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I own the soundtrack, but not the film. Someday I'll break down and buy it, but for now it remains, along only with MR, a movie I do not wish to revisit. I keep looking at the Youtube trailer from time to time, and I'm reminded of how this movie was just so 'okay' and not great like OP or LALD....
(sorry for double post ...)
I'm with you on this one, although I'd like to add that in the case of Jaws, he was perhaps even more physically imperfect than Dolly with more metal in him than 100 headbangers. He was there for muscle and I thought Bond was right, what would Drax need him for with no other human beings around once the gas killed them all? It was then just a matter for time before Drax lured the rather slow witted Jaws into an airlock and perhaps Dolly too while he was at it, but he was smart enough to realize that Bond had a good point that made sense. Drax is killing billions, what's 2 more people especially two who aren't going to be breeders? It wasn't about conscience it was about self preservation, which will win more often than not.
Zorin's betrayal of May Day was way more obvious, and while I get that she was an unsympathetic character, indeed hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She owed it to Zorin to ruin his plans. I didn't however get why she killed herself over it once the bomb was clear of the mine shaft. Think about that one and don't answer yet, because that will be a future thesis question :)
Trivia later today and thesis questions will appear on Tuesday.
This was my 3,000th post here at MI6 :)
CHARACTER FACTS-
- As reported by trade paper Variety on 26 November 1985 whilst this movie was still in release in some territories, Roger Moore officially had advised producer Albert R. Broccoli that he would be retiring from the role of James Bond.
- Roger Moore on his DVD commentary has said that this is definitely his least favorite Bond movie of the seven he starred in, mainly because of the increased violence but also because he felt he was too old for the part and, as confirmed in his autobiography, he felt there was no chemistry between himself and Tanya Roberts, and a genuine dislike of Grace Jones.
- Roger Moore celebrated his 57th birthday during filming, making him the oldest actor to play Bond. Sean Connery was 52 in Never Say Never Again.
- Roger Moore said that he decided to end his run as James Bond when he realized that Tanya Roberts' mother was younger than he was.
- Roger Moore's hair had to be thickened every day during filming.
- Roger Moore had some cosmetic surgery before filming began.
- Sir Roger beds 4 women, which is the most ever in an official film. His Bond also holds the record for this, having bedded a total of 17 women during his tenure.
- This was Lois Maxwell's final appearance as Miss Moneypenny. Apparently, after she was told that she would be retiring from the role, she thought that she could become the M character as a promotion. However, at the time producer Albert R. Broccoli believed that audiences would not accept James Bond being given orders by woman. Lois was prophetic though, as the M character did become a lady a decade later when Judi Dench took on the role in GoldenEye.
- With this being Lois Maxwell's final appearance as Moneypenny, it brings her screen total across all the James Bond films she appeared in to just one hour. She also delivered fewer than 200 words.
- The description of Max Zorin in the script was based on Sting, and written with David Bowie in mind, but he turned the film down because he favored a role he had been offered in Labyrinth.
- Christopher Walken became the first Academy Award-winning actor to star in a Bond film.
- Tanya Roberts got the role after Albert R. Broccoli saw her in The Beastmaster.
- Barbara Broccoli had to collect Grace Jones every morning because Jones didn't enjoy early morning starts. She learned to be very diplomatic after dealing with the very tempermental Jones in the car ride to the studio.
- Patrick Macnee got the role of Sir Godfrey Tibbet because he wanted to be in a Bond movie, and also because he and Roger Moore were the best of friends.
- Although only appearing very briefly, this movie is Dolph Lundgren's first on-screen role, playing General Gogol's KGB bodyguard Venz. He landed the position because he was dating Grace Jones at the time of the filming, and was conveniently on set when director John Glen realized he quickly needed someone to fill in as a simple gun wielding body guard.
- First cinema feature of Alison Doody.
- The role of Pola Ivanova was originally meant to be Anya Amasova, the female lead from The Spy Who Loved Me. When Barbara Bach declined to reprise her role, a new character was created and Fiona Fullerton was tapped to play Ivanova.
- Anthony Chinn. who played a Taiwanese tycoon here, previously played a SPECTRE Guard in You Only Live Twice and was an uncredited Servant at Auric Stud Farm in Goldfinger. Manning Redwood as Bob Conley had previously played General Miller in Never Say Never Again.
- James Bond utilized two aliases in this movie, in 3rd place after 2nd ranked Octopussy where he used three and Diamonds Are Forever where he used the most, four. The first alias was as James St. John Smythe whilst visiting Zorin's horse sales. The second alias was as journalist James Stock (a pun on stocks and bonds) of the London Financial Times whilst in San Francisco. In neither case did he use a disguise.
- This is the only James Bond movie ever where the famous spy genre catchphrase "Nobody ever leaves the KGB" is heard. It is said by General Gogol (Walter Gotell).
