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Comments
I know what you mean, i am not a big fan of DAF, it is in my bottom 3 but i do agree Connery is enjoying himself and having fun.
As for YOLT i think he was a bit fed up with what was happening off screen but i dont think he was bored, after watching it again recently i dont think he actually has much to do in the film, that is because the script is tailored to gadgets and fantasy and i think Lewis Gilbert wanted a fast paced film and it doesn't give Connery much to do, that is what i thought when watching it again.
Connery is my favourite Bond though so i may be seeing things differently.
And, on another note, Sharky's epic 23 films in 3 days makes me want to do another Bond-a-thon. I already got the urge for this when I saw the SPECTRE teaser trailer. I've never been so pumped up, I feel like I could watch a Bond film or 2 every day for weeks! :D
I totally agree with Nick Nack. If Terence Young had directed....you would have seen a better film and 'more for Connery to do".
It is a trend. MayDaydiVicenzo stopped idolising AVTAK, Benny lost his overblown adoration for OP. Next thing you know, I will start hating on OHMSS.
Fear no more! It's still in my top ten, but whereas it used to be no.2, it's now around 7 or 8... The issues I had with AVTAK originally sort of bugged me more than usual with my last viewing, such as the rather tired feel of some of the scenes (including the fight in Zorin's warehouse).
I'm sorry to hear that TMWTGG has fallen in your estimation. I always associate the so called "lesser" Moore films with individual members on here, as Thunderfinger points out!
I've personally held the opinion that he looks "bored" ever since I first saw YOLT. Maybe the word "bored" isn't exactly correct, but what people mean by it is that he simply doesn't seem as charming or active as he was in the last 4 movies. Something is missing, some twinkle in his eye, some boyish enthusiasm that is there in the other ones.
But I've also always felt that the main reason he gives off this "bored" impression is simply a failure of the movie giving him anything to DO. He's forced to be a bystander 90% of the time. The movie drags him from one fight sequence to the next with little to do inbetween besides stare at the camera while other people monologue and explain the plot. The movie seems far more concerned with scaring blofelds cat with huge explosions than developing the chemistry between Connery and his co-stars. It doesn't help that he spends the second half of the movie being forced into the worlds worst halloween costume just to satisfy someones drunken gamble:
-"Hey, hey you think we could fool him into wearing a kimono for the next 24 hours?"
-"Oh god that is a BRILLIANT idea, but HOW?"
-"We could just make up some nonsense about how he needs a "disguise" to get on the island, he would believe anything we tell him"
-"This is the greatest idea you've had since you fooled your cousin to show up in a chicken costume to his own wedding. Now all we need are some make-up artists willing to play along." -
-"Well my niece loves painting her cats blue and dressing them up..." -
-"Call her, NOW. And tell her to bring some friends along. LIN, YOU GO GET THE CAMERA AND HIDE IT IN HIS BEDROOM"
I don't really feel the same way about DAF. He might of been much less enthusiastic about filming it in real life, but the script in that one is so breezy, humorous, light and full of non stop puns and ridiculousness that it at least makes it SEEMS like Connery is having fun.
I've posted the last message in the last Bond movie watched thread, so I'll wait until someone else posts a review to give my thoughts about OP, to avoid a double post. While that happens, it's best I start AVTAK now so I'll post both reviews at once.
I don't think he looks bored in the film, but he's definitely lost a little of that sparkle in his eye and a bit of that razor's edge. He's still good though, and overall I enjoy his 5th performance.
DN/FRWL - Lots of Fleming, lots of fierce intensity
GF - Hamilton's influence, cinematic flair, towering charisma, presence, and suave charm here. Hitchcock's Marnie may have had something to do with it.
TB - With Terence Young back, it feels like a blend of his Bond from the first two films with Hamilton's ultra-cool direction from GF.
I dunno, I see a lot of intensity in GF and TB, just not the same kind of intensity as in the first two. And I think he's having much more fun in DAF than in YOLT.
I see what you're saying, though. I just personally couldn't slot any one performance out of his first four as the outright best. To me they're 4 equal arguments for his status as a legend.
I'm saying quality of performance. I'd just argue that his "intensity" diminishes simply because the characters is molding and changing. Once GF hits there's a suave smoothness to his performance that was there in the previous two, but not to the extent it is in GF andTB. Some of that viciousness and aggression (intensity, perhaps) seems to take a back seat to other aspects of the performance. At least, that's the way I see it.
