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1). I actually have a soft spot for George Lazenby's film and what it attempted to do. There's not a lot to go on there but On Her Majesty's Secret Service has moments where I feel as though I'm watching an actor actually breathe life into James Bond for the first time.
2). I adore Timothy Dalton's films. I love how dark and gritty they are and I've always kind of preferred darker and more realistic versions of stories (which is why I prefer Nolan's Batman) but Dalton's managed not only this, but they also felt like really fun 1980's adventures, similar at least in my mind to the Indiana Jones films where from beginning to end, they took you on these sprawling globe trotting adventures. I really feel that Dalton captured the adventure fantasy aspect of the 007 films better than any actor before him.
I agree with you that Lazenby does a truly fantastic job in OHMSS. The film itself is one of the best, and for whatever reason, he just works in it (I've sometimes wondered if his lack of acting experience actually helps because he has a vulnerability which suits the narrative. What's great is he doesn't project a lack of confidence, but rather a sincerity and earnestness).
I've really grown to appreciate Dalton's work in LTK. What used to be a firm bottom of the barrel Bond film for me when I was younger is now a top 10 entry. The central conflict between Sanchez and Bond is very well handled, and I love how Bond slowly sows the seeds of doubt from within. This is also a reason why I truly enjoyed The Night Manager adaptation, which does something similar.
It is TLD which I personally continue to have trouble with. I find the film overall better suited to Roger Moore than Dalton, and feel it's somewhat unbalanced, despite having a memorable Barry score and fantastic first two thirds. Like many, I think the entire Afghanistan section is a terrible bore (and more than a bit overtly Indy'esque), and also feel that Kara Milovy lacks a little essential sexiness while being a bit whiny.
In terms of globe trotting adventure/fantasy, I've always felt that Moore captured that best personally. I think Dalton's films work better when they are in dark thriller mode, and that's another reason why I prefer the earlier bits in TLD and most of LTK.
I can appreciate your opinion of Dalton though. He has moved up to #3 in my ranking of Bond actors lately. He deserves a lot of credit for what he tried to do with the character and also brought a certain honesty to it.
It was probably bottom 5 before and now I’d say top 10.
I really liked Kara! I felt like she had a very ordinary look to her, like rather than the supermodel looking ladies of Moore's era, Kara just looked like an ordinary person. And yeah I agree about Moore's Bond being kinda globe trotting/adventure etc but I think since they were so campy I just had a problem taking them seriously, like I felt like if I was watching a Moore movie it was with the understanding that like 'yeah we're gonna suspend reality a bit for this one'. Dalton's just felt organic and natural imo. But I definitely, definitely agree with you on the Afghanistan segment of TLD. Whenever it comes on, every single time I watch it without fail, there's a moment where the thought crosses my mind that 'oh yeah. this part is in this.'
Somewhat controversially perhaps, and despite my recent appreciation for Dalton, I've always felt he came across a little awkward with the ladies. The dialogue didn't help either, because some of it could sound a bit cheesy ("horse's backside", "don't think, just let it happen", "tough business Ms. Bouvier" and what not). It's probably more a function of the late 80s than anything else, but I wish they had been able to find a better balance with him in this department. Again, I'm sure there are members who like the female interactions, but it just wasn't for me.
This one hits the nail on the head for me. I'd had a hard time articulating why OP doesn't rate as a favourite of mine, even though generally I really love the adventure genre and would love to see Bond return to it. Something about OP (ok, several things) doesn't click, and one is that sense of being on a sound stage instead being in the dusty streets of a faraway place, smelling the smells and seeing the sights.
In Indiana Jones, we see him sweating, wandering through the markets, etc. OP feels more sterile, despite everything.
For a controversial opinion, I'll say I think MR has the most overrated (but still overall good) soundtrack in the series.
What looks cheap to me are some of the exterior venues, like the festival fight. That bit has always looked awful to me. The other part that comes to mind is when Bond is evading Kamal and his men in the jungle.
Q's workshop felt as if it was on a soundstage to me as did the whole casino sequence. Then again, perhaps its the lighting more than the set that is the issue.
Fair enough; the jungle sequence is especially egregious on this front for me. No sense of danger, really, or of place - just Bond running through a greenhouse, and stumbling through some cotton-wool "spider webs." (The less said about the Tarzan incident the better.)
Yes, it just doesn't belong in the film and takes the tension out of it. I can't wait for that whole bit to be over and done with because the film picks up nicely after that. Pity, because the part just prior when Bond is snooping around the palace trying to decipher the scheme is very nicely done.