PRODUCTION NOTES-
- First James Bond movie where Michael G. Wilson, stepson of Albert R. Broccoli, is credited as a fully-fledged producer. He had previously been an executive producer on Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy and a special assistant to the producer on The Spy Who Loved Me. His association with the James Bond series started with Goldfinger in which he was a 3rd assistant director and made an appearance, the cameo becoming a tradition regularly from The Spy Who Loved Me. He was also a scriptwriter for the series on five occasions. This was also the first Bond film that Broccoli shared a producer's credit with anyone besides original Bond co-producer Harry Saltzman.
- Filming was delayed when the "007 Stage" at Pinewood Studios burned down on 27 June 1984. It was totally rebuilt in less than four months, and renamed "The Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage". Unintentionally, the title song of the movie was called "Dance Into The Fire". The stage burnt down again in July 2006 just after filming had been completed on Casino Royale.
- First Bond film to not state the title of the next Bond film during the ending credits.
- Two scenes in the shooting script never made it to the finished film- 1) After Bond has been arrested following his destructive pursuit of May Day through Paris, we were to have seen Bond being released from his prison cell and collecting his belongings at the police station front desk. The desk sergeant played by Albert Simons would have handed Bond his collection of gadgets, singing his eyebrows on a cigarette lighter that concealed a powerful oxy-acetylene torch. 2) The second excised scene formed part of Bond's reconnaissance of Zorin's pumping station. Bond was due to have used the electronic snooping device created by Q (seen only briefly in the finished film, once when Bond arrives to see M and again when Q uses it to locate Bond and Stacey in the shower). When the device is threatened by guard dogs, it sprays them, skunk-like, with a noxious liquid, and then gets stuck in a tunnel. Q later berates Bond for deserting "a fellow agent in the field."
- The Remy-Julienne Stunt Team from France did many of the stunts in this movie, but in the San Francisco segment, a scene in which Roger Moore was supposed to be driving a fire truck, the stunt driver was too short to reach the pedals and properly operate the truck. There wasn't much time to 'rig' the truck so Moore volunteered to drive it himself, quite expertly as noted by the local San Francisco Teamsters. Moore claims he was a lorry driver among other things before his acting paid the bills.
- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors forbade any falling stunt (as per The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only) from the Golden Gate Bridge in fear of copy-cat suicides. As such, the death of Zorin was created by special optical effects.
- This is the last film in the series that long time stunt man Bob Simmons would work on. He died in 1988.
- The British Board of Film Classification asked that two kicks to the crotch and some blatant nudity in the opening titles be excised in order to secure a PG rating.
- The cuts made to the film by the BBFC exist in all worldwide prints as of 2006.
- According to former CIA agent Tony Mendez (the subject of the spy film Argo) after watching this film his superior at the CIA asked him did they have any facial recognition technology as depicted in A View to a Kill. When Mendez told him they did not he ordered them to develop it.
THE PTS-
- The opening sequence of this film is the first time 007 is depicted on a mission inside Russia. Specifically, it was the snow-capped region of Siberia inside Russia (which was actually filmed in Iceland)
- Iceland stands in as filming location for the first time in a feature film.
- None of the principal cast ever went to Iceland for this film, not even Roger Moore.
FILMING IN PARIS-
- The Eiffel Tower features prominently in the movie. In the earlier James Bond film Moonraker, it is mentioned that the villain Hugo Drax actually bought the structure but his application to transport the tower was refused.
- Together, both Paris and the Eiffel Tower were a major location for this James Bond movie. But it wasn't the first time they had been used in an EON Productions official James Bond film. Paris was seen in the opening scenes of Thunderball which included a long-shot of the Eiffel Tower.
- Just before the jump off the Eiffel Tower stunt was to be undertaken, two thrill-seeking members of the public made an unauthorized jump off Paris' famous landmark. It has long been a dare, lark and thrill for people to jump off famous structures without permission. The first of the film's jumps was so successful that the second jump was canceled thereby eliminating any further risk, cost and time. However, as mentioned in "Inside A View to a Kill", two of the crew, including Don 'Tweet' Caltvedt, allegedly went and made an unauthorized jump as they were apparently so disappointed that they didn't get to jump off the Eiffel Tower. The non-permitted stunt jump cost them their jobs as it jeopardized the remaining filming of the shoot in the French capital.
- The Eiffel Tower jump was made from a platform extending out into air which was necessary in order to perform the stunt. The platform was painted the same color as the Eiffel Tower and it can still be seen in the final film's footage.
- The fishing-butterfly-hook-marionette kill in the Eiffel Tower restaurant was an unused concept from Moonraker, where it would have been a poisonous bee brooch. Director John Glen suggested the change from bee to butterfly.
- Jean Rougerie is dubbed.
- Zorin's thoroughbred stud sale is dated to [Friday] 3rd May 1985 (via the $5 million cheque he makes out to Stacey); his "Main Strike" takes place on the 22nd.
IN THE CITY BY THE BAY-
- Dianne Feinstein was the mayor of San Francisco at the time of filming. Because Roger Moore was her favorite of the first three actors to play Bond, she granted all the necessary permits to film in the city.
- Roger Moore became good friends with Dianne Feinstein, the Mayor of San Francisco and her husband Dick after their support in helping to make the film.
- Stacy Sutton's villa mansion, Whitewood House, is Oakland's Dunsmuir House.
- The credit card used by 007 to access Stacey's house visibly bears the legend of Special Properties team The Sharper Image.
- Bond's line about Stacey serving him Whiskas cat food was lost on American audiences as it was still being sold under the Kal Kan brand name in the U.S.
- When Grace Jones as May Day screams during the mine sequence when sparks fly around her, her screams are for real. She did not know that electric cables around her would go off as a special effect for the scene.
- The name on the cat's bowl is PUSSY. The word has previously been used as part of one of the most ever popular Bond girl's name, Pussy Galore, in the novel and movie Goldfinger as well as in the short story and James Bond movie Octopussy, where it appeared in an actual title. It's a word that is very much associated with the James Bond universe.
- According to the James Bond encyclopedia by John Cork and Collin Stutz, Felix Leiter was originally going to be Bond's contact in San Francisco. However, owing to Chinatown being such a prominent part of the city, David Yip was cast as Chuck Lee instead.
- When 007 meets Chuck Lee in San Francisco, there is a reference to a South African mining accident. Roger Moore previously starred in Gold where he portrayed a gold mine general manager who uncovers a plot to stage a gold mining accident (with a plot similar to Goldfinger).
- When Bond first talks with Chuck Lee near the boat, a horn sounds the first notes of the James Bond theme.
FILM PROMOTION
- Because of the unprecedented level of co-operation from the San Francisco authorities, producer Albert R. Broccoli insisted that the film's premiere take place in the city. It was held at the Palace of Fine Arts, and was the series' first World Premiere to be in the USA.
- The Charity World Premiere of A View to a Kill was held on 22nd May 1985 at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the (San Francisco's) Mayor's Youth Fund to benefit the Tenderloin Child Care Center. A Benefit Premiere was also held in Los Angeles on the following night on 23rd May 1985. The British and European Gala Royal Charity Premiere was held on 12 June 1985 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre. This is the usual venue for Bond World Premieres. The after-premiere party was held at the Inner Temple Hall.
- At the premiere Sean Connery told the press, "Bond should be played by an actor 35, 33 years old. I'm too old. Roger's too old, too!"
- The disclaimer, "Neither the name Zorin nor any other name or character in this film is meant to portray a real company or actual person" was added after producers discovered a real company known as Zoran Ladicorbic Ltd. Their industry was fashion design.
- Some people felt that a little bit of artistic license was taken with one of the movie's main posters as James Bond was shown as being considerably taller than May Day. However, Grace Jones' height is 5' 10½" (1.79 m) whilst Roger Moore's height is 6' 1" (1.85 m), making James Bond approximately taller by 2 1/2 inches (or 6 cm). It should be noted though that Jones was wearing four inch heels in the picture, which would have made her taller than Moore in reality.
- Product placements, brand integrations and promotional tie-ins for this movie include Renault Automobiles; Michelin Tyres; Stolichnaya Vodka; BP; Phillips Computers; Phillips Electronics; Lafite Rothschild wine; The Sharper Image; Cartier; Bollinger Champagne, particularly a Bollinger '75; Diner's Club; Chevron Oil USA; Seiko Time (U.K.) Ltd.; Whiskas and two spin-off video-games, A View to a Kill and James Bond 007: A View to a Kill.
- The literal translations of some this film's foreign language titles include include Moving Target (Italy); Dangerously Yours (Canada & France); A Panorama To Kill (Spain); Dangerous Mission (Belgium); Operation: Moving Target (Greece); In The Face of Death (West Germany); Murder In The Eyes (Hebrew/Israel); The Beautiful Prey (Japan); Living Target (Sweden); 007: In The Aim Of The Assassins (or 007 At The Aim Of The Killers) / The Preview To A Death (Latin America); Alvo em Movimento/Moving Target (Portugal and Brazil); 007 And A View Of Death (or 007 And The Look of Death) (Finland) and Agent 007 In The Line Of Fire (Denmark)
- The Swedish VHS release of the film subtitled the line "What a view...To a kill" as "What a view...Tokyo" as they fly over the San Francisco Bay.
- The casting of Grace Jones and selection of Duran Duran to perform the theme song were seen as attempts to help market the film (and potential future James Bond movies) towards a younger audience, specifically the so-called MTV Generation.
MUSIC AND GAMING NOTES-
- The title song was written by John Barry and Duran Duran and was sung by Duran Duran. It has been the only ever James Bond song to reach #1 in the USA. It stayed at the top position for two weeks out of its seventeen week run in the charts. It entered both the UK and USA charts on 18 May 1985 and it peaked at No. #2 in the UK charts. The soundtrack album charted in the UK on 22 June 1985 where it went to No. #81. In the USA, the soundtrack album peaked at No. #38 after entering the charts on 29 June 1985.
- "Dance Into the Fire (A View To A Kill)", was the last song recorded by the rock group Duran Duran before the band briefly split up. According to the sleeve notes for this movie's CD soundtrack, as a joke, composer John Barry used the melody from this song in the score for the scene where James Bond and Stacy Sutton escape from the fire in San Francisco City Hall. The leader singer, Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, shares a surname with Sir Otto Le Bon, ancestor of James Bond mentioned in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. At the end of the music video for this song, Simon Le Bon says: "Bon. Simon Le Bon" like the famous Bond catchphrase of the film series, "Bond. James Bond". Coincidentally, the Danish title for the earlier James Bond movie Thunderball was actually called "Agent 007 Into The Fire."
- John Barry reportedly didn't like the producers' idea of having a pop-rock band performing the title song.
- Two classical pieces of music are excerpted in the movie. The piece of classical music heard during the French château sequence was Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" (Italian title is Le quattro stagioni). The piece of music heard during the hot tub sequence was classical music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Neither piece of music though is included on the movie's soundtrack album as they are only excerpted for the movie.
- This film is often credited with helping to spark the interest in snowboarding due to its use in the pre-credits opening action snow sequence. The The Beach Boys song "California Girls" can be briefly heard as an in-joke when James Bond snowboards. The song however does not feature on the soundtrack album.
- First James Bond movie to have an associated video game produced tied-in with it. The game had two versions, one was called James Bond 007: A View to a Kill and the other A View to a Kill. Though there had been a James Bond video game produced prior to it called James Bond 007, this was the first to have a Bond film's name which was also the name of the video game. A video game called "James Bond as seen in Octopussy" had been developed in 1984 by Capcom and Parker Brothers for the previous film Octopussy. It was designed for the Atari 2600/5200, Commodore 64 and ColecoVision platforms but was never released.
THE BLIMP AND OTHER VEHICLES-
- Vehicles featured included two Zorin airship blimps, one with green and white and the other with green, red and white markings, the larger being a SkyShip 6000 and the smaller is marked G-BIHN and was inflatable from a Portakabin; a 1962 silver Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II chauffeured by Tippett but owned by the producer; a 1984 blue Renault 11 TXE French taxi; a Peugeot 604 limousine; a 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine (used by Zorin's thugs), a 1985 Ford LTD US sedan; a truck carrying explosives; a red American LaFrance Tiller Fire Engine Truck belonging to the San Francisco Fire Department; a MBB Bo-105 helicopter; Stacy's Jeep Cherokee XJ; Pola's 1984 General Motors Chevrolet Corvette C4 hire-car; Polaris Indy 600 snowmobiles; an Aerospatiale SA 341/342 Gazelle helicopter; an Iceberg Mini-Submarine and various makes and models for the San Francisco PD squad and patrol cars such as late 1970s Dodge Monacos, Dodge Diplomats, a Plymouth Volaré and vehicles typical of Mopar Squads, the latter being the only James Bond movie ever to feature them.
- According to "Inside A View to a Kill", the color scheme of red, white and green of the Zorin airship was based on the Fuji Airship logo color scheme. This is because during a location scout, actual footage was used from this in the finished movie, and the long shots had to match the close-ups.
- To cut costs, the production only painted one side of the full-size model of Max Zorin's blimp.
- The 1962 silver Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II seen in the film was actually owned by producer Albert R. Broccoli, who lent it to the production. Its license plate number in the film was 354 HYK. A duplicate model without an engine is used when Zorin and May Day push it into the lake.
FLEMING AND OTHER REFERENCES-
- This is the only James Bond movie to have the title from an Ian Fleming work be amended or changed in some way. The source title which is from the "For Your Eyes Only" collection of short stories was called "From a View to a Kill". This was also this movie's working title, as seen in the end credits of Octopussy, but the word "From" was dropped before filming began in May 1984.
- In 1959, The "London Daily News" published an original Ian Fleming short story (conceived as a plot for an abandoned James Bond TV show) called "Murder Before Breakfast". Fleming felt the title did not capture the essence of the story and re-titled it "From A View To A Kill" when it was included in his "For Your Eyes Only" collection of five James Bond stories in 1960. Fleming found the inspiration for this new title from John Woodcock Grave's 1820 Cumberland Hunting Song, "D'Ye Ken John Peel". It read in part: "From the drag to the chase. From the chase to the view. From the view to a death in the morning..." Fleming adapted the third stanza for his short story title.
- "A View To A Kill" is an abridged title derived from the Ian Fleming short story "From A View To A Kill". The title and the story's French setting and some Russian spies are the only common story elements of the film and the short story. The short story was included in the "For Your Eyes Only" short story anthology which was the first collection of Ian Fleming James Bond short stories. This was first published on 11 April 1960. The collection was subtitled "Five Secret Occasions in the life of James Bond" and was the eighth James Bond book. Working titles for the story included "The Rough with the Smooth" and "Murder Before Breakfast". The name of the Bond girl in the short story was Mary Ann Russell but this name was not used for the film.
- The idea to set the story in California's Silicon Valley was a concept conceived by producer and co-writer Michael G. Wilson. In the first draft, Zorin wanted to destroy Silicon Valley by changing the course of Halley's Comet, but it was later decided that this plot was not believable.
- The film's story is considered a re-working of much of the story structure of the earlier James Bond movie Goldfinger. The two films share many similar story elements.
- The 1981 James Bond novel "Licence Renewed" by John Gardner features an Ascot horse-racing scene similar to that seen in this film.
- Four novelizations based on this movie were written and published in 1985 as part of a series of children's' book tie-ins called "Find Your Fate". The novels were called (in order): Find Your Fate #11: James Bond in Win, Place, or Die; Find Your Fate #12: James Bond in Strike It Deadly; Find Your Fate #13: James Bond in Programmed for Danger and Find Your Fate #14: James Bond in Barracuda Run.
CAMEOS-
Maud Adams as a woman in the crowd at Fisherman's Wharf. Adams happened to be visiting San Francisco when the film was in production there. Roger Moore got her to appear as an uncredited extra in a crowd scene, making her the only actress to appear in 3 Bond films (excluding actresses in recurring roles), after The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy.
Michael G. Wilson: man heard over loudspeaker at San Francisco City Hall.
He didn't have to be younger. Many chicks did older guys.
Now, the first one, Kimberley Jones, is likely just bored. Bond's a charmer but also a woman who is adventurous may be more interested in the fun than most.
But I have a theory about the other three.
Clearly Bond was hiding in May Day's room as an excuse for why he wasn't in his room. May Day was fooling around with Zorin earlier and they were about to get it on so she was all warmed up. She is also Zorin's assistant and in love with him so will do what he says. He tells her to go ahead in order to keep Bond busy - or to give him his just desserts.
Pola and Bond had a relationship a few decades earlier when she was a young ballerina spy or some such thing. Now, if she was pleased with it then, she might feel it's a nice reunion of sorts.
As for Stacey... She clearly had granddaddy issues and so her going for a man just a bit older than her father but not as old as granddad is to be expected.
I saw this movie recently and went in thinking Moore's age and the ladies would drive me crazy. But it actually made more sense to me than some of the other ones.
The title in Portugal was 007 Alvo em Movimento, translating to Moving Target, which I find at least ironic considering how much Moore actually moved /:)
For the record, here are the titles for all the films as released in Portugal (all had 007 before the title):
DN - O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)
FRWL - Ordem para Matar (Order to Kill)
GF - Operação Goldfinger (Operation Goldfinger)
TB - Operação Relâmpago (Operation Thunderlight)
YOLT - Só se Vive Duas Vezes (=)
OHMSS - Ao Serviço de Sua Majestade (On Her Majesty's Service)
DAF - Os Diamantes são Eternos (=)
LALD - Vive e Deixa Morrer (=)
TMWTGG - O Homem da Pistola Dourada (=)
TSWLM - O Espião Irresistível (The Irresistible Spy)
MR – Aventura no Espaço (Adventure in Space)
FYEO – Operação Ultra-Secreta (Ultra-Secret Operation)
OP – Operação Tentáculo (Tentacle Operation)
AVTAK – Alvo em Movimento (Moving Target)
TLD – Perigo Imediato (Imediate Danger)
LTK – Licença para Matar (=)
Goldeneye – (=)
TND – O Amanhã Nunca Morre (=)
TWINE – O Mundo não Chega (=)
DAD – Morre Noutro Dia (=)
CR – (=)
QoS – (=)
SF – (=)
@retrokitty- I can only hope that someday I meet some 30 something chicks with slight daddy issues ;). What you say about these women's motivations to sleep with "Gramps" Moore makes sense to me.
OK, here's this week's thesis questions for A View To A Kill. 5 of them again.
1. Like many fans, Bond music maestro John Barry cringed at the post production inclusion of the otherwise iconic Beach Boys tune "California Girls" during the PTS. Did it ruin the suspense of the scene for you, or not?
