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Could a re-edit improve lesser Bond movies?

TroyTroy
in Bond Movies Posts: 342
I know this never happen (we don't even get out-takes), but reading threads reviewing / criticising Bond movies, I began wondering how many could be improved by re-editing. For example the main complaint about Thunderball seems to be over-long underwater scenes, which would be an easy fix. As would cutting out double-taking pigeons and Tarzan calls from Sir Roger's movies. Other films may be more challenging - for example some may feel Spectre could be improved by cutting out references to Bond and Blofeld growing up together, others may find QoS be improved if the action scenes could be made intelligible

Comments

  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    No, and for the record Solo shot first.
  • mepal1mepal1
    Posts: 1,098
    Yes, if QOS was re-edited so that one could actually see what the heck was going on in the action scenes, then the film would go up a notch or two in most peoples views.
    Actually, the whole film was over edited, even the dialogue scenes, just count in between the cuts, then go and see another movie, then you will realize the difference.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2015 Posts: 23,883
    I'm generally against re-editing films after the fact unless it's for inclusion of deleted scenes.

    Having said that, I think QoS could certainly benefit in a positive manner from a re-edit, since that film has a lot to offer viewers that certainly was spoiled for many due to the cuts.

    I'm not too keen on an SP edit. My issues with that film are more conceptual rather than editing, so it won't really help me, unless they want to take away the colour filters, which might improve the experience somewhat, but not completely.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited December 2015 Posts: 6,359
    MR is the one that would be most improved by some simple reedits.

    Although really I would like Jaws to die in the PTS and obviously not appear in the rest of the film.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,243
    Improve is a subjective term but also think that QoS would benefit from an alternate edit. It would be interesting to have someone like Stuart Baird provided all shot footage to edit and see what the end result would be.
  • TokolosheTokoloshe Under your bed
    Posts: 2,667
    And for the love of God, Buddha, Allah and any other deity of your choice... Get rid of that slide whistle over the bridge jump in TMWTGG!
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,243
    And open the parachute a tad earlier in QoS ;)
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,722
    I think the beauty of the franchise is that films that are generally considered the least favorites contain elements that are generally considered the very best the series has to offer - I don't see anyone here not praising Barry's work on DAF, MR, AVTAK, or Christopher Lee's performance as Scaramanga, or the sets in YOLT, etc.

    So no, I do not want to see re-edits of old Bond films as all 24 of them have their charm.
  • BondBugBondBug
    edited December 2015 Posts: 158
    Troy wrote:
    I know this never happen (we don't even get out-takes), but reading threads reviewing / criticising Bond movies, I began wondering how many could be improved by re-editing. For example the main complaint about Thunderball seems to be over-long underwater scenes, which would be an easy fix. As would cutting out double-taking pigeons and Tarzan calls from Sir Roger's movies. Other films may be more challenging - for example some may feel Spectre could be improved by cutting out references to Bond and Blofeld growing up together, others may find QoS be improved if the action scenes could be made intelligible

    Yes! I am totally in favor of editing out the silly stuff from the movies. I have long wished they would go back and create special cuts.

    Yes, take out all the Roger Moore elements that are like a spoof. The Tarzan call, the Lawrence of Arabia Theme, etc., the whole A View to a Kill fire engine ladder scene, which looks like it is from a Buster Keaton movie. Go back and raise the quality of those films and make the tone more consistent.

    Take out the really bad double-entendres from the Pierce Brosnan movies - Halle Berry - "There's a mouthful" - looking at Bond's crotch - anything that is cringeworthy. Then re-dub George Baker's voice in Majesty's Secret Service with a voice that sounds like it could possibly be George Lazenby. I would love to have the option to see the Bond movies without the bad elements that could easily be taken out.

  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    No not at all, ITV butcher them enough to disspell this notion for me.
  • Scaramanga12Scaramanga12
    Posts: 562
    RogueAgent wrote: »
    No not at all, ITV butcher them enough to disspell this notion for me.

    What edits do itv do? They've seemed good to me over the years (apart from when they show LTK in the afternoon)
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Scaramanga12 wrote: »
    RogueAgent wrote: »
    No not at all, ITV butcher them enough to disspell this notion for me.

