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Steven Soderbergh shares his thoughts on O.H.M.S.S.

pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
edited November 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 7,314
http://extension765.com/sdr/2-most-irrelevant-no-1

I can't say that I agree with absolutely everything that he says but he brings up some valid points. I had no idea that this film was such an inspiration to him. Please read and share your thoughts.
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Comments

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    That was quite brilliant. Thank you for sharing that blog article with us, @pachazo.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Seconded Draggers.

    Nice to see such a positive and informed view of the film (and indeed Laz) from a proper filmmaker who knows what he's talking about rather than the usual moronic critic from TV Quick who still holds GF as the gold standard.

    I've never really thought of him as directing a Bond film but after this why not.

    Any bloke who has a signed picture of Laz in their house is fine by me.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Pretty cool piece and interesting point of view. I'm inclined to agree on Lazenby. I really like him and at the same time I don't. This does give food for thought
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    I'd certainly disagree that OHMSS is the only Bond film that can be watched for more than entertainment; Casino Royale absolutely transcends being a part of the series as, in its' own right, a quality piece of cinema.

    Other than that, fantastic writeup.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    I particularly liked this take on Lazenby:

    " This, to me, is a lack of sensitivity and understanding on the part of the filmmakers and not a shortcoming of the lead actor, because Lazenby has one thing you can’t fake, which is a certain kind of gravitas. Despite this, there is no attempt to bring it out or amplify it, which is a huge missed opportunity. "

    I think Lazenby does have a really strong "presence" that is there in the film, if unerutilized, and had he continued, would have really come out strong and really defined him as a great Bond if not the best.
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    JBFan626 wrote:
    I particularly liked this take on Lazenby:

    " This, to me, is a lack of sensitivity and understanding on the part of the filmmakers and not a shortcoming of the lead actor, because Lazenby has one thing you can’t fake, which is a certain kind of gravitas. Despite this, there is no attempt to bring it out or amplify it, which is a huge missed opportunity. "

    I think Lazenby does have a really strong "presence" that is there in the film, if unerutilized, and had he continued, would have really come out strong and really defined him as a great Bond if not the best.

    This is essentially my reasoning that led to Lazenby getting the edge over Connery for me.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited November 2013 Posts: 18,281
    JBFan626 wrote:
    I particularly liked this take on Lazenby:

    " This, to me, is a lack of sensitivity and understanding on the part of the filmmakers and not a shortcoming of the lead actor, because Lazenby has one thing you can’t fake, which is a certain kind of gravitas. Despite this, there is no attempt to bring it out or amplify it, which is a huge missed opportunity. "

    I think Lazenby does have a really strong "presence" that is there in the film, if unerutilized, and had he continued, would have really come out strong and really defined him as a great Bond if not the best.

    I also really liked how he said that Lazenby looked scared and was vulnerable at times, too. This really set him apart as an actor, although Pierce Brosnan also brought some vulnerability to the role in GoldenEye (especially in the scene where Bond meets Janus), as does Daniel Craig now.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    I read that a few days ago, don't think I've ever seen such a positive outlook on OHMSS, but it's great to see and nice to know that he treasures it so much.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    This bit is bang on...

    the anamorphic compositions are relentlessly arresting—and the editing patterns of the action sequences are totally bananas; it’s like Peter Hunt (who cut the first five Bond films) took all the ideas of the French new wave and blended them with Eisenstein in a Cuisinart to create a grammar that still tops today’s how fast can you cut aesthetic, because the difference here is that each of the shots—no matter how short—are real shots, not just additional coverage from the hosing-it-down school of action
  • Matt_HelmMatt_Helm
    Posts: 908
    RC7 wrote:
    This bit is bang on...

    the anamorphic compositions are relentlessly arresting—and the editing patterns of the action sequences are totally bananas; it’s like Peter Hunt (who cut the first five Bond films) took all the ideas of the French new wave and blended them with Eisenstein in a Cuisinart to create a grammar that still tops today’s how fast can you cut aesthetic, because the difference here is that each of the shots—no matter how short—are real shots, not just additional coverage from the hosing-it-down school of action

    It is because of this,that I still happen to think that Forsters editing was much more a hommage to OHMSS than to the Bourne fad.
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Matt_Helm wrote:
    RC7 wrote:
    This bit is bang on...

    the anamorphic compositions are relentlessly arresting—and the editing patterns of the action sequences are totally bananas; it’s like Peter Hunt (who cut the first five Bond films) took all the ideas of the French new wave and blended them with Eisenstein in a Cuisinart to create a grammar that still tops today’s how fast can you cut aesthetic, because the difference here is that each of the shots—no matter how short—are real shots, not just additional coverage from the hosing-it-down school of action

    It is because of this,that I still happen to think that Forsters editing was much more a hommage to OHMSS than to the Bourne fad.

