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Next up is Timothy Dalton’s sophomore and, sadly, final outing as agent 007 in License to Kill. The film is notable for being the final Bond film of the 1980s and is seen by many as an end of an era. I have had an interesting relationship with this film. It used to be one of my absolute worst films (not just Bond films)…..I really couldn’t stand it. Over time, my views have improved on each viewing, dramatically, and I look forward to seeing if this continues with this viewing. I am cautious however, given the precipitous decline that TLD has just received in my rankings.
Notable impressions (imho):
-Gun barrel music: Excellent. It sounds very distinct from Barry & it has an ominous tenor rather than a rhythmic one
-Pretitles : This feels quite extended (almost feels as long as TWINE although I know it’s not) but it’s very tense and interesting from the get go. Franz Sanchez (the chief villain brilliantly played by Robert Davi here) is introduced early and proves to be quite ruthless, commanding a henchman to cut out his cheating girlfriend’s lover’s heart. It ends with a magnificent aerial sequence where Bond lands on Sanchez’s plane and ties it up with the copter’s cable…..this part is almost as good a MR's legendary pretitles imho.
-Michael Kamen: Kamen was the ‘it’ action composer at that time, having just scored Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, two massive box office smashes. When Barry couldn’t return, Kamen was given the job, and he does absolutely fabulous here imho. As with everything about this film, I used to dislike his score with a vengeance when younger, but I realize now that’s because he had the misfortune of having to follow one of Barry’s best. Having since heard some of the tripe that EON has served up in the way of scores over the past 25 years, LTK now almost seems Grammy worthy. Basically Kamen infuses LTK with a Die Hard/Lethal Weapon edge, while still incorporating traditional Bondian motifs and orchestra accompanied by some Latin riffs. It’s quite a unique score in the canon
-Title Song: I actually really like this song from Gladys Knight. Pure 80’s synth soul sung by a legend, who was one of those responsible for discovering ‘The Jackson 5’. A privilege to have her on the roster of Bond singers, and it’s a great song, although it can be argued that it doesn’t suit the film, similar to how Duran Duran’s title track for AVTAK does not suit that film either.
-Timothy Dalton: he is actually magnificent here. I used to think his better performance was TLD (since it is a more traditional Bond film, tropes and all), but I realize now, based on this ‘back to back’ viewing, that I was entirely incorrect. LTK is Dalton’s finest hour as James Bond. This is the film where we see the promise that was hinted at in TLD, but which was hamstrung by the long shadow of Roger Moore and the prospect (nixed at the last minute) of Pierce Brosnan as successor. Dalton brings an intensity to the proceedings in LTK that makes Daniel Craig in QoS seem like a ‘puddy’ cat imho. As I noted in my review of the previous film, Dalton certainly can be a little melodramatic and theatrical at times, and he is here as well, which is not to my liking: “Dellaaaaaaa!” “It’s a tough business you’ve picked Ms. Bouvier……leave it to the professionals!!!”. His emphasis of certain words is questionable at times, but it’s all good in context
-Robert Davi/Franz Sanchez: Retrospectively, I think he is one of the best villains ever in the Bond film franchise. The character of a potent drug lord who values loyalty above money and who is not afraid to use extremely vicious means to punish those who cross him is very realistically portrayed with an edge by Davi. This is probably his best performance ever. Truly excellent work.
-Talisa Soto/Lupe: from the first time I saw her in the pretitles, I knew this was going to be a painful experience. She’s quite gorgeous really, but her inability to properly string a few words together coherently with acting conviction & credible expression always leaves me with an unsavoury taste, especially since she’s more than a ‘bit character’ in this film
-Pam Bouvier/Cary Lowell – I’ll keep it brief. I honestly can’t stand her. She’s the 2nd leading ‘girl’ in Dalton’s run as Bond that I am not happy with. Again, like Kara, I find her whiney, peevish, and sappy. She has no chemistry with Dalton either so their interactions seem extremely forced (including the romantic ones). I don’t think she’s a very convincing actress either (although she’s positively Oscar worthy in comparison with Soto). Having said that, she really does clean up quite nicely in that black dress with the cropped hair.
-Dario/Benecio Del Toro: He is superb here. Del Toro hams it up a little but he definitely shows early signs of his genius in this film, and provides another level of believable menace (along with Davi) to the villains.
-David Hedison: He’s as good here as he is in LALD. My favourite Felix by far (apart from Jeffrey Wright & Jack Lord of course) and a great improvement from the forgettable John Terry from TLD.
-Anthony Zerbe: He deserves an honourable mention as the doomed Milton Krest, one of Sanchez’s collaborators. Zerbe does an excellent job, imbuing Krest with a fearful panic, as though he realizes that Sanchez will eventually kill him
Other Notables (imho):
-Bond confronting Lupe at night at knifepoint on the WaveKrest. This is true Bond’age’ the likes of which was last seen when Rogers’ Bond confronted Anders in TMWTGG at Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel.
-Bond’s latest Rolex Submariner 16610 (this time with sapphire and not acrylic crystal). A work of art, and unfortunately this is the last time we get to see Bond sporting a Submariner, which should always be on his wrist imho.
-Bond escaping the WaveKrest: This is one of the best scenes John Glen has directed imho. Great work here, and marvelously scored by Kamen. I just love the part where Bond water skies up so he’s parallel to the floatplane and then throws himself onto the floats of the plane. Incredible. The underwater fights are also very clear and exciting.
-Truck finale: This is one of the most exciting chase sequences in a Bond film imho. It's very inventive and I was gripped from the get-go to the end, when Bond kills Sanchez with the lighter that Leiter gives him. The truck tipping sideways is amazing.
-Plot: This film deserves kudos for its plot. which is very coherent and interestingly woven together. Basically a simple revenge tale, it's notable for how Bond goes rogue and essentially uses Sanchez's weakness (his desire for complete loyalty) against him and makes him question nearly everyone around him
Worst bits:
-Dalton’s hair. This is entirely unacceptable. They should have invested in a comb on a production of this magnitude
-the horrendously amateurish fight at the bar in Florida followed by the ‘forced’ romance on the boat with Bouvier (horrid)
-Bloody 1980’s shoulder pads….even on the dinner jacket
-Some supporting acting: Sadly, a lot of the early part of LTK is filmed in the US (Florida Keys) with US based actors. Many of these folks are very pedestrian (tv actors at best) and it shows. They bring the whole early part of the film down a few pegs, and remind me a lot of the similar low quality output during the San Francisco parts of AVTAK. Frank McCrae as Sharkey, Everett McGill as Ed Killifer, Athony Starke as Truman Lodge & Grand Bush as Hawkins
Best lines:
“Even one of your famous $1m bribes can’t get you out of this one…….2……What? …..$2m…US $”
“You better find a new lover!......”
“And why can’t you be my executive secretary?” Chuckle…
“Bless your heart!”
“I love James…….Sooooo much!” Cringe…
“You should know something. Nobody saw you come in…..so nobody needs to see you go out”
“Remember. You’re only president, for life”
“What about the money patron?..... Launder it”
Conclusion:
-My relationship with this film has come a full 360 degrees. When I first saw it I thought it was a complete POS. I couldn’t stand it and didn’t rewatch it for many years. Since DC’s introduction as Bond, and since all the Bond films were remastered, I have a new found appreciation for it.
-As I mentioned in the intro, this is one of the few Bond films (OP & DAF probably being the others) that consistently improves on each watch for me. I am not a Fleming purist, so judge the films on their entertainment value.
-This is not necessarily a great Bond film, but it is definitely a great ‘film’. Period. The plot is one of the series’ best, and Dalton is very credible in his grief and desire to avenge Felix. The main villains are very credible too, which adds to the experience. So why do I feel it’s not a great ‘Bond’ film? Well, because it’s notably missing great Bond ‘girls’ (sorry but these two are the pits), great locations, great cinematography, and that larger than life feel that for me characterizes the best of the franchise.
-It’s sort of ordinary (just like DN is ordinary) but without the sheer cinematic power of Sean Connery to anchor it. Dalton is excellent, but as mentioned in my TLD review, I noticed with this Bondathon that he is not a movie 'star'......he is an actor. He lacks a bit of the screen charisma of some of the others, and that kind of hurts his portrayal….although his acting contribution to the franchise is unquestionably immense and on par with DC.
-If this film had a little more panache, it would be an easy top 5 for me……as it is I rank it very high but it will inevitably fall when we move on to the Connery and Craig films.
Bondathon Ranking
TSWLM
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: From one bad hairstyle to perhaps the most famous toupee of all. The man who would be King. Sean Connery in DAF
;)
In a way you could say it is a shame that they couldn't go to China like intended, as it would have boosted the film location wise, and probably added some of the glamour it is admittedly lacking. Yet again that would probably have ment that Davi would not have been cast, so its difficult to say... And obviously the budget was a problem. Of all the low budget productions EON did, I guess LTK is the one where it is most notable. It just lacks that extra grandeur, Sanchez house in the Acapulco bay is great but not enough.
But it is nice to see someone giving the plot the praise it deserves! For me it is easily the best since From Russia With Love! Compelling, intriguing and well put together, and finally Bond does some proper spy work, infiltrating an organization using his wits rather than brute force to take it down. Great stuff from Michael Wilson who has been, quite unfairly in my view, hammered for his efforts with the writing on this film.
Next up: the Sean Connery years, starting as I've always done in this Bondathon, with the film perceived to be his worst, namely his last: 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. This is another one that has also improved on each rewatch over the years, and I'm curious to see if this recent trend continues.
Notable impressions (imho):
-pretitles: quite lousy. I always remember this as the one with the girl who gets the bikini tied around her neck, and that's the lasting memory this time around as well. It's uneventful and a little cheesy ("Ca.....Ca......Cairooooo!" & "Hit Me!" are also lasting negative impressions). This is the 3rd disappointing pretitles from Hamilton for me (the other two being LALD & TMWTGG).
-Gunbarrel: I've been trying to notice each actor's gb intro as I've gone through, and Connery’s gunbarrel is almost laughable. I actually rate his turn, point, drop to knee and shoot the lowest of all to date, including Dalton's which was the previous loser.
-Sean Connery: Having come off Timothy Dalton’s best work in LTK, and now coming to Sean Connery’s widely perceived worst, it’s clear to me that there’s just so much more confidence and poise to Connery in comparison to Dalton. (Interestingly, I had a similar reaction when I watched Roger Moore’s worst, namely AVTAK, shortly after arguably Pierce Brosnan’s best, namely GE). While Dalton appears to be a man in a rush…..one on the edge….one who’s trying to be Bond, Sean Connery just is James Bond. He is just so much more assured and secure on film……just so much cooler… and this is 'fat toupee with long grey sideburn' Connery we are talking about here, not top of game young Connery from DN to TB, which further confirms how good he is as Bond. Connery is a bona fide movie’ star’ while Dalton is just an actor, albeit an excellent one. He generally gets a bum rap for DAF, but I think that’s because most people compare it to his seminal work on the first four in particular. If one is able to ignore the early films (and how good he looks in them) and just look at him in isolation here, he’s actually excellent, despite his rather portly appearance… He still moves quite well (as good as Dalton in LTK), fights well (The Peter Franks fight in the elevator is excellent) and is very engaged and enthusiastic in this film. It doesn’t hurt that he has some great lines and delivers them with customary aplomb. They should have just shaved the ‘burns’ and dyed his hair better (the grey shows up quite a bit from time to time).
