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John Richardson and those foreground miniatures are a total marvel. Nowadays, it's just CGI but back then there was a real sense of craftsmanship and technique. Not to say that CGI doesn't have craft, but when you can create Thanos and other planets on a computer, the simple skill in creating something that is noticeably tangibly and then slyly cutting around it to pull off these sequences is sublime.
The whole bridge sequence at the end of the film is far more complex and accomplished than anyone would believe!
Also, did anyone else think this scene was a sly nod or twist on the gunbarrel sequence? If so, it's probably the best gunbarrel in any Bond film:
At least they didn't want Klaus Kinski.
-Khaista. It means beautiful, in Afghan.
-Idioten!!! Cubby, I want this man off the set or I walk!
I think if Tim was going to be a big movie star he would have nailed it before he did Bond. He had done the groundwork in the early 70s, then seemed to disappear off the radar, settling for support roles thereon in. He was playing support to Mae West for heavens sake.
The leg up of two Bond films didn't seem to help any.
Yes, it's actually better than everything they've done with Pierce and Craig, regarding Bond imagery on film, IMO. That's what I call creative thinking. Not a cgi bullet or a gun barrel opening in a bathroom.
I've always loved that shot of Tim. Very gunbarrel-esque.
TBH, I'd even take Tim's flying leap gunbarrel over any of the CGI Pierce and Craig renditions, including the CR toilet gunbarrel.
@NicNac I‘m going to disagree there.
Dalton actively eschewed the screen. He’s given numerous interviews where he spoke of the theatre being his preferred medium. He’s said he’s often taken supporting roles in film or TV purely if it paid well enough. I saw an interview where he said you can't live off the theatre salary and you need to take screen work as it’s short and pays well. Then he’s free to return to the theatre.
Look at Dalton’s CV on Wikipedia, you’ll see that in the 70’s and 80’s he rarely took screen work. Meanwhile, he’d do between 3 to 4 plays a year:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Dalton_on_stage_and_screen
Dalton had all the credentials of a leading man. He was essentially ‘Clarke Gable meets Harrison Ford’. I guess he probably didn’t want that and Bond wasn’t the big kick-starter it could have been…………You’ll notice on the above link that he practically quit the theatre after Bond.
Yes maybe, but I couldn't see him as a Gable/Harrison type actor. He simply wasn't 'beefcake' enough to match them, for a start.
And I'm sure if he had been offered any Harrison Ford role he would have accepted it ahead of some of the stuff he eventually took.
No, I don't think Dalton was ever going to be a cinematic heavy weight. I agree he found his true calling as a theatre star. I'm surprised he pulled the plug on that as soon as he did, but I imagine constant theatre work would have more of a toll on an actor's mind and body than any other medium.
I actually tried to get tickets for 'His Dark Materials' back in the day, but missed the boat. By the time I realised he was in it his run was over.
In the theatre I would have preferred to see him out of any of the Bonds. In the cinema I find him the least interesting.
But, that's just me.
I love the idea that they were going for the Natassja Kinski type (she was "hot" around 1984), but "Some Kind of Hero" by Field and Chowdhury researched how d'Abo got the role: d'Abo had participated in a never-completed film that some people at United Artists had seen and mentioned her to the Broccolis. Then Barbara Broccoli bumped into her by chance and she got the audition call.
Dalton is a captivating screen presence. He's got such a great intensity.
His Bond is tougher and more assertive. He’s commanding and unpredictable. There is a cruel and callous streak running through him. Consider the Koskov extraction scene, or the hotel room confrontation with Pushkin (my personal favourite). These sequences show a slightly more edgy and provocative interpretation to the character.
The commitment and seriousness that Dalton imbues within Bond makes these moments conniving. He is able to perfectly channel the jaded spy that Fleming so aptly wrote about. I particularly enjoyed the mild notes of anger and insubordination he brings to the character.
Moreover, one of the great appeals of Dalton was his great ability to channel the main ingredients requisite of a Byronic hero. Whilst being alluringly dark, mysterious, and moody; Dalton also bought a thoughtfulness to the character.
He's the epitome of terrific casting in my opinion. His slightly harder interpretation is perhaps at odds with Glen's direction.
he can do the classic iconic Bond scenes:
He can do moody and intense - I mean look at those eyes!:
Still absolutely love this shot - brilliant twist on the iconic image:
Wasn t she first used for the Bond screen tests? I heard somewhere, may have been the "Inside The Living Daylights" doc, that she was so good they decided to cast her as the main girl.
That's what I always thought. She was brought in to do the screen test with different potential Bond actors, and ended up getting the lead female role.
+1
That's right. She played Tatiana Romanova in screen tests with the prospective Bond actors.
In full agreement here. Dalton's Bond has an intelligence and resourcefulness peppered with small touches of all too human weakness-- anger, jadedness, occasional fear. That makes him very appealing and relatable in and of itself, but the core aspect that makes him compelling for me is that thoughtfulness you mention. There is a warmth to him that, beneath the cool, controlled exterior, hints at a disillusionment in him, but one born out of good qualities-- passion, commitment, a search for some kind of truth. There is an inherent decency in him, imperfect as it might be.
If you watch the TLD making-of documentary, you’ll see a brief clip of the screentest. Honestly, it’s hideous. Her performance in that brief moment is cringeworthy.
Maryam was a cool edgy girl, but she wasn’t much of an actress and was a little lost in the part of Kara. Though there are some brief flashes of a good performance.
I think she fit the style of the times. She’s quite evocative of Princess Diana………….
Personally, I think she has aged very well…….
Meh.
This is one of the reasons his films are so highly rewatchable for me. His work in TLD is especially impressive considering its his debut. His performance is assured and the way he conveys his emotions in the scene with Pushkin or the way he quietly oscillates in his attitude with Kara immediately after Saunders' death are worth watching again and again. I love the clarity of vision in his Bond portrayal.
Also, ‘strong’ female co-stars like Anya grow weaker and weaker as their movies go along. Kara on the other hand starts out not quite knowing what goes on, but she ends up rescuing Bond at the Soviet airport. Unlike so many others she becomes more competent as the movie progresses.
She's easily in my top 5 favorite leading Bond girls.
Indeed.
- "Escaped in the violin´s case"
Oh dear god... 8-|
Meh, +1
Dalton makes their scenes work but D'Abo has always been extremely weak, imo.
This cannot be argued against. A very good looking woman.