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I just think it’s silly and awkward. I’m sure you’re right that it’s all intentional to fit with the archetypes - just sounds funny to me. To be honest the gangsters in the both the Fleming and movie Bond universe are some of the least interesting villains to me.
I just expect a little more seriousness when it comes to a Bond movie. Even if they are the classic archetypes, usually they have a self awareness about them. But the gangsters are just so dense. As you pointed out @FoxRox, both Fleming and the movies have real trouble in portraying gangsters.
Roger Moore turns in a fine Bond performance, with some particularly good moments with the drama around the bomb at the circus. He’s quite old-looking for Bond at this point, but still does all the things Bond does with the usual gusto. There are a couple particularly silly moments I’m not too fond of - most of all the notorious Tarzan yell (one of my least favorite moments in the series), but the majority of the content plays to Moore’s strengths - both silly and serious bits. I mentioned before how I’ve been embracing more silly stuff with MR, but there are still a few things I haven’t gotten past, such as the double-take pigeon in MR or Bond “muahaha-ing” to guards in a body bag in OP.
We’ve got a pretty good cast of characters in OP. Octopussy herself is a solid leading Bond girl, and Magda is a decent minor one. The lineup of villains is very good; Kamal Khan, Gobinda, and Orlov are all pretty dastardly and memorable. Vijay is a really likable ally, and Q in the field has a lot of fun here. Robert Brown is serviceable as M, but quite easily my least favorite of the incarnations thus far. Just a little on the forgettable side IMO. Moneypenny’s time is brief, and the assistant introduced (Penelope Smallbone) feels incredibly inconsequential; she gets one super quick scene and is never heard from again. I do wonder if she was planned to be Moneypenny’s eventual replacement, kind of like what they did with Q in TWINE/DAD?
The PTS is one of the less great ones in the series IMO, but it’s still action-packed and fun enough. The plot is good; there are a lot of switcheroos along the way. The action is pretty solid mostly, with the biggest highlight being the fighting on the train, though I find the film looses steam after the great circus sequence; I am sort of fond of when Bond handles Gobinda and Khan on the plane, but otherwise not a ton of great stuff left. Some of the pacing in the film felt a little rough for me tonight, mainly near the beginning and end. It’s not one of the series’ finest songs, but I like Rita Coolidge’s All Time High. John Barry’s soundtrack is good.
I do enjoy OP a lot, so it’s tough for me to rank it as low as I have, but I simply enjoyed the ones I put above it more in this Bondathon. Not trying to rag on the film too much at all, but I also find it quite surprising how highly regarded it is around this site. Certainly seems to enjoy more popularity here than with casual audiences! Sometimes it manages to get a little higher on my list, but never near the top tiers. OP is a really fun, colorful Bond adventure that occasionally leans a little too silly for me but never stops entertaining.
FoxRox’s 2020 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. Thunderball
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5. Dr. No
6. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. The Man with the Golden Gun
9. Live and Let Die
10. Moonraker
11. You Only Live Twice
12. Octopussy
13. Diamonds Are Forever
Seen as this year celebrates my 20 year obsession with 007, I’d though it would be rather grand to view them in order in which I collected them on VHS.
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977
I adore this movie. I had an idiotic grin on my face throughout the entire run time of this marvellous movie. It’s hard not to enjoy it, when Sir Rog is on such fine form. There is an understated authority to his performance. There is a moment during the title sequence, when I think this is the best Bond movie - Sir Rog pushes over the marching female Soviet soldiers, with the sublime title song and Binder’s superb title sequence... Just wonderful. This is how to do the cinematic Bond.
Goldfinger defined the formula. Spy perfected it, to my mind anyway. After the relatively turgid trio of Bond films directed by Hamilton, Spy was a breath of fresh air, embracing being a Bond movie, not shying away from it.
Indeed, Spy is a greatest hits effort – the skiing sequences lifted from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; the underwater scenes from Thunderball; the plot and climatic set and battle from You Only Live Twice and the gadget laden car from Goldfinger, as well as it’s general tone.
