combination of sunny Mediterranean and alpine/wintery--most certainly a nod to OHMSS. There is a very outdoors feel to everything, no laires or bases this time around, even St. Cyril takes place largely out doors. Thus, the film has a lot of colour and lushness. A Bond film should have this travelogue feel. TB did this the best. But that is why I am warming up to FYEO. Melina is also one of the more interesting Bond girls as well and has interesting backstory.
When I have time, maybe From Russia with Love next or Tomorrow Never Dies, maybe I was too hard on it before so I'll give it another viewing etc
Don't worry, Domino is still my 2nd favourite Bond Girl (despite where TB is on my list), Bouquet would come 3rd.
Now Tomorrow Never Dies is where he really began showing his Bond, and the script was tailored to his strengths. It's a 90's action movie all right, but doesn't feel dated like GE. Soundtrack's more classy with a modern twist, and all around the movie feels more Bondian than GE, which had it's share of modern action, with less bondian flavor. Tomorrow Never Dies, imo, is just a better movie.
Why? Because I felt like it.
Verdict: As usual, such great fun.
+: Moore (in his best perf007mance IMO), Barry (with one his very best perf007mances, again, IMO) and the best damn visuals they could have given us, including the special fx.
-: Are you kidding me? None! (Yes, objectively speaking they jumped a whole ocean of sharks but again, it's fun!)
Because Moore was no longer Bond in TLD, it seemed like they felt they didn't need any Moore humor, which dented FYEO a bit. Daylights kept its tone mostly consistent throughout the film (though I still find that cello case scene a little foolish).
I think the whole mountain chase has more than a little wiff of Moore about it. Slicing cars in two, "brace yourself", jumping large distance successfully while the chasers fall down comically and the moving wooden hut.
The cello case scene was a bad mistake. It does not belong in a Dalton film. It's like they suddenly forgot they were shooting a Dalton film and thought they were still on the set of a Moore movie. Other than that though and the odd one liner, the consistency was maintained for the best part.
Octopussy was the last Bond flick I saw. Great fun like all the Moore films. Moore knew how to deliver the one liners too unlike Brosnan.
I was surprised by how serious the film was; apart from the middle third-ish, it’s remarkably straight laced. Why oh why then, did they pop Sherriff "Bloody" Pepper into the mix! On the plus side, and following on from Live and Let Die, TMWTGG is an understated entry and quite reserved, rather like Dr No. It follows a similar story arch as in DN; detective work in the beginning, which morphs into a sci-fi type adventure, in the latter part of the story.
I watched this on my old VHS, 1997 I believehttp://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=the+man+with+the+golden+gun+vhs+cover&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=725&tbm=isch&tbnid=Nf9zr7buTjy_gM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Man-With-Golden-Gun/dp/B00004CZHC&docid=Is-cYAFl4dlfEM&imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8ZVX9W4L._SL500_AA300_.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=o_3ZT9G1FY2a1AWCoYC6BA&zoom=1. The excitement was something I had forgotten; popping in the VHS; seeing the trailer “it takes more than one Bond…”;
the MGM/UA logo… it was like being transported back in time. I prefer watching the Guy Hamilton films like this; it’s more intimate. Hamilton dislikes the widescreen format, so why not? (Or at least I gathered from watching his films…….)
Dr No
From a dead formatting, VHS, to Bond Remastered on DVD. I don’t think I’ll be buying a Blu-Ray player anytime soon, coz this looked absolutely stunning. The picture quality was so, so crisp. The chaps behind this remastering deserve a pat on the back.
The film itself was superb, naturally; one of my favourites, no doubt about it.
Now then, I shall climb back on board the wagon… No slip ups, I promise. Or at least until October..
:D
I also liked the cello chase. Shows that Dalton did have lighter moments which he pulled of well.
(:| Any need for that? Couldn't have just said something like "Moore was great at the one liners". This forum is a bad place to be a Brosnan fan.
^ Just one reason why this film ruins the rest of the cannon with it's awesomness.
Superb as usual. Dalton really drives this film, I can't imagine any other actor as Bond in TLD (or either of his two Bond for that). The Hotel Room scene still remains my #1 Bond moment:
"Stay where you are... get down on your knees... put your hands behind your back."
I love the little subtleties that Dalton brings, like when his in cafe with Saunders. We see some snobbishness from Bond when he takes a mouthfull of tea/coffee, it's not to his liking so he puts the cup down and pushes it away. Kara as naive as she was, I do find her completely endearing. And the chemisty between her and Dalton is the best we've seen.