2. The story presented here focused heavily on computer microchips and Zorin's plans to create an exclusive cartel while making himself a billionaire. Considering that most people were very unfamiliar with computers in the workplace or for personal use, was this part of the story too advanced for the audience of the day to fully grasp?
3. Many sources have stated that the storyline closely resembles that of Goldfinger in parallels, though obviously some of the concepts have been changed and updated. Did you find this to be so? If the answer is "yes", was it an improvement of the general idea?
4. Much has been made for years about Sir Roger Moore being too old for both the role as well as the 4 women chosen for his various moments of "pleasure". Did you personally feel that Cubby Broccoli should have made a change in the lead actor prior to filming, or had he just gotten too comfortable with Moore's box office popularity and become too complacent for the overall well being of the series at this time?
5. After May Day rode the bomb out of the mine shaft and ruined Zorin's plan after he betrayed her, why do you think didn't she try to save herself?
I also considered thesis points such as the poor decision to hire Jones and Roberts due to the on set dissension they caused during production as well as their acting abilities, steroid issues poking at the Soviets and East Germans, and why the bomb chamber didn't flood out along with everything else, but I figured I gave everyone enough points to discuss. If anyone wants to address these points as "Bonus questions", feel free :)
Now to your thesis questions:
1. I think it completely killed the suspense, but then so did Moore's outfit in that scene.
2. Perhaps it was. I always remember my mother working in front of a computer since I can remember and it was shocking for me to understand that most people had never touched a computer when I first got to primary school. One colleague insisted that sort of thing obviously only existed in science fiction films :P That was at least 4 years after AVTAK came out so I would say yes, it was too advanced.
3. I never really cared for the similarities between GF and AVTAK, for me they are two separate entities despite the similar backbone.
4. Sir Roger was too old but more than that he looked tired and, how shall I put it, plastic looking. I can only guess Cubby saw him as a safe choice but I think he should have left after OP.
5. That confuses me every time, I have no explanation that one.
About the other questions, I think this film had some of the worst casting choices ever in Bond films. Who thought Jones and Roberts (mostly this one) were suitable "actresses" for these roles must have been both blind and deaf.
The issue of steroids has been around for many years and will remain for many years to come. Steroids couldn't explain what we saw in the film, by the way, but that's my professional self talking and not the Bond fan. Also, although the most famous cases of steroid abuse came from athletes behind the iron curtain the problem was (and still is) not exclusive to one country or the other. There are "black sheep" everywhere and in every sport unfortunately. Not that it has anything to do with this but I'd like to tell a true story. I used to work with steroid hormones and as a PhD student I went to Canada for a conference (my first international congress, no less). When I got to immigration counter I was asked why I was in there and I said "I'm participating in a conference on steroids". The lady looked at me suspiciously and said "Isn't that ilegal?". Luckily I had the the invitation at hand and added "No, conferences are perfectly legal".
Why did the bomb chamber didn't flood? I would have to watch it again, never thought about it. I was too distracted at the time with Stacey and Mayday giving gruesome performances (do I need to say AVTAK is not on my top 10?)
Jones= blind :))
Roberts= deaf :))
Appeal to the MTv generation? I'm more or less one of them, and I never heard anyone say anything about Jones other than she was scary. If I could just get that love scene out of my head X_X
Yes, it did, in a big way. Even worse then the slidewhistle
2. The story presented here focused heavily on computer microchips and Zorin's plans to create an exclusive cartel while making himself a billionaire. Considering that most people were very unfamiliar with computers in the workplace or for personal use, was this part of the story too advanced for the audience of the day to fully grasp?
I'm afraid I'm too young to judge, even though I'm a historian. I can imagine though that for the general public it may have been a bit too much.
3. Many sources have stated that the storyline closely resembles that of Goldfinger in parallels, though obviously some of the concepts have been changed and updated. Did you find this to be so? If the answer is "yes", was it an improvement of the general idea?
Well, on that basis all love stories are the same. Yes, the concept is similar (as in ruining the other's production/stock to get a monopoly) but that's about it. Personally I think it is a strong plot idea executed very well indeed.
4. Much has been made for years about Sir Roger Moore being too old for both the role as well as the 4 women chosen for his various moments of "pleasure". Did you personally feel that Cubby Broccoli should have made a change in the lead actor prior to filming, or had he just gotten too comfortable with Moore's box office popularity and become too complacent for the overall well being of the series at this time?
@Kitty made a fair point on the womens' psychy, but that doesn't take away the fact that RM indeed was too old to be such an active field agent. On that basis I think Timothy should've stepped in at this point. And yes, perhaps he'd gotten too comfertable. It's not the first, nor the last time Cubby took an idea and ran with it too far.
