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Bond never leaves Japan. Yet he seemingly travels to many different locations. There's Tokyo, with its city life, both night and day life I might add. We visit very distinct places, such as Tanaka's house, the underground train station, an office building and a harbour. Then we move to an island. Suddenly we enter nature and agricultural Japan. But then there's also the many volcanoes. Next, we get to one such volcano and enter one of the most impressive sets ever built for any film (and not the faintest, flimsiest bit of CGI or optical fakery involved!)
So, one film, one country but man, what a plentitude of marvellous vistas, breathtaking sets and exotic locations! In a way, we hardly spend more than 10 minutes in some of these locations, yet they are all connected. I think we can safely say that the filmmakers exploited Japan to its maximum potential, for which I am grateful. One country, but so much going on. The film breathes. It allows me some sightseeing as it were, it allows me the indulgence of visiting Japan more or less as a whole, not just through a selection of one or two locations and that's it. The story unfolds while propagandising the famous 007 travelogue but in sufficiently modest doses. Each set/location is considered for its value and then used adequately, never under- nor overused I dare say.
Now let's see about QoS. I got me one tiny spark of Italy, one street and an isolated building in Bregenz, a few slums in Haiti... Only Bolivia reveals a bit more, but as a linear sequence of quick flashes.
Hopefully, Bond 23 leans more towards the first case. However, we can even visit two or more countries and still get something out of it. Take OP, most notably presenting India and Germany. I always feel like I've seen a lot of both countries. Really, they needn't restrict themselves to merely one place on Earth IMO, by no means in fact, but they can't reduce a Bond film to a fancy montage of exotic locations either.
I always thought, when reading MR, that this story has a great potential to fully use one part of the world. The shores, the town, the industrial terrain... Once again, if not for an entire film, then at least the longest of the usual three acts can take us there. This could be what Montenegro is to CR (although preferably a little longer) or what Nassau is to TB.
I don't even mind when we revisit a certain location later on in the film. LALD did it. OP did it. OHMSS did it... The fact remains though that sticking around in one country needn't be a dull thing. It depends on what they show us and how the film manages to find a suitable rhythm in that spot. Just shooting in and out, as Bond once eloquently put it, simply isn't good enough. It can happen every once in a while. Take TMWTGG, for example. That Beirut scene, I never felt like I was in that country. Never. But hey, it served the plot, we only needed the bullet after all, and either way, the rest of the film at least settles us down neatly in at most two different locations. But when a film resorts to nothing but some hyperkinetic shooting in and out, I'm lost, confused, disoriented and most importantly, disinterested...
yeah ok, fair enough, it DOES entertain but this makes Die Another Day look like Gone With The Wind
who would believe you would have a fully fuelled shuttle being transported on the back of a 747, WTF?, not only that, the stupid gondola sequence in Venice, piegons doing a double take, crappy music, and the opening pre titles bit is good but is absolutely ruined by Richard Kiel landing on a big top to awful background tunes
Moore starts off somewhere over the British countryside, goes to California, then to Italy , then to Brazil and lo and behold we find him blasting into outer space
Fleming would be going into cardic arrest if he had been able to see that when it first was released
Bond fights pythons, samurai warriors, declines cucumber sandwiches and paraglides over waterfalls all in a days work
you have to draw the line somewhere
-Jaws' goofiness, as opposed to TSWLM's dark, ominous killer Jaws (don't see why that was ever changed)
-Jaws and Dolly romance (not even necessary)
-Corny lines (could have had some better dialogue)
-Overall goofy atmosphere in several scenes
I think if these things were removed and if MR was given a bit of a more serious edge, we would have a real winner on our hands! The fact of the matter is, they strayed too far from the novel and added in unnecessary cheesiness that took the film down.
The amount of exotic locations in a period setting would be challenging for a TV series though, plus a bit of CGI trickery for Lieter’s hook, Dr No’s hands and his giant squid!
Thinking this through a bit too much…there would be some great cliff hangers at the end of FRWL and YOLT if done well. I’d love to see the last scene of Bond tracking down the “old innocent lady” Klebb only to be slayed by her in very spy vs spy fashion. Or YOLT, where kissy’s motives make her become a very sinister character - how will he get out of that scenario….
I could see some better continuity between supporting characters like Lieter, but perhaps Bond could be played by a few different actors- Richard Armitage (although he should be a future movie Bond!), and maybe some of the audio book Bonds- Rufus Swell, Toby Stephens?! But I guess it wouldn’t be too harsh on the actor to commit to a full run.
Will have to snap out of this dream now!
you couldn't imagine a Craig of 2011 whirring around Saint Marks Square in a rigged out gondola or riding in a poncho to strains of 'the magnificent seven' , but back then audiences lapped it up, even if film critics had a field day with the finished product
Did I say Lois Chiles was one of the worst Bond 'girls' ever, I'm sure they just found a mannequin in a shop window and said 'that'll do'
:-S
Drax: "At least I shall have the pleasure of putting you out of my misery."
Bond: (sees Holly coming down the corridor, grabs her) "Here, make yourself useful!" (Drax fires, Holly is hit)
;-) The way it should have been!
Agreed and do the Blades card scene. We need more of M (Fiennes) and Bond again.
A great way to get M involved in the plot too. He even gets to say the "Bond, James Bond" line. Bond shows off his knowledge as well. But this won't happen and we'll get something not quite as good in the finished film.