-Title Song: Bassey’s 2nd kick at the Bond can, this may subjectively be my favourite of hers. The lyrics are outstanding and it has a very distinctive sound to it. This song has been sampled many times as well, most notably by the likes of Kanye West & Rhianna
-Score: top 5 score from John Barry in my view. Similar to MR, arguably the score saves the film, because it matches the action on screen perfectly and transcends the campy nature of the narrative and performances/characters. It’s amazing how Barry creates a sound for the title song here that mimics jewellery (it has a tingly, cutting impact on the ears) reminiscent of how he evokes clanging gold bars in GF. Moreover, like the TMWTGG score (the next one he does for Bond), this is also a little quirky and even strange, with some curious and innovative ’in your face’ motifs. It almost seems like Barry is trying to change his sound at this point for the new 70's decade.
-I really like the scene where Bond climb up Willard Whyte’s building in the exterior elevator and shoots the grappling hook to get to the roof. It’s a great scene (I actually like all the night scenes in Bond films) and was suitably homaged in the SF China sequence. I could do without landing in the toilet seat though (typical Hamilton quirkiness)…
-Love the bit when Bond kicks the cat to determine who is the real Blofeld.
-Charles Grey/Blofeld: I always enjoy watching Grey. He’s got a great accent and is very charismatic, whether he’s playing Henderson, as in YOLT, or Blofeld, as in this case. He’s a bit camp, but then so is the whole film. Grey is definitely memorable, and fun, and that’s half the battle when playing a Bond villain imho. Definitely not one of the greats though
-Tiffany Case/Jill St. John: She’s never been one of my favourites. I’m not a big fan of redheads to begin with, and Tiffany is a bit ordinary (like a tv heroine rather than a big screen one). There’s nothing all that elegant about her character, and she doesn’t even have a sexy accent (a must for me in order for a Bond ‘girl’ to be ranked highly). Having said that, she shares two positive qualities with Mary Goodnight. Namely, she looks very fetching in a bikini, and and also finds a practical use for her ‘rear’ while wearing one.
-Bambi/Thumper are very interesting characters, and their appearance and fight with Bond is one of the highlights of this film. They are a little OTT, but the concept of two coordinated female henchwomen is a good one and should be used again in the future. Bond gets his butt kicked for a little bit which is fun to watch. I wish they could have been used more in the film.
-Wint & Kidd: I really enjoyed seeing them both this time around. Barry’s rising sax during their intro and whenever they show up on screen is brilliant and cheekily suggestive of their preferences. Wint in particular is a little disturbing, in an OTT sort of way. His jealous look at Kidd when he comments on Tiffany Case’s attractiveness (for a lady) is hilarious, as is his rather ignominious end (being flipped off the ship with his tail between his legs, so to speak).
-action scenes : I found them very good here, particularly the Vegas car chase (even though they messed up the direction of the car tip when it exits the alleyway). I also really enjoyed the moonbuggy/motorbike chase. There isn’t too much in the way of action here (it’s quite a ‘talky’ film) but what there is works well
-iconic scene: Plenty being thrown in the pool (copied so many times since but never done as well, including great line by villain afterwards)
-pacing: This is one of the better paced Bond films, and that’s what keeps it entertaining, rather than any grandiose spectacle. Like LALD & TMWTGG, Hamliton shows here that he knows how to move things along nicely. It’s notably impressive given what little he has to work with in terms of fancy locations or massive sets etc.
Worst Aspect of the film (imho):
I’ve always felt that DAF is let down mainly by the somewhat ‘boring’ Vegas setting and the notably ‘70’s kitsch fashion at play in this film. I still feel that way after this viewing. There’s something terribly ‘uncool’ about the manner it’s filmed and presented, as if they were trying to make a ‘tv film’ rather than a Bond film. In this way, my experience is similar to the last Bond film I watched in my Bondathon, namely LTK. In fact, LTK may even be a little more cinematically ‘Bondian’ than DAF, because at least there they had the Wayne Newton/Joe Butcher set which got blown up. Here we have a poorly shot ‘oil rig’. If only they had filmed it somewhere else other than the US and if only they’d tried just a little harder to make something a bit more glamorous, the movie would have really gone up in my ranking. Oh well……
Notable lines:
“My god….you’ve just killed James Bond!”
“I didn’t know there was a pool down there”
“My name’s Plenty….Plenty O’Toole…….Named after your father perhaps?”
“Right idea Mr. Bond……But wrong pussy”
“Bitch……..Your problems are all behind you now” inserts tape into back of bikini
“Tiffany my dear…….we’re showing a bit more cheek than usual aren’t we?”
“What a pity….such nice cheeks too. If only they were brains”
“that’s rather potent. Not the cork. You’re aftershave. Strong enough to bury anything”
“Although for such a grand meal I would have expected a claret....But of course. Unfortunately our cellar is poorly stocked with clarets.....Mouton Rothschild IS a claret... and I've smelled that aftershave before and both times I've smelled a rat!"
“Well he certainly left with his tail between his legs”
Final Impression:
-As with nearly all Guy Hamilton Bond films (GF perhaps excepted) this film is quirky and eccentric…… As I mentioned in my review of TMWTGG, I like quirky and eccentric for some reason. I used to think DAF was one of the worst films when I was younger. I realize now that this is because I used to focus primarily on its poor production values and drab 70’s kitsch aesthetic and ‘fat out of shape’ Connery. In other words, I was being shallow.
-As I’ve gotten older, and the more times I see the film, that element (while still painfully apparent) becomes less annoying, and I instead focus on Connery’s great performance (he really is the best Bond …. so incredibly effortless here in his 6th appaearance as Bond it’s not funny), the quirky charismatic villains, the superb lines/dialogue, the down to earth nature of the film, the excellent pacing, and the superb, eccentric score.
-It’s definitely a case of a director making the most of what he has to work with (not much really, except for an engaged Connery). So each time, It’s a better viewing experience, and this time is no exception, despite its cheesy Vegas style. Having said that, it loses a lot of points for not properly following up on the OHMSS story, which it really should have done.
Bondathon Ranking to date
TSWLM
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
DAF
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: Sean Connery's Japan opus- YOLT. Was this the beginning of the end for Bondmania?
to place DAF above MR is ridiculous but of course it's your prerogative.
In my newly started Bondathon, after first watching FYEO (did a report on that one page ago) DAF was the one I watched as second Bond movie.
I tried to like it, really, I tried.
Positives: One of the very best Connery scenes ever happens in DAF: the fight in the lift, or elevator to suit the Americans :\">
That scene belongs to the 10 best Bond moments.
Tiffany Case: I actually liked her always and yes it's true, by the end she's the regular bimbo Bond girl but she has strong scenes in the first two thirds of the movie.
Bambi & Thumper: Disney would be proud of you! I like that scene, it is very original and fun to watch.
The dialogue and the score: both belong to the best in the series.
That's it really, the rest is quite boring in most sequences and has a very B-movie feel to it. Those CGI explosions make the CGI surfing stuff in DAD look fancy and sophisticated.
Blofeld is a parody and almost ruins the movie totally.
Sadly the above mentioned good stuff doesn't make up in the slightest for the overall very bad impression that movie makes. Truly the one that belongs to the bottom.
Therefore:
1. FYEO
24. DAF (ok, 2. as for now ;;) who know there might be one after all that I will rank even lower)
I couldn't agree more on both fronts. Sanchez has long been one of my favourite villains in the series. I have a soft spot for 1980s American action movie villains, and seeing one in a Bond film makes for an interesting dynamic. Davi is great in the role.
On the flip, Lupe is one of my least favourite Bond girls, mostly due to Talisa Soto's terrible performance. She really brings her scenes down.
Apart from that there is really nothing to write home about in DAF. People criticize the crazy camp, the silliness and the incoherent plot. But the films cardinal sin for me has always been that it is completely forgettable...
@BondJasonBond006, my rankings are seriously being impacted by my viewing order this time around. I'm glad I've done it this way, but it's creating some interesting shifts. The reason I put DAF above MR is because I think it does so much more with what it has to work with and I respect that. I agree on the 'B' movie feel certainly. MR has so much more going for it (including budget, girls etc. etc.), but they intentionally decided to make it camp when they could have actually created a worthy, serious successor to TSWLM. I think MR's campiness (including Jaws) in a way takes away from TSWLM's genius with many viewers (because they get lumped together) and that's another reason I'm harsh on it.
@eddychaput, I'm glad we agree on Soto. I know some really like her performance but she is a very attractive, but big disappointment to me.
@jobo, yes excellent point about that sherry scene. It's a great bit and I should have included it as a notable in my review. A big miss on my part.
Next up in my SPECTRE Bondathon is 1967’s You Only Live Twice. Arriving on the scene after a two year gap (which must have seemed like forever back then…how lucky they were!), this was a massive production in all ways. Lewis Gilbert takes over directing duties (something he would do two more times with Roger Moore in the 70’s). My relationship with this film is a curious one, so I look forward to my viewing with interest.
Notable Impressions (imho):
-Pretitles: One word. John Barry. Superb, soaring score here as Blofeld’s spacecraft ‘eats’ the NASA vehicle. I find the special effects during that bit laughable now, but it is is 1967, so one must accept this. The best part for me is Bond in bed with Ling. Superb line delivery by the great Sir Sean here, like only he can do. The man is confidence defined. It’s refreshing to see him demonstrate his dominance of the character here.
-Nancy Sinatra: Her song, while very mellow compared to what had come before (TB & GF in particular) is really a bona fide classic. It’s very romantic, dreamy & enchanting, and of course the lyrics are legendary. Barry’s arrangement is once again brilliant, giving it a slight Japanese touch. It was successfully sampled by Robbie Williams
-Score: Brilliant as always from the master. Some notable bits for me include the part that starts after Bond puts on the disguise at Henderson’s and gets into the car driven by the Rock’s granddad Peter Maiva enroute to Osato’s for the first time. A lesson for all the punk pretender composers here on how to incorporate the Bond theme (with a Japanese tinge) without just repeatedly blaring the theme out. He does it again when Bond visits Osato’s during the day as Fisher in the cab. The lofty music as the space capsules are captured is also brilliant.
-Sean Connery: This is a very frustrating performance for me from Connery. He is in incredible and legendary TB form (meaning as good as is humanly possible) in the early parts of the film (from the pretitles all the way up to Aki’s death). In particular, he looks like a million $ in both the light grey suit he wears when arriving in Japan to meet Henderson, and also the dark blue number he sports when he meets Osato and Brandt for the first time. Jany Temime (costume designer on SF and SP) should watch these films to understand how a suit should fit Bond. He still moves like silk too (especially notable during the fight and escape from the docks, beautifully filmed & during the escape from Osato’s HQ at night). However, after Aki’s death, he almost seems to fall asleep. The outrageously bad ‘disguise’ that they put on him does him no favours either, strains credibility, and is quite laughable imho.
-Donald Pleasance/Blofeld: One of the greatest disappointments ever for me. When I first saw this film as a kid, I found him suitably intimidating, with his scar. However, with each rewatch, he has become more and more laughable. I’m not sure if it’s Pleasance’s wee stature (hardly threatening to Bond), his slight voice, or the fact that he has been caricatured to death by Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, but this Blofeld portrayal is the worst on-screen imho. It’s not helped by one of the most laughable lines uttered by a villain in a Bond film: “Killlll Bond nowwww!!” One of the great let downs ever in movie-dom. I’m hoping this is redeemed by Waltz (or whoever) in SP.
-Tiger Tanaka: He’s a great character and very well played by Tetsuro Tamba. He has some funny lines and I’m glad he’s not killed in the film (which sadly seems to be par for the course for several of Bond’s foreign facilitators).
-Aki/ Akiko Wakabayash : I’m afraid I’m not that big of a fan of hers. She seems quite dainty and a bit emotional in her interactions with Bond (you can probably tell by now that I’m not a fan of sentimentality in Bond films, either by Bond or by any other character). I much prefer Mie Hama as the more resourceful and action oriented Kissy, but having said that, they are both somewhat unmemorable for me.
