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Overall Impression: Again, much better than I remember it from a recent rewatch. It’s the first film to move up my rankings.
Notable positives (imho):
-pretitles are very good, starting with the excellent gunbarrel music (replete with cowbell) followed by Bond standing over Tracy’s grave. I’m not that big a fan of the Blofeld scenario, but one thing I noticed this time is how serious Moore is in the scene…..a far cry from MR and OP pretitles, his manner here sets the tone for the rest of this film
-Moore – having just watched him in AVTAK, he is much, much better here, and 100% of that is because of his age. He’s starting to show some real visible signs of aging in this one too, and perhaps ideally should have stopped with MR to close out the 70's, but he still has the weight, build and the looks to play Bond convincingly, and brings a very good performance in this feature. I can still believe he’s doing the skiing and climbing that mountain…..just. Much more serious than we’ve seen or will ever see from him again, this is Moore in fine spy form. I personally prefer him in LALD/TMWTGG/TSWLM (because of more humour in those), but have no complaints about him in this one. This is Moore playing Bond rather than Bond as Moore. Arguably one of his signature moments (kicking Locque off the cliff) is in this film.
-Carole Bouquet – beautiful as beautiful can be (to my eyes), and with that piercing steely eyed stare of hers, she really knocks my socks off (top 4 Bond girl for me along with Natalya, Vesper, & Domino). I was somewhat afraid of her in the earlier days….there’s something a little unhinged about her grief stricken, revenge driven Melina, & Bouquet’s cold , don’t give a f### portrayal has a lot to do with it. I much prefer her to the similar Camille from QoS. A pity that this is the film where Moore started his caring father routine as Bond……he waits until the end titles to finally take care of business with her…..I certainly wouldn’t have….
Chaim Topol – great in his brief role as Columbo. Very charismatic ally, who chews the scenery in everything he’s in, and who doesn’t die too, surprisingly.
Cinematography– this film was made on a far smaller budget than its predecessor, the epic MR. Despite that, it is an extremely beautiful film to look at in parts (Cortina, Corfu, St. Cyrils etc.) and has a much more grand Bondian feel than anything else Glen did. In fact, it is actually far more beautiful to look at than Campbell’s highly rated GE, which I recently finished. I say this is the biggest surprise, because I always thought GE was the more glamorous Bond film, but it is actually FYEO that has that honour. GE almost looks like a TV movie in comparison. That’s the benefit of back to back viewings like this….one gets to reassess. It really is a quite stunning film in places (see below for why I think I missed this before).
-Ski sequences to rival OHMSS in this film look incredible in blu ray. The very tense ski jump section is one of the series’ best.
General observations (imho):
-Title Song – I did not like this song one bit. Sheena Easton should not have had a face, complete with 80’s style mop, plastered over the title sequence either.
-Score: Conti’s work is a terribly time stamped disco (although there’s no doubting that it’s very distinctive and unique……..and not derivative at all, which I respect immensely). I will say this: If Barry had scored this film, it would easily have been top 10 for me…..that’s how much he contributes to a film
-Action sequences – very good for the most part. Glen’s expertise is clear here, particularly in the now iconic Citroen chase, the underwater tied up shark escape (brilliant), & the multiple ski sequences. Having said that, some of the series’ worst sequences are also in this film, namely the ridiculous Hockey sequence, the underwater JIM & Neptune submarine encounters (boredom defined……what the’ F’ is going on in this scene), the night-raid on Loque’s hideout and the terribly anticlimactic (for that time) mountain top finale (what a climb down from saving the world in space!). The climb to the top is excellent though and reminiscent of Eastwood’s Eiger Sanction and one of Moore’s own Saint tv movies.
-Low points – Bib Dahl/Lynn Holly Johnson – she makes the recently watched Tanya Roberts/Stacy Sutton seem like a thespian in comparison. A complete tool imho, virgin or not. Maggie Thatcher is another joke.
-Kristatos – Julian Glover, a previous potential Bond, is very nondescript & low key as the chief villain. He is completely overshadowed by Topol’s Columbo. I’m sure this is intentional, but it’s very shocking coming after some of the larger than life villains in Moore’s previous films, including Drax/Stromberg.
-Pacing: not its strong suit, it drags quite noticeably in places (the underwater sub sequence being the most apparent)….Glen still getting his feet wet
-Funniest moment: Bond’s look when he sees Melina’s Citreon 2CV
-Biggest problem: this film has an almost 70’s (non Bond) espionage film tone to it in places. It’s quite serious and uncharismatic….. Unlike GE for example, which is deliberately OTT (and derives most of its charisma from that), this film is anything but OTT (except for Blofeld in the beginning and Thatcher at the end)…… as a result I think it seriously loses its mojo/charisma. Even Roger Moore (despite this being one of his better performances as Bond) is somewhat castrated, as it were, in this one. That’s almost impossible to conceive, given Moore’s movie star screen charisma. That is why I felt this was a ‘cheap’ Bond movie in the past….because its mojo is suppressed unnecessarily imho. I put this down to John Glen’s first time in the director’s chair……he likely was still getting used to the job, being primarily an action director.
Lines in the film: Absolutely none that are memorable to me which is problematic.
Conclusion:
This is a very difficult Bond film for me to rank. It’s very good in parts, but dead boring in others. It has great action sequences, and terrible ones. It has great performances (Moore/Topol/Bouquet) and unmemorable ones (Glover/supporting cast). Even though it’s moved up on this watch, I think, given the quality of some of the other films in the canon, that this is always going to be just outside the top 10 for me. It’s a very good film in places and is memorable for being original and not being derivative of anything that has come before (unlike many Bond films). It is quite obvious that this film was originally intended to be a soft-reboot for a new actor (Dalton?) and it actually would have fit Dalton very well. It’s not as well suited to Roger Moore however, even though it’s actually very reminiscent of a Saint tv episode though (can’t remember which one). The thing it misses more than anything: A John Barry score and a little more humour sprinkled in throughout.
Key Notable Impression – This film is the most serious, espionage driven thriller in the Bond canon since FRWL and we would not see something as realistic and serious like this again until CR (yes even LTK has its silly moments).....there’s a full fledged Bond classic here just waiting to bust out and the director & composer did not let it happen. That's a shame.
Current Bondathon Ranking
GE
FYEO
TND
AVTAK (almost equal with DAD)
DAD (almost equal with AVTAK)
TWINE
Next up: The last of Roger Moore's 80's Bonds on my list. OP
:-?? TLD ????
I hear you. Definitely that is more serious than OP & AVTAK, but FYEO is really toned down serious....there is no camp here at all (apart from Blofeld at the start and Thatcher at the end to bookend it).
Even TLD had some lighter moments like the Aston with all the gadgets and the cello ski sequence. FYEO has none of this....I really noticed it this time. It's also a little too serious imho. It needed a little more lighter moments like TLD to balance it out and make it a better film.
:-?? Bond 'scoring' as he beat the hockey-playing assassins??
You're right.. Touche.
Agreed completely.
-FYEO is potentially a great film.....an almost there but not quite imo. Frustratingly close.
-TLD however, is a great film. Can't wait to watch it again.
I'd add the "lovely ride in the country side" to the camp list. Not to mention Max the Parrot and the silly scenes with Moore and Bibi. I fail to see how a few funny scenes with Q and Wayne Newton in LTK can match up to all that (including the previously mentioned Blofeld, Thatcher and hockey bonanza of course).
