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FRWL certainly has that "Hitch touch". Part of it is set on a train, it has a "McGuffin" (the Lecktor), it has a beautiful woman and it has exotic locations. And I'm not even going to include the North By North West inspired helicopter chase.
Funny that Hitch would go on to direct Sean Connery in Marnie.
Would have been a bummer if the second flick would have had to make do with someone less gifted. Hitch would have upped the expectations considerably. After that you'd have needed another big-wig in the director's chair.
http://shortknighthitchblog.blogspot.com.br/2011/04/alfred-hitchcocks-casino-royale-or.html
A part of what made Bond a success on screen was Terence Young and Sean Connery. Without the two i don't think Bond would have gone very far on screen. I would very much have liked Hitch to have directed another Bond film in the 60's (Thunderball) which i heard he was offered or something. It would have been a rather interesting film with him at the helm.
Great point. Without the guidance of Terence Young I feel the series might have gotten off to a bad start. Hitchcock would have no doubt persuaded Cary Grant to do the first one and then that would of been your lot, no sequel, no Bond Theme and no Sean Connery. I think history played out just right with regards to Hitch not getting his hands on Bond.
As such, I'd reckon that a Hitchcock directed DAF might have been a superb film but as for DN, even FRWL, I wouldn't want to trade Young for all the money in the world!
I agree completely with all of those who credit Terence Young with successfully launching Bond on the silver screen. He did a magnificent job and with Dr.No & FRWL he got it so right!
That said, I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and I would have loved to have seen him delve into the franchise after Young established it. He could have given us a great version of Moonraker - true to the book but laden with NBNW type suspense and set in England.
What a thought!
Assuming Connery had been out of the frame, it's interesting to consider who he would have cast as Bond? Also, who would he've selected for the role of Gala?
Suggestions please for this dream project!
Regards,
Windswept
I agree, in terms of FRWL. I have always thought that a Bond film directed by Hitchcock would have been fantastic. Afterall, he was and still is the master of suspense.
Happy 104th Birthday for yesterday Mr. Fleming! Ended up forgetting to post my birthday wish yesterday but I had remembered his birthday.
At the time Fleming made the approach to Hitchcock, the director was also producing his films. While he didn't take a producer's credit, the copyright notice in some of his movies cites Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions (I think) as either sole or joint copyright holder. He was also producer of his television series ("An Alfred Hitchcock Production") initially, though he turned over those duties over time to Joan Harrison (married to Eric Ambler) and Norman Lloyd.
Thus, I suspect a Hitchcock-directed Bond might have shared some style elements (perhaps Hitchcock would have approached it like he did North by Northwest) but in some ways I suspect it would be much different, simply because Hitchcock worked differently than Broccoli and Saltzman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchcockian
Elements considered Hitchcockian include:
-The cool platinum blonde (Tatiana is blonde, so that count)
-Tension building through suspense to the point where the audience enjoys seeing the character in a life-threatening situation (there were some of those in the movie)
-Characters who switch sides or who cannot be trusted (Bond didn't trust Tatiana in part of the movie, and we saw Tatiana killed Klebb her boss at the end of the film)
-Use of darkness to symbolise impending doom (I've seen some of those in FRWL)
-Use of a macguffin or plot device that remains unexplained (The lektor is that example)
-Mistaken identity (Bond mistaken Red Grant for Nash, his contact)
-and let's not forget the helicopter trying to kill Bond in the same style of North by Northwest.
So yes, From Russia with Love is the only Bond film that had a Hitchcock motif, and at least it give us an idea how James Bond would've look if Alfred Hitchcock direct the film.
Also, now I wonder what James Bond would look like if Christopher Nolan direct it. :P
James Bond-Cary Grant (he's the closest actor to match 007's look) or Rod Taylor (actually I always thought Rod Taylor could've 007 in OHMSS instead of Lazenby if that had happen), James Mason could also fit as Bond.
