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Dame Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, and Gabriele Ferzetti carry their newcomer 007 through much of the film, but George Lazenby more than delivers when it comes to the fisticuffs and even manages to impress during a few of the film's more emotional moments. The ending with Tracy murdered and Bond striving to reassure himself they still have "all the time in the world" is perhaps his finest moment, but he also does a damn good job confronting Tracy in his hotel room after the brawl with Che Che. Perhaps his most assured and confident moment as 007. It's glimpses of greatness like this that really make you wonder what kind of Bond Lazenby might have grown into in subsequent films.
Speaking of fisticuffs, that rapidly cut and ferociously hard-hitting scrap with Che Che is in my opinion the finest bit of fight choreography in the film (and indeed one of the best of the series). But the dust-up on the beach during the PTS is another highlight, as are smaller moments like hurling the ski guard over the cliff and Bond warding off his pursuers in that cabin with bells in the rafters.
The real action highlight of the film, however, is the climactic assault on Piz Gloria: Lazenby sliding on ice with his submachine rattling, Tracy fighting Grunther with a smashed champagne bottle, Che Che blazing away with his flamethrower. I particularly like the brief look Lazenby gives when one of Blofeld's scientists randomly tries to take him out with a beaker of acid! Though Barry no doubt must have been rankled by the use of Dr. No's James Bond theme over his original compositions here and during the Little Nellie aerial battle in You Only Live Twice, Peter Hunt unquestionably knew what he was doing—that raw and gritty cut of music is pure 007.
Some of Telly's finer moments include wishing Bond a most sinister "Merry Christmas" before indulging in some of the more general points of his plot and wooing Tracy as the dawn streams in through the alpine lounge windows (this same setting is similarly put to lavish use when Bond first greets the decadently dressed allergy patients as Sir Hilary Bray and when they are all put under hypnosis and delivered their final instructions by Blofeld's ominous, disembodied voice). Diana Rigg of course does the heavy lifting with her wonderful recitation of Simon Raven's take on Flecker's poem "Thy dawn..." She's superb throughout all the rest of the film as well, but specifically I'll point out Draco's birthday in Portugal and the falling-in-love montage that follows and the classic barn scene wherein Bond proposes.
As others have mentioned, it's going to be a challenge narrowing this down to five.
They're small touches but they represent the level of polish, care and good taste that went into making this film.
Dont think anyone mentioned that one brief thrilling moment, Bond sliding on the ice, machine gun blasting, with the Bond theme playing!
I'm wondering if an action scene or a calmer/more emitional scene with Tracy will win. The first shot of Tracy on the skating rink is awesome. She safes our agent and her smile warms my heart every time. What a girl!
Oh, and the avalanche! It feels very real and very tense.
@Dwayne You almost mentioned all the chapters on the DVD
;)
Great screen shot @mattjoes
Yes, she does. It makes sense to marry her.
This was actually my edited list. My original notes ran on for four pages! :))
The ice skating rink and the avalanche are both excellent moments. Another I’d point out is the reveal of Campbell strung up in his climbing gear—“a waxwork for morbid tourists.” Here we see Blofeld drop his relatively cheery veneer for the first time and turn truly ice-cold.
PTS
Estoril Hotel scenes
Escape from Piz Gloria
Climax at Piz Gloria
Tracy's death
2. Bob slee chase
3. Playboy (Bond entering a hotelroom, suite, safe and Bond reading a playboy.)
4. We Have All Time In World (Tracy and Bond alone walking and showing some streets)
5. Bond with girls
2 Bobsled chase
3 Blofeld s hypnotic tape
4 Fight with Che Che
5 Cracking the safe
This was hard. The greatness starts at the beginning with this one, and doen t end until it is over.
2. Death of Tracy
3. Barn proposal
4. The PTS
5. Fight with Che Che
The additional highlights are too many list and equally too painful to leave out. If I could sneak Tracy's poem "Thy dawn..." in as a prelude to my #1, then in the words of Jean-Luc Picard: make it so.
2. Gumbold safe-cracking scene - a bit of suspense here
3. Bond, while with Ruby, witnesses a little of Ernst's hypnotherapy
4. cable car cog room escape, especially the shot of how far down the drop is
5. ski chase at night, with Bond skiing on one foot
Honourable mentions:
beach fight with Draco's men
Blofeld's lair - great location/set complete with ice cavern walkway from the lift to the lab
Tracy spots Bond at the ice rink and together they attempt to elude agents of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
Bond to rescue dog: "Fetch my booze"
end battle, Laz sliding on his belly with the submachine gun
2. Blofeld's henchmen fall down the cliff
3. Draco's helicopters flying illegally through Swiss territory
4. Helicopter raid
5. Second ski chase
2. Arrival at the Estoril hotel
3. Proposal
4. Ski chase
5. Arrival at Piz Gloria
2. Second ski chase/avalanche
3. Escape from Piz Gloria
4. Barn scene
5. Beach fight
It's really an almost impossible task to narrow it down to 5 moments. (Who had the idea,for this thread?!?!)
I love the bobsledge action, the helicopters arriving, the scenes in Berne (especially after the visit with @Max_The_Parrot this summer), the casino scene, Draco's birthday, Bond meeting the girls and the resulting stiffness and so much more!
Definitely! I thought about it, too.
Final ranking:
1. Ski chase at night
2. Build-uo to Piz Gloria attack
3. Beach fight
4-6. Tracy's death, Bond meets Draco, Safe cracking
Would be intersting to let you pick again your favourite moment from the six remaining ones...
Let's end the "fireworks trilogy": We had TWINE and OHMSS with fireworks and there is a third one. The Bond movie with an outstanding introduction of the main villain, the movie with gorgeous cinematography (thanks, Roger Deakins):
Favourite Bond Moments - Round 12: SF - Part 1: Suggestions and discussion
foot, to car, to motorbike, train....
That leads into a beautiful and telling title credits.
The artistry behind the Shanghai fight sequence.
Meeting Severine in the casino.
Silva’s eerie introduction.
Tennyson’s poem intercutting with Bond racing on foot to save M...
And, finally, I love the sequences shot in Scotland.
Since its release, Skyfall comfortably fit into my top 10... in the last few years, it’s continued to climb into my top three. It is now in a Death-Match vs CR for my number 2.....
Really nicely summarized @Some_Kind_Of_Hero !!
Welcome in Turkey. (Bond sneaking around, some talk and steps out of the door on the street.)
Motor chase in Turkey.
M looks outside of the window with Skyfall (Rain)
Casino scene's inside the casino.
The island (silva's sarcasm, the gay scene and Mommy was very bad)
Welcome in scotland (Home Alone with Silva's sarcasm intro and Goodbye Skyfall)
Done. (Bond's walk a way and faces behind the glass. In my opnion can have been inproved if Bonsdhave walked a way without done.)
Silva chase Bond on the ice. Best cinematography of the movie with ring of light predict in QOS maintitle.
With pleasure. The last minutes with new M and the gunbarrel.
@M_Balje : Which Dutch elements do you mean in the title sequence?