FYEO is usually criticized for the odd mix of seriousness and camp, not for lacking in camp altogether.
However, for me, it's always lacked entertainment value. I think it just needed a little more humour weaved in and a little more OTT performances from some of the supporting characters (eg. Loque & Kriegler are very realistic, but a little boring imho) to balance it out.....and a better. more orchestral score. That's just me though.
Objectively it's one of the best by far.....subjectively, I find it a little dull (apart from the incredible ski sequences).
That goes without saying. Still glad you said it.
For me FYEO is the first sign of the Dalton-era. FYEO would work swell with Dalton, you even wouldn't have to change much.
The last act on the mountain is especially reminiscent of TLD PTS kind of.
I'm soon starting another Bondathon with a completely new approach. I can imagine FYEO ending up somewhere in the Top 10. We'll see.
I watched this film earlier this year or end of last year so I’ll move quickly through it. This one remains one of my favourites, purely on sheer entertainment value alone. It’s a blast from start to finish. One of the most absorbing Bond films for me….period. The clear winner of the ‘Battle of the Bonds’ of 1983.
Notable positives (imho):
-Roger Moore – while I felt he was a little tentative in FYEO, he’s excellent here and very engaged. He’s even pretty good in the fights here and looks a little younger than he did in FYEO. However, there is arguably a little too much clowning (no pun intended) about in his performance this time. I thought there was too little humour in FYEO, and I feel the opposite about him in this film. He’s brilliant in the serious bits, but when he’s joking around, it’s too much…. e.g. zooming in on a pair of (enhanced?) knockers, throwing money at poor Indian people while shouting rupheeeaaa……just a little too much imho. Even though Moore’s still aging here, they hide it well with older leading ladies and villains, and he still has some weight to him that masks the noticeable wrinkles. Moreover, he is quite sprightly and energetic in this film, and so his age is not as noticeable as in AVTAK.
-The much derided clown 3rd act near the end (and the entire East Germany sequence) is one of the highlights of Moore’s run and definitely of this film. Very tense and superbly paced, one really feels on edge watching it. He definitely looks like he’s panicking here and about to lose the plot, and the bomb…. There are so many other great moments in this film too. It’s full of them. Namely:
1. Pretitles – love it from start to finish including Barry’s score
2. Auction – rip off of North by North West but it’s still absolutely great
3. Backgammon confrontation/meet with Kamal – rip off of GF meeting with Goldfinger but it’s again great
4. Post-titles 009 death at the hands of Mishka…..or was that Grishka..
5. dinner with Kamal and escape
6. fight with and killing of Mishka......or was that Grishka..
General Observations (imho):
-Maud Adams/OctoP– not my favourite (I like them a little younger personally) but Maud works beautifully off Roger Moore’s Bond (one of the best pairings in the franchise history imho). There is a natural affinity between these two, and it helps the film
-Louis Jourdan/Kamal Khan – just a great villain. He has a blast here, and I really have nothing bad to say about his performance. Every minute he’s onscreen he owns it. Charismatic, and plays off Roger Moore very well (in fact, in some cases, Jourdan is even suaver than Moore, if that’s possible). Inspired casting and performance. A legend. Far more entertaining than Walken in AVTAK or Glover in FYEO……oh, and for once, wearing the Nehru jacket makes sense.
-Casting – I have no complaints at all. Everyone is great in this film, including OTT looney tunes psycho general Orlov (Steven Berkoff is never bad in anything is he?), super henchman Kabir Bedi/Gobinda, and Tony & David Meyer (twins Mishka & Grishka). Kristina Wayborn (Magda) is a little stiff maybe, although very stunning. It’s also really great to see Albert Moses in a small part as Sadruddin (loved him in Mind Your Language as the Sikh)
-Action Sequences – excellent. Pretitles, the fight at OP’s hangout at night, the train -chase sequence, the tremendous fight air finale etc. are all good. Probably the most consistent and best sequences I’ve seen in my Bondathon to date (it’s up there with TND in this regard). What’s all this big noise this year about Tom Cruise hanging off the backside of a plane in MI5-RN………Roger Moore did that all the way back in 1983!
-Pacing: One of the best in the series, it grabs you by the ba!!s from the beginning and doesn’t let go. It’s almost like Glen is trying to correct/compensate for the overtly slow pacing of FYEO by speeding everything up here. 2nd half is brilliant.
-Most notable – John Barry’s score. I rank this as one of his best. Fits the film perfectly and is very suspenseful in certain parts…..evokes TMWTGG a little, as if Barry is trying to take motifs from the earlier film and improve upon them or vary them. Just love it
Other notable – Moore giving some students the ‘forearm jerk’ when they don’t let him have a ride…..Alfa Romeo GTV (what a beautiful car…..my dad used to have one so I’m biased)
-Title Song – Rita Coolidge’s All Time High is one of the worst imho, but its leisurely pace suits Moore’s age….. unlike AVTAK which seems like it was made for a much younger Bond
-Worst bit – Bond tune being played by a snake charmer. Ranks up there with the slide whistle and Beach Boys as a low point for John Barry imho
Line of the Film:
“Spend the money quickly, Mr. Bund. I intend to….Kamal Khan”
Overall impression:
This is a very entertaining Bond film. It has humour, action, suspense, an immense Barry score, an engaged Roger Moore, and charismatic villains (many of them). The plot is excellent as well (one of the best in the way it flows from one location to another). It’s one big middle finger to McClory.
It also has some of the most daft moments in the franchise’s history, notably and primarily in India. That is, sadly, what brings this film down for me. If they had only stopped taking the piss out of the locals (including their poverty, spirituality, rituals etc. etc.) and had avoided going the Tarzan route, I would have rated it higher. ..it’s really that good when it’s good.
Unfortunately, such missteps are very noticeable, and make this the 2nd film in succession from director John Glen that almost hits gold…..but just fails (ironically on account of the opposite tendency from the previous film….that one was unnecessarily serious and dour……this one conversely is unnecessarily jokey and silly).
It’s still a great Bond film imho……hugely entertaining & seriously underrated. In many ways, I think Roger Moore is best in this (although I still prefer him in TSWLM/TMWTGG/LALD overall) - everything just clicks. Moore should have packed it in after this one on an All Time High, having taken out Connery, and let Dalton in earlier.
Current Bondathon Ranking:
GE (virtual tie with OP)
OP (virtual tie with GE)
FYEO
TND
AVTAK (virtual tie with DAD)
DAD (virtual tie with AVTAK)
TWINE
Next up: Moore's 70's Space Opus - MR
Not that I'm complaining, OP is my favourite Bond of the Moore era.
Edited to add: Those three are really all so close...
Notable positives (imho):
-Roger Moore – it’s so good to see him here with a normal hair style (rather than that ridiculous Donald Trump style combover that he sports in all the 1980’s Bond films). In my mind this is the last film where he looked young enough to be a credible 007 and it’s great to see ‘young’ Moore. Sure, he is a little too jovial at times (like he is in parts of OP) but when he’s serious, he is absolutely brilliant here……..
-Pretitles – fantastic and epic. The plane jump and parachute catch is one of the best in the series in my opinion. It’s been copied many times since but never quite done as well as here….a lot of that has to do with John Barry’s superb score of course, but also just the filming work is magnificent. We can see from this sequence that this is going to be a fun Moore Bond film
-Shirley Bassey’s title track – brilliant. I don’t think she’s done a bad one for Bond, but this is an especially slow haunting track from her, on par with Adele’s Skyfall in that regard. Pity it's the last time we hear from her.