-Helga Brandt/Karin Dor : She’s a fantastic henchwoman with some superb lines and quite a sexy voice. However, she’s too similar and unfortunately pales (who wouldn’t) in comparison to the legendary Fiona Volpe/Luciana Paluzzi, in the previous film, and I think this hurts people’s impressions of her. She really is quite a beautiful woman, with a ‘healthy chest’ and rather voluptious lips (which was quite apparent to me in the close up of her face before she kisses Bond during the interrogation scene…..actually, it was a bit of a distraction on this viewing.....).
-Fight: I have to mention that fight between Bond and the Rock’s granddad. The sound effects are tremendous and it’s one of the best fights in the series. Short but very intense and beautifully filmed, I think it gets forgotten when we talk about great Bond fights. Love how Connery uses the sofa to roll his adversary over and finally takes him out with the statue.
-Ken Adam’s sets: Absolutely tremendous work from Adam here. Tanaka’s HQ, Volcano, Tanaka’s train, and even Osato’s office (which was a minimalist, post-modern Japanese flavor). The scale of the volcano set in particular is just ‘out of this world’. It even has a ‘helipad’, a ‘monorail’ etc. etc. I now think this is unquestionably Adam’s greatest set ever (yes, even better than his work in TSWLM & MR).
-Toyota 2000GT: Probably the greatest car ever to appear in a Bond film that is not driven by Bond. I’d love to buy one of these. Truly an incredible design. I actually prefer this to the DB5 as well. It’s probably more reliable too.
Other notables (imho):
-similar to Gilbert's MR, the first hour or so of YOLT is as good as it gets in a Bond film. Absolutely superb and filled with so much iconography. The spaceship capture, Bond dying in the pretitles, coming back to life in the submarine post-titles, going to Japan and watching the sumo wrestling, meeting Henderson, thrashing the Rock’s granddad at Osato’s office, Little Nellie, Blofeld’s lair etc. etc. However, in my estimation, just after the Little Nellie sequence & when Blofeld fully appears on screen, the film takes a notable turn for the worse. The pacing screeches to a halt and everything just lumbers from here on in. Similar to MR or TLD in the 2nd half pacing issues imo.
-Lewis Gilbert: He deserves credit here for giving us the first ‘larger than life’ James Bond film. If not for Gilbert, we wouldn’t have had some of the greatest John Barry scores (I think Gilbert brought out some of the best from Barry, to ground his fantastical plots, in both YOLT & MR) or some of Adam’s greatest sets (his work on YOLT, MR & TSWLM are just otherworldly……and took Bond to another level cinematically).
-Little Nellie sequence: Magnificent work here (apart from some notable but understandable close-up green screen). The panoramic shots of Nellie in the air over Japan are just stunning.
-did they really carry a real car across Tokyo and drop it in the river after the Toyota chase? It sure looked that way.
Worst bits (imho):
-Horrendous green screen: It’s very notable in blu ray unfortunately. One can forive this given that the film was made in 1967, but it becomes annoying due to the high resolution and also because of the film's grand ambition. It’s especially notable during the Little Nellie sequence, the Toyota chase, the escape from the plane/Brandt, & the pretitles space ship attack
-As mentioned earlier, pacing issues post-Aki
Best lines:
“Why do Chinese girls taste different from all other girls?”
“Darling, I give you very best duck…….”
“In Japan, men always come first. Women come second”
“Japanese proverb say…..bird never make nest in bare tree…”
“I’ve got you now……..Well enjoy yourself”
“Goodbye…….MR. BOND!" Useless
“And why were you snooping around the docks?........I like ships,… and I used to be a sailor.”
“All the things I do for England”
“You’ll need the best man we’ve got…….And who do you suggest?.......Well, ….. me”
Final impressions:
-I always like watching Lewis Gilbert’s Bond films. They have a certain grandeur to them…..a scope and scale…..that has come to define cinematic Bond in a way for the masses. Gilbert and Adam together is a lovely thing to see. They nailed it in MR & TSWLM, and they do it here as well, in their first collaboration with truly magnificent sets and spectacle.
-It was one of the earliest Connery films I remember seeing. My parents showed me this film to convince me that Connery was the better Bond (I was firmly a Moore man in my youth). I remember really enjoying it due to the large scale and scope and all the gadgets.....I certainly enjoyed it more then compared to the 'boring' FRWL (yes, I was misguided in my youth)
-Having said that, YOLT is a film that has declined in my estimation with each viewing (unlike DAF) and that impression continues this time as well. I’ve asked myself why and have come to the following answers:
1. the villain (arguably Bond’s greatest foe) is played almost laughably by a diminutive actor. It’s truly one of the biggest disappointments about this film, especially after what was suggested about Blofeld in FRWL & TB. The supporting villain (Osato) is also quite unthreatening. Furthermore, the ‘larger than life’ Bond film has been definitively done better by both Gilbert and Adam in the incredible TSWLM imho, and this always makes me look back at YOLT with a less impressive view now. The immediately preceding film (the iconic TB) is also an all round better experience with tauter direction, a better score & far superior Bond girls. Finally, Connery, while he looks so much better here, just seems much more lively (if notably older and fatter) in the recently rewatched DAF imho.
2. The girls aren’t my favourites (a little forgettable). Even Brandt is bettered in the early TB by the similar Fiona.
3. I realize that this is an iconic movie for many, notably the 'original' fans who saw it in the theatre and therefore remember it nostalgically and fondly as the first 'grand Bond film. I may have felt the same way if I'd seen it in 1967. However, now, especially since it's a special effects laden film, those effects are very noticeably dated and hurt it imho.
4. Ultimately, I find it a better viewing experience than the comedic MR, but only just.
Bondathon Ranking:
TSWLM
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK/TWINE
DAD
Next up: Sean Connery’s debut and the start of a 50+ year movie legend. DN
I didn't mean it with disrespect of course, but I'm sure you know that :-*
I can understand your reasoning for putting DAF above MR now. As I am going completely without prejudice into my new Bondathon it may entirely be possible that one or the other Bond movie might surprise me negatively or positively.
FYEO already surprised me somewhat in a very positive way that I think it will not end up No 15 again but higher.
@Birdleson, Peter Maiva (the Samoan from that fight in YOLT) was a WWF (or now WWE) wrestler and is also the grandfather of Rocky Maiva (aka the Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson) who is a budding actor (but who also was a WWE wrestler). He is most famously known for the Fast and Furious series as well as the Mummy I think (I preferred him as a wrestler to an actor to be honest).
Next in my ongoing SPECTRE Bondathon is the film that started it all. The 1962 phenomenon that is Dr. No. This, like many films in the canon, was one that I traditionally did not like or want to watch often. Too dated and lacking in flair, I used to think. Well my appreciation for this classic has grown by leaps and bounds over the recent past, and I’m interested to see how things go this time around.
Notable impressions (imho):
-Opening Titles: Since it’s the first film, this one is quite unique in that there is no title song. Rather, we have the legendary Monty Norman James Bond theme in full blast while the screen is filled by dots and little coloured blocks on a black background. It’s all very ‘60’s’ but certainly seems fresh now, despite the lack of semi-naked silhouettes
-Opening Gunbarrel: This one takes the honours as the worst. It’s even worse than Connery’s. Bob Simmons embarrasses himself with his jumping turn and shoot. Fortunately it’s not one of our beloved actors at work here.
-There is a stripped down level of efficiency to DN. It moves at a very brisk pace for a film of this era and is almost bare and sparse in its lack of superfluous adornments. Nearly every bit of dialogue has purpose and drives the narrative and characterization forward. There are no wasted words here. I definitely can feel and see the difference between this, the first film in the franchise, and the later entries. There is absolutely no ‘bloat’…..it’s taut. It’s also ‘underscored’ and so there are many moments in the film where the scene just unfolds without music. Strangely, I find it very effective.
-It’s been said many times before, but I’ll say it again, with emphasis. Sean Connery’s introduction at the casino in DN is one of the greatest top 5 moments in cinema history. I don’t think anyone involved in this film realized firstly how powerful this scene would appear, and secondly how definitive it would be. They must have put effort into crafting it surely, but regardless, it’s an exceptional moment in moviedom. The undeniably perfrect delivery of the famous line, with just the right amount of emphasis and menace, in the right environment and to the right recipient (a beautiful woman). The fact that he’s smoking a cigarette adds to the epic nature of it (yes, I’m not bloody PC).
-Sean Connery: Absolutely brilliant in his debut go as James Bond. The most assured of all the actors out of the gate, and without anybody else to crib from! There's a rawness to him here that disappears the more films he does. The way he questions Dent when they first meet is outstanding. I would have shat myself if I was Dent. Connery as Bond has such an assured manner about him, but also a certain deadliness/menace always lurking just under the surface. He underplays it incredibly and lets his majestic screen charisma do the talking. This is quite different from Dalton who I just watched, who is acting his ass off to create the proper effect…..Connery just 'breathes/exudes' it almost. One feels he’s not trying. For a young man (at the time) it’s a tremendous performance. It doesn’t hurt that absolutely no one wears a suit like young Connery. I’m sorry, no one……..well maybe Cary Grant, but that’s it.
-Jack Lord/Felix Leiter – like Connery, the first is the best? It might just be. I really like Lord as Felix. He has a certain heft to him (acting wise) that some of the other Felix’s don’t have, and one believes right away that he is a contemporary of Bond’s from the CIA. Along with David Hedison and Jeffrey Wright, Lord is my favourite.
-John Kitzmiller: He’s a very charismatic Quarrel (far better than his ‘son’ in LALD) and gives the scenes in Jamaica a certain required levity. His best scenes are when he’s intimidating the ‘photographer’ and when he’s panicking about going to Dr No’s island because of the ‘dragon. There’s unfortunately a ‘Man Friday’ aspect to Bond and his relationship though, which is a little uncomfortable and painfully dated, but I guess that was the time. E.g . “Fetch my shoes!”
Ursula Andress/Honey Ryder: I started off watching other Bond films as a kid, and more ‘modern’ Bond women, particularly during Moore’s tenure. Therefore when I finally got to DN and the iconic Honey, her greatness initially seemed a bit lost on me. However, now I have new found appreciation for her. She’s very modern and independent for her time, and her innocence does not border on whininess unlike Kara from the recently watched Dalton TLD. Moreover, she is an absolute cracker of a beauty……truly. Very impressive cheekbones and outstanding lips, not to mention stately physique.
-Dr. No/Joseph Wiseman: He’s a superb inaugural villain, and sort of sets the tone for so many to come, Nehru jacket, physical impediment (in this case no hands) and all. Somewhat expressionless, egotistical and spouting his plan with clear elocution, he has since become a film blueprint for the diabolical mastermind. He also commits the cardinal sin (repeated so many times subsequently) of wasting his time talking to Bond (and even offering him dinner) rather than strangling him (when he visited him as he lay unconscious after being drugged).
Anthony Dawson: He’s suitably ‘oily’ as the odious Dent. If anything, it’s too obvious from the start that he’s a grease bag. Most satisfying when Bond delivers him to the afterlife in a signature manner
-This film looks absolutely fantastic on blu ray. I’m a sucker for a bit of sun and beach (I used to like Baywatch for this reason too…..among others) and DN doesn’t disappoint. One feels like one’s on a fantastic holiday watching it. I remember feeling the same way when watching TB and am looking forward to that film for similar reasons.
Other notables (imho):
This film also has several iconic scenes, namely:
-Bond’s encounter with Quarrel and Pussfella: I love this scene. Bond is so damn cool, badgering and then following Quarrel to the bar, attempting to get more information
-Dr No’s lair – the first time we see it, we are exposed to that iconic room with the spider in it and the large ‘skylight’. It perfectly sets the tone for the even more amazing post-modern sets we can expect from Adam going forward.
-When the hotel receptionist stares at Connery as he leaves after picking up his mail, one believes it undoubtedly.