The romantic/antagonistic dynamic between Bond and Anya keeps things fresh and, dare I say it, dramatic -
see the introspective scenes, “You're sensitive, Mr Bond.” “About certain things, yes”
and “In our business, Anya, people get killed. We both know that. So did he.”
- even if Spy recycles elements from previous Bondian adventures, it does so with great panache and gusto.
As Anya, Barbara Bach has the range of emotions comparable to a cantaloupe, but, my God, she looks stunning, and even has a believable relationship with Commander Bond.
The production values are very high with this picture, the locations, the cinematography and the sets are just exquisite. The is a good amount of varied action scenes. The directing from Lewis Gilbert is slick and artistic. See the scene when Bond is beautifully framed, silhouetted against a minaret. When Kalba is offed by Jaws in the Mojave Club, Gilbert and Hamlisch combine to such great effect - the dancers, intercut with the murder. Just great film making. And compared to his efforts handling the big climatic battle in YOLT, Gilbert improves with the action being much more streamlined this time around.
Hamlisch’s score, like Conti’s FYEO work, is enjoyable if rather dated. I enjoy this one more, due in part to Hamlisch’s romantic rendition of Nobody Does It Better.
1. From Russia With Love, 10
2. Dr. No, 9
3. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9
4. Goldfinger, 8
5. Licence to Kill, 7
6. Octopussy, 7
7. For Your Eyes Only, 6
8. The World Is Not Enough, 6
9. You Only Live Twice, 6
10. Tomorrow Never Dies, 5
11. The Man With The Golden Gun, 5
12. GoldenEye, 5
13. A View to a Kill, 4
14. Diamonds Are Forever, 3
15. Live and Let Die, 3
Oh, and Scott Tracy kicking bottom with James Bond? Yes please!
James Bond will return in Thunderball
*Disclaimer -
I’ve been having a gander at Joseph Darlington’s YouTube channel, in which he reviews the Bond movies. He’s got a good method of reviewing them, which I’m going to shamelessly steal. He rates his least favourite as 1 out of 10, his favourite as a ten, and the rest fits in between, kind of like grading on a curve. The Bond films are a genre unto themselves, and I shall be ranking them as their own little genre. Naturally, if I was rating them against other films, they would be high on the 1 – 10 scale. But, for this little game, I’m going to do something rather different.
Extremely hard. In fact, I’m finding it harder and harder every time I do it! There are so many spots that can potentially be switched depending on the day. Just because a film is low in my ranking doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it a lot!
Yarp. Just because I rate DAF or LALD a 3/10, it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the films. Hell, they'd all be 10 if I was rating them normally. But I'm a masochist.
Seen as this year celebrates my 20 year obsession with 007, I’d though it would be rather grand to view them in order in which I collected them on VHS.
Come Christmas 2000, and what did I find in underneath my Christmas tree? Both Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service! I watched Thunderball pre Xmas dinner, OHMSS post Xmas dinner. Good Xmas.
Whilst shaving last night, I had the spontaneous thought of viewing Thunderball. Your notion of back to back aquatic adventures must’ve stuck in my mind @FoxRox!
Thunderball, 1965
I was prepared for TB’s more lugubrious and stately pace. A Bond film is only on for a couple of hours, well usually, so just let the picture swallow one up in its awesomeness.
Peter Hunt was editing this film, when he came upon the infamous peeing dog. He thought that was in bad taste, so removed the footage. When Hunt showed Harry and Cubby a rough treatment of TB, they both went “Where’s the dog?”. Apparently, they thought it very funny. So the peeing dog was restored.
Thinking that the plethora of underwater sequences was discordant to Bond’s decisiveness, Hunt cut down on a lot of the underwater footage. Although it was gorgeously shot, Hunt felt it would have a detrimental effect on the movies pacing. But Harry and Cubby insisted that the underwater scenes were vital. One can see why. They invested a lot of money in capturing the amazing footage, why not use it? Though, I can see why Hunt was reluctant to put it back in.
