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I'll add Barry to that too. Those three were instrumental in creating the Bond mystique. As they slowly disappeared from the frame, a little of what made Bond so special did too.
I hear QoS compared negatively to the Bourne trilogy, but I frankly never found those movies interesting. They all kinda run together for me. Maybe why QoS stands out? That opening car chase with the car flipping off into the marble quarry is awesome. I actually think QoS feels the most like one of Fleming's novels, probably since the Connery era.
I'd actually say QoS is more divisive. I like SP but overall I think fans at least have a more negative opinion about it. QoS is hated or loved in about equal measure.
1. Having just watched it, I have to say Thunderball is one of the best Bonds. Even better than Goldfinger.
2. Diamonds Are Forever is the worst Bond film. Even worse than Die Another Day.
And ground beef is better than steak.
I agree that DAD is better than DAF, but DAF isn't the worst Bond movie IMO, though it is low on the list.
Agreed on #2.
As far as the general public goes, they both appear to be forgettable and mediocre, based on user data I've seen online.
That suspicion may well be true of me too. At least Quantum is short, and with Skyfall they were at least taking a risk exploring a new idea, even if it doesn't really suit my tastes. But with SPECTRE it's like they had no ideas or inspiration when they sat down to write the script. They knew it was a follow up to Skyfall, and they were going to bring back SPECTRE and Blofeld. That all there is in terms of ideas, unless you count the step brother angle, but that's more aping the familial connection of Skyfall. Heavens save us if they try and continue with this same cast and crew again in 2019. Could you imagine?
A) SP, for me, is the second best of Craig's Bonds, behind CR, leaving the universally worshipped SF far behind it.
B) Newman's score for SP is not just good but great.
There, I said it.
As I said two pages before (but then everybody was still rambling about the FYEO pre-titles)
Quantum of Solace is the most Flemingesque James Bond film bar for the close adaptations TB,OHMSS, FRWL and DN.
Fleming, in his writing, takes great efford to transfer Bond's state of mind to the reader. QoS does so by making things that are chaotic for Bond chaotic for the viewer. It's a take on the films we haven't had before, so it was confusing, but it's very much in the line of Fleming's writing. Fleming also was very descriptive of the surroundings. QoS is the same. We have panning shots of the desolate desert, we see civillians craving for water. We see a stunning, very visual opera scene. Never before did we see so much atmosphere in a villain's meeting. Above all Bond stays loyal to his country and the job at hand. He doubts (end of the CR book, QoS bar scene with Felix) in a cynical way the job at some points, but he gets his act together quick enough. QoS goes by, just as a Fleming novel, in a blink of an eye, leaving you with a gripping adventure that sometimes is hard to follow, full of excitement, adrenaline, but also human limits and doubt. Forster should be hailed as one of the greatest modern directors of Bond!
And concearning the general public @bondjames, as they've forgotten to appreciate the new UNCLE movie I think they can be discarded as idiots ;-)
I completely agree on your assessment of QoS, but don't give it the same level of credit that you do, because such 'disorientation', 'chaotic state of mind' , 'need for closure' and 'protagonist's point of view' was brilliantly showcased 3 years prior in the groundbreaking The Bourne Supremacy. I know there are some here who dismiss the influence of that film, but its impact on QoS was significant (and I'm not just referring to the shaky cam, although that is the most obvious element).
Forster just took that approach (the so called 'speeding bullet' by his own admission) and embedded it in the glamorous Bondian locales and vistas.
Irrespective, it is a unique and welcome addition to the Bond oeuvre.
Though I must admit that even as my #2 Craig Bond it fails to get into my upper half.
I wouldn't discard the Bourne influence, as Bond has always been influenced by contemporary films. Thing with Bourne is, the books are very much inspired by Bond. In a way, QoS was just inspired by a new sort of storytelling, based on it's own legacy. Perhaps we should look at it in the way Terence Young directed the Bond-films. His directing wasn't unique in the way of finding new tricks to tell the story, it was unique in the way he executed the storytelling. I think the same goes for Forster. No, the techniques weren't new, but the way it was put together was very much in Fleming's spirit. Just as Young's was. And still with his own 'signature'. I think, personally, that's exactly what a Bond-director should do. That's why I wouldn't want a Guy Richie Bond-film. He'll press too much of his own signature on it. I loved it in UNCLE, I didn't like it so much in Arthur. It's supposed to help the storytelling, not be a gimmick. Same goes for Spielberg, i.e.
Although my allegiance is to Bond, I clearly see the debts that QoS owes to Bourne: the editing, the terse dialogue, the tough fight in Haiti, and yes, even the close in Russia that is almost certainly inspired by the end of The Bourne Supremacy.
Still, I think Forster is very good with actors, and QoS shined in the quieter scenes.
I'm not sure I agree but I prefer watching SP to SF. I wonder of your reasons though.
And also the people feel more strongly about QoS than SP, positively or negatively. That's my perception anyway.
And yes, DC has parked his Aston right behind SC's. Sometimes beside. And there are times in his tenure, he definitely parked his car before Connery's.
If DC is gone; I would hate to be Babs... most up and coming actors grow beards to show they're "men". DC, even in his weakest outing, just IS a man.
In today's world, this will be a hard thing to replace.
Controversial??
- "Not even remotely."
DC hasn't gone.