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OHMSS is my fav Bond film, with FRWL and CR following as very close joint second place.
So it's 14 to OHMSS now and 13 to FRWL.
But of the two OHMSS is the best Christmasfilm easily.
honestly i dont see why people get excited over OHMSS- it was absoutely boring, padded out, Lazenby was terrible, the romance with tracy feels unnatural. the only good things were the music (particulary the gunbarrel) and the ending in which Lazenby finally does "acting"
So now my favourites are CR, OHMSS, and FRWL. But I rank the best Bond films as CR, FRWL, and OHMSS.
One has Robert Shaw facing off with Sean Connery ;)
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2274/bond-movie-a-vs.-bond-movie-b-casino-royale-vs.-skyfall
EDIT- I've already voted, sorry.
Bond Girl: Daniela Bianchi is not very convincing as a Russian Agent. Yes, they give her an accent, and she doesn't do anything too offensive. But she comes across more of a University girl than an agent. She also becomes more of the damsel in distress near the end. Her lines in bed are good though, very seductive. In terms of beauty, she is no question one of my favorites. Tracy on the other hand, has more sass and strength in her character. She and Bond share more of a modern relationship; more equals, than Bond the domineering man. I particularly like their shared action scene in the car on the ice. She proves she can hold her own.
Action: OHMSS pushed the envelope with state-of the art action sequences, plus Lazenby looks great in the hand to hand combat. I'm not usually an action guy, but the finale of OHMSS always has me at the edge of my seat. FRWL, has the excellent Red Grant fight, but the shoot-out in the Gypsy camp feels more 50's western than a Bond film.
Ending: OHMSS builds to an epic climax, starting with the descent down mountain on skis, and culminating with the breathtaking raid on Piz Gloria and bobsled escape. No action film has topped it. Plus the dialogue between Tracy and Blofeld, reciting the poetry, while the raid comes in is perfect for the moment. FRWL has a great climax with the Red Grant fight, but the escape afterwards doesn't feel as necessary. The helicopter sequence is a nice reference to North by Northwest, but the boat sequence could have been cut-short. Also, the 'foot' combat scene with Rosa Kleb is a bit campy, and I'm surprised more people don't make an issue out of it.
OHMSS also benefits from so many other great moments: Bond breaking the 4th wall in the opening, Bond resigning, the emotional core to the story, the fantastic John Barry score, the nod to Bond's heritage: "The World Is Not Enough", Blofeld's background, Blofelds Angels of Deaths, the pyschedelic element, the breathtaking establishment shots of the Alps....and even the little details like Bond reading the Playboy magazine, or reaching for the caviar after an intense scuffle.
FRWL is great too - excellent introduction to Bond, Kerim Bey, the romantic backdrop of Istanbul and Venice, and of course Sean Connery, but OHMSS just offers much more in my book, and is the pinnacle of the series.
You make a great case for OHMSS but this is the main point I'm not sure I agree with. I've recently listened to the audio-books of each andTatiana and Tracy are fundimentally different characters with different personalities and each were cast well in my view. Tatiana was a bit more "innocent". She comes across as quieter and more timid (she's terrified when she is called to see SMERSH and there is a long passage when she is desperately trying to recall anything bad she may have done) has had relitively few lovers and, to be honest, seems more the "university girl" type. In the novel Fleming said she was about 23 or 24 (can't remember which exactly) so that doesn't put her that much past "university age" She has a playfulness and sassiness but is somewhat "girly" throughout the whole story (she giggles when she is hiding from Bond under the covers in his hotel room) and has to rely on Bond to guide her rather than the other way round.
Tracy, on the other hand, starts off as a lot more self reliant, cold and sexually promiscuious. It's only towards the end that she warms up and becomes more "feminine". Actually Diana Rigg probably made her even more "ballsy" in the film than she is in the book.
My point was that (IMO) each actress suited the character well. Bianchi for her innocence and Rigg for her self-reliance.
I suppose SMERSH would use her because she was young, beautiful and relitively naive. She could be manipulated easily by those above her and would be too scared to question the situation.
Both have terrific Bond Girls, excellent villains, interesting plots, exciting set pieces, etc.
For me, however, Sean Connery makes all the difference. Nothing against George. He just doesn't quite measure up to Sean, that's all.
In fact, Lazenby has always been a bit of a cipher to me. It's as if Connery didn't show up for principal photography, so Hunt decided to shoot the whole thing with the stunt double.
Haha =)) That's a funny way of putting it, but you could have a point there. Afterall, Laz is great in the action sequences.
Brilliant way of putting it, old boy! :))
Both brilliant movies, so close- I'll have to go with OHMSS if only because the action in it way more off the hook than in FRWL. :-c
Bianchi makes a better Bond girl than Rigg, but at least we actually get to see Blofeld in OHMSS. But with characters like Kronsteen, Grant and Klebb, it makes for a great viewing. They're actually not that far apart for classic Bond, but Russia wins here