Personally, and on this viewing, I didn’t mind it. Though several Bond movies have used underwater sequences since, TB has the greatest extent of underwater shenanigans. Which makes it unique. TB really is the aquatic Bond film.
All of the previous Bond films were cut right to the wire. They had pretty hectic post production schedules. But in TB, one gets the impression that they run out of time. The lip syncing for the dubbing is a bit suspect for example. Another few months to let Hunt properly edit the film would have been ideal.
The gimmickry and gadgetry would be ramped up in TB, which both Terence Young and Connery fought against bravely, making the spectacle subservient to Bond, and not the other way around, like so many of its successors. Yet, this spectacle had an effect on the supporting characters. Paula, Vargas and Kutze do not really get enough screen time.
This is my first time watching TB since the passing of Claudine Auger. What a woman. Lacking the depth that her literary counterpart had, Auger is still supremely impressive as Domino. And when Luciana Paluzzi is on screen, the movie becomes electric.
I’ll leave it to the wonderful “The Essential Bond” by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall to sum TB up, saying, “Thunderball is top flight entertainment filled with eye popping locales, exotic women and exceptional photography, music and special effects”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Which I didn’t.
Seen as I went on about Lewis Gilbert’s artistic shot selection, let’s have us some Young appreciation, shall we?
The first is when Largo is about to torture Domino. The shot starts out on the ceiling mirror (oh er!), then comes down to capture Largo and Domino. The second is the death of Fiona. A sequence worthy of Hitchcock. Subtle artistry! Who says that the Bond movies were lacking in interesting and well thought out shot selections? Never mind your auteur director choices like Mendes and Forster, the Bond movies had it all along.
1. From Russia With Love, 10
2. Dr. No, 9
3. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9
4. Thunderball, 8
5. Goldfinger, 8
6. Licence to Kill, 7
7. Octopussy, 7
8. For Your Eyes Only, 6
9. The World Is Not Enough, 6
10. You Only Live Twice, 6
11. Tomorrow Never Dies, 5
12. The Man With The Golden Gun, 5
13. GoldenEye, 5
14. A View to a Kill, 4
15. Diamonds Are Forever, 3
16. Live and Let Die, 2
It is a tricky decision on which movie is the better between Thunderball and Goldfinger. I prefer Young’s urbane sadism over Hamilton’s stylised chic, thus Thunderball takes it on this occasion.
James Bond will return in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
*Disclaimer -
I’ve been having a gander at Joseph Darlington’s YouTube channel, in which he reviews the Bond movies. He’s got a good method of reviewing them, which I’m going to shamelessly steal. He rates his least favourite as 1 out of 10, his favourite as a ten, and the rest fits in between, kind of like grading on a curve. The Bond films are a genre unto themselves, and I shall be ranking them as their own little genre. Naturally, if I was rating them against other films, they would be high on the 1 – 10 scale. But, for this little game, I’m going to do something rather different.
I got all of my bumpf from the James Bond Archives about the production of TB.
Moore himself gives a decent final performance in AVTAK. It's often rated his weakest Bond performance, which I can understand (I'd probably still put MR in that spot, but no Moore performance was bad), but he gets some good moments in, my favorite thing being his visible disdain for Zorin. His age has become a little distracting, but he is still charming and likable as Bond. I'm glad he got to have a record-high seven Bond adventures!
The collection of characters is pretty good in this film. Max Zorin is one of the best villains in the whole series IMO, played wonderfully by Christopher Walken. Extremely sinister and psychotic. May Day is a great henchman, and I think Dr. Mortner is a really good minor villain. Stacey Sutton is one of the weaker Bond girls in the series, though I used to dislike her a lot more. Sir Godfrey Tibbett is a really solid ally character, and I like Chuck Lee too. Lois Maxwell's final appearance as Moneypenny nicely coincides with Moore's swansong, and she gets a couple good scenes. M and Q are fine.