-the tarantula scene – I have read on this forum that they are not dangerous and that this is an unrealistic scene. Maybe, but I still love it, espcially Connery’s refrained acting here
-the killing of Dent. I believe that the sheer coolness with with Dent is dispatched by Bond is one of the most authoritative demonstrations of Bond’s character. Perfectly played by Connery, cigarette in mouth
-Honey coming out of the ocean singing ‘Underneath the mango tree”
-Bond, Quarrel and Honey breathing underwater using a reed stem
Worst Bit:
-Similar to my review of YOLT, the green screen is a bit notable and annoying here. It’s not quite the problem it is in YOLT, because that film is so much less
-While I like the Caribbean songs that are littered throughout the film (including 3 Blind Mice) I have to admit I really miss John Barry here. Monty Norman gave us the great Bond theme, but Barry is the one who should have scored this film imho.
Best Lines:
“Bond…..James Bond”
“That’s a Smith & Wesson. You’ve had your six”
“Forgive me, I thought I was invited here to admire the view”
“what’s going on behind my back?.....”
“What are you doing here? Looking for shells? …..No, I’m just looking”
“Do you have a woman of your own?”
Final Impression:
-One word. Magnificent. Two words. Absolutely magnificent. This was how I felt when I last saw this film, and this is precisely how I feel today having watched it again. This film is quite simply just brilliant. Connery in DN has to be the most assured introduction of any major character in motion picture history. He is just so damn smooth / charming and yet ruthless / brutally effective. What’s more, he doesn’t look like he’s acting. One really feels that Connery is that chap James Bond. It’s seamless. It’s complete.This is the primary reason this franchise has survived for 50+ years. If this film was a screw up the entire thing would have collapsed under its own weight. Instead it soared.
-The film focuses on the man and the plot. We get to see, through his actions and his behavior, who James Bond really is (e.g. when he covers the closet with his hair to check for intruders, when he pours the drink on a hot night after returning to the hotel , when he makes sure to shoot Dent a 2nd time, in the back etc. etc.) . That’s why this film has grown on me. There’s no clumsy exposition or unneeded elucidation. It’s all done with a simplistic shortage of verbiage……a definite case of less is more.
-It doesn’t hurt that it’s filmed in Jamaica in the sun and looks bloody gorgeous on the blu ray medium either.
-This one has moved up like a bullet in my rankings. It almost (but not quite) dethroned TSWLM.
Bondathon Rankings
TSWLM
DN
OP/GE
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: One of my all time favourites and the most successful Bond film of all time (relax SF lovers/enthusiasts): TB
I love reading your reviews. Extremely thorough and intelligently written!
These two comments stood out for me. I love the theme song. It's one of the best in the series by far. As you put it, it's haunting, which is a quality we don't get a lot in the title songs. Plus, she has a rocking voice.
Donald Pleasance, my god do my opinions ever vacillate on this point. I can never make up my mind. Is he good? Is he a joke? Is he a joke but that's the point, therefore it's good? I don't think I've ever made up my mind since the first time I watched the film years ago. Even on my most recent re-watch, last month I believe, I couldn't decide. It's kind of funny and kind of creepy, but do It want it to be funny? I don't know…
Next in my SPECTRE Bondathon is the big daddy (box office wise) of all James Bond films, released at the peak of Bondmania in 1965, Thunderball. This film has been near the top of my Bond rankings for decades, and every time I view it I am always impressed by it. This will be the first time I watch it after the iconic DN, a film that’s moved sharply up my rankings, so I wonder where TB will sit now.
Notable impressions (imho):
-Title Song: This is one of my favourites. I’ve always preferred it to GF and many of the other 60’s songs. It’s belted out quite vigorously by Tom Jones. I’m not sure if I like it because it’s a man singing it (more power in the voice) or the mix (Barry’s top 2 or 3 imho) but I can’t get enough of this song. I’m assuming Tom’s singing about Largo but never know for sure. It's a soaring and majestic song…….especially how he belts out the last bit.. “so he strikes…….like ThunderbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAL”
-Score: I’ve also always thought that this is one of Barry’s best, along with OHMSS & TLD. I know others rank some of the other film scores more highly, but from my perspective the TB score is absolutely masterful and really lifts this film. Dreamy...., watery....., I really feel like I’m drowning in a pool of water and am actually enjoying it happening……. The suspenseful bits are incredibly tense because of this score (e.g. when Fiona is shot at the Junkanoo….with the performer’s drums banging away), which brilliantly references the title track. I really feel Barry improved immensely between GF & TB.
-Sean Connery: Magnificent. Truly magnificent. This is Connery at the absolute top of his game imho. He has his GF humour here, but also a little more of his FRWL/DN edginess, and that’s why I see this is as one of his best performances. He starts YOLT like this, but as mentioned in my review of that film, it sort of all falls apart about 2/3 down. That’s not the case here. Connery is engaged, charismatic, and exudes Bond machismo at every step and with every move throughout. Case in point: Watch how he walks into the casino in Nassau, checking out the girls who he walks by. Underplayed to perfection, but so believably cool it’s almost hurtful. Also when he asks Fiona in bed about whether she knows the Largo's (his delivery is outstanding imho, including the pause after the question). The silky smooth chat up lines on Domino are a master class in how it's done in a sophisticated fashion (even if she finds them obvious). Where Connery in DN is a rough diamond, Connery in TB is a fully polished one….still glittering away.
-Luciana Paluzzi/Fiona Volpe: The legendary and original James Bond bad girl (if you don’t count Lotte…..which I don’t for obvious reasons, or Pussy, who was eventually converted to the right side of things by the great James). Volpe is truly one of the greats, and that’s really saying something given the Bond girl ‘bench’. Oozing casual sex appeal from every pore, she’s introduced somewhat appropriately in bed with Derval, who must have died a happy man. "But I may not be in the mood then?" says Derval. "You wanna bet?” she says with almost arrogant confidence… Damn right he’d be in the mood, any time! I’ve thought long and hard about why Volpe is so iconic, and I think really it’s because Paluzzi plays her perfectly as the ‘female’ baddie version of Sean Connery’s James Bond. She stands toe to toe with Connery and the interplay is fantastic between them.
-Claudine Auger/Domino: She’s always been a favourite of mine. As mentioned previously, there’s something suitably enticing about the French girls (bodes well for SP) and Auger fits the bill. “Smashing figure” indeed (as noted by MP). It doesn’t hurt that she’s quite stunning in a bikini. There’s a little bit of a similarity between her character and Lupe from LTK (both’ kept ‘women with brutish owners who own yachts and nice villas and who have no problems punishing them physically if they stray or are disloyal). I remember recalling this the very first time I saw LTK, and made the connection and comparison in my mind. Unfortunately, Lupe came up short vs. Domino, which may be another reason why I'm not such a fan of hers.
-Adolfo Celi: He does a great job playing the thuggish Emilo Largo, SPECTRE Number 2. Celi is a quite a brutish look fellow, and the eye patch adds to his menace without being too OTT. His exchanges with Bond are interesting to watch, and his stocky frame makes me believe he could thrash Bond. As a kid watching this for the first time, I actually feared for Domino's safety at the end.
-similarities to DN: I just finished DN and now realize that TB seems like DN on steroids. Whereas that film is stripped down….almost bare, TB is ‘amped up’ and ‘larger than life’…but not in a Lewis Gilbert sort of way, rather just in its ambition and scale. Everything is just ‘more’ (the action, girls, budget, witticisms, and scope) but it hasn’t quite reached excess yet.
-This is the 2nd Terence Young Bond film I’ve watched (the first being DN) and it’s quite clear to me (as it’s always been) that he is undoubtedly the best director for James Bond. The primary reason being he knows how to get the best performance out of Sean Connery…perfectly blending the trademark biting humour with the action & ruthlessness that Connery effortlessly brings when his undoubtable skills are properly focused. Connery is more assured with each Young outing imho.
Other notables (imho):
This is another film with superb iconic scenes
-Bond forcing a kiss on the lovely nurse Patricia at Shrublands…her punishment to him for his arrogance…..the Rack. After his unfortunate experience on it, she finally gives him his reward so he keeps quiet about what happened.
-Bond and Fiona’s first meet on the beach and subsequent ride in the Ford Thunderbird. “How far do you go? “ he asks casually, suggesting a double entendre. These two have great screen chemistry and it adds to the ‘heat’ in the ride. This fantastic scene was memorably homaged in CR between Bond & Solange with the DB5.
-Fiona and Largo talking about Bond while shooting clay pigeons. One really gets to see Fiona’s vicious side here and her practicality. “When the time is right he shall be killed……I shall kill him!”
-Bond crawling around Largo’s villa at night and escaping via the shark tank. I’ve always liked the swim through the shark pool, and don't mind the glass between man and fish at all
-Bond encountering Fiona in the hotel room tub…….and offering her shoes up when she asks for something to put on……classic!
-Bond and Fiona’s back and forth banter after their sexual tryst and just before the Junkanoo, at the hotel. Great lines exchanged between them….one can almost feel the sexual tension…..only recently surpassed in the Bond world imho in CR between Vesper/Bond
-The Junkanoo itself – it’s great to see a Bond film take in the local festivities when on location. I have heard that SP will similarly do so in Mexico which is great.
-The Disco Volante separating into a speedboat
-Bond’s tricked out oxygen tank complete with harpoons
-Domino parading about in various bikinis. Bond may not be a ‘passionate man’ but I certainly am.
-this film, like DN, just looks so damn beautiful on blu ray. It feels like a sunny Caribbean vacation…..only mine aren’t this exciting and sadly I’m not surrounded by such eye candy.
Worst bits:
-Sped up film during the pretitles fight with Jacque Bouvar and during the end scene with Largo on the Disco Volante. I don’t mind it as much as some, but retrospectively they should have found another way to create tension.
-the ending underwater battle is quite ambitious, nicely filmed and the waters are very clear in blu ray (the harpoon sound effects are especially notable). Barry’s sinister score incorporating the ‘007 theme’ helps here, but it could be a little shorter.
-Blue/green screen again during the sped up Disco Volante sequence
Best lines:
Oh my, where to begin? This film is littered with some of the best dialogue and double entendres in the entire 50 years of the franchise:
“Do you think she’s worth going after?- I wouldn't put it quite that way, sir.”
“Most girls just paddle around, you swim like a man.- So do you.- Well, I've had quite a bit of practice”
“Your name's James Bond and you've been admiring my form?”
“Perhaps we could lunch by the pool.- How about your urgent appointment?”
“Have some of my conch chowder.-You read the wrong books, Mr Bond.-About conch chowder?-Being an aphrodisiac.-It just so happens that I like conch chowder.”
“What sharp little eyes you have.-Wait till you get to my teeth”
“Are you sleeping aboard tonight? I hoped you wouldn’t be so obvious. Well when one has so little time one has to be obvious”
“No, some men just don’t like to be taken for a ride”
“I thought I saw a spectre on your shoulder”
“Well, I’m not what you’d call a passionate man”
“Well, you can’t win them all”
"My dear girl, don't flatter yourself. What I did this evening was for Queen and country. You don't think it gave me any pleasure, do you?"
"But of course, I forgot your ego, Mr. Bond. James Bond, the one where he has to make love to a woman, and she starts to hear heavenly choirs singing. She repents, and turns to the side of right and virtue..."
“My dear Colonel Bouvar, you shouldn't have opened that car door by yourself!”
Final impressions:
-Most of the running time of this film is near perfection for me. The outstanding score, the vacation-like visuals and vistas, the incredibly impressive dialogue, Connery exuding Bond charisma & finesse like no other, a femme fatale to die for (and I mean that), a Bond girl capable of ending all Bond girls, and a thuggish, brutish Spectre villain. It’s bigger, and in my opinion at least, better than what has come before. The underwater battle is epic, and I do admire the sheer ambition of it. There’s no overuse of crappy CGI or green screen like YOLT.