Felix Leiter-James Stewart or Anthony Perkin or John Gavin
M-Leo G. Carroll
Bill Tanner-James Mason
Moneypenny-Ingrid Bergman
Bond girl:
Grace Kelly (yep fit the Bond girl look, You want a Tatiana Romanova for a Hitchcock's FRWL, Grace fit)
Kim Novak (what if Hitchcock had directed Goldfinger, then Kim Novak would played Pussy Galore)
Tippi Hedren:
Eva Marie Saint (she could also fit Pussy Galore):
Janet Leigh:
I can also accept Doris Day as a Bond girl too (she work with Hitchcock in The Man who knew too much)
Villain:
Ernst Stavro Blofeld-Boris Karloff or Peter Lorre
Goldfinger-Ray Milland
Le Chiffre-Peter Lorre
Colonel Rosa Klebb-Phyllis Konstam
After seeing how Ernest Lehman did North by Northwest, I think I would've like to see how Ernest Lehman could've done a screenwriting for a Bond film if Hitchcock did it (honestly, I wish Cubby could've recruited Lehman to do a Bond film, that would've been amazing). For the music, Bernard Herrmann would probably do the music for Hitchcock's Bond and yes it wouldn't be the theme we came to know but I'm sure Herrmann could make something that memorable.
Also I like that opening sequence in North by Northwest, if Hitchcock did a Bond film I would've like a opening sequence like that it would be sort of closer to how the Bond movie would do for their title sequence.
Yep this is probably the closest thing to a Hitchcock Bond.
Casino Royale (Hitchcock would know how to make the gambling game more intense)
Moonraker (Hitchcock would've made the movie closer to the book if he had that one)
Diamonds are Forever (Hitchcock beside keeping it close to the novel, it would have a Notorious and To catch a Thief feel into it)
From Russia with Love (Eon's version is the closest thing to a Hitchcock Bond, but I believe Hitchcock version would've done good, I wonder how he would've handled the fight scene between Bond and Red Grant)
Goldfinger (A Hitchcock version would've been quite interesting)
Bentley articulates it so well.
The best scenario would have been TY passing the baton to Hitch after FRWL.
This would have obliged him to continue with Connery and aspects of the format whilst giving the franchise his unique take.
If Connery had wanted out, I'm sure Hitch would have wanted Grant and that would have been something to behold.
Regarding the perfect vehicle - Bentley nails it - MOONRAKER would have been perfect.
Cary Grant was close to playing James Bond for Dr. No if he didn't turn it down, according to Cubby (his wife, Dana also confirmed this) and Terence Young, Grant turned down the role due to being old and just wanted to do one Bond film.
Also while Dr. No was still in production, Howard Hawks was planning to do his version of Casino Royale with Cary Grant as James Bond 007:
http://www.hmss.com/films/carygrant007/
But that was scrapped (I would've love Cubby to had Howard Hawk directing Goldfinger)
It would've been cool to see Grant as 007, if Hitchcock had made Casino Royale somewhere between 1953-1955. It could've work for Hitchcock and for Fleming and Grant.
Now I wonder what Casino Royale would've look like if that was EON's first Bond film instead of Dr. No:
-Who would've played Vesper Lynd (I had thought of having Yvonne Furneaux or Elizabeth Taylor in taking that role)?
-Who would've played Rene Mathis (I can't think of any actor that would've fitted Mathis in the late 1950's/early 1960's)
-Who would've played Felix Leiter (Jack Lord, John Gavin might've fit)
-Who would've played Le Chiffre? For me, I always thought Peter Cushing would've made an excellent Le Chiffre. What organization would Le Chiffre would've work for if they have made CR the first Bond film, SPECTRE?
-How could they would've handle the infamous torture scene, they couldn't allow Bond getting his "love milk sac" getting smacked on screen, the censor would not allow that in late 50's and early 60's?
-How would Vesper Lynd's death be shown on screen? The overdose on sleeping drug seem boring on screen, would it show her being shot and killed by SPECTRE assassin and would we see Bond mourning her death? Would subsequent Bond films show that everytime Vesper's death is mention Bond would be "pained" just like how after Tracy's death in OHMSS, everytime Bond is reminded of Tracy's death he feel "pained" to be reminded of her death.
In 1962, I doubt Hitchcock would have been ready to give us the cold blooded Bond we saw in the first two films. However, toward the end of his career he made Frenzy, which even today remains a hard film to watch. Despite its light touches, the film features a nasty villain and a gritty realism unseen in his previous works.