I like the story with Zorin's evil plan to destroy Silicon Valley; the film accomplishes a real sense of urgency, in large part thanks to Walken's performance as the big bad. The PTS is pretty good, delivering one last solid ski chase scene with Roger Moore's Bond (he got great ones in TSWLM and FYEO too!). The film is admittedly on the weaker side of the series when it comes to some of the action scenes; though I really like the climax at the Golden Gate Bridge and the city hall fire escape, there are less good moments like the chase in Paris and in San Francisco. The tonal shifts between the silly and dark moments can be a bit jarring as well. The title song by Duran Duran definitely ranks among my favorite Bond songs. I'm also big fan of John Barry's soundtrack in the film, which I think is one of the series' best.
AVTAK is commonly seen as one of the weakest Bond films, and though I used to be in the camp that felt that way, I've enjoyed it quite a lot my last several watches! Of the sendoffs for the long-running actors that we've seen so far (DAF for Connery, AVTAK for Moore, and DAD for Brosnan), it's easily my favorite (though I am hoping NTTD can take that spot soon!). While not faultless, AVTAK makes for a really good time and remains one of the more underappreciated entries in the series.
FoxRox's 2020 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Thunderball
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5. Dr. No
6. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. The Man with the Golden Gun
9. Live and Let Die
10. A View to a Kill
11. Moonraker
12. You Only Live Twice
13. Octopussy
14. Diamonds Are Forever
Countdown to No Time to Die
Seen as this year celebrates my 20 year obsession with 007, I’d though it would be rather grand to view them in order in which I collected them on VHS.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969
During the helicopter assault at the climax, there are three dirty camera lenses. But apart from that Majesty’s is a perfect film.
Though the emotive voice of George Baker dubbed on to George Lazenby’s rather stiff demeanour doesn’t quite feel natural. And there is a slight drop in pace during the Alpine scenes, I guess. Until Blofeld rumbles Bond of course.
OK, a near perfect film then. The whole picture has this glamours feel to it. It’s like a film from the 50’s. Meshed with the last vestiges of the swinging 60’s. Almost opulent in its grandeur. But very chic. Chic decadent.
Everyone bought their A games to support Lazenby. From director Peter Hunt down to the people who arranged the flowers on the DBS.
Bond reawakened the zest for life in Tracy. She’s just as smart, resourceful and tough as our man James. No wonder that he’s completely smitten. The ending is a real gut punch. No matter how many times I view this film, I still get emotional. Superb Commander Bond.
1. From Russia With Love, 10
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 10
3. Dr. No, 9
4. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9
5. Thunderball, 8
6. Goldfinger, 8
7. Licence to Kill, 7
8. Octopussy, 7
9. For Your Eyes Only, 6
10. The World Is Not Enough, 6
11. You Only Live Twice, 6
12. Tomorrow Never Dies, 5
13. The Man With The Golden Gun, 5
14. GoldenEye, 5
15. A View to a Kill, 4
16. Diamonds Are Forever, 3
17. Live and Let Die, 2
I prefer my perfection to have gravitas of Mr. Connery, but honestly, Majesty’s has never been closer to usurping From Russia With Love from its traditional No. 1 spot.
James Bond will return in Moonraker
*Disclaimer -
I’ve been having a gander at Joseph Darlington’s YouTube channel, in which he reviews the Bond movies. He’s got a good method of reviewing them, which I’m going to shamelessly steal. He rates his least favourite as 1 out of 10, his favourite as a ten, and the rest fits in between, kind of like grading on a curve. The Bond films are a genre unto themselves, and I shall be ranking them as their own little genre. Naturally, if I was rating them against other films, they would be high on the 1 – 10 scale. But, for this little game, I’m going to do something rather different.
Didn't mean to give the impression that I don't care for Lazenby's performance. He moves well and has a great physicality to him. At his best Lazenby channelled Fleming's Bond. Whether that was on account of his acting, or whether his natural blend of arrogance and confidence gave him that edge, who knows. Lazenby was acting on instinct, and when his instinct is so true to the novels, one can imagine Lazenby developing, evolving into the role, with future efforts.
That being said, Lazenby is a bit too much of a lightweight, especially when one compares him to Connery.
If I recall correctly, you first watched Majesty's on the infamous, butchered 1974 broadcast on ABC, right @Birdleson?