-Moreover, this film has an incredibly romantic / glamorous feel, like TSWLM, the current leader in my Bondathon ranking, rather than a high-tech one. The cinematography in Nassau is great, with sweeping scenes and overhead shots. Some of the early interactions between Bond and Domino evoke great romantic Hitchcock classics like To Catch A Thief. I’m a sucker for the romantic feel & glamour in a Bond film.
So what’s not to like?
-Some criticize the pacing, and it’s true, but I really didn’t find it that bad compared to some other slow last acts this time around(YOLT, MR, TLD) and blu ray makes the underwater scenes at the end all that much easier to follow. Nevertheless it could be shorter. The sped up action on the boat is another notable problem.
-despite these missteps at the end, what comes before is just so bloody good that this film is still the new winner in my ranking, but only just this time because I did feel the pacing issues in the last act. It’s much closer than before between the top 3 and an additional viewing can easily knock it the other way.
Bondathon Ranking:
TB (new winner, by a hair)
TSWLM (dethroned, but it’s close)
DN (also close to 1 & 2)
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: A Connery film that set the standard in so many ways for the Bond legend since 1964, but one that I’ve had a curious and atypical relationship with, GF
Unfortunately my problem with it is, to change your sentence a little, Some of the running time of this film is near perfection for me.
It's not necessarily the underwater scenes per se, but just how slowly the film moves. Just like Skyfall I can't sit through both in their entirety without feeling bored.
As you said, one of the gems of TB is the score and it doesn't get enough mention when discussing Bond music.
Next up in my SPECTRE Bondathon is 1964’s Goldfinger, a film more than any other which created and in many ways defined the Bond cinematic phenomenon for 50 odd years. A huge hit on its release, nearly everything about it is iconic/quintessential, from Bassey, to the Aston DB5, to Q lab, to multiple girls etc. etc. It also happens to be a film I’ve not been all that happy with in the past, & I sincerely hope that I can turn around my opinion with this viewing, given its noted place in the Bond repertoire. Here goes:
Notable impressions (imho):
-Pretitles: Excellent. Probably the best one that Guy Hamilton did (although that’s not saying much, since I’ve felt his others are the some of the worst). It’s notable from a sartorial perspective for introducing Bond’s white dinner jacket replete with red carnation, soon to be suitably homaged in SP. Connery looks like a million bucks in it. The fight in the dancer’s room, including the bathtub electrocution is almost as iconic.
-Sean Connery: He is very good here. Confident, assured and fully settled in the ‘007’ role. Having said, that, and at the risk of starting a war, I have to say that I’ve never really been a fan of his GF performance compared to the Terence Young films. I’ve always wondered why, but have previously not been able to isolate the reason. Well, with the benefit of a ‘back to back’ viewing like this (recently having finished DN & TB), I've figured it out. He appears a little ‘smug’. There’s a smirk on his face at quite a few points that isn’t in the other films. It’s subtle, but I definitely notice it this time around. For example, in the pretitles, when he’s talking to the dancer before the fight, or when he breaks into Jill Masterson’s hotel room (his face when he convinces the cleaning lady to open the door). Or when he makes the funny face to the guard in the jail cell. He never did this in a Young Bond film. Additionally, when he’s chatting up Tilly after her car crashes, or ‘working’ on Pussy in the plane, or even when he’s applying the shaving cream in the plane, I find the incredible smoothness which I noticed in TB (with Domino) & DN (with Ms. Taro) is sort of missing. The humour is there, but the ‘suave’ sophisticated & refined class isn’t quite….it’s more a playful & almost childish goofiness in its place. He seems to speak faster too……and with less authority. For me it’s similar/comparable to Roger Moore in LALD/TMWTGG/TSWLM vs. Moore in MR/OP. I realize I sound like a rambling heretic to some esteemed members who view GF with almost godlike respect, but that’s my impression, and I want to make it known since I don't hear too much criticism of Connery in this film. Keep in mind it's all relative, and in comparison to what Young brought out of him. Connery is still Connery....which means overall brilliant.
-Honor Blackman: Pussy Galore is a very modern woman for her era, and must have been quite impressive to fans at that time. She is indeed very appealing, confident and is resistant (at least initially) to Bond’s advances, due to her preferences. She’s also a strong character. Having said that, I personally prefer the girls in the preceding and following films. As mentioned, a ‘foreign’ and exotic accent is imperative for me in a Bond girl, and Pussy’s American/English drawl is a bit ordinary to my ears. She’s also the start of the ‘Bond equal’ thing (to an extent, with the judo etc.) which doesn’t quite turn my crank.
-Gert Frobe: Gert does a wonderful job with Goldfinger. From the opening sequence in Miami, when he is caught cheating, to the end sequence on the plane, when he is ignominiously sucked out of the window, he provides Auric G with a certain authority & heft which matches Connery. It doesn’t hurt that he is a big fella who can stand toe to toe with the leading man. As with many things in this film though, even though he set the blueprint in many ways for a Bond villain, I think he has been surpassed by other actors since.
-Title Song: As iconic as it gets. When the opening ‘bars’ (no pun intended) kick in, it’s one of the most memorable pieces in cinematic history. Brassy, bold, brash, and with probably Bassey’s most dynamic vocal performance, it’s very difficult to not be in awe of this track. Again, having said that (I sound repetitive, I know) I personally prefer DAF from Bassey, and even TB from Jones, but this song is too iconic to dismiss.
-Score: There are some excellent elements in John Barry’s score for GF. In particular, the scoring during the laser torture is characteristically appropriate….its tone evokes ‘heat’ in my mind. His Oddjob motif sounds like shiny and clangly, gold bars, as does the finale Bomb disarming scene. I always see this score as Barry still getting his feet wet on Bond. I find it a little sparse, & the action scoring in particular can be a little loud/noisy in parts (similar to what I criticize Arnold for routinely) and uncharacteristically unmelodic. Bottom line: I think he’s done much better imho.
Worst bits (imho):
-Pacing: I’ve always found GF very slow moving, particularly during the golf game. I also find the entire section at the Kentucky farm when Bond is incarcerated incredibly tedious & dull. It only gets interesting for me again when they actually get into Fort Knox. I know TB routinely gets criticized for pacing, but watching this part of GF for me is like pulling teeth.
-Pussy’s Flying Circus: Yuck…Top notch cheese this.
-The soldiers collapsing llke a bunch of idiots when the circus flies over them. John Barry to the rescue once again to almost save this ridiculous scene (as he does in MR, YOLT & DAF) with his superb score
-The gangster meet is also something I’ve never quite liked. Sure, Adam’s meeting room set is magnificent as always, including tricked out pool tables etc., but the scene just seems dull, due to the forced acting by the various ‘gangsters’ with sort of put-on American accents, who seem more like Godfather caricatures (I realize this film predates that one by quite a few years) to me. I almost feel that it should be in a Man From Uncle episode (and it’s not just because one of them is called ‘Solo’).
Other Notables (imho):
This film has many iconic moments , many of which have since been cribbed (even in later Bond films). Namely:
-Jill covered in gold paint (copied in QoS)
-Auric Goldfinger cheating at cards (copied in OP)
-The golf game, which I feel Campbell likely drew from Hamilton when drafting the casino scenes in CR….I see a similarity in how they create sub elements and narratives to keep the main element interesting
-The drive in the Aston in Switzerland following Goldfinger’s Rolls
-The chase between Bond’s Aston & Tilly’s Thunderbird (homage in GE)
-Ken Adam’s magnificent, grandiose Fort Knox interior and exterior
-Bond/Oddjob fight inside Fort Knox. It’s not all that fast paced, but the choreography is very good, and the venue where it occurs adds to the impact
-Pussy’s Rolex GMT ‘Coke’. Great to see a woman wearing a man's Rolex watch (so common place now) in the 1960’s
-Oddjob : the original larger than life henchman
-The legendary laser sequence
-Solo's car being crushed
Notable lines:
“Many people have tried to involve themselves in my affairs…..unsuccessfuly”
“Do you expect me to talk…….No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”
“Shocking. Positively shocking”
“My name is Pussy Galore……..I must be dreaming”
“You’re a woman of many parts, Pussy…..”
“I suggest you change into something more suitable…”
“What would it take for you to see things my way? A lot more than you’ve got. How would you know? I don’t want to know.”
“Man has climbed Mount Everest. Gone to the bottom of the ocean. He has fired rockets at the Moon. Split the atom. Achieved miracles in every field of human endeavour... except crime!”
“I must have appealed to her maternal instincts”
Final Impressions:
-In conclusion, I can see why this film is as respected as it is. It has all the ‘ingredients’ that has made cinematic Bond so unique and enduring, and it did it first. Our unflappable hero finds his way out of tough situations with his wit (and suitable gadgetry), the heroine has spunk, there is a silver Aston Martin loaded with toys, the villain is larger than life, with grandiose, almost insane ambitions, and he has a ruthless, murderous henchman with some interesting attribute. These elements are such a given these days that I could actually be talking about SP if one thinks about it.
-Having said that, although this film is seen as legendary and the blueprint for Bond films to many, for me it is actually the film that started the inevitable path towards more noticeable goofiness and silliness. It’s certainly apparent to me here in the ‘back to back’ after just watching DN & TB, and even YOLT. Furthermore, the dialogue is also nowhere to the understated & refined class level of TB, but more in your face and OTT.
-I am also not that impressed with Connery in this one. He is still immense, but lacks the ‘super sophisticated cool’ that Young gave him in his trilogy. As I said, the difference is quite subtle, but it’s certainly noticeable to me in this ‘back to back’ viewing.
-The locations are rather drab in my eyes, with only one superior one (Switzerland), and that is admittedly, beautifully & iconically filmed. There is very little of the romance or grandeur here that I saw in TB or YOLT, and none of the edginess that I saw in DN. I have to go all the way back to DAF (coincidentally another Hamilton directed film) to find something which I found so visually humdrum. This brings me quickly to Guy Hamilton: this film is not as quirky as his others (LALD, TMWTGG, DAF), but they all seem a bit unglamorous imho, except perhaps TMWTGG (due to its exotic foreign locales). It could be the use of American settings....don't know. I have at least found his other films entertaining & well paced though, but I honestly can't even say that about GF.
-I’ve always felt that a lot of GF’s appeal rests on the Aston DB5, & to be quite frank, I don’t like that car all that much. I much prefer Moore’s Lotus from TSWLM. It doesn’t help that any awe the car’s appearance used to have (GE post-titles for instance) is now lost since it’s been played to death as of late (although the general public seems to love it, based on the clapping during my first viewing of SF).
-As I ponder my disappointment & boredom with GF, I wonder if its enduring nostalgic appeal rests to some extent on how successful it was in the US on release......sort of a Beatles 'Coming to America' moment that got seared in the public's collective consciousness. I wonder.....
-This film’s enduring appeal is almost completely lost on me. At the end of the day, I have to say I really don’t like it very much, even though I’ve tried to, many times.
-My rating reflects this opinion, sadly.
Quickly ducks for cover……..
Bondathon Ranking (to date):
TB
TSWLM
DN
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
GF
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: the #1 Bond film among many fans, 1963’s FRWL
No need to worry about that! You'll find that this is far from being a controversial opinion on these boards. Many people, myself included, prefer his performance in FRWL and TB, and some (myself included) even DN.
=D>
I am so glad when people dare to say this! Pacing has always been an issue for me as well. The film completely slows to a standstill in the second half, and never really recovers IMHO. The locations are also very unspectacular, but the fact that Bond finally camee to America With a heavily US based plot obviously had a positive effect on the reception there. That is certainly a valid point.
