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Comments
(I paraphrased Jean-Patrick Manchette, who said the same thing about a crime novel with a moral).
I might love you...
The scenes in the circus as Bond dresses as a clown to stop the atomic bomb going off in Octopussy is one of the best scenes in all of the series. Certainly a top ten moment.
Rarely has the series created more tension. Very inventive and suspenseful.
uhh... fine, mate. Fine. Personal perceptions. I won't change your mind. You can't change mine. And yes, I went to what is known as a public school here in Toronto (private school-- ugh). I know how to pour a glass of wine and hold a stem. I know how to dress accordingly. To use the right knife and fork. And, with all of this snobbery (I'm first generation Canadian, my parents come from England (which is where I spent every single summer of my childhood (since my entire family (outside of my immediate), was living there)), I hafta say, as others have noted, DC is just fine... He is not a thug. He knows how to dress. How to drink. How to pour. He knows he is not staying in a run-down hotel. He's just fine... At least to me...
Well. Done.
@suavejmf , I was only thinking on the train with Vesper (and he poured properly (her first, the bottle NEVER touches the rim of the glass, EVER, and he "CURLS" the bottle, avoiding the "drip" down its sides)).
You captured far more.
And, well, a picture speaks a thousand words, doesn't it??
The beginning murder of 009 is also very suspenseful. Would have been better if that was the PTS. The Acrostar is pretty cool but could have done without it.
Another overlooked aspect is the excellent auction scene, an alternative to the 'one upping' the villain scenes. He's reckless, cocky, and disregards what the potential villain might do to him (at this point Bond doesn't know Khan is his nemesis).
Octopussy also has one of the best ensemble of villains, from Khan (best lines), Orlov, twins to the yoyo thug and toothless thug. I'd say only Goldeneye and From Russia with Love matches Octopussy for villainy (runner ups Thunderball and Live and Let Die)
The clown makeup never bothered me. It's no more unbelievable in its haste than countless other moments in the series.
I daresay OP is the most entertaining of the Moore films, from beginning to end. TSWLM is better made, and more important, but it drags in the final third.
OP is just fun.
I agree and I'd add: of all the Bond actors only Roger Moore could do that scene convincingly. Brosnan, Dalton, they'd look like they humiliate themselves.
However to me the scene represents added tension and something quite dark BECAUSE he's dressed as a clown. A clown is a figure associated with fun (not by me BTW, creepy and unfunny) defusing a nuclear bomb. It's a scene that wouldn't have felt out of place in a Hitchcock film.
Also from a story point of view Bond has to infiltrate a circus, how better to do it then to disguise oneself as a clown. In addition Moore plays it "straight " , there's no fooling about for cheap laughs. He is totally focussed on the job in hand, acts it well and caps the scene off brilliantly with his look of relief when the Bomb is defused.
I've never had a problem with this scene for those reasons, I think it fits perfectly with the more serious elements in Octopussy.
The fact that the countdown goes all the way to zero just adds suspense of a Goldfinger level. No clowning around here, apart from the disguise.
I actually always liked the safari, in spite of its flaws. Not sure why.
I agree. The part that diffuses it for me is when he's waiting for the large German woman to finish her phone conversation. With a bomb about to go off he should've just kicked her out. If he then wouldn't be able to get through the line and needed to race to the base it would've been even more tense.
Moore at his bet though as a clown, perfect acting.
Nice wink to the start of the film as well. Two clowns trying to survive.
Moore's performance is assured, and he is well-matched by the cast. Adams is a properly mature Bond girl, as is Waybourn, and Moore has palpable buddy chemistry with Vijay. Q is in the field but there's not too much of him. They got the balance right with this one.
It's the kind of film where you could just tell they had fun making it, and the audience shares in the fun.
Exactly right. AVTAK is already perfect! ;)
It’s a better swansong for a long-running Bond than DAF and DAD for my money.
It's such a beautiful score.
I would agree with you @FoxRox!
If we count OHMSS (just by default)...
1. OHMSS (2)
2. LTK (14)
3. AVTAK (17)
4. DAF (23)
5. DAD (24)
OHMSS, if you count it, is the only one to make my Top 10. I do like most of LTK, though it has slipped in my rankings a bit lately. AVTAK is fun but flawed; it has grown on me a lot in the last year or so though. DAF and DAD have some good stuff, but are my bottom two entries as of now.
That's the only saving grace as far as I'm concerned.
I'm wondering if having Dalton as Bond and tailored AVTAK to him might have improved the movie tremendously, or if it could have easily destroyed Dalton's tenure before it even started and the franchise with him. I think only Moore could get away with AVTAK, just like only Connery could get away with DAF.
That I agree with!
I don't know. In essence, AVTAK seems like a fairly straightforward Bond film. I think it would've suited several Bond actors.
Pierce doing pain face when Mayday gets on top of him. :D
Or Lazenby with his "Irma Bunt in the bed?" face.
Fancy seeing you here Amazon
It has American big names in the cast who could have easily overshadowed a new Bond actor and it has a lot of silly moments the public may have found unforgivable if it wasn't for Moore.