-John Barry’s score – this is likely going to get repetitive in my reviews, but this man does it again here. Soaring, majestic score that adds immense credibility to the almost ridiculous over the top proceedings unfolding on screen. The scoring during the space ride and revealing of Drax’s space station is outstanding. Also, this is the last time (why I don’t know) that we heard the amazing 007 theme. I hope it returns for SP.
-Centrifuge scene – it’s been said many times that this is one of Moore’s finest hours as Bond, and I agree. Superb acting by him here. Barry was smart not to score it at all until Bond shoots the controls and kills the system
-Bernard Lee – first time I’ve seen him in my Bondathon, and he’s great….. a much better ‘M’ than Judi , that much is quite clear to me here. It’s especially moving to know this is the last time we see him in a Bond film.
-Visuals – this is, in my mind, the last ‘’bigger than life” Bond film. They tried to do this again with TND, but it does not approach MR’s scale, which is absolutely immense, and awe inducing, particularly in comparison to some of the later lower budget Glen films
-Corinne Clery as Corinne Dufour – what is it about the French girls? Quite stunning (I heard somewhere that she was an ex-soft porn star…) but sadly she suffers two humiliations. One is the fastest seduction by the great James, and the other is one of the more horrific deaths in the series. I actually love that seduction scene……you can tell she wants it badly (her disappointment when he asks only for information is amusing)…..and Bond plays it cool, thereby increasing her desperation…..
-Locations – they deserve a separate section for this film. Just magnificent, from Venice, to Rio, to the Amazon, to outer space
-Ken Adam's sets - From Drax's control room to the space station, this was Adam at his most ambitious. This is the last time we see his genius as well, sadly
General Observations (imho):
-Action sequences – brilliantly imagined on many occasions but horrendously executed, primarily because some idiot decided to add a joke/punchline or gadget at the end and mess up the tension. Having said that, I like the cable car sequence in Rio and the Chang fight in Venice, which is notable because you get to see Moore fighting.
-Holly Goodhead/Lois Chiles – I actually like her a lot. She’s smart, resourceful, and good at her job. And most notably, she’s…….well she’s a woman, as Bond notes. I don’t normally like the ‘Bond equal’ nonsense, but Chiles pulls it off quite well and fits the role of CIA operative better than the annoying, whiney Pam Bouvier from LTK.
-Hugo Drax/Michael Lonsdale – a little dull and one dimensional…..and also somewhat expressionless, but he has some of the best lines, and he delivers them all with absolute deadpan perfection. He’s also one of the monumental Bond villains, in terms of scale of ambition (destroying the world and creating a master race).
-Villains – Jaws is good, when he’s bad. Unfortunately, he is more of a buffoon than bad in this one. Also, once he does turn good, it’s game over. I do like Chang (what a set of pipes on this guy….Bruce Lee would be proud).
-Worst bits – gondola chase, waterfall boat chase, python fight, only because they are all cut short by stupid gadgets. Space laser fight. Jaw’s girlfriend& Jaws talking, double take pigeon, & product placement, which is littered throughout this film (British Airways, Marlboro, Air France etc. etc.).
-The basic premise (killing off earth's inhabitants to create a master race) is soooo out there that one has to accept this first before attempting to enjoy such a film. The premise may be (understandably) too much for many. I can appreciate and accept it, but still find this film somewhat batty in parts (nowhere near DAD....but for the time, it was a ridiculous premise)
Best lines:
This film has some great lines, most of them delivered by Drax but Bond has a few good ones too
“Look after Mr. Bond……see that some harm comes to him”
You have arrived at a propitious moment, coincident with your country's one indisputable contribution to Western civilization – afternoon tea.”
“A woman?.....”
“Mr. Bond. You defy all my attempts to find an amusing death for you”
“James Bond. You appear with a tedious inevitability of an unloved season”
Etc.
Conclusion
MR has never been one of my favourites. It has always lived in the shadow of its more inventive and just all round better predecessor, TSWLM. Everything is a little bigger, but just less well executed. Moore is very comfortable as Bond and displays good acting in parts (centrifuge and other serious parts) but that’s not enough in this case.
Something is amiss…… There are some great scenes here and the earlier parts of the film (before Rio) are actually very enjoyable (Corrine’s death, Chang fight, centrifuge) but then there’s also the Venice boat chase nonsense to contend with. Things really go downhill after Jaws shows up in Rio and meets his young sweetie (except for the cable car part which I liked). The pacing in space is also painfully slow (especially to me, coming off the almost breakneck pace of Glen’s OP just prior in my Bondathon) and the master race thing has already been played to death in TSWLM. The film almost seems at times like a series of disparate outrageous action sequences slapped together.
Unlike many, I do not mind the outer space section (apart from the laser fight) but it does drag on and on, and seems like an excuse for Ken Adam’s magnificent set to get airtime. There is really no tension in this final part except for the very end, when Bond and Goodhead try to shoot down the drones.
Overall, it’s immensely large in scale, but not exciting…..particularly in comparison to the brilliant OP and the scaled down thriller FYEO. If it did not have the majestic Barry score to somewhat ground (pun intended) it, it would likely score even lower.
Bondathon ranking
GE (equal with OP)
OP (equal with GE)
FYEO
TND
MR
AVTAK (equal with DAD)
DAD (equal with AVTAK)
TWINE
Next up: Moore’s debut in LALD
My plan is to watch each era about a week at a time and then post a review of sorts after I've finished with an era. Tonight I already started with Dr. No, tomorrow From Russia With Love and maybe Goldfinger right after.
It was a little difficult to get through this time as well because I got to it just after OP which is so much faster paced, and MR is pretty slow going once we get to the Amazon. Also, I have a historic bias for TSWLM because the Lotus is my favourite Bond car (more so than the Aston DB5) and the Egypt scenes are in my top 2 or 3 of all time along with Istanbul in FRWL.....so since MR is relatively similar in plot I always look at it a little poorly. I'm anxious to see whether TSWLM holds up on this Bondathon (so far TND & FYEO have moved up rank-wise for me and the rest are where they've always been).
I’m watching this film right after the extravagant, out of this world MR, and in a way, it’s good to see Bond back on terra firma in this one. It’s a much more toned down entry, and rather unique, capitalizing on the blaxploitation craze of the time. It can be considered almost prejudiced these days, with most of the villains cast as African American, including one of the female leads (the annoying but memorable twerp rookie CIA agent known as Rosie Carver), and the sole good girl being white and an innocent virgin (until Bond gets to her of course) but it’s all fun anyway
Notable Positives (imho):
-George Martin’s score – outstanding from start to finish. As soon as the gunbarrel begins, we hear the distinctive ‘funk’ that Martin brings to this highly original score. This is the first time, since John Barry started his stint on the Bond films with FRWL, that a new composer was called upon for musical duties……and what an absolutely superb job Martin does here. I firmly believe that this is not only one of the best and most memorable Bond scores (high praise….given how good some have been) but actually one of the greatest spy movie scores as well. It’s not derivative of Barry, but it’s still terribly Bondian…….very rhythmic, and its incredible hip reinterpretation of the Bond theme incorporating the fantastic title track is magnificent, to my ears at least. I can’t say enough good things about this masterful piece of work.
