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YOLT - a true classic of the Sean era alongside DN, FRWL and GF?

GetafixGetafix
edited May 2012 in Bond Movies Posts: 11,425
I've always loved YOLT and am sometimes surprised by the dismissive comