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Am I harsh on Glen? Yeah, because I don’t think he was all that great. But I wouldn’t call him the worst of the lot. I’d put Spottiswoode, Apted, Tamahori, and Forster well below Glen.
I am not a Moore era fan and I generally don't appreciate Glen's work in that period as much as you do, but I think Glen's work on TLD and LTK is some of the most efficient in the series.
As well as the above moment, which is glorious, there is the oft-mentioned moment where Dalton pops the 'smiert spionam' balloon after Saunders death, which is possibly my favourite Bond moment ever. Perfectly encapsulates the character for me.
So yes, I think Glen had a grasp on the character, he was just such an efficient and workmanlike director that those moments don't draw attention to themselves despite their strong qualities.
This is a contrast to some of Apted's work in TWINE and Mendes' directing in SP (which in itself was a drop on his work in SF), which works overtime to wring every drop of drama out of a poor script, rather than it feeling natural and earned. It almost feels like 'overdirection' in comparison.
Some good points here. I'll add to the balloon popping the impulsiveness of Bond leaping the fence, Walther drawn only to be shocked by a mother and son and Barry's action theme to top it off; I always look forward to that bit when I play the soundtrack. It's another great character moment and he has to contain that as he directs the anger at Kara.
It's far and away more interesting than either TWINE or SP. LTK is more of a hit and miss as far as Glen's direction, but more forgivable overall since so much else works, at least for me. It helps greatly that Dalton is so watchable.
And as far as LTK goes, Bond's moment of reflection after Sanchez's demise, where it looks like he almost feels worse for succeeding, is another mark in Glen's favour.
A film like TWINE would have benefited greatly from a more economic director like Glen. And I say that as someone who actually likes TWINE greatly, despite its flaws.
I suspect we're going wildly off topic now, but I suppose it was inevitable.
Glen is up there with Young and Hamilton as my favourite Bond directors.
His work on TLD and LTK in particular is superb. Probably the only director to really understand the Fleming character after Young. Best moments for me are Dalton with the rifle at the beginning of TLD, the balloon burst, the Aston Martin sequence, and the plane fight with Necros.
In LTK - too many to mention. This is one film where Fleming's creation finally makes it to the screen, helped obviously by Dalton, but also by Glen's direction too. He really understood Fleming's Bond.
Now, imagine Glen with Brosnan. :)>-
Definitely sticks out in my mind, so I agree.
Thankfully we got Campbell for GE.
Seeing all the (mostly) love for John Glen on here, i was wondering is there a John Glen appreciation thread...?
Coming from the biggest Brosnan basher on here, that's saying something.
Are you trying to flirt with me, 'cause i'm blushing right now.
Can someone please test this out?
That would have been interesting. I really don't rate Campbell that highly. This is the man who wanted to cast Cavill instead of Craig. I would have liked to see what Glen might have got from Brosnan.
While I rate Glen highly he also benefited from having intelligent, crafted Maibaum screenplays to work with. Plus Moore and Dalton. He had a fair wind behind him that's for sure.
Let's ask Roger's stuntman if he was killed or not.
Ethan Hunt can confirm. :P
Helps to be harnessed to the plain however. ;)
Tom Cruise did.
He likes to bash for the sake of bashing.
I do think that he's not a bad person though. ;))
Necros was good, but the other two where terrible. I think they where going with the FRWL vibe of having the villainy somewhat evenly split across three characters, but it failed in that regard.
Good film, bad villains.
Today its downbeat tone and classical stylings are very much in vogue. Back then The Living Daylights represented a welcome return to some forgotten haunts of Fleming. For the first time in years, the franchise was taking itself seriously. Out with the pantomime; in with the espionage.
Timothy Dalton's monogamous, deadpan 007 brings a more nuanced interpretation to the central character, whose relationships evolve in ways rarely seen in the earlier films. Dalton manages the Connery trick of seeming suave and tough at the same time, and tried to get away from the weak comedy in favour of proper international intrigue.
In theory, it's a quality all the Bond films should have, what with their beautiful settings and beautiful people, their idealised tales of good triumphing over evil. In practice, though, they can be too comic and shallow (as per the 90's). The Living Daylights is different; even from a quarter of a century away, there's nothing to sully the romantic air. It's no coincidence that the most recent Bond films are the closest in tone.
Barry also delivers the best Bond score of the 80's.
I think that character has a lot in common with Greene in QoS in terms of manner, though Greene is less effective in that film than Koskov is in The Living Daylights.
+1
+2
Though I do like Dominic Greene a lot!
I would say that a villain trying to be more than what they actually are is a trait that leads to their downfall being more satisfying, personally. I think both Greene and Koskov have that quality, even if they're on the lower end of the memorability scale.
Have to say I like Whitaker too, certainly Joe Don Baker comes across better than that horribly irritating Jack Wade character! Also love Bonds final shootout with Whitaker, nicely staged!