YOLT was the first film where I felt Connery was occasionally disengaged and disinterested. In the previous four, although his performances varied a bit from film to film, he always looked invested and always had that sparkle in his eye, if you will.
I fully agree. It's quite evident, I wonder why some people in here don't see it... or don't want to accept it.
I don't see it because it isn't there. If Connery looks bored please tell me which scenes specifically. Watched the film dozens of times and he seems the same to me.
It's well documented he wasn't happy during the filming of YOLT so maybe that contributed to him looking like he was going through the motions a bit.
There are no scenes in particular... e.g. in the opening scene where he says the famous line (why do Chinese girls...), he looks so uninterested. Also, his looks and moves are those of a bored man.
There are no specific scenes, because it is pervasive. Compare his mannerisms, his facial expressions with his first four performances. The sparkle has begun to fade - the ever-present smirk lingering beneath the surface - the lethality lingering just below the smirk. It was all there, and in YOLT it just gets sort of muted. I don't think it's a bad performance, and I certainly only use the word bored in relation to his other performances in which he is so virile.
Something must have worn him down in the two years following TB. Maybe there's something to that. The first 2-year gap between films in his tenure. Maybe they shouldn't have given him the extra time off, haha. He certainly used it to pack on the LBs. The best word I can use is muted, because feigning disinterest was always a wonderful knack of his in the earlier films, a kind of noir-esque nonchalance. The difference with YOLT is that the indifference/disinterest/and muted charisma don't seem integrated into his performance. Rather, they are extensions of the negative effects his environment (Harry Saltzman, the incessant paparazzi) were having on him.
I don't mean to insult you, your intelligence, or your opinion, and I don't mean to offend. It just really baffles me when I hear people say they don't notice that anything is missing from his performance in YOLT. I've always noticed it, since I was a kid. Obviously it's all opinion, because I don't think it can be proven objectively one way or the other, but I've just always seen it pretty clearly. It's just missing some oomph. He doesn't demand attention or command the screen like he did in the preceding four (one of many reasons why they're handily superior as well).
The World Is Not Enough
The Spy Who Loved Me
Dr No
Octopussy
You Only Live Twice
Casino Royale
Moonraker
The Living Daylights
Die Another Day
From Russia With Love
For Your Eyes Only
Diamonds Are Forever
A View To A Kill
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My slow Bondathon continues. Sir Rog's final bow looks magnificent with some great scenery and beautiful locations - truly worthy of the series' globe-hopping style.
I suppose my problem with it is the same as everyone else. Roger's 'Saint' smirk is never far from his lips so he comes across as a bit of a dirty old man pursuing girls half his age. And the pace of the fight scenes are slowed down to compensate for Roger's lack of mobility.
A pity really because the film has a pretty good cast, a decent enough story (lifted liberally from GF) and some nice set pieces.
It isn't Roger's worst Bond film but it may arguably be his worst performance as Bond.
Next up....Quantum Of Solace.
Casino Royale '54
Casino Royale '06
Quantum Of Solace
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Live And Let Die
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
The Man With The Golden Gun
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
For Your Eyes Only
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
Octopussy
A View To A Kill
The Living Daylights
Licence To Kill
Just watched both Dalton films back to back. I'll be putting my comments about the films in the Last Bond Film Watched thread but needless to say, I loved Dalton's all too short run as Bond and he has moved up a notch in my rankings.
The World Is Not Enough
The Spy Who Loved Me
Dr No
Octopussy
You Only Live Twice
Casino Royale
Moonraker
The Living Daylights
Die Another Day
From Russia With Love
For Your Eyes Only
Diamonds Are Forever
A View To A Kill
Quantum Of Solace
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A short Bond film, full to brimming with frantic action. Bond is still a loose cannon ( he grows up a little in Skyfall), but Craig pulls it off beautifully.
I was a little less impressed this time round and I guess I like it least of Craig's films. But it's ok despite that. I'm less happy that the director thought a short, high speed film actually suited a Bond film. That isn't what Bond is about.
Next up...Thunderball.
Last time I did a formal marathon was before Skyfall release. I did one a night, sometimes two and I ended up getting through them all in about 3 weeks.
I've done mini marathons of watching 4-5 in a day or 7-8 in two days, but I don't think I will every try the megathon. I've stayed up for 50+ consecutive hours as a kid so it's possible, but I honestly don't think it would be too fun after a while. If I had a large enough group of Bond friends I would love to organize a party where people can come and go as they like over the three days, but I'm afraid it's just too daunting!