I had a 1986 taping from ABC that wasn't the infamous re-edit. However, they still faded the gunbarrel into the opening shot rather than letting the iris enlarge.
Also several scenes were trimmed.
The good: Classic PTS. Slightly connected to the plot but not too much, and a novel escape for Bond at the end. Wonderful.
The bad: What's with all the ****ing machine guns?! They've popped up from time to time in the past, but here, there's virtually no pistols. And why did Bond have to use TWO? Who watches Bond movies for that?
The ugly: I believe OHMSS had a spot of slo-mo for dramatic effect when Bond is knocked out, and LTK had a moment for a joke in the PTS, but I think this is the first time pointless little slo-mo touches were added throughout a Bond movie. Just no.
. [/quote]
Thank you for mentioning the machine guns. Even worse that Bond-With-Machine-Guns is all the times he seems to randomly spray the bullets all over with no intended destination. like a preschooler playing a shoot-em-up arcade game.
Seen as this year celebrates my 20 year obsession with 007, I’d though it would be rather grand to view them in order in which I collected them on VHS.
Moonraker, 1979
By rights I should loathe Moonraker. It deviates substantially from Mr. Fleming; it has an elaborate plot; overt humour runs abound and it has daft gadgetry coming out of its wazoo.
But yet.... Over the years I fallen in love with Moonraker. With a bit of careful editing, this film would make a worthy companion piece to The Spy Who Loved Me. You know the scenes – Jaws in the PTS; Jaws and Dolly; the Bondola fiasco etc. But, the filmmakers took what worked in the previous movie – in this case fantasy and humour – and increased it to 11. It had happened before, from GF – YOLT we see an increased amount of spectacle and gadgetry, and it will happen again, think CR to QoS. C’est la vie.
Moonraker, for my money at least, has to be the most exquisite film in the canon; the depth of location shooting, captured beautifully by cinematographer Jean Tournier; the awe inspiring sets by Ken Adam - the launch pad in the Amazon, with screens ranking up vertically, to give the impression of a high tech cathedral, has to be one of the standouts in Adam’s storied oeuvre and the fantastic model/special effects led by the wondrously talented Derek Meddings.
I must defend Sir Rog. When one has a gondola turning into a hovercraft and 007 is blasting into space, what does one expect Moore do to? He knew this film was a parody, and thus invited us to laugh along with the film, instead of at it. Moore is like a tour guide, gently skirting round the inherent problems of Moonraker. With another actor, be it the role of James Bond, or just a silly spy caper in Moonraker, I wouldn’t watch it – a space age adventure with comedic elements? No thank you. But with Sir Rog at the helm, Moonraker’s various sins are suddenly much more palatable.
When Moore is given the chance to act, however, such as in the rightly heralded centrifuge scene, he knocks it out of the park. Even the climax when Bond and Holly are hunting down the orbs – a most preposterous scenario – Moore sells it completely.
When Bond seduces Corrine, Bond says “thank you”, without any of his usual BS. It’s a genuine thank you. Bond realises that he has just probably signed Corrine’s death warrant. Her death is shocking, heightened by the haunting Barry music.
The death of the two scientists in the Venetian lab is again played seriously and again benefiting from another haunting Barry score.
These two scenes are very good, hinting at the potential of MR.
I do like Lois Chile’s haughty indifference in playing Holly Goodhead. Michael Lonsdale is great value as Drax. He has such grand plans, only to be thwarted time and again by the pesky Mr. Bond. His obvious boredom in dealing with Bond is a delight. Not only does Drax have the best quips in the movie, he also gets the best dialogue.
1. From Russia With Love, 10
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 10
3. Dr. No, 9
4. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9
5. Thunderball, 8
6. Goldfinger, 8
7. Licence to Kill, 7
8. Octopussy, 7
9. For Your Eyes Only, 6
10. The World Is Not Enough, 6
11. You Only Live Twice, 6
12. Tomorrow Never Dies, 5
13. The Man With The Golden Gun, 5
14. GoldenEye, 5
15. A View to a Kill, 4
16. Diamonds Are Forever, 4
17. Moonraker, 3
18. Live and Let Die, 2
Moonraker succeeds as an entertaining serialized strip adventure, with the bare bones plot leaving breadcrumbs for our man to find, in order to propel him to his next exciting scrape. Yet a Bond film should aim to be much more than that.
James Bond will return in The Living Daylights
*Disclaimer -
I’ve been having a gander at Joseph Darlington’s YouTube channel, in which he reviews the Bond movies. He’s got a good method of reviewing them, which I’m going to shamelessly steal. He rates his least favourite as 1 out of 10, his favourite as a ten, and the rest fits in between, kind of like grading on a curve. The Bond films are a genre unto themselves, and I shall be ranking them as their own little genre. Naturally, if I was rating them against other films, they would be high on the 1 – 10 scale. But, for this little game, I’m going to do something rather different.
Timothy Dalton himself is a pretty good James Bond! Though I only place him at 5 or 6 of the actors (roughly tied with Brosnan), I do still really enjoy his take on Bond, which has grown on me a lot over time. Dalton has often been hailed as the most Fleming-esque of all the Bond actors, and I must admit I can see why. I think Connery, Lazenby, Dalton, and Craig are all pretty Fleming-esque, so it’s tough for me to single one out, but Dalton certainly has a great balance going on. He can be cold and lethal, but also has a nice romance that goes on with Kara. He has a couple super good moments in the film like the reaction to Saunders’s death and confronting Pushkin.
I think Kara Milovy is a decent Bond girl and has solid chemistry with Dalton’s Bond. Saunders and General Pushkin are memorable, great supporting characters. Of TLD’s villains, I’m afraid Necros is the only one that interests me; Koskov and Whitaker qualify as two of the series’ weakest villains. Still, Necros is cool; the fight scene with the agent at the safe-house is a great highlight. John Terry is the weakest and most forgettable Felix Leiter. I do think this film features Robert Brown’s best turn as M (I like the scene with him and Bond in the office), and Q has some good scenes. Caroline Bliss does an okay job as Moneypenny, but she doesn’t leave as strong of an impression as Lois Maxwell did.
TLD has a solid plot and has the classic Bond feel going on. I think the PTS is one of the series’ absolute best, as it perfectly introduces Dalton’s Bond and gives us great action. The film has a lot of great action scenes; besides the PTS, I’m particularly fond of the car chase and Bond’s escape after helping fake Pushkin’s death. Though I like some of the intense action at the film’s climax, I do find much of TLD’s last third to be a bit of a drag with pacing. On a more positive note, I think the first third is some of the best content the series has ever seen - especially the PTS through the Fleming short story adaptation. John Barry’s score is great, but sadly his last for the Bond films; his contributions to the franchise were simply incredible! I like the title song by A-ha, too!
TLD is a film that has gotten better and better for me over time. There are a lot of awesome scenes and a classic Bond flare that help make this film stand out. It still doesn’t quite reach the highest sections for me in my ranking, but it’s a very solid Bond adventure overall!
FoxRox’s 2020 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. Thunderball
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5. Dr. No
6. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. The Living Daylights
9. The Man with the Golden Gun
10. Live and Let Die
11. A View to a Kill
12. Moonraker
13. You Only Live Twice
14. Octopussy
15. Diamonds Are Forever
Countdown to No Time to Die
Seen as this year celebrates my 20 year obsession with 007, I’d though it would be rather grand to view them in order in which I collected them on VHS.
Growing up, TLD was rarely on TV. Unless ITV were doing one of their “00Heaven” marathons, that is. Thus, when I managed to get TLD on VHS, I was most intrigued. If I recall correctly, there was a delay in getting TLD on DVD as well. The rest of the Special Editions had been released, coinciding with the release of DAD, but not TLD. Thus TLD always feels….. new to me. Despite me having seen it dozens of times since then.
The Living Daylights, 1987
Charles “Jerry” Juroe, head of marketing for U.A, said of Roger Moore when he handed in his licence to kill, that “he had two or three (potential Bond movies) in him”. I, like many, thought that Charles was being diplomatic. But yet it would be comforting to see Uncle Rog and the established crew see out the 80’s.....