-Roger Moore, previously best known as the Saint & Brett Sinclair, makes a confident debut in this film. His introduction post-titles is quite apropros for his era…..in bed with an Italian beauty. He seems very assured for his first time out, and steps into Connery’s shoes with ease. Moore is ‘super-cool’ in this one and looks fabulous as Bond in all outfits. It doesn’t hurt that he is following ‘fat with bad toupee’ Connery from eccentric DAF, but nevertheless, it’s an objectively excellent start for Moore, despite being introduced in his apartment (rather than in action on a mission). There is a bit more laid backl irony in his portrayal compared to what we’re familiar with from Connery/Lazenby, but the overt joviality that characterized/overshadowed his later works isn’t overly apparent here, and Moore is very trim and fit in this one, and moves well. He gets to smoke his trademark cigar as well….love it.
-Jane Seymour – she’s superb in this outing as the virginal Tarot card wielding Solitaire. Very beautiful, as always, she almost seems frighteningly delicate next to the large, burly gentlemen who always accompany her around in this film, including Yaphet Kotto’s dominant Kananga. She has the privilege of being ‘de-flowered’, albeit under dubious circumstances, by the great James Bond.
-Yaphet Kotto/Mr. Big/Kananga – he’s sinister and believable in both his iterations of villainy. Kotto is a big man and gives Mr. Big in particular a chilling demeanor and visage. When I first saw this film as a kid he scared the crap out of me when he was berating Bond. I actually found him more chilling than Tee Hee.
-David Hedison as Felix Leiter – I always liked him in this role…very memorable and plays off Moore so well. So I was really happy that he returned later for LTK in the same role
-villains – all highly memorable and unique in this piece, from the aforementioned Mr. Big/Kananga, to the ever smiling and appropriately named Tee Hee, to the highly effective Baron Samedi, to the chunky Whisper, everyone owns the screen when they are on. I feel that this bunch here are the most charismatic that I’ve seen in my Bondathon since GE & OP. This is one of the film’s strongest elements.
-Action scenes – a bit lacking in this film, except the longest and best one..namely the brilliant crocodile escape…..again Moore shows understated fear very well here, and the stunt itself is outstanding……so much better than the embarrassing homage in highly rated SF. It segues brilliantly into the lengthy boat chase . Many have commented that the chase is overly long……I never feel that. I think it’s beautifully filmed without CGI and supremely entertaining from start to finish, including the introduction of the JW Pepper as bungling Louisiana State Police cop. I don’t really like the bus chase though, but the mini airplane escape from Big’s goons is great.
-Other notable bits (and there are a lot imho)
1. Mr. Big tearing off his mask to reveal Kananga. I was suitably shocked the first time I saw this.
2. Big threatening trapped Bond in the chair – another scene that concerned me as a kid….I feared for Bond here and Moore underplays his fear beautifully…..you feel he’s scared for his life.
3. Moore arriving in New York and exiting the airport……cool as cool can be, with Martin’s funk blaring……….“A man comes. He travels quickly. He has purpose. He comes over water. He travels with others. He will pose. He brings violence and destruction”.
4. I’ve always liked Whisper’s intro in New York….killing Bond’s driver with a dart from the side mirror of his huge two door Chey Corvette Corvado ‘pimpmobile’…..great stuff….I’ve never been able to explain why every car on the road looks the same.
5. Big’s Harlem cab driver…..look at the ‘burns’ on this guy!
6. This is the first time in my Bondathon that I’ve seen the legendary Turnbull and Asser turnback cuff or cocktail cuff, which Moore wears with his suits, and which Connery also sported in the early films. Great to see this again. Craig should wear these!
7. Love the snake attack in the hotel……and we now know Bond is a ‘bath’ rather than ‘shower’ man
8. great to see Bond’s apartment (replete with 70’s shag carpet and coffee making contraption) and Moneypenny saving the day again.
9. Big’s white pimp outfit and his hangout under the Fillet of Soul restaurant (totally 70’s kitsch)
-Worst bit – unfortunately, this has to be exploding Kananga……an embarrassing piece of special effects here……they should have realized this would not date well even in 1973. The finale of the film in general is also a bit of a let-down….it seems a little unambitious and not to the scale I expect from a Bond film. Finally, the pretitles is very boring and uninspiring….although it does feature a few unique kills, including the New Orleans funeral march.
Best Lines
“Did you mess with that?”, uttered by Big as he points to Solitaire. Such an amusing ‘street’ line.
“He’s heading east. Can’t miss him…..it’s like following a cue ball”
“These growing signs of impertinence begin to disturb me Solitaire….”
Overall Final Impression (imho):
I’ve always enjoyed LALD. It’s a really entertaining Bond film, from start to finish. Roger Moore steps into the great Sean Connery’s shoes impeccably in this outing and makes it his own from the get-go…..very distinct from Connery…..not as ruthless or as hard edged…..but very credible and charismatic.
The villains, as noted earlier are memorable and great, the Bond girl is an innocent beauty without being a ditz and the plot is also very believable and engaging. The action is memorable (particularly the boat chase) and there is just enough humour to keep it all interesting without tipping over into parody or excess.
Although this film was a great global smash on release in 1973, I think it has dated considerably since then, primarily because of the blaxploitation element, and because a lot of it is filmed in the US, so one notices the large 1970’s petrol/gas guzzling style Chevy’s everywhere (pre-first oil crisis of course) and the outfits/collars/platform shoes etc., given Hollywood’s prevalence and importance in our memories and psyche. So it’s not such a timeless Bond film for me because of that dated (and a little drab) aesthetic, and perhaps that hurts my overall perception of it. However, I still rate this very highly among Moore’s Bond films, and this viewing confirms that…..but it's going to have to sit just below OP & GE for me this time on account of some of the noted negatives.
Current Bondathon Ranking
GE (tie with OP)
OP (tie with GE)
LALD (just below 1 and 2)
FYEO
TND
MR
AVTAK (tie with DAD)
DAD (tie with AVTAK)
TWINE
Next up. Moore’s much derided sophomore outing, and one of my personal favourites, TMWTGG
Next up in my ongoing SPECTRE Bondathon is one of the most denigrated and insulted Bond films, 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun. It also happens to be one of my personal subjective favourites (in the sense that I’m never not in the mood to watch it and always have a blast) so I am curious to see how it holds up this time.
Notable impressions (imho):
-Roger Moore – I really think that this is his best performance as Bond. Like Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore is a man that had to be James Bond at some point in his life…..it was a given. In this film he confirms why this is the case. He looks like a million $ (imho), is a credible, ruthless b’stard as Bond here (see examples below for my favourite bits from the film, which include a lot of where he is tough), and injects this quirky and memorable entry with his trademark humour and charm. Where LALD was a confident debut, TMWTGG is where Moore shows the doubters that he is the true (but wholly different and unique) successor to Connery.
-Scaramanga/Christopher Lee – what can be said that cannot be said. Scaramanga is one of the more memorable villains in the canon for me, and most of that is due to the incomparable Mr. Lee. A lot of it is also due to the character of Scaramanga himself, and his ‘mano a mano’ with Bond. It’s personal…..there’s an appreciation here….a respect…..but also a rivalry. I love this aspect to the film. These concepts are reintroduced similarly in GE and also in SF, and in both cases the films benefit from it. Coincidentally, in my Bondathon to date, Lee, Jourdan, Bean have been by far the best villains so far.
-Mary Goodnight/Britt Ekland – much derided and abused on these forums, I have to say I really enjoy her character and the way Britt plays her. Sure, she’s ditzy, and needy, and clingy, but nevertheless there’s an endearing quality to the character imho, and I believe that’s because she’s loyal to the great James Bond…….even though he treats her like a piece of ‘s’. In a way, Goodnight reminds me a lot of Moneypenny, in that she’ll do anything for Bond despite being mistreated in return. That loyalty and affection is captivating to me personally, despite her other flaws. The fact that Britt aces it in a bikini and demonstrates one of the more talented uses of a Bond girl’s rear end in such bikini since the similarly attired Tiffany Case doesn’t hurt either.....no sir.
-Andrea Anders/Maud Adams – as I mentioned in my review of OP, I was not so much of a fan of her titular character in that film because I like the Bond ‘girls’ a little younger. Well, in TMWTGG, Maud doesn’t disappoint. She’s definitely in her prime in this one, and is extremely charismatic (and alluring) as Scaramanga’s doomed mistress. Her interactions with Bond recall the similarly fated Severine from SF, and in both cases, the actresses nailed the hopelessness of their characters. I’m beginning to think I have to visit Sweden soon. Women from that part (Maud, Ekland, Izabella Scorupco, Alicia Vikander, Rebecca Ferguson from MI-RN etc.) seem to have as positive an effect on me as the French Bond girls (and Paris certainly did not disappoint on my trip there).
-Nic Nac/Herve Villechaize - - I find his diminutive villain charismatic and interesting/entertaining, unlike many, but I can understand why he’s not liked all that much……while ‘cute’ in a way, he really poses no threat to Bond, so when he’s casually thrown in a piece of luggage in the end, it’s not surprising.
-John Barry – once again, Barry gives us a great score, but an atypical one…..this is actually one of my subjective favourites, although m y brain knows that many of his other scores are objectively far superior. I think it’s because it’s so quirky (like the film), eccentric (there are new sounds being attempted here……new motifs for Barry) and it is in your face dialed up loud. As I mentioned in my OP review, some of those motifs were repeated in that film and improved upon, but they are no less memorable here. I love how he incorporates Lulu’s title track (which I also really like for similar reasons) so well in the score as well. I actually prefer Martin’s work on the predecessor film as a true out and out Bond score, but Barry’s experimental sounds on TMWTGG just touch a positive nerve with me
-Worst bits – the slide whistle (Barry’s unchararistic and unnecessary misstep….although it doesn’t bother me that much…..although it spoils a very tense, up to that point, car chase). The reintroduction of JW (a little tiresome here rather than funny…..unlike in LALD, although I really liked his chubby wife, who definitely reminds me of a caricature of an American tourist on holiday). The flying car (what were they thinking? Right idea, but poorly executed)
Other notables (imho)
1. flying in the air, screaming Chinese villains after been beaten up (how do they twist around like that?). They do this in TND as well, but it’s done better here imho.
2. The kung fu encounter at the training facility (I love this bit, even though it’s such an Enter the Dragon rip off……Moore is just so cool and don’t give a ‘f’ badass).
3. Lazar (one of Moore’s high points as Bond imho).
4. The fight at Saida’s dressing room (superb Barry score) and Moore’s great line at the end
5. The beginning briefing with M in M’s office. Bond is such a show off in this one, boasting about his knowledge of Scaramanga and then panicking when he’s told Scaramanga has a hit on him
6. Bond bleeding from the mouth (especially for a Moore film)
7. The acrylic glass (this flim predates sapphire crystal) on Bond’s Rolex Submariner. Also, seeing Bond wear this watch here and the tricked out version in LALD solidifies for me that this is the definitive Bond watch and not the Omega (Vesper’s first guess was correct after all). Bond better get with the program and switch back at some point. Such a simple, timeless, classic design
8. The MI6 HQ in the abandoned QE liner in Hong Kong harbor – great idea and great set.
9. Moore being tough (unlike many, I think it suits him) - like when he cheats in Kung Fu, slaps Anders about at the Peninsula Hotel to get information (I don’t care what I’ve heard on this forum, this is one of Moore’s signature moments as Bond and entrenches him in the role for me), when he throws the kid off the boat & when he mistreats Goodnight (total Bond)
10. Scaramanga calmly assembling his gun while Hai Fat mouths off, not realizing what’s about to happen
11. Goodnight’s failed ‘hard to get’ act, and the later unexpected bedroom interruption by Anders, resulting in a night in the closet
12. Bond about to be cut in half by the laser activated by Goodnight’s arse
Lines of the film:
“I’ve lost my charm!!…….Not from where I’m standing”
“So speak or forever hold your piece”
“Fascinating anatomical tidbit, but perhaps the most useless information ever. Unless, of course, the Bottoms Up is a strip club...and Scaramanga is performing”
“Chew Mee”
“I approve. You do? Oh... not the wine…..your frock. Tight in all the right places....not too many buttons...”
“I’m not unattractive……….At last you’re telling the truth…”
Conclusion
This film did not disappoint me this time either. It easily continues to be one of my all time Bond favourites on enjoyment/entertainment value alone, alone with GE & OP. I love so much about it. From a tougher Moore in his prime, to Goodnight’s loyalty, to Lee’s chilling villain, to Adam’s doomed & desperate lover, to Barry’s memorable/unique and brassy score, to the exotic Asian locations, to the humour, to the great pacing etc. etc. etc. It’s not an epic Bond film (far from it) and the Solex subplot is uneventful (but likely was relevant at that point in time). I‘ve tried to understand why I like it so much, and I really have no explanation for it……except maybe its quirkiness and eccentricity, which I just like.
The personal aspect of this film (mano a mano) also appeals a lot to me. Bond has an equal and opposite ‘adversary’ out there who has his eye on him. I really enjoy that element, and liked it in SF & GE as well.
The film does get minus points for the really boring pretitles, the pretty dull and unambitious finale (2nd film in a row by Guy Hamilton to do this, although the Island itself and Adam’s set are both magnificent), the derivative boat chase (done much better in LALD), the shoehorned ‘forced’ return of JW, the lack of big set pieces, and the dull solex subplot. That, for me, drops it just below FYEO (a far more dull film, but a more balanced one)……..having said that, I know which of the two films I’d rather watch again on a moment’s notice!
Bondathon ranking
GE (tie with OP)
OP (tie with GE)
LALD
FYEO
TMWTGG
TND
MR
AVTAK (tie with DAD)
DAD (tie with AVTAK)
TWINE
Next on my Bondathon is another of my personal favourites since childhood and the last Moore film on my list, the incredible and ambitious ‘throw everything and the kitchen sink at it’ TSWLM. Save the best for last?
I wish they had. OP is too slapstick in parts for me. LALD & FYEO are Moore's best Bonds for me....he plays the suave and humour just right.......but he's more like James Bond the character in these movies rather than turning Bond into Roger Moore.
Notable impressions (imho):
-Cinematography: people rave about SF, but TSWLM is just as good imho. That opening scene on the ski slopes alone is as good as anything SF gave us.
-Pretitles: it’s great to see Bond back on skis since OHMSS, and what an absolute cracker of a scene this is. After the two forgettable and somewhat boring pretitles in LALD and TMWTGG respectively, it’s fabulous to see this scene again in all its blu ray glory. One thing I noticed this time is how short and to the point it is..So much better than the opening ski sequence in AVTAK. The difference for me: Bond may also be doing fancy things in AVTAK, but in TSWLM he is just cool doing it. Also, there is very little joking around from Moore compared to MR/OP/AVTAK pretitles here.. He’s more in FYEO mode….just telling the girl he has to leave for England and off he goes. I’ve noticed that his level of joviality in the pretitles is usually a pretty good indication of how he will play it in the film. Here it’s perfectly balanced, which is reflective of his performance the film
-Title Song: magnificent. Carly Simon aces it here. One of my top 2 or 3 songs from Bond. Superb lyrics (so apropos) and Bond proves it and lives it in the film. Outstanding
-Score: Marvin Hamlisch gives us a great score for this film. Very memorable, and fits the film like a glove. There is some 70’s disco thrown in here and there, but I don’t find it as over the top as in FYEO. Overall, I really like this score for its unique sound. The stunning Egypt scenes in particular are very sinister due to the score……and reminiscent of Istanbul in FRWL imho, which was similarly romantic and menacing. His score when the Liparus eats the sub is amazing, as is the bit when the captured subs are released from the Liparus. Similarly, the score when Bond visits Atlantis is incredible too. I've always liked the 'one off' composers, and Hamlisch is no exception.
-Roger Moore: He’s in pure Bond mode here. An excellent performance from him and noticeably much more serious than in either TMWTGG or LALD. I did not realize how serious Moore is in this film…it’s quite noticeable in a ‘back to back’ viewing like this. I find his approach here a little more like FYEO, but with just a little more humour injected in (which I prefer and which I believe is essential for Moore because he’s just so damn good at it), and of course the production is far more epic. It’s probably objectively his most balanced and best turn as James Bond (with LALD/TMWTGG being a little laid back/jovial & FYEO being a little serious), although I do prefer him in TMWTGG personally.
-Stromberg/Curt Jurgens: I’ve always felt in the past that he was eclipsed by the similarly ambitious Drax/Lonsdale, but in this viewing I’ve found new appreciation for Jurgen’s portrayal of master villain Stromberg. He is icy cold, and the way he dispatches his disloyal secretary in his opening scene to make a point is impressive. I came away much preferring him to Lonsdale’s Drax, because Jurgens is actually more threatening and dastardly while Drax is just richer imho.
-Anya/Barbara Bach: I know many here don’t like her,and she is as wooden as can be (acting is obviously not her strong suit), but she’s one of my favourites. Apart from her obvious ‘assets’ she’s also one the first opposite number Bond ‘equals’ and although that’s usually a laughable premise for me, I believe the first must be respected.
-Naomi/Caroline Munro: Cor! What a total 70’s babe. When she shows up to meet Bond and Anya…! Awesome in her encounter with our hero/heroine during the Lotus chase. I’ve never seen a more effective/beautiful henchwoman since the legendary Fiona from TB.
-Olga Bisera/Felicia: I think she deserves an honourable mention here even though she’s a bit character because I just noticed how incredibly attractive she is….quite a bit of Sophia Loren in her cheekbone structure….pity about her short screen appearance
-Jaws/Richard Kiel: brilliant here. Scary as ‘f’. What a pity they ruined his character for all time in MR. Idiots
Notable lines
“Oh James…..I cannot find the words..... Well let me try and enlarge your vocabulary.”
“But James…..I need you. So does England”
“When one is in Egypt….one must delve deeply into its treasures”
“Well I had lunch……..but I seem to have missed dessert”
“My name is Bond, James Bond………What of it?”
“Quiet. Watch this.. …… Shaken, not stirred”
Other notables (imho).
This film is so full of legendary/great scenes it’s not funny:
-Bond meeting his old Cambridge buddy Hussein in the desert
-Bond throwing Chandor off the ledge of the building
-Egypt at night– magnificent….truly magnificent and a brilliant idea to film it at night
-Jaws chasing Fekkesh and finally biting him (I remember the first time I saw this scene….it totally scared me…Hamlisch’s scorehere is excellent too)
-Bond beating the hell out of Anya’s thugs at the Pyramids……who says Moore can’t fight?
-XXX in that black dress………….!! Stunning......... Congrats Ringo.
-Bond reacting and responding to Anya’s comments about Tracy and also confessing that he killed her lover in Berngarten. Some of Moore's finest acting here.
-Anya crapping herself as Bond sits comfortably, keys in hand, and Jaws tears up the van.
-that incredible scene at Karnak Temple – the cinematography in that scene alone again is as good as anything in SF imho
-Bond and Anya walking in the desert
-the introduction of General Gogol/Walter Gotell – love how Bond stares him down when he first encounters him at MI6 HQ in
-Jaws/Bond/XXX fight in the train
-The Liparus tanker closing in on the submarine, along with Hamlisch’s soaring score
-The Lotus Espirit – my absolute all time favourite Bond car (take that Aston DB5). That encounter in Sardinia with Stromberg’s goons in bikes, Ford Cortina’s and the lovely Naomi in her tricked out helicopter is one of the top 5 great moments of ‘Bond’age of all time imho. The shot of the slick Lotus bonnet and front at speed with the helicopter in the background is classic
-Bond riding the water bike on his way to Atlantis with the Bond theme blaring in the background…..a completely Bondian moment!
-Moore’s face when the champagne cork pops in the submersible at the end and he thinks he’s done for
-Locations – another film (like MR) that deserves a separate section for locations. Beautiful and superbly conceptualized and flimed. Egypt, Sardinia, Switzerland
-Ken Adam’s sets – absolutely magnificent work at the new Pinewood 007 stage. The Liparus interior is brilliant, as are Atlantis and the ‘shark’ tank
Worst bit
terrible blue screen when Bond and Commander Carter come up for air from the submarine.
Conclusion
Well, it didn’t disappoint. On the contrarary actually. I don’t know what to say other than this film is one of my all time favourite Bond movies of all time. It’s just such an amazingly epic & iconic film and the archetypal definition of a ‘larger than life’ Bond. This has been attempted 3 other times (I don’t count the obvious parody that is DAD): MR, TND, and YOLT. In each case it has not come close to this brilliant piece of work. Although YOLT is the original, TSWLM is just on a whole other level cinematically. It’s a beautiful, romantically filmed movie, as well as a large scale one. For me, that is a key ingredient in why I rank it so highly. Guy Hamilton never made a film this beautiful…..never.
Final comments – Roger Moore is a fabulous Bond. I don’t care what anybody says. I’ve gone through 7 of his films spanning 12 years in the last few days, and he doesn’t disappoint in any of them, despite the films themselves being of varying quality. I’ve always liked him, but have never watched his films in quick succession like this before. I’m glad I did, because my admiration for the man and his Bond portrayal has only grown during this Bondathon. My respects to a true legend. ^:)^
Bondathon ranking
TSWLM (new and clear winner)
GE/OP (finally dethroned)
LALD
FYEO
TMWTGG
TND
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
Next up: Timothy Dalton’s debut in TLD
But now I'm starting anew, something I have never done before, usually I wait at least 18 months to two years to re-watch them again.
I decided to do it randomly with the only rule that I won't watch two films in a row with the same Bond actor. Should work as long as Moore shows up regularly.
First draw: a Moore movie, works so far :P
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
I am completely re-doing my ranking throwing away all prejudice or favouritism and I think the list will look quite different in the end to the ranking I have now.
PTS: That's the "weak" point of FYEO. It stands totally apart from the movie itself and I always feel a bit cheated of a proper PTS. Just judging the PTS by itself it is quite good, I like the obvious sequel character to OHMSS and the graveyard scene is quite touching.
The assassination: This is so very well made. The sequence builds up nicely to maybe the most emotional and captivating scene ever in a Bond movie. The brutal murder of the Havelocks on their yacht. The look on Melina's face is one of the signature moments of this or any Bond movies.
The car chase: FEYO already being the 12th movie one could think it is not possible anymore to have an original car chase in a Bond movie. And then comes along the lemon yellow Deux Chevaux 2CV sequence. Absolutely hilarious and so fun too watch!
The relationship between Bond and Melina is very well developed and written. Carole Bouquet is not the usual bimbo Bond girl but a woman with a mission and a good match to Moore's Bond.
Skiing in the alps: Another "must-have" for every Bond actor at least once! Skiing or chasing or being chased on snow in the mountains.
I particularly like this very long sequence that not only contains the best ski chase action of all Bond movies (imo) but also the flower shop scene with the nasty attempt to kill Melina on the streets.
Even Bibi who is quite a nuisance doesn't hurt the movie much. Because the writer's were wise enough not to make her a potential love interest for Moore.
Locque who is one of the most impressive henchman ever gets his fitting death. Locque is particularly impressive because he doesn't say one word through the whole movie but still is so memorable.
Moore pushing the car over the cliff with his foot is one of his signature moments.
Altogether is this the most violent Moore Bond with many bloody graphic murders.
Another typical Bond moment comes with a Casino scene. Afterwards the typical side-Bond girl for sexual purposes only happens in the form of Lisl who sadly gets murdered on the beach afterwards.
And again another typical Bond theme: underwater action!
It's not too long and features about everything you could wish for: explosives, sharks, fighting, a drive in a mini submarine boat, beautifully shot underwater sequences and the certain death of Bond and Melina only escaped by Bond's wit!
From the sea to the mountains!
Rock climbing with an endangered Bond on the mountain, falling, climbing up again and getting rid of his enemy.
Together with Milos Columbo, one of the best side-kicks to Bond ever, James tries to get the ATAC system back from a quite bland villain named Kristatos.
What follows is a nicely done team effort by Milos and his team, Melina and Bond fighting the baddies. Quite some action there with a good fight between Bond and the menacing henchman, blonde, tall and muscular. When Bond couldn't finish him off on the ski slopes he sure can now by throwing him out the window and down the mountain.
In the end General Gogol shows up trying to get the ATAC but Bond can destroy it first.
The end sequence with Thatcher, her husband Dennis and the parrot may be a bit too silly but after such a great movie experience that's a minor complaint.
1. For Your Eyes Only (naturally ;) )
Astonishing how good this movie is. It has all the typical and loved Bond ingredients like skiing action, underwater action, car chase, casino action, a good and not to complicated story, a strong main Bond girl.
The movie is very rich in variety and never gets boring.
The score is low-key in my opinion and it suits the movie well.
The main titles are beautiful and I don't mind at all Sheena Easton being in it.
I particularly like the end titles which almost have a designed feeling to it, the typical silhouettes popping up at the end which is a nice surprise and the theme song fits this movie like a glove anyway.
As much as I enjoyed Connery and his films, it was time for a new Bond. While not quite as amazing as Sean, I really enjoy Roger Moore's Bond performance in this film; he's a little funnier and looks very comfortable in his first outing. Solitaire would probably rank in my Top 10 Bond girls, and I thought Dr. Kananga was a very good Bond villain (maybe even a bit underrated?). I always laugh so hard at his crazy death scene; it's so silly and ridiculous, but it's too funny for it to be a bad thing. It goes along with the entire weird, humorous tone of the film. Tee Hee and Baron Samedi are particularly memorable henchmen in the series, and serve as perfect baddies for the film. I also thought J.W. Pepper could actually be funny in a couple parts here; not so much in the next film, but I think his work here is slightly under-appreciated. David Hedison is solid as Felix, and I thought it was great they had Quarrel Jr. as an ally as something of an homage to his father in Dr. No.
The PTS isn't a favorite of mine, but it does the job of setting the bizarre tone. The title song is, however, one of my favorites; very catchy and will get stuck in your head easily. Though it wasn't Barry, George Martin's score was perfectly serviceable. I loved all the settings too! If there's any main gripe I have with the film, I feel like the second half can drag a little bit; I like the finale just fine, but once Bond pairs up with Solitaire, I think it goes a little slow sometimes.
This was a big step up for me coming off Diamonds Are Forever. While the silly tone came off as too much and awkward in that outing, it felt perfectly natural in Live and Let Die. I've always found this to be the most humorous Bond film, and it's undeniably one of the most unique. I hate to rank it so low for the time being, but the golden age is just that good. I'm still confident it will finish with a decent ranking when it's all said and done!
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. Thunderball
5. From Russia with Love
6. Live and Let Die
7. You Only Live Twice
8. Diamonds Are Forever
Notable impressions (imho):
-pretitles – absolutely outstanding – I just finished TSWLM, a film with an iconic pretitles sequence, & TLD definitely gives it a run for its money. Dalton’s introduction on top of the rock of Gibraltar is super cool (much better than Moore’s debut in his apartment in LALD) and suggests, correctly, that this Bond is a man of action. Accompanied by a superb Barry score, the jeep fight is incredibly tense, and one is immediately captivated by Dalton’s physicality in the role (not seen since Brosnan era, with which I began my Bondathon). The headbutt is a bit naff, but apart from that, this is vintage John Glen action sequencing. Of course it ends with the playgirl Linda…..longing for a ‘real man’….just as Bond lands in her boat, ready to satisfy her cravings. It is at this point that Dalton speaks for the first time, and unfortunately, his delivery is notably amateurish, particularly in comparison to Moore. “Bond, James Bond” and “better make that two” are delivered in a rushed fashion and without the panache that Moore routinely brought……Dalton almost appears uncomfortable here. It’s unfortunate because this is the first time we hear from him ‘as Bond’.
-Title Song – AHA and John Barry deliver a very impressive track, primarily because of Barry’s work on the background and mix. Incredibly Bondian and brassy sound here with synths thrown in
-Post titles in Bratislava – the 20 minutes that begins in Bratislava and ends with Koskov in the west is arguably one of the high water marks in the entire Bond canon. Deliberately reminiscent of Bond/Kerim/Krilencu in FRWL, it immediately showcases Dalton’s Bond as a ruthless assassin with an eye for the ladies. This Bond does not mess around! “Bring the chair” he commands fellow MI6 cohort Saunders before deliberately missing Kara. One of the highlights of this Bratislava section is a brief appearance by Julie T. Wallace as Rosie Komilka, an MI6 collaborator in the east. Wallace is incredible, but she is not a great representation of Slovak women in general, apart from her resourcefulness (I know a few and they are incredibly beautiful).
-Timothy Dalton – steps into the role very confidently in his debut. Assured and dangerous, there’s a no ‘bs’ efficiency to his portrayal. Dalton is far more credible physically than Moore, and he has the height, build and hardened good looks that suggest a spy. He is a little uncomfortable with the one-liners no doubt (particularly compared to Moore) and I don’t really find him convincing as a ‘ladies man’, but he nails the serious bits brilliantly. I also notice Dalton tends to be a little over dramatic on occasion (particularly at the Vienna Prater amusement park at Riesenrad when Saunders is killed) and also seems to overemphasize words unnecessarily – perhaps on account of his theatre training. He has a rather strong accent (which I can’t place, but which is far from Oxbridge) in many parts of the film, and I notice it quite readily this time around…similar to how I always notice Brosnan’s Irish/American drawl.