@BAIN123 I can assure you that none of the India Palace shots were shot inside, and you should be quite happy you can't smell the place, even though Udaipur is a beautiful place (if you look past the garbage).
I prefer OCTOPUSSY over CASINO ROYALE as well.
I actually love the first half up until the volcano lair is introduced. Once the training school is introduced, it all goes downhill apart from seeing Blofeld for the first time and seeing Kissy in a bikini. Still, a 7 out of 10 isn't bad.
I'm with you on YOLT and for the same reasons you mention, but love TMWTGG.
It's tough for me to pick a favorite of the two given that they're different mediums, but I put so much time into that N64 version of the game. Spent many a late night with a buddy playing that multiplayer.
OP was my first Bond in the theater, at age 13. I think I saw it three or four times that summer. So for that reason, I will always have a soft spot for it. (I vaguely recall seeing LALD on TV before OP.)
Similarly, by TLD I was 17. And I could tell that Dalton was a breath of fresh air that the series desperately needed. His interpretation felt exciting and fresh, back then.
I'd give best score to LALD and AVTAK, but I agree on the cinematography.
That is rather controversial at least regarding YOLT.
I rather like TMWTGG, probably a middle effort for me, but it does tend to be a polarising film among Bond fans.
YOLT is a beast though, I absolutely love it. It was the first film that played with the Bond formula somewhat, keeping the villain in the shadows till the climax, without a discernable 'main' Bond girl.
The cinematography, exotic feel of 60's Japan, an all time great score by John Barry, not to mention the awesome Ken Adam production design make this a top 8 effort, for me.
Totally agree. OP is one of my favorites Moore entries. Roger best interpretation of the character, perhaps?
BTW... Controversial opinions? Oh Gosh, okay...
I liked Waltz's Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Even if most of his writing was a bit lazy, he did a pretty good job portraying Blofeld's fragile psyche.
Can't say I "liked" the "foster brother" angle, but at least it didn't bother me that much. In fact this "familiar" loose connection is not really a capital theme throughout the movie. The most important thing about how they crafted the character is that Blofeld stands as an ideal moral Bond counterpart. A man who symbolically stands for denying, mortifying and killing the past, while in the movie Bond stands as a caretaker of the value of tradition, which is his own 50+ years cinematic legacy. On another note, I liked the fact that Bond was portrayed as a kind of object of desire for young Blofeld, that during the course of two winters became envious of this handsome "blu eyed orphan" incredibly good and skilled at everything he did, while on the other hand he wasn't. I found all this fragile, childish, creepy, vouyeristic elements defining Blofeld's twisted psyche perfectly handled by Waltz acting.
So, if young Blofeld's deep hatred against Bond was triggered by his inferiority complex, as a result Bond is unintentionally responsible of the madness of his nemesis, which lead him starting a criminal path. I really liked the fact that Blofeld was portrayed like not only the merciless head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. but also a specter throughout Bond's life as a spy, hiding in the shadows. It was a nice touch. Blofeld never searched for revenge against Bond. He just started to toy with Bond's life - dooming Vesper after they found out that she asked to spare Bond's life because of her love, hiring Silva in order to support his vengeance against M - while Bond started to interfere with his own criminal business. I like to think that Blofeld's actions started to became more maniacal and violent after QoS - where Bond jeopardized their business in South America - a trend that led to Mr White's farewell from the organization after 20 years, as reported in SP.
In the end, I found this interpretation of the character very interesting to follow, especially once the movie was over while wondering about Blofeld's psyche. SP does a good job showing a Blofeld full of envy and slimy resentment towards Bond - just think of the joke about interchangeable women - which led to a vouyer tipe of evil person made insane by resentment and inevitably poisoned by envy. I found this take to the character very disturbing and interesting, especially because the gradual descent in his crazy intimate and psychological sphere takes place little by little, until the quiet revelation of his new identity in the torture room.
"You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face."
Thank you. My same feelings.
Him and Sanchez, if we are talking about main villains.
Throughout the film we're led to believe that he's a man to be reckoned with and the ultimate assassin, but then during the finale Bond dispatches him fairly easily. And I know there's the argument that 'Bond is Bond', but Scaramanga should've had the clear advantage in his own fun house/lair. Rather pathetic.
+1
Even Sanchez wasn't as evil. He didn't poison any of his man to condemn him to a slow and painful death for the sole fault of wanting to retire after becoming tired and horrified of the crimes that were being committed in the organisation. In fact overall Sanchez seems to have been one of the best boss if the Bond villains.