In which film were they at their best? [CONCLUSION]

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  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,256
    It seems OP is our members' favourite Gogolian exploit.
    Bernard Lee as M: OHMSS
    Walter Gotell as General Anatol Alexis Gogol: OP


    Entry #3: Desmond Llewelyn as Q

    Since we have a better chance at reaching ex aequo with this entry, I shall save my own vote till the end so that if needs be, I can make the difference. ;;)

    Curious to see where this goes...
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Tough one... I'd go with... FYEO.
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 300
    He's so great in every Bond film he's in, but I'm gonna go with LTK. B-)

    "Remember 007, if it hadn't been for Q Branch, you'd have been dead long ago." ;-)
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 269
    For me, The World is not enough, which sum up all his previous appearances
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    Goldfinger, no question about it. "I never joke about my work 007." Priceless!
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 5,767
    TWINE was probably the coolest goodbye in film history.
    And TLD always has me laughing: "I call it ´The Getto Blaster´" :) .
    But @DB5 is right, Q in GF is it!
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    Wow, this is a real toughie. I'm going to go with LTK just because I think he stood out in that film more than any others. Certainly there's the genesis of his character in GF, brilliant delivery in MR, the priest in FYEO, going into the field with Bond in OP, the lab in GE and his departure in TWINE. But in LTK, it Q who showed his loyalty to Bond. Q reminded Bond he'd be dead if it weren't for the Q branch. Q provided Bond the signature gun and the explosives to go after Sanchez and helped Bond and Pam on the pilot boat to the WaveKrest. Even when Bond tried to shoo Q away, Bond eventually realized he couldn't do it alone without Q. Q had many funny moments, but to me the one moment that always gets a chuckle from me is when he is posing as the streetsweeper. After using the radio broom to contact Pam in a funny disguise, Q chucks the radio broom in the bushes without giving it a second thought, when Q always wants Bond to return the equipment in pristine condition. I feel Desmond stands out more in LTK than his other films, just to show Bond that he truly wasn't alone in LTK and that the Q/Bond relationship was a good subplot in LTK.

    Obligatory Top 5

    1. LTK
    2. OP
    3. GE
    4. GF
    5. TWINE
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,634
    Licence to Kill, without a doubt
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    It's got to be LTK. In previous films, Q has met Bond out in the field, but here he puts his career on the line to help a rogue 007. Q gets to do more in LTK, rather than the usual: 'look at this, push here, sign there and off you go.'

    Without any doubt, it is LTK.
  • Posts: 1,778
    That's easy. Licence to Kill. "You're a hell of a field operative". That line always puts a smile on my face. Octopussy comes in a close second. I'd love to think Q got laid after saving all those women.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    I think Licence to Kill. Llewelyn finally got the bigger role he deserved.
  • 006006
    Posts: 159
    Yup I agree with the above comments Llewelyn was brilliant in all his apperances in the movies and for me personally is sorely missed, but his best apperance was in LTK as he had far more focus in the movie
  • Posts: 4,762
    Nice choice, @DarthDimi!
    I'd have to say some of his best were in Thunderball, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, GoldenEye, and Tomorrow Never Dies. For the number 1 spot, I'd probably put License to Kill as well, only because of his upgraded screen time.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited July 2011 Posts: 3,262
    I'll go along with the majority so far and say LTK. It was nice to see how the friendship between Bond and Major Boothroyd was portrayed here in ironically, one of the most serious films in the series.. Honorable mention to GF: "I never joke about my work, 007." and OP: "Later, perhaps." with Magda.
  • Posts: 1,310
    I'm going to go with License to Kill for the simple reason that he got a much heftier role than his previous outings. But we could always count on Desmond Llewelyn to give us a great Q scene no matter the length!
  • Posts: 321
    LTK for all the reasons above.
  • 007007
    Posts: 42
    Definitely LTK. He finally got the screen time he deserved. I also loved him in GF. He delivers some classic lines in that film.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,256
    Rounding this one up in a bit. Those who care to vote, please hurry. ;;)
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited July 2011 Posts: 24,256
    I find it strange, absolutely strange in fact, that the completely unrealistic appearance of Q in LTK turns out to be our members' favourite. My choice would certainly have been GE: best dialogue by far and a fine balance between teasing and respecting Q by Bond. Another great entry from Q is FYEO. But hey, you have chosen. ;;)
    Bernard Lee as M: OHMSS
    Walter Gotell as General Anatol Alexis Gogol: OP
    Desmond Llewelyn as Q: LTK


    Entry #4: Geoffrey Keen as Sir Frederick Gray

    Vote away, people!
  • Monsieur_AubergineMonsieur_Aubergine Top of the Eiffel Tower with a fly in my soup!
    Posts: 642
    FYEO i think as he holds the fort a lot better than the Chief of Staff, he does grunt a little too much but all in all a good bit of screen time. I also love the walk along the quayside in TSWLM too as he briefs bond on the Cairo connection.

    What Im noticing as I read through these posts is just how much of a family feel the films once had. Ive started to realise how much I miss these guys.Those days have long gone and it would be wonderful to get the 'regular' veteran cast format back.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    TLD for me.

    Dimi : You forgot to put LTK for Llewellyn !
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    MR. I like the scene where he thinks Bond has goofed after they enter Drax's Venice laboratory with the gas masks on and he apologizes to Drax and orders M to take Bond off the case.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    I'd also say Moonraker, the film where Keen came into his own and you knew he'd be a great character to keep having in the series.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,256
    Dimi : You forgot to put LTK for Llewellyn !
    Thanks, DC! ;;) I forgot.

  • Posts: 269
    Moonraker as well,

    but my best memory of him is in The Spy Who Loved me. I watch it in french, and the voice he had didn't match at all his look, and he did made a comical character.
  • Posts: 4,762
    Probably either The Spy Who Loved Me, where he has more screen time and actually gets out of M's office, or For Your Eyes Only. Both of those seem to stick in my mind with regards to Frederick Gray. He was also good in Moonraker, but it annoyed me how he was so upset with 007 after apologizing to Drax. His line to M about taking Bond off the assignment was completely uncalled for.
  • Posts: 1,778
    Moonraker. The gas mask scene always works for me.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    I'm going to break the streak and go with FYEO. I'm going echo Aubergine's sentiment and say he was the M of the film. As good as he was in Spy and MR, he did not have Bernard Lee or Robert Brown to play off of in FYEO. Keen did manage to make MI6 business as usual. MI6 could have easily been a cluster without the M character, but he was the authority figure that Eyes needed. MR is a close second, followed by Spy, TLD, OP, and AVTAK. Honestly though, Keen was good in all of those films.

    Gray is a recurring character not often discussed here. Glad he's getting some recognition with this thread.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    edited July 2011 Posts: 2,634
    Gray is a recurring character not often discussed here. Glad he's getting some recognition with this thread.
    I agree Gray is a great character. My favorite from him is MR or FYEO

  • Posts: 321
    MR
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