Moore was fine as Bond here, but nothing exceptional really; I thought he did better in his first film. I found Mary Goodnight to be a mediocre Bond girl, while Anders was a decent minor one. Other than the regulars (M, Q, Moneypenny), most of the supporting cast was weak. Nick Nack came off as overly obnoxious, and J.W. Pepper was hardly funny at all this time around. While he had a few good lines in his first appearance, here it just seems totally forced and annoying; they shouldn't have brought him back at all, really. The biggest bright spot of the film, as I know many would agree, is Christopher Lee as the villain Scaramanga. Despite the rest of the film's quality, he's one of the greatest villains in the entire series, and all the scenes with him definitely warrant the watch.
I actually really enjoy the PTS of this film; though it doesn't include Bond again, I found it to be a very mysterious and intriguing opening. The final showdown between Bond and Scaramanga is also pretty good. Unfortunately, many scenes in the middle can be a drag. One thing absolutely noteworthy is the great car stunt ruined by the slide whistle sound effect - this really sums up what's wrong with the film. There's potential for a lot of good stuff, but too often the silliness hinders it. The film has a solid soundtrack from John Barry, although the title song is one of my absolute least favorites.
In summary, I feel like this is a mixed bag of a Bond film that had a lot of potential to be one of the best ones. The plot itself is good, and the villain is excellent; I think if they had gone for a more serious tone it would have worked a lot better. Unfortunately, the silly stuff makes it feel all over the place, and leaves much more to be desired. For what we got though, there are a few things to enjoy, although it's definitely not one of the strongest Bond films.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. Thunderball
5. From Russia with Love
6. Live and Let Die
7. You Only Live Twice
8. The Man with the Golden Gun
9. Diamonds Are Forever
So, I guess I should get it up to date.
Live And Let Die has often been a film I struggled with. Usually a mediocre entry. Though the older I get the more I enjoy it. A brilliant debut from Roger Moore. Great locations, girls and villains. A really enjoyable film.
The Man With The Golden Gun now there is a great film hidden in here. With some edits and a few changes, this could be a super Bond film. As is, it's far from it. A mess, a disappointment and terribly dated. Moore is fine. A little tougher than before and slightly out of style. Christopher Lee was simply wonderful. A great villain, who could've been given such a better film. A let down.
The Spy Who Loved Me whenever I watch TSWLM it always reminds me of why I became a Bond fan. And that alone is enough for me to cherish my viewing of this great film. It's a knock off of YOLT, I know. But done a little bit better. Roger Moore is at his best here. Locations, girls, Ken Adams sets. An altogether brilliant package.
Moonraker I used to enjoy this film much more. But despite fantastic locales, brilliant action and Michael Lonsdale as Drax, I just can't get on with Bond going into space, to have space battles with lasers and an undetectable space station. Maybe it's my age, and I'm grumpier now than I was. But it goes too far into science fiction and fantasy. TSWLM was about as far as I'm comfortable with. This took it too far. Jaws becoming a good guy was weak as well.
For Your Eyes OnlyHere's another film that I often over looked. Never really gave it a lot of attention, and placed it middle of the road. I've grown really fond of FYEO. Moore is playing it mostly straight in an almost fatherly role to Melina. The story would've been a little better I think if they hadn't put Bond and Melina together at the end romantically. Maybe. I like the down to earth approach. Very few gadgets, brilliant set pieces, the keel hauling scene is amazing. A real treat of a Bond film.
Rankings so far...
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Doctor No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. For Your Eyes Only
6. Thunderball
7. Live And Let Die
8.Goldfinger
9. You Only Live Twice
10. Diamonds Are Forever
11. The Man With The Golden Gun
12. Moonraker
Next on my SPECTRE Bondathon list is 1963's From Russia With Love, Connery's sophomore effort as James Bond. This is a film that I've had a curious relationship with. It was the very first film I was shown of Connery's. My parents again, when they were able to borrow a crappy VHS copy of this, showed it to me to impress upon me that Connery was the definitive Bond. I remember my mother cooing as he appeared in the pretitles, on the run from Grant. I recall being bored out of my mind and they certainly weren't able to convince me then (I couldn't stand it actually). Over the years however, it has quietly moved to the top of my rankings (as it has many others) and I have a new found respect for my parents' taste. Given the changes that have already occurred as a result of the 'back to back' viewings in this marathon Bondathon, I was curious to see if it could hold its leadership position this time around.
Notable impressions (imho):
Pretitles: One word - chilling. I love it, even though it's clear that very little money was spent. Bond on the run….being followed, in the dark by a fiendish villain. Bond looks to be panicking. You smell the fear..Barry’s score is ominous.. finally, he’s trapped and killed…..but.. it’s not Bond, thank goodness. I really like how they did the mask thing too.....realistic for 1963.
-Title track: Absolutely outstanding. Even though there are no vocals, this one always impresses me. Munro/Barry’s instrumental track is so beautifully romantic, and the images on screen add to the feeling of whimsy. In a way, the title work is similar to DN, but the tune is great, and segues beautifully into the legendary Bond theme to end it off.
-As soon as this films opens post-title song in Istanbul, I can tell I am watching a Terence Young Bond film, and after GF, it is a welcome fact. The locations, the romantic score, the foreign accents….the eccentric but not too OTT villains. I love it. Good to have you back Mr. Young.
-Score: Superb work by Barry here. Although he’s done much better later, this is a very romantic as well as suspenseful score, & it captures the amazing locations & action to perfection. Additionally, we get to hear Barry's signature '007' theme for the first time, during the iconic gypsy fight.
-Sean Connery: I’m going to keep this brief, because everything I said about him in my DN review applies here (x 2). This is the definitive James Bond and it’s a privilege to have this performance captured on film for posterity. The gold standard in quiet confident machismo. It’s also a privilege to see this film after the disappointing GF, because the difference in Connery is quite noticeable to me. The steely gaze that he so naturally exhibits in all the Young films (and which is so absent in GF) is back again! Furthermore, for those who think Connery may not have been able to pull off OHMSS, watch closely to how he reacts to Kerim’s death in the train……..I'm sure he would have nailed it imho. As I said in previous reviews, I firmly believe it’s all thanks to Young.....I know that now. He is the unsung (relatively speaking) genius of the James Bond franchise.
-Daniela Bianchi: One of my favourites. She is really a stunner, and her scene with Lotte in Istanbul (the one when Klebb makes the moves on her) is one of the greatest in the Bond canon imho. Similarly her intro scene with Connery in bed is another all time great…..& is used often to screentest wannabe Bond actors. Bianchi imbues Tatiana with an innocent vulnerability, but unlike some other actresses (e.g. D’abo as Kara) she’s not whiney imho. She has a wholesome (and fullsome), ‘old school’ vibe to her though which is quite appealing to me.
-Robert Shaw: Brilliant as Red Grant. Lethal and terribly effective. He is still one of the most deadly of all the Bond henchmen. The conversation between Bond and he in the train before the iconic fight is one of the great scenes in Bond films. “The first one won’t kill you. Not the second. Not even the third. Not until you crawl over here and kiss my foot!”
-Lotte Lenya/Rosa Klebb: One of the most memorable villains in a Bond film is also a female lesbian. You can’t make this stuff up. Brilliantly played by Lenya. She’s charismatic, probably the first OTT villain in the series, and is definitely memorable. We don’t get to see much of her except for at the start and end of this film, but she really leaves an impression as a crazy ‘b’.
-Pedro Armendariz: Pedro is another actor who does a marvelous job and delivers an exemplary performance as Bond’s cohort in Istanbul, Kerim Bey. There is a very natural warmth to Arendariz's Bey, and an affinity between he and Connery that is believable and translates onto the screen. I feel this also with Daniel Craig/Giancarlo Giannini & Roger Moore/David Hedison.
-Pacing: I really enjoyed the swift pace of this film. Excellent, and a welcome change from GF. Even in some of the slower talkier bits in Istanbul, I was fully engaged.
Other Notables (imho):
-Klebb punching Grant with her metal knuckle
-Bond encountering Tatiana in his hotel for the first time
-Istanbul. What a stunning city to film a Bond movie
-the first appearance of Desmond Lleyelyn as Q with the iconic briefcase
-Connery walking out Istanbul airport……coolness defined
-the gypsy dance
-the gypsy cat fight, including the score and Connery’s calmly concerned look during it
-the first appearance of the famous ‘007’ theme (where the hell has this been for the past 36 yrs?)
-The Krilenco assassination scene (Bond holding the sniper rifle over Kerim’s shoulder)
-the scene at the St. Sophia mosque (Hagia Sophia) with Connery and Bianchi looking like a billion bucks and Barry’s score kicking in when Tatiana hides the Russian Embassy floorplan
-The Orient Express…….nuff said
-the legendary fight on the train. Still the best Bond fight after all these years
-Bond looking at Grant putting the sedative in Tatiana’s drink as he eats his grilled sole
-Klebb’s shoe weapon
-Bond and Bey spying on the Russians & Tatiana from the sewer
Best lines:
“You’re a fine looking girl…...”
“What is the purpose of such an intimate question??? …..You are not here to ask questions…you forget to whom you are speaking?!”
“Come come my dear…..you are very fortunate to have been selected for such a simple, delightful duty…..a real labour of love…as we say”
“Suppose when she meets me in the flesh, I don’t come up to expectations? ….. just see that you do”
“You’re one of the most beautiful girls I’ve seen……Thank you, but I think my mouth is too big…..No, it’s the right size…..for me”
“I know all about you, from your file……well I hope you’re not disappointed…..I will tell you…in the morning”
“The old game….give a wolf a taste and keep him hungry. My friend she’s got you dangling….That’ doesn’t matter. Al l I want is that Lektor. All? Are you sure that’s all you want? ……well…..”
“There’s a saying in England….where there’s smoke there’s fire”
Final Impression:
-This film is the clear winner in my Bondathon to date. A legendary piece of work in all aspects. Connery, score, locations, Bond girl, glamour, allies, villains etc. Truly sublime.
-Either the stars aligned or the massive talent involved just struck gold. It’s almost faultless and is much more balanced and better paced than TB.
-Everyone does a fantastic job in the acting department, and the villains are not necessarily OTT (in that crazy way) but are definitely eccentric enough to be very memorable.
-It also has one of my essential ingredients for a high score. It’s romantic and glamourous. Heck, even its title is romantic.
-This is the definitive James Bond film from my point of view. It’s as good as North by Northwest (a film which obviously inspired it), and in my book, there is no higher praise. One for the ages & a tribute to film making.
A clear number 1……with a bullet!
-I will also add that I believe Sean Connery is unambiguously and categorically the best James Bond imho. There is and was no one like him. At his best (like he is here) I think he is miles above the rest (among the actors I’ve watched in my Bondathon to date).
-At his worst I think only Moore is better (based on the actors I've watched to date).
-I think we were privileged and very lucky that he was almost accidentally cast as James Bond…….and the rest as they say, is history.
-Even today, all these years later, there is no action hero or movie star in the last 50 years that comes even close to what Connery was in his prime at his best. ^:)^
Bondathon Ranking
FRWL (new clear and unambiguous winner)
TB
TSWLM
DN
GE/OP
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
GF
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Having just finished the Connery years on a notable high with his (and Young’s) masterpiece, I now move forward to Lazenby’s one and only contribution to Bond, 1969’s highly praised OHMSS
From Russia With Love
What more can you say? This is the perfect spy thriller. The story is tremendous and I pick up new facets with each watch. Kerim Bey is one of the franchises best allies. The villains are top notch. Keeps the exoticism achieved with DN. The only negative for me is the success of the James Bond theme leads to it being overused here, but with that comes the 007 theme which is a classic.
Goldfinger
Recently read the book and doing so highlighted some pieces of the film I missed before. Connery's portrayal takes a noticeable, but interesting change. Although it is frustrating that he has little to do throughout much of the 2nd half of the film.