5. After May Day rode the bomb out of the mine shaft and ruined Zorin's plan after he betrayed her, why do you think didn't she try to save herself?
The main problem with the cart was the fact that the brake fell back as soon as she let go of the leaver IIRC. That would mean jumping off would not have helped: the cart would've stopped and she would've had no time to get away at all. That's why she stays on, I think. To get it as far away as possible from Bond.
why the bomb chamber didn't flood out along with everything else,
This one struck me on first viewing. But then I thought: Zorin's high ground in the mine doesn't flood either. So, if this is a seperate chamber with solid rock all around, it couldn't flood. Zorin is the genius, so he'd have found a mine that could easily flood and had a seperate hole with it's entrance high enough for the explosives. When you look at the film closely this certainly seems to be the case.
My issue with point #5 is that it seemed she was well clear of the shaft entrance, I'd guess a good 20-30 yards (don't know what that would be in metrics) when it went off, and could have bailed a few seconds before she jumped. It would have been great if both she and Bond got on the mooring ropes and went into battle together and helped kill him herself. But given Bond is supposed to be the hero, I suppose it might have detracted from him doing it himself. It just seemed odd that she'd lose her sense of self preservation after all she did to get even with Zorin, but perhaps you're right.
Yards and meters are about the same, it's feet that get things confusing ;-)
Yes, she was well clear, but if she'd jumped off ten metres earlier and my idea is right then the cart would have stopped. She might've just made it to the entrance only to be buried in rock due to the proximity of the blast (and get Bond locked in as well, the presumably only one who could stop Zorin).
Anyway, it's what i'v been telling myself all these years to explain the situation.
Anyway on to the questions...
1) I know that I'm going to be very much in the minority here but it doesn't bother me. I can't explain it. Some OTT moments in Bond movies bother me and some don't. There's no logic to it.
2) Probably. I was only six when I saw this in 1985 so I know it was over my head. I just went with it. I look forward to hearing the opinions of other originals on this matter.
3) There is a slight similarity so I suppose I would answer yes. I disagree with the people that call this an outright remake of GF though. Does it improve upon GF? I would say no. Even though I have some issues with The Ft. Knox sequence I find that to be far more exciting.
4) Yes he should have made a change. Roger had been trying to retire for a couple of movies now and OP would have been a wonderful way for him to ride off into the sunset. He was a box office hit though and I can understand Cubby driving this car until the wheels fell off. Well the wheels fell off here. My biggest issue is that they were so comfortable that they didn't even bother to hide his stuntmen anymore. They are clearly visible in a couple of shots.
5) I think it was pure rage. When she saw him up in the blimp she seemed to have lost all sense of what she was doing. A woman scorned indeed.
My answers to these questions:
1) Like many fans, Bond music maestro John Barry cringed at the post production inclusion of the otherwise iconic Beach Boys tune "California Girls" during the PTS. Did it ruin the suspense of the scene for you, or not? Yes, it was jarring and horrible. I hated it.
2) The story presented here focused heavily on computer microchips and Zorin's plans to create an exclusive cartel while making himself a billionaire. Considering that most people were very unfamiliar with computers in the workplace or for personal use, was this part of the story too advanced for the audience of the day to fully grasp? Yes, actually, my friends and I did not know what this was really about; we just weren't up on Silicon Valley and computers back then. Not at all. It was a bit too advanced, to be relevant to the majority of the general public, I think. Not that it was a bad story idea; I think a lot of folks didn't get it, that's all.
3) Many sources have stated that the story line closely resembles that of Goldfinger in parallels, though obviously some of the concepts have been changed and updated. Did you find this to be so? If the answer is "yes", was it an improvement of the general idea?
I don't find it to be so obvious and it frankly doesn't matter to me. Some key elements from a genre may be repeated, sure. It may be similar but feels like its own movie, not derivative. Not a big deal to me.
4) Much has been made for years about Sir Roger Moore being too old for both the role as well as the 4 women chosen for his various moments of "pleasure". Did you personally feel that Cubby Broccoli should have made a change in the lead actor prior to filming, or had he just gotten too comfortable with Moore's box office popularity and become too complacent for the overall well being of the series at this time?
Oh Cubby definitely did not make the best decision keeping Moore. Roger should have quit with OP; he was not past it then, not at all. Should have been Dalton all the way. I think he hated to change a Bond when that Bond clearly had gone the distance so well, so successfully, for so long. But he waited too long. I didn't mind Bond shagging 4 women, but the only great one here, with believable chemistry with Moore, was Pola (Fiona Fullerton). It is not just the age gap - Moore had lost his vitality. And they could not have chosen worse, I think, than Jones and Roberts. Jones I can almost go with as a villain, but them making her change side was stupid and not believable. I think Cubby must have lost all sense after seeing Roberts in Beastmaster - he just liked her looks. So do many. But she is a horrible actress and apparently had a terrible attitude on the set. Big mistake. Egad, those two really bring this film down so much. I would have enjoyed it FAR better, even with a too-old-for-the-part Moore, with other actresses.