The only niggle I have is John Terry. He isn't the worst Leiter, just comes off as a non-entity. That's the only thing I would want to change about TLD, is replace Terry with Stacy Keach. And then I would have to expand Felix's role in the film. :-B
2012 Bond Ranking
1. The Living Daylights
2. You Only Live Twice
3. From Russia With Love
4. Dr No
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. Thunderball
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
9. Live And Let Die
10. Octopussy
11. Goldfinger
12. Diamonds Are Forever
13. The Man With The Golden Gun
14. Moonraker
15. A View To A Kill
Next Up: Licence To Kll
I have mixed feelings about this film. In general, I liked it. I liked the characters, the setting and the plot, I only wish it made more sense to me.
I was totally lost on the fake Fabrige/real Fabrige egg plot. I just don't get the point of making a fake one only to buy the real one at an auction. It just confused the heck out of me. I also don't understand why Khan continues with the bombing. The general was the one who wanted to invade Europe. With him dead, why bother denotating the bomb? Plus, I'm assuming that the General used the $$ from the items (like the egg and the star) to pay for the bomb. If that's the case, then that bomb must have been on stand-by because he had it immediately after settling things with Octopussy and Khan.
I really liked Octopussy. She was a fantastic character. My favorite line was her telling Bond he had no right to judge her lifestyle. It was also interesting that she was working with the villians but wasn't really a villian. Khan and the General were interesting villians too although Khan's motivation seemed to changed. I thought it was only money but again, why detonate the bomb?
Bond's stunts were less outlandish this time until we got to the end. Hanging onto an airplane in mid air? Really?? Then at the end, we find out that Bond suffered injuries and can't travel. That made snese given the airplane routine and it made him seem vulnerable. However, we lose that sense of vulnerability once he takes his arm out of the sling in order to kiss Octopussy. Why have the arm in a sling if you obviously don't have to?
Nice review Major. I always enjoy reading about people's #1 favorite Bond films. Even if I don't hold a film in such high regard, it's always great to hear that level of enthusiasm because I think we can all relate to it with all our own individual favorites. TLD is personally a top 5 for me. To me it has the most complex plot and breaks away from the more standard Bond formula, but doesn't get all convoluted the way TWINE does.
What are your thoughts on the critique by some that the villains are a bit lackluster?
Thanks. :)
I can understand why some people think that, as the villains of TLD are not the larger than life villains that were seen in Bond before, but I don't agree with it. I see Koskov as the intellectual villain, Necros is the physical villain, while Whittaker lies somewhere in between. With Whittaker, I love that he is a millitary freak, and stages battles his own way. He is so arrogant that he thinks he could've done better. That feels like a character trait that Fleming would've dreamed up.
I just watched this one this weekend and my reaction was "Meh." Zorin's motivation was identical to Aric's in Goldfinger except it was about hoarding microchips and not gold. Unfortunately, Zorin has a less memorable persona. I know the whole horse-racing plot was a way to get Bond in Zorin's circle but it bored me. Also, I don't really see the need for Zorin to be a Nazi medical experiment. It just seems like an unnecessary detail. Plus, as much as I liked Tanya Roberts in Charle's Angels, she makes for a dull Bond girl. I also didn't care for May Day.
Overall, I'd say Roger Moore's swan song was pretty lackluster.
Even though I love AVTAK, I definitely dig what you're saying in regards to the horse racing plot. It was a little stale and yawn-inducing now that I think about it. As far as Zorin and his backstory are concerned, this is where I feel that AVTAK really shined best. Whereas villains like Karl Stromberg or Georgi Koskov have very little to go on, Zorin's character is filled with fascinating matertial.
One of my favorites without a doubt! It moves at such an easy pace that doesn't fail to keep the interest alive and energetic. The locations involved in the pace work really well with the movie and give it a real Bond feel. The jazzy and swinging lounge style soundtrack by Barry is a real treat and is very hum-worthy, hahaha. The villains, while being somewhat cartoonish, are a real treat to watch and have a great sense of menace to them, especially Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. Despite Connery's age and out-of-shape physique, I've always thought that DAF was one of his finest hours as 007. Every line and action just radiates with 007ness in DAF, and it works out very well. Whether or not DAF should have taken a more revenge-motivated path and continued off of OHMSS or not, I find it irrelevant because what we got is incredibly amazing. Top Ten worthy without a doubt!