-John Barry – It saddens me deeply that this is the last time the great man would collaborate on a Bond film. There is some consolation in this score though, as he leaves us with one of his best works by far. Incorporating synthesizers (not the first time he has done this however as Moog synthesizers were also used in OHMSS) with his traditional orchestration and lush strings, Barry provides a fresh reinterpretation of the ‘Bond sound’. This is unquestionably (and sadly) the best Bond score of the last 30 years, and far more modern sounding than anything Arnold’s techno could dream up on his most inspired day. It’s great to see Barry make a brief cameo on stage at the end of the film conducting Kara during her ‘world tour’….almost as if to say goodbye to the franchise he was a part of for so long.
-Maryam D’abo/Kara Mlovy- I’m sorry to say that D’abo is one of the most disappointing Bond girls I have encountered to date in my Bondathon. I’ve always thought that Dalton’s run was hampered by poorly cast and imagined female characters, and D’abo, regrettably confirms this. I found her needy, clingy, overly sentimental and terribly naïve for a woman of that time. I realize that this was what they were going for, character wise, but she just seems like a poor throwback. D’abo is a delicate looking girl too, and this accentuates her somewhat childish characteristics in my mind. She’s quite awful imho
Villains – they are rather uneventful in this film (one of its weakest points) and therefore only deserve a passing mention.
1. Joe Don Baker - unimpressive as the arms dealer and mastermind villain. Baker plays him like a caricature of an egotistical maniac, which is fine…but there’s something amiss in the portrayal for me. A far cry from the Moore villains I have just finished watching
2. Jeroen Krabbe/Georgi Koskov – I actually like him even though he’s somewhat OTT. Krabbe adds the necessary humour to the film, but he’s somewhat fey, and hardly a threat to Bond. I find a bit of a similarity to Almaric’s Greene, in that both men appear physically wimpy.
3. Necros – he’s one of the better henchman, and his infiltration of the MI6 hideaway in the countryside is great (replete with inventive milk bottle bombs) but I don’t really rank him that high relative to the franchise’s greats
-Art Malik – I think he’s brilliant as Afghan mujahideen fighter Kamran Shah. I’ve always liked Malik (glad to see him recently in Season 4 of Homeland and he was great in True Lies as well) and he’s superb here, injecting the required humour when necessary. His screen charisma is quite apparent.
-John Terry/Felix Leiter – where did they find this clown? I’d rather not waste time typing my comments. Two words will do. Useless. Unmemorable.
Other Notables (imho):
-Bond’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage – one of my favourite Aston’s (along with the DBS in OHMSS, which it is essentially an update of on the same chassis). I much prefer this to the overused DB5, proportion wise. A beautiful car.
-fight between Necros & MI6 security at the Bladen safe house. Strange, but this is one of the best fights in the series even though it doesn't feature Bond. Kinetic and beautifully scored again, with some inventive use of utensils and pans.
-Bond’s interrogation of Pushkin in Tangiers. One of Dalton’s finest moments as Bond and also one of the greatest moments in all of Bondom. Dalton aces it here and solidifies his characterization as a new ‘harder’ Bond. Having said that, again he shows some overt and unnecessary theatricality, like when he directs his gun at Pushkin’s girlfriend as she moves suddenly…….really, is she any threat to Bond, naked and all?
-Glen ‘screaming man’ when Necros falls, complete with ‘throat clearing’ horrific end emphasis
-scene when Bond and Kara drop out of the back of the transport plane using the Jeep. This is a clear lesson by Glen and Co. to ‘all fly by night’ Bond directors (Lee Tamahori this is directed at you sir) on how to film such a sequence credibly without CGI. Great aerial work here, but I find it pales in comparison to OP.
-gun barrel – Dalton’s walk, turn, point and shoot is unquestionably the worst I’ve seen to date in my Bondathon. Brosnan is by far the most confident and best at it. Moore’s double handed approach is also really good. Dalton looks like he’s dragging one arm (the one wielding the gun).
-car chase with Aston Martin – having just finished TSWLM, the iconic car chase in that film with the Lotus was very fresh in my mind when I watched the chase here, the first time Bond has had a ‘tricked out’ car since that film 10 years earlier. Sadly, all I could do mentally was compare this scene to that one, and it came up woefully short on nearly all fronts (gadgets, cinematography, Bond girl, Bond villains)……& the car (even though as mentioned I love it) seemed so much more dated than Moore’s Lotus, which sported a much more modern and contemporary look. There is no tension in this scene either and it's very 'by the numbers'. It’s quite apparent on a ‘back to back’ viewing like this. ….and is certainly a surprise, because Glen is known for his action work. Not one of his best moments.
Worst bits (imho):
-appearance by Kamran and his men at the Kara Milovy World Tour at the end. What were they thinking?
-Caroline Bliss as MP – shitting from a tall height on Lois Maxwell’s legacy. Having come off 7 Moore films in a row with Maxwell, it’s quite apparent.
-The entire Afghan section brings this film down like a tonne of bricks. I found it difficult to get through the last time I watched this film, and unfortunately this time around it was like pulling teeth….the most difficult viewing experience since I began my Bondathon a few weeks back with the unfortunate TWINE. Even Barry’s score couldn’t save this section for me.
Best lines:
“ It's all so boring here, Margo - there's nothing but playboys and tennis pros. If only I could find a real man”
“I take it this isn’t a social call 007…….Correct, you should have brought lilies”
“We have an old saying too Georgi……and you’re full of it”
“I work for the British government………” “laughter”
“That's too bad, Bond. You could've been a live rich man, instead of a poor dead one”
Overall conclusion (imho)
-TLD surprisingly did not go down too well with me this time around and is one of the few films to actually decline rather precipitously in my rankings. The mistake this time evidently was viewing it right after TSWLM, which is just so much more epic on absolutely every level. The action sequences here (particularly the finale on the plane with Necros) are excellent, but the film does really drag in the 3rd act, almost unforgivably, compared to Glen's previous works. The Afghan sequence in particular just goes on and on and lacks tension and grip, despite Barry’s great score during the proceedings. The pacing of that section is similar to the MR space section for me, which I found similarly lengthy without getting to the point quickly enough. The tacked on ending at Whittaker’s lair is especially deflating and disheartening……so unambitious for this franchise.
-Additionally, I now feel that TLD is not as good a film as FYEO, which is definitely a new feeling for me as well.
-I was also, very surprisingly, not all that impressed with Timothy Dalton in his debut. Again, this could be because I’ve just come off viewing some of Moore’s best in quick succession – not sure. He’s definitely excellent in the action bits and when he’s playing Bond the spy ( eg. Pushkin interrogation/opening Gibraltar sequence/Koskov escape from the East) but seems very awkward & uncomfortable in the comedy situations and female interactions. There is also quite a bit of sentimentality in Dalton’s portrayal (similar to what I routinely criticize in Brosnan) that I had not noticed before, and which is not to my liking.
-Furthermore, it's clear that Dalton is not a 'movie star'. He is theatrical in style, but seems to overemphasize in certain areas, where a more assured star would just underplay it. I'm not a Fleming purist, so I judge these things from the point of view of the cinematic experience, and something seems a little 'off' in TLD.
Bondathon Ranking
TSWLM
GE/OP
LALD
FYEO
TLD
TMWTGG
TND
MR
AVTAK/DAD
TWINE
So on this surprisingly disappointing and very confusing note, I now move on to Tim’s 2nd and last time playing Bond, LTK, hoping for a better experience.