5) After May Day rode the bomb out of the mine shaft and ruined Zorin's plan after he betrayed her, why do you think didn't she try to save herself? I never thought much about it. I remember thinking it was stupid she didn't jump or try to save herself. Again, I did not like her character and felt all along her switch to being on Bond's side was not well done. So, no in depth analysis from me. Trying to save Bond? Willing to die for her past murders? Ehhhh, I don't care. It is not clear, though.
I have to say that I more than understood why Cubby saw "The Beastmaster", took one look at her not wearing much more than a loincloth, heard her breathy, smoky voice, and got excited about it. Despite his great love for wife Dana, he was what Sir Roger described as a "T&A" man of the highest order and I would have hired her too! Who knew about her diva act?
(I reckon Bruce Lee would've appeared in a Bond film in the 70s or 80s......he too was in the lime light then , obviously even a bit part would've meant more PR for a movie)
IMO , Jaws and May Day would've gotten at least lifetime in jail...we never learn the fate of Jaws though (was he arrested when he comes back to Earth , after all he had killed a lot of people...or pardon cuz he helped Bond ?)
"Willing to die for her past murders?"
Maybe....she did not do it just for Bonds sake.
007 in Space is OK but controlling a comet is suddenly unrealistic , lol okay.......makes no sence ?
I think she loved Zorin and was angry and depressed. She also would be savvy enough to know she'd go to prison, as Tracy said, so sacrificing herself is the way to solve a few problems for her.
It was probably not a comment on Moore s age, though.
:)) No doubt a reference though to his tenure at that point! Just one film too many for me, it will always be a regret of mine that Dalton wasn't available at the time but it is what it is.
1) "Ruin the suspense?" Not really, as there's not a lot of suspense for me in the PTS of a Bond movie. If Bond "dies" in the PTS you already know it will turn out to be a hoax -- so where's the suspense? Did it spoil my enjoyment of the scene in question? Yes, somewhat. A Moore Bond is (for me, anyway) always an exercise in wondering, "When are they going to go too far?" Where will the next Bondola be introduced? Is another slide-whistle or Tarzan yell just around the corner? Is J.W. Pepper lurking on the other side of that pyramid? For me, AVTAK had only one such moment, the Beach Boys interlude. I'm just thankful they got it out of their systems early on in the film.
2) I didn't think so. Computers were already a part of my daily (work based) life by the mid -80s and I was well aware of San Jose's status as "Silicon Valley" at the time. Of course, I'd have a hard time judging what the "general audience" of the day knew and didn't know -- can't tell the forest for the trees in this case, I suppose...
3) The Goldfinger comparison is only obvious when the potential investor is allowed to "drop out." The rest of the time, this movie clearly has its own identity.
4) Should Cubby have gone with a younger actor for this film? Probably, but I understand his reasoning. Moore had persevered in the "Battle of the Bonds" -- why not stick with a winner? Complacent? That's a harsh term -- comfortable, certainly. What's wrong with Cubby not wanting to stray outside his comfort zone in this crucial area? Cubby's sense of loyalty to his people is well-known, and to my mind is to be commended. But hindsight is always 20/20. We know that both of the eventual successors to the role had been contacted prior to the beginning of production on this film, but were unavailable at this particular point in time. Cubby rode a winning horse until that horse simply wouldn't be ridden any more, and that horse was still willing to answer the bell for this particular race. When the old gray Moore simply wouldn't be ridden any more, suddenly the stars fell into alignment and a new horse finally became available. Things happen in their own good time. Dalton's time perhaps should have arrived sooner, or lingered longer...but that's horse racing for you!
5) This is actually a question that, to my mind, begs to be over-thought. The short answer is, "We really don't know enough about the interior lives of ANY of the series' henchpersons." What motivates an Oddjob, a Jaws, a May Day? The main villains are generally given enough backstory that we can suss these things out -- not so for their Gobindas. (My own response to Kamal Khan's order, "Go out there!" would have been something along the lines of "Screw you! Isn't there a parachute somewhere on this plane?") It is a rare NickNack where we are informed, "If he dies, all this becomes mine!" To extrapolate from the few clues we are given to May Day's character, I can only guess: she finally realized that the man she had dedicated her life to was incapable of loving her (or anyone else, save perhaps for his mad scientist/pseudo-father) and she really saw no viable life without him. If the last thing she could do with her own life was to foil his treacherous scheme, then fine! At least she'd go out on a high note!
He said on Norwegian TV that he still has to go to the shrink because of that. :))