And then Timothy Dalton in his first look to camera, shatters that illusion. The intensity that Dalton bought to the role. And by that I mean Dalton could actually move.
Superb Mr Bond, superb!
Glen’s direction is assured while it also features probably the best cinematography of his tenure. The screenplay is as intelligent and complex as any in the series. Barry’s score serves as a fitting swansong to this great man. The film is filled with a real sense of Fleming, yet all the cinematic hallmarks are here, and executed brilliantly and originally. The film benefits from a great attention to detail, and the fantastic elements of espionage are well tempered with some classic action.
Taking Fleming's The Living Daylights short story as a springboard, the writing pair of Maibaum and Wilson served up a cracking plot, full of Cold War machinations, all set to a more credible plot and believable romantic story. Making the screenplay amongst the finest of the series.
Timothy Dalton is supremely impressive in his début outing as 007. Dalton’s Bond is much more than a cerebral Bond, however - his lean frame and physicality lends himself to being a very plausible man of action. Dalton is a more human Bond, a’la George Lazenby, and proved to be a resourceful and resilient fighter.
If there is one slight caveat to Dalton’s performance, is that he is too mission focused to appreciate the joie de vivre of his life, which the literary Bond almost always managed to do. It is a small, rather inconsequential matter, that doesn’t detract from one of the most Flemingesque performances in the series. Dalton also enjoys a convincing relationship with leading lady, Maryam d'Abo, in this well rounded thriller.
Some thoughts -
- Good job Bond is up to snuff, as the rest of the 00’s in the PTS, aren’t.
- It is as if John Barry and John Glen are saying goodbye to the more comedic styles of the Moore era, before embarking of their new life with the latest 007 – both the score and the direction – plenty of bemused on-lookers; terrified locals; shots of animals; plenty of destruction.
- Is scenic artist Jacqueline Stears wife of the legendary John Stears?
- I hope the Harrier returned to pick up Q. A man of his age should not be traipsing up and down those damned stairs.
- M gave Bond the order to kill his opposite number, Pushkin. Is M trying to start World War III?
- Necros is the heir apparent to Grant, being a real match for Bond.
- Dalton does not have the ability to deliver a line like Sir Rog or King Connery, but who does?
- When Kara is setting up her “dummy” in the phone box, a red car drives past. I think it has a flat tyre.
- The contrast between the austere Eastern bloc city of Bratislava and the vibrant city of Vienna.
- When Bond is following the Russian delegate to Pushkin’s hotel in Tangiers, the Audi that Bond is driving bumps into a hapless chap, despite honking to him.
- That tender look that Bond gives Kara after he gently admonishes her, when she exclaims “we’re free!”
- The lifesize warlords with Whitaker’s face emblazoned upon them and his miniature toy soldier collection. Very “Benign Bizarre”.
- The heartfelt thanks between Bond and Saunders in the cafe, just before Saunders’ untimely demise.
- Kara taking Shah’s gun off him and riding to rescue Bond, shaming Shah to to the same. Kara is brave and loyal, yet very naive.
- Glen finally manages to pluck up the courage and to do a full of Western, in the fight for the Russian airbase, after briefly flirting with the idea in OP and AVTAK.
- Despite Dalton rejuvenating the crew of The Living Daylights, there does seem to be a slight pedestrian feeling to the procedures.
- It is clear that $30 million in 1987 does not stretch as far as in 1981.
- The relationship between the editors and the director is not as tight as the relationship between Peter Hunt and his directors.
- This is the first Bond film to present Jimmy as a spy, as opposed to the playboy adventurer that he has morphed into in quite some time.
- With Jimbo tasting the raw opium in FYEO and here in the TLD, I fear our Jim is a bit of a smackhead.
- I find the Bond movies with romantic subplots to be the most diverting, such as FRWL, OHMSS, Spy, FYEO and CR. TLD fits in to this group well.
- I like the Pretenders, “If There Was A Man”.