    You absolutely do not understand how to edit a film then. Nor are you able to comprehend that Hunt and Forster are as different as can be.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    I hope this blog post of Soderbergh's inspires others to watch the film, too. Maybe the love is spreading?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    Samuel001 wrote:
    I hope this blog post of Soderbergh's inspires others to watch the film, too. Maybe the love is spreading?

    One can hope, same with Nolan's Bond inspirations in 'Inception.' I hope it caused some big fans to spread out and check out films like OHMSS.
  • BentleyBentley
    Posts: 267
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    Seconded Draggers.

    Nice to see such a positive and informed view of the film (and indeed Laz) from a proper filmmaker who knows what he's talking about rather than the usual moronic critic from TV Quick who still holds GF as the gold standard.

    I've never really thought of him as directing a Bond film but after this why not.

    Any bloke who has a signed picture of Laz in their house is fine by me.

    I agree completely with the ever intelligent @TheWizardOflce. This is an excellent appreciation from a great film maker. I love Soderbergh's work and I hope and pray that his supposed retirement is just a publicity stunt.
    Albeit not his best film, "Haywire," gives a good indication of the direction he might go if he ever took the Bond gig and believe you me, it would be very interesting!
    Reflecting on this, is it any wonder that the two best books (FRWL & OHMSS) made the best movies?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    'Haywire' was brutal, dark, realistic, and I loved it. If he helmed a Bond film, I would hope he'd bring the same material to the table, give us back that brutal Craig from CR/QoS.
  • Matt_HelmMatt_Helm
    Posts: 908
    StirredNotShaken wrote:
    Matt_Helm wrote:
    RC7 wrote:
    This bit is bang on...

    the anamorphic compositions are relentlessly arresting—and the editing patterns of the action sequences are totally bananas; it’s like Peter Hunt (who cut the first five Bond films) took all the ideas of the French new wave and blended them with Eisenstein in a Cuisinart to create a grammar that still tops today’s how fast can you cut aesthetic, because the difference here is that each of the shots—no matter how short—are real shots, not just additional coverage from the hosing-it-down school of action

    It is because of this,that I still happen to think that Forsters editing was much more a hommage to OHMSS than to the Bourne fad.

    You absolutely do not understand how to edit a film then. Nor are you able to comprehend that Hunt and Forster are as different as can be.

    Maybe this opinion would touch me,if it came from a competent person. Who knows?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    Unless my eyes deceive me, we are 17 posts in to this thread and you two are already at one another's throat. Why don't you two just PM one another and hash out your rage there? No point in derailing more threads and causing them to be closed.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Well said @Creasy

    Back to the topic at hand, it's a quite brilliant article from Soderburgh and one which is difficult to disagree with. I love his work, particularly Out Of Sight (despite the presence of 'Jenny From The Block') and The Limey.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    WillyGalore wrote:
    Well said @Creasy

    Back to the topic at hand, it's a quite brilliant article from Soderburgh and one which is difficult to disagree with. I love his work, particularly Out Of Sight (despite the presence of 'Jenny From The Block') and The Limey.

    Haven't seen 'Out Of Sight' since I was young, but I remember loving it. I never really thought about Soderbergh doing a Bond film, but now that I think about it, he would make one hell of a Bond director. And since he loves OHMSS so much, if he did do a Craig film...maybe we would finally get a Craig ski/snow scene.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Creasy47 wrote:
    WillyGalore wrote:
    Well said @Creasy

    Back to the topic at hand, it's a quite brilliant article from Soderburgh and one which is difficult to disagree with. I love his work, particularly Out Of Sight (despite the presence of 'Jenny From The Block') and The Limey.