Thunderball
What a mammoth spectacle of a film this is. This movie has it all and is what I expect SPECTRE to be in just a few more weeks. The underwater scenes keep me engaged and are so incredible, even more so knowing that this occurred 50 years ago. Fiona Volpe is simply stunning. The locations are as exotic as ever, highlighting and capturing every beautiful aspect of the Bahamas.
You Only Live Twice
Absolutely love the culture of Japan that is emphasized here. Tanaka is another of my top allies. The story reaches the absurd here and I love it. Connery makes the transition to full camp and it works here. Love Lewis Gilbert's style even though his themes are relatively similar across his 3 Bond films. Aki is absolutely phenomenal and its quite upsetting when she dies.
Moose's 2015 Bond Rankings
Films
1.) From Russia with Love
2.) Thunderball
3.) Dr. No
4.) You Only Live Twice
5.) Goldfinger
6.) Tomorrow Never Dies
7.) Die Another Day
8.) The World Is Not Enough
Villains
1.) Goldfinger
2.) Rosa Klebb
3.) Emilio Largo
4.) Blofeld (Pleasance)
5.) Elliot Carver
6.) Dr. No
7.) Gustav Graves
8.) Elektra King
Bond Girls
1.) Aki
2.) Tatiana Romanava
3.) Wai Lin
4.) Domino Derval
5.) Pussy Galore
6.) Honey Rider
7.) Jinx
8.) Christmas Jones
Henchmen
1.) Fiona Volpe
2.) Oddjob
3.) Red Grant
4.) Professor Dent
5.) Zao
6.) Renard
7.) Stamper
8.) Helga Brandt
Allies
1.) Kerim Bey
2.) Quarrel
3.) Tiger Tanaka
4.) Valentin Zukovsky
5.) Jack Wade
6.) Charles Robinson
7.) Raoul
8.) Tilly Masterson
Roger Moore gives a great Bond performance, suave as ever and equipped with loads of memorable one-liners. I'm not surprised he said this was his favorite Bond film; he looked like he was enjoying every moment! Anya was a solid Bond girl - not a favorite, but serviceable. I've always thought Stromberg was one of the series' more under-appreciated Bond villains; he's not one of the greats, but I thought he did a fine job. Jaws is one of my all-time favorite henchmen (NOT good guys...), and every scene with him is particularly entertaining. Generally, the cast did a really good job; I also thought M and Q had particularly good performances here.
The PTS is definitely one the series' best, going from the epic submarine scene to introducing Anya and finally the memorable ski chase with Bond. The sub-plot with Anya's lover was really good for adding some drama to the mix without feeling too forced. I really enjoy the film's soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch, and "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon is very memorable too. The one complaint I have is that the climax on the Liparius drags a bit. I'm always just waiting for the final scenes with Stromberg and Jaws. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't weigh the movie down too badly. My favorite part of the movie might be the locations they used; Egypt worked extremely well, and I also loved the scenes in Sardinia.
Anyway, The Spy Who Loved Me has been a longtime favorite Bond film of mine, and that's not going to change in this marathon. For me, this is the perfect over-the-top Bond film; while You Only Live Twice and Moonraker aren't quite as enjoyable for me, I thought Lewis Gilbert nailed it here. There's a lot of nostalgia involved too, so you probably heard that talking too. I love this film, and I still consider it to be Roger Moore's magnum opus.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. Live and Let Die
8. You Only Live Twice
9. The Man with the Golden Gun
10. Diamonds Are Forever
Notable Impressions (imho):
-Gunbarrel: You know, I like it. I’m not really a fan of the ‘drop to one knee’ and shoot that Connery and Lazenby do, but in Lazeby’s case it works. His atheticism saves the move.
-Score: Barry’s score for this film is widely regarded to be his best, and I wholeheartedly concur. Romantic and yet action driven, I think it’s the score that stands up the best on repeated listens. It is especially varied, & was unique for the time for incorporating the Moog synthesizer. Highlight of this terrific work for me is ‘Gumbold’s Safe’, which is played when Bond breaks into the lawyer’s office and photocopies his files. Amazing stuff.
-Pretitles: Absolutely superb. It’s in my top 10 and possibly in my top 5. There’s nothing wrong with it my book. Anchored by Barry’s brilliant track (one of his all time best) the scene in Portugal at dawn is romantic, and yet incredibly action packed. It tells the story of the film before the song begins….that of a ‘doomed’ girl. Lazenby’s fighting acumen in this section is brilliant…..he is a bit OTT when throwing a punch, but there’s no doubting this man’s physical prowess. That score by Barry again……..just out of this world imho. Oh, and I love the Aston DBS (as mentioned in a previous review, this and Dalton’s V8 Vantage are my favourites, not the overexposed DB5)….what a totally beautiful car.…. Finally, I have no problem at all……none at all….with Lazenby breaking the 4th wall
-Title track: Genius. Everything about it is genius. It has a sound that evokes the majesty of the fallen Empire, which is so appropriate given the film’s title. Utterly spectacular. I also must pay my respect to Louis Armstrong, singing his final song “We Have All The Time In The World”. Such a superb and appropriate song for this film…..these guys are at the top of their game here
-George Lazenby: He really steps up to the plate here, following arguably the star of the decade. He’s very confident for a debutant and does a very good job indeed. He’s a little wooden, but it’s to be expected given his lack of acting experience. He also has a very impressive physique and fills out his suits as well as anyone but Sean Connery in his earliest films. I would have cast him if he showed up in a suit for the audition….he looks that good, and he moves very well too. His voice is uneven and all over the place however. It almost sounds robotic….and he doesn’t pronounce his words very well so he’s sometimes difficult to hear. His line delivery is absolutely awful as well, especially in comparison to Connery, whose films I have just finished, and also in comparison to Moore. Just awful, and the lines themselves are tacky. Not as bad as Dalton, but on par with Brosnan. What he also definitely lacks is the element of danger that Connery brought so readily. He makes up for that by conveying tenderness and vulnerability, without crossing the line into kitsch sentimentality, something which I think even experienced actors like Brosnan and Dalton failed to do as Bond. That’s to be commended. The final scene is underplayed rather than the opposite, and that’s certainly to his credit.
-Diana Rigg: She’s excellent here. Probably one of my top 5 Bond girls. Her performance has grown on me, because when I saw the film for the first time as a kid, I found her a little plain Jane (sacrilege for some, I know), but now I truly appreciate what she brought to the film. She displays resourcefulness, hopelessness & despair, love & optimism, all very credibly and with class. She’s a troubled soul, but not a damsel in distress - no wonder Bond falls for her.
-Telly Savalas: I find his Blofeld far more interesting than both Grey in DAF & Pleasance in YOLT. He’s certainly more threatening and dangerous than those two. The only thing is, I’ve always known Savalas as Kojak, and Kojak he will always be to me, not Blofeld. I also wish he didn’t have the American accent, and so would have personally preferred a European actor for the part. Having said that, none of the Blofeld interpretations have impressed me to date, except perhaps the unseen ones in both FRWL & TB. I look forward to the definitive performance in SP.
-Ilse Steppat: loved her as Bunt. Suitably butch and scary. I certainly wouldn't want to find her hiding under the sheets in my bed.
-Cinematography: This is another film, along with FRWL,TB, DN, TWSLM, FYEO & MR, that just looks magnificent on blu ray. The colours look a little saturated compared to the other films (not sure if this was the way it was filmed) and consequently everything just looks ‘richer’ & more vibrant. Switzerland in particular (Sir Hilary’s arrival, and the helicopter ride up to Piz Gloria) is incredible. The film has an almost ethereal quality to it at times, which is testament to Peter Hunt’s excellent direction.
- I really liked how they handled the Bond/Tracy romance. Rather than laying on excessive schmaltz, they let Lois Armstrong's great song basically do the talking & combined this with some scenes showing the romance develop onscreen. Very effectively done.
Other Notables (imho):
-fight between Lazenby and Draco’s henchman in the hotel. Excellent choreography here which showcases Lazenby’s rugged physicality.
-short guy whistling Goldfinger tune on the way to Draco’s office
-Bond’s meeting with M….one of the best scenes
-Seeing M’s home
-the break into Gumbold’s safe in Switzerland
-Angels of death
-the arrival in Switzerland and helicopter ride to Piz Gloria
-escape from Piz Gloria at night, including the incredible ski sequences accompanied by Barry’s master class score
-knowing acknowledgement/wave between MP & Bond at the wedding (great scene)
-Bond panicking at the base of Lauterbrunnen just before he runs into Tracy
-the stock car chase (done by John Glen)
-bobsled chase
-Draco’s first meeting with Bond to discuss Tracy
Worst parts (imho):
-Ruby: Terribly annoying
-Sir Hillary’s accent and elocution
-The African lady eating her bananas
-Piz Gloria explosion is too obviously a model
Notable lines:
“Come later. I hope it’ll be worth it…….partner”
“Same old James……Only more so”
“This never happened to the other fella”
“Is anything the matter, Sir Hillary?......Just a slight stiffness coming on….in the shoulder”
Final Impressions:
-This is a very unique film in the Bond canon. It’s substantially true to the book, by my recollection (which I’ve read once, many years ago) and different from the other films. It’s not only relatively gadget and wisecrack free, but also somewhat ‘talky’ and very much a romantic thriller, with limited OTT & camp elements. It reminds me very much of FYEO (in my Bondathon to date), since the villains feel real, the girl feels real, and Bond is relatively serious, restrained & focused. The ski sequences and wintery feel add to that comparison.
-This also has to be one of the most romantic Bond films I’ve seen so far, and not just because of the heavy subject matter. It just has a charming, whimsical feeling to it and in the way it’s filmed, particularly in Switzerland. It’s really stunning to look at, with superb location work and is very vibrant on blu ray.
-My ranking reflects the above positive aspects, but like FYEO, even though on paper the film checks a lot of boxes, I don’t find it all that dark and suspenseful (except in certain parts, like the Piz Gloria escape). This may be because I’m just coming off a run of early Connery films, but the element of danger that Connery always brought just by his demeanour is not here with Lazenby, and that knocks it down from the very top for me. I also would have preferred just a little more OTT from the villains to make them more memorable cinematically (same feeling about FYEO)
-Lazenby is certainly very watchable and believable in his debut outing, but one feels more sympathy for his Bond rather than fear (which is something which Connery naturally instilled). Still, I wonder if he would have been as good had the narrative (essentially Fleming) been conveniently so strong for him in his only outing as Bond.
-I couldn't help but wonder also how this film would have been without Barry's best soundtrack score?
It's still very good though.
---
This is the last time I will see Lois Maxwell in my Bondathon. Maxwell’s MP in her youth was a very attractive woman….so much so that she could be one of my top 10 Bond girls. My respects to this actress and the wonderful character she created on screen (which other pretenders have not come even close to recapturing)
Current Bondathon Ranking
FRWL
TB
TSWLM
DN
OP (moved it ahead of GE because it's more memorable a week later - damn close though)
GE (very close to OP)
OHMSS
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
GF
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK (moved it ahead of DAD because it's not so ridiculous. Close though)
DAD (close to AVTAK)
TWINE
Next up for me is the Daniel Craig era, starting as I always have done in this Bondathon, with the film perceived to be his worst by the public, in this case 2008’s QoS
After FYEO DAF TSWLM and MR, YOLT seemed to be the right choice as I have now decided to watch the Connery and Moore movies first in random order.
I think I have finally found out why I find YOLT a bit dull.
The movie is a bit monotonous, the whole movie takes place in Japan which I think is its greatest flaw.
Connery is still great in the role and there is a lot that saves the movie from being at the bottom of the ranking.
The greatest endgame sequence ever in a Bond movie, not only because it is elaborate and exciting, but because it may have the best ever villain's lair which is a masterpiece of set construction and the score is just one of the very best.