- Goodbye to Gotell and Keen.
1. From Russia With Love, 10
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 10
3. Dr. No, 9
4. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9
5. Thunderball, 8
6. Goldfinger, 8
7. The Living Daylights, 8
8. Licence to Kill, 7
9. Octopussy, 7
10. For Your Eyes Only, 6
11. The World Is Not Enough, 6
12. You Only Live Twice, 6
13. Tomorrow Never Dies, 5
14. The Man With The Golden Gun, 5
15. GoldenEye, 5
16. A View to a Kill, 4
17. Diamonds Are Forever, 4
18. Moonraker, 3
19. Live and Let Die, 2
Well, that’s it. For the first 19 films anyway. Between TWINE and DAD, I collected all 19 adventures on VHS. Whilst I have been viewing them on Blu Ray, I decided I would watch TLD on VHS, for some inexplicable reason. Come the end of the movie, my VHS unravelled itself when rewinding. Bugger.
If it wasn’t for the slight drop in pace once the action reaches Afghanistan, Daylights would be a top tier Bond movie.
James Bond will return in Die Another Day
*Disclaimer -
I’ve been having a gander at Joseph Darlington’s YouTube channel, in which he reviews the Bond movies. He’s got a good method of reviewing them, which I’m going to shamelessly steal. He rates his least favourite as 1 out of 10, his favourite as a ten, and the rest fits in between, kind of like grading on a curve. The Bond films are a genre unto themselves, and I shall be ranking them as their own little genre. Naturally, if I was rating them against other films, they would be high on the 1 – 10 scale. But, for this little game, I’m going to do something rather different.
Dalton did a good job in TLD, but in my opinion is superior in LTK. The rage that drives him to take down Sanchez is great! It's cool when he pretends to be his pal too, adding a very interesting dynamic between Bond and the bad guy. I also like his relationships with Pam and Q; there are a lot of great moments with them that lighten the often dark mood. LTK certainly is one of, if not the darkest of the Bond films. I've really come to appreciate Dalton's Bond more and more over time, and I think it's very unfortunate how he only ended up with two films. I really wish he had gotten one more film like Lazenby; I'd trade any of Brosnan's films except GE for a third Dalton outing, just like I'd trade DAF for one more Lazenby film.
Franz Sanchez stands out to me as one of the series' greatest villains - ruthless, cool, and powerful. He's one of the last Bond villains I'd ever want to cross, and that says a lot! The henchmen are decent, with Dario being the most memorable. Pam Bouvier has grown on me, while I feel pretty neutral about Lupe. I actually enjoy seeing Q in the field in this one; to me it sort of fits since Bond has gone rogue. Moneypenny is fine though very brief, and Robert Brown's final turn as M is okay enough. David Hedison does a great job as Felix, with some real dramatic elements to work with this time. Also I think Sharkey is a really good ally character, though unfortunately brief.
I really enjoy the revenge plot of LTK and find the resolution particularly rewarding. I've never considered the PTS to be one of the series' best, but I really enjoyed it tonight! I'd argue LTK has some of the series' very best action, with notable examples including the aquarium scene and tanker climax. One of my favorite aspects of LTK is that a lot of Fleming material gets used, like Sanchez whipping Lupe (The Hildebrand Rarity) and Felix's grim fate (Live and Let Die). The score by Michael Kamen is pretty good. I like the title song by Gladys Knight and also "If You Asked Me To" by Patti LaBelle.
When I was a young Bond fan, LTK was one of my absolute favorites, and I've decided to give it the highest ranking I've given it in a long time after tonight. It hits so many notes just right and feels incredibly satisfying. As good as TLD is, for me, it's LTK that most defines Timothy Dalton's brief but strong legacy as James Bond.
FoxRox's 2020 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Thunderball
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5. Dr. No
6. Licence to Kill
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. For Your Eyes Only
9. The Living Daylights
10. The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Live and Let Die
12. A View to a Kill
13. Moonraker
14. You Only Live Twice
15. Octopussy
16. Diamonds Are Forever
Bravo, Sir!