    Haven't seen 'Out Of Sight' since I was young, but I remember loving it. I never really thought about Soderbergh doing a Bond film, but now that I think about it, he would make one hell of a Bond director. And since he loves OHMSS so much, if he did do a Craig film...maybe we would finally get a Craig ski/snow scene.

    I just hope he's not serious about his retirement from filmmaking.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited November 2013 Posts: 40,978
    @WillyGalore, who knows, it's a gamble in Hollywood anymore. DiCaprio said he was going to retire from acting about a year ago, yet he has two films coming out and a bunch more he's signing on/in talks to star in. Soderbergh is still young and is working on that mini-series now, I'm sure he won't be retiring anytime soon.
  • Matt_HelmMatt_Helm
    Posts: 908
    Creasy47 wrote:
    Unless my eyes deceive me, we are 17 posts in to this thread and you two are already at one another's throat. Why don't you two just PM one another and hash out your rage there? No point in derailing more threads and causing them to be closed.

    Could you please direkt your comments to this stirred guy. After all it wasn't me who went for him. BTW, you would be hard pressed,to find a case in which I started attacking whoever. All I usually do is to refrain from playing "the cleverer give in",since I feel this is a certain Way to make the fools rule and I don't consider this an acceptable state of affairs!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    @Matt_Helm, if you feel he starts everything, why not just ignore him and not reply to what he says? Who starts it is irrelevant if the other person just picks it up and continues arguing.
  • Perilagu_KhanPerilagu_Khan
    edited November 2013 Posts: 2,483
    An interesting take by Soderbergh, and I agree with most of it. Specifically, I agree that OHMSS is the most beautiful Bond film ever made, but I think he undervalues other Bond films in this regard. Specifically, TB, MR, TLD, CR and SF (which hadn't been released when he wrote the piece) are all quite gorgeous and can hold their own with OHMSS in that regard.

    Also, I cannot agree that Teresa is the only female character in Bond that is not a cartoon, and I find very little cheese in OHMSS' action shots.

    Furthermore, why is it that virtually every Hollywood eminence feels the need to drop F-bombs in their public utterances? I supposed they want to appear "edgy," transgressive, and above "bourgeoisie" mores. The real effect is to make them appear childish, tasteless and undignified.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    I actually agree with some of the cheese in the ski chases and the bob sled chase. OHMSS is by far my favourite Bond, and I feel that Soderbergh has got it spot on.

    However, I've got to agree with @Perilagu_Khan , the expletives are a bit off putting.
  • SoundofthesinnersSoundofthesinners
    Posts: 3,236
    It's a good article and a good defense of OHMSS, but it makes a few errors, and there are a few things I disagree with.

    First of all, it's not the only movie where Bond wants to quit his job, he speaks openly of being fired in The Living Daylights, actually quits in Licence to Kill and Casino Royale, and spends some time out of action in Skyfall. Second of all, the charge that this is the only movie without cartoon females is belied to some extent by the Dalton movies and GoldenEye, and most certainly by Casino Royale and Skyfall. Finally, the cinematography is at least matched by Skyfall.

    And regarding Lazenby, being so utterly incapable of delivering a good line is a knock on his performance as Bond. It was Dalton's greatest weakness and Lazenby is orders of magnitude worse than him at it. James Bond should be at least somewhat able to deliver a quip. I also think Connery could have pulled of being in love with Tracy and mourning her loss, but we'll never definitively find that out.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    This is something I've always thought too: "For instance, they should have known that a lot of the one-liners that would have worked with Connery don’t work with Lazenby."
    Take away the one-liners and Lazenby's performance could raise one level, no matter which is your baseline.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Creasy47 wrote:
    'Haywire' was brutal, dark, realistic, and I loved it. If he helmed a Bond film, I would hope he'd bring the same material to the table, give us back that brutal Craig from CR/QoS.

    Yes, that hotel fight between Gina and Fassbender was brutal.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,804
    I absolutely adore Haywire, and I see how OHMSS influenced it.
    IMO, Soderbergh was spot-on in his review, and I was surprised to find he felt the same as I do concerning the parts that could be trimmed.
    If any here have not seen his Solaris, I'd recommend it as a 2001-ish take on that story.
    And his F-bombs just make him seem all the more real in the context of a casual conversation fan-to-fans, but that may just be me....
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    @doubleogo, it was so intense and realistic, I loved it. The whole film was great.
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