There are a lot of beautiful landscape shots throughout the movie.
If only there would be more exciting stuff happening earlier in the movie, possibly in other places of the world. Then maybe YOLT would have been as good as GF or TB.
As of now my ranking is:
1. FYEO by far
2. YOLT certainly better than DAF
3. DAF may end up again at the bottom, but let's see.
To TSWLM and MR
I did watch them too between DAF and YOLT.
In my ranking they will be between FYEO and YOLT. My problem is I can't decide which is better, TSWLM or MR.
Those two movies seem so similar. And not only because of Jaws but the villain the plot the humour is the same as well. In one there's the station under water in the other the station in space. Both villains want to destroy mankind to build a "better" world for their own.
What bothered me when watching TSWLM is the score, it just sounds so dated, the almost disco-music score during action sequences is just wrong. It may have worked then but now: nope.
Also the special effects are somewhat laughable, especially the station which for the most time just looks like a model filmed in a pool.
What bothered me with MR is not perhaps the space fight, on the contrary, I like that very much and it looks great. But Jaws is just to much of an imbecile in MR and he seems to be indestructible which is a bit too over the top.
For now I say it's a tie. But I will decide eventually which comes first.
1. FYEO
2. TSWLM/MR
4. YOLT
5. DAF
Notable Impressions (imho):
-Pretitles: Brilliant. It starts with foreboding, ominous music when the 'Columbia Lady' is on the screen, and then moves to that superb zoom in shot of the Italian Riviera with the Aston at full blast. In my opinion, this is the most exciting car chase in a James Bond movie since TSWLM’s legendary Lotus chase in Sardinia. I could follow everything that’s going on here unlike some. It’s intense, it’s kinetic, its visceral and the pace is breakneck. One feels like one is actually in that car with DC. This sequence is just immense. David Arnold’s score here is one of many great pieces he developed for this film……I think this is undoubtedly his best score, not TND & not CR.
-Daniel Craig: I noticed something right away about Craig in the pretitles, which is quite noticeable after having just watched all the other actors already in quick succession in my Bondathon. He shares something with Connery and only Connery. That is the way they both quietly project dangerous intensity with incredible ease and effortlessness. It’s very clear. While I noticed that Roger Moore easily matched Connery with humour and line delivery, he may have been a little too handsome & nice to really project menace. I noticed that Lazenby projected vulnerability but not danger / menace. I thought that Dalton looked like he was trying too hard much of the time, & I felt the same way about Brosnan, although he was a little smoother and not as intense as Dalton. Craig, however, matches early Connery for that easy quiet intensity. It’s what makes his performance in QoS so watchable, whatever one may think of the film. In fact, I have not seen this kind of natural ferocity in my Bondathon since Connery in DN. Here is a man once again that one can believe will put a bullet in you without blinking an eye if need be, and moreover, he'll do it with style.
-Olga Kurelynko: She gives Camille a believable presence, and she is very good in the action scenes in particular (especially at the end when killing Medrano). I have to subtract points though because I found her Bolivian accent to be quite ‘off’ on more than one occasion, and she does not pronounce her words or project her voice properly on several occasions, making her difficult to understand at times. I think her best acting was when she was badgering Greene at his funding party, when she was observing Bond talking to a dying Mathis, and in her fight at the end with Medrano. I still prefer the similarly styled Melina Havelock from FYEO, but Olga’s Camille is not bad.
-Matthew Almaric: His Dominic Greene has really grown on me. When I first saw the film in the theatre, I thought he was a complete oily greasebag, but on repeated viewings, I have come to respect his performance. There is a certain menace lurking under his diminutive appearance, and Almaric’s stare is really vicious. He reminds me a lot of Klaus Maria Brandauer’s Maximillian Largo in NSNA. Both are not the biggest men, and they seem a little insecure, but also quite unpleasant, in an uncomfortable, shifty way.
-Giancarlo Giannini: Excellent actor. His Mathis is a brilliant character and right up there (imho) with Kerim Bey as one of the great Bond collaborators. He and Craig have super chemistry and they play of each other very well.
-Gemma Arterton: Her Strawberry Fields certainly made a memorable impression on me, with such a short screen time. I think she would have made an excellent MP (much better than Naomi imho) and it’s a pity EON did not figure this out back then. She really works well with DC.
-Score: Most who’ve read my comments on this forum will know that I don’t generally hold David Arnold in high regard. I think he has produced some of the most mediocre (and quite frankly, bad) scores in the franchise’s history, and is a lightweight who is in over his head with the Bond franchise. Having said that, I am very impressed with his work on QoS. It’s intense, brassy, somewhat melodic and almost Barry’esque at times (such as Night at the Opera, which is an obvious Barry tribute). He must be commended for his work on this score.
-Title Track: Disappointing. That’s all I’ll say. Up there with DAD as one of the most unfortunate missteps in the Bond musical canon. Almost tragic imho. What were they thinking? The only thing that makes sense is that they wanted to create a jumbled cacophony to try to reflect/mirror the confusion in Bond’s mind during the film before he finds his ‘quantum of solace’ at the end. Regardless, it’s a low point for the franchise imho.
-The film has a very tight story. Nothing is wasted here (given the short run time) but I think they should have added a little more flair to the narrative. It certainly is a stunning film to look at visually (nearly every non-action scene is beautifully framed and conceived) but the same cannot be said about the narrative, which definitely lacks the Bondian flair of the best movies. So it’s beautifully filmed, but not beautifully written imho. This is to be forgiven though, due to the writer's strike.
-I would have preferred if the film was a little longer and if some of the scenes were allowed to ‘breathe’ more. They should have just loosened the pace a little (maybe a few more establishing shots etc.) so that there was a little more ‘space’. This is something SF did very well.
Other Notables (imho):
-Craig shooting his gun while flying in the air (and I mean mid-air) over the Sienna rooftops
-boat chase: I’ve gone from hating this scene (because I didn’t know what the hell was going on in the theatre) to really enjoying it the more times I see it. Like the car chase, it’s incredibly intense and amped up.
-Tosca sequence: Brilliant and likely will eventually be considered a classic moment in the series. It was even homaged (and bettered imho) in the recent Cruise MI-RN.
-Night at the Opera: As mentioned, Arnold’s track is one of the greatest pieces of music in the Bond franchise and up there with Barry’s best.
-That pretty blond giving out the earpieces at the Opera was the same girl from the Nassau hotel in CR. A stunner who should have had a bigger role in either or both films imho.
-Cinematography: This really is a very colourful and beautiful film to look at (what you can make out anyway).
-the Bond/Greene stair down at the Opera before Greene ‘nods’ his thugs to get Bond. Reminds me of the start of Michael Jackson’s Bad video, when he does the same nod to get his gang to confront Wesley Snipe's rival gang character
-the desert hotel. It evokes the great Ken Adam’s sets in its modern stark and almost empty elegance
-Greene showing up for the 'bad guy' meet at the end at the hotel in a loud, Batik style patterned shirt chewing on an apple. What a grease bag…
-Greene screaming like a raving lunatic and wielding his axe when trying to take out Bond
-Bond threatening Yusuf at the end. The look on Craig’s face is classic. The Canadian looked like she wet herself.
Worst bits/weaknesses (imho):
-the biggest weakness is also its most unique characteristic. The film is a direct sequel to CR, and draws on many elements from that film. It is actually best watched hand in hand with CR, as it is almost a lengthy epilogue, and also can be seen as the ‘dark side’ of CR. It is very appealing if seen that way. However, it does not stand too well on its own (and I think a lot of ‘joe public’ had forgotten CR by the time they came to QoS and that may have hurt it). The fast editing just makes it confusing to the casual viewer (and I admit I missed a lot in my first viewing in the theatre) and I still truly believe that there are some great stunts in this film that we are not allowed to ‘savour’ due to the breakneck edits. The camera is like a 'kite in a hurricane' as soon as an action sequence begins. That is unforgiveable.
-Elvis. Who is this clown? The way he looks at another of Greene’s thugs when Tosca begins is extremely suggestive and also a little disturbing.
-Everybody going on and on about Vesper
-Bond throwing Mathis in the dumpster. I found it a bit excessive to be frank
-the CGI in the plane sequence. Unnecessary & DAD’esque
-the drop from the plane and parachute – a bit unbelievable and again, why the need for crappy CGI? It’s insulting for a franchise that did this sort of thing first and best in the MR pretitles
Notable Lines:
“I think she has handcuffs…I do hope so”
“Please don't talk to me like I'm stupid... It's unattractive.”
“Plisss…..Make it quick…..”
“You contact your people and you tell them to check their seals. They have a leak.”
“So, if you decide not to sign you will wake up with your balls in your mouth and your willing replacement standing over you.”
“Bond is running wild. Who’s to say he hasn’t been turned. Pull him in….or the Americans will put him down”
“There’s something horribly efficient about you”
Final Impressions:
-I originally thought I would rate this film lower than what I'm doing. I've always felt the editing is an unforgiveable flaw, because so many people, including myself, have complained about it. I also have always felt that the film requires more exposition and elucidation. The narrative is very condensed and sparse.
-However, I had a great time watching it this time (and always do…..like fine wine it seems to get better with each viewing, like the best Bond films). I think a lot of this is down to DC, who gives a great performance in this film. His restrained cool but focused and icy demeanour is what keeps the film going for much of the run time. It’s also beautiful to look at.
-Its strengths are it is stripped of all excess and bloat. This reminds me a lot of DN again……just the key points to move the plot forward…nothing superfluous. In fact, this film is very much like a modern DN as far as I’m concerned. Consequently, I am rating it much higher than I originally planned, but still subtracting points for editing, narrative sparsity, and the fact that it doesn’t stand too well on its own (better seen as an epilogue/sequel to CR). It is underrated though.
Bondathon Ranking:
FRWL
TB
TSWLM
DN
OP
GE
OHMSS
LTK
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
QoS
GF
TND
DAF
YOLT
MR
AVTAK
DAD
TWINE
Next up: Craig’s most recent Bond film: The much lauded SF.
I felt like Moore wasn't as much into it as the last one. His Bond performance isn't shabby, but probably his weakest to this point. Holly Goodhead is average at best for me as a Bond girl; I don't know why, but her character never really did much for me. I suppose Drax was a decent villain - just not one of my favorites. As for Jaws... well, you all know what happens. It makes sense as to why he turned against Drax, but still kind of random as to why he was willing to help Bond and Holly afterwards. He was introduced as a cold-blooded assassin and stayed that way for most of his two movies; the change is very sudden and hard to take.
The PTS is alright, but not a favorite of mine. Barry provides another solid score, but I never did like Shirley Bassey's title song in this one. The big problem really, for me, was putting Bond in space. I just can't get behind the idea; the film stops feeling like a James Bond film and becomes a bad Star Wars ripoff in the last 25 minutes. There's also a lot of silliness that dampens the quality, such as the double-take pigeon and Jaws falling in love. The first half is mostly tolerable, just not particularly great. Basically for me the film begins average, and just gets worse and worse from there.
This could definitely be the one in last place. This or A View to a Kill. There's nothing about the film that stands out to me as being exceptionally good. It has elements that are decent, yet I'm never really impressed by anything. I'm always relieved by the time it's over; I'm disappointed every time I watch it because I can't enjoy it more than the last time. This is one I never watch outside of Bondathons, and it's hard to imagine my opinion of it going much higher.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. Live and Let Die
8. You Only Live Twice
9. The Man with the Golden Gun
10. Diamonds Are Forever
11. Moonraker
- sky dive in the PTS, just brilliant stunt work
- cable car fight
- Barry's score
- funny dialogue
- some of the humour is quite funny like the guy who keeps paddling after the boat is cut in half, and the gas mask scene
I find TSWLM and MR hard to separate for this reason, but TSWLM ends up slightly higher