    What edits do itv do? They've seemed good to me over the years (apart from when they show LTK in the afternoon)

    They always cut bits out, they are terrible at showing films. And they don't show films in their original aspect ratio.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Troy wrote:
    I know this never happen (we don't even get out-takes), but reading threads reviewing / criticising Bond movies, I began wondering how many could be improved by re-editing. For example the main complaint about Thunderball seems to be over-long underwater scenes, which would be an easy fix. As would cutting out double-taking pigeons and Tarzan calls from Sir Roger's movies. Other films may be more challenging - for example some may feel Spectre could be improved by cutting out references to Bond and Blofeld growing up together, others may find QoS be improved if the action scenes could be made intelligible

    Yes. TB doesn't need any editing though. I'd cut Dolly and Jaws from MR.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,584
    All of the films represent Bond where he was at that time in history. Tinkering with them now simply dilutes the franchise's rich history. Take out the Tarzan yell and the film is no longer representative of what audiences saw in 1983. It becomes something else.

    It's ok for shorter series or one off films (Close Encounters, Blade Runner), but the Bond series is more than that. It's the history of the action/adventure film all in one series. And we take them as they are warts, puns, invisible cars and all.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    NicNac wrote: »
    All of the films represent Bond where he was at that time in history. Tinkering with them now simply dilutes the franchise's rich history. Take out the Tarzan yell and the film is no longer representative of what audiences saw in 1983. It becomes something else.

    It's ok for shorter series or one off films (Close Encounters, Blade Runner), but the Bond series is more than that. It's the history of the action/adventure film all in one series. And we take them as they are warts, puns, invisible cars and all.

    Yet, Eon allowed the 5.1 remixes have different audio ... The music for the Gumbold safe-cracking scene in OHMSS is completely different to the original mix and Irma Bunt's gunshots at the end are completely different.
  • CowleyCowley
    Posts: 486
    tanaka123 wrote: »
    Yet, Eon allowed the 5.1 remixes have different audio ... The music for the Gumbold safe-cracking scene in OHMSS is completely different to the original mix and Irma Bunt's gunshots at the end are completely different.

    Thank goodness the Blu Ray has the original mono soundtrack for OHMSS shame about TB. Most of the UE 'clean ups' are a travesty.

  • bigladiesmanbigladiesman
    Posts: 1,009
    NicNac wrote: »
    All of the films represent Bond where he was at that time in history. Tinkering with them now simply dilutes the franchise's rich history. Take out the Tarzan yell and the film is no longer representative of what audiences saw in 1983. It becomes something else.

    It's ok for shorter series or one off films (Close Encounters, Blade Runner), but the Bond series is more than that. It's the history of the action/adventure film all in one series. And we take them as they are warts, puns, invisible cars and all.

    A huge +1 to this.
  • SerialHitmanSerialHitman Plotting my revenge
    Posts: 45
    The action scenes in TB were always going to drag because they take place underwater, no amount of editing can really change that and sped up film is disgusting. MR has much bigger problems than a double take pigeon and QOS and SP just suffer from lazy script writing and uninspired stories. Of course editing plays a huge part in ensuring a film makes sense but I doubt it would make much of a difference to a film which already suffers from lack of creativity.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    I've always thought that TMWTGG could benefit greatly from an edit, just because you could completely cut things out without losing continuity.

    For example, Bond dives out of the martial arts school, and the next shot is him jumping into the little boat. Boom, the kung fu fighting girls eliminated.

    Or cutting out all of JW Pepper's monologues. Do we need to seem him arguing with an elephant? Just give enough to show that he's in Bangkok too (god only knows why) so it's not a complete shock when he's in the car with Bond.

    I notice more and more of these every time I watch TMWTGG, it seems like it's crying for a fan-edit (which would obviously never make an appearance on mi6forums).
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,359
    Great points about TMWTGG. I kind of wish Jaws could be cut out from MR except for maybe the PTS--cut just before the circus tent and flapping arms. Could he be excised from the rest of the film? There are moments when he is the old Jaws like the Carnivale festival. Maybe it is *Dolly* that needs to be cut, not Jaws. And of course the circus tent.
  • IGUANNAIGUANNA
    Posts: 1,296
    http://www.fanedit.org/ifdb/component/jreviews/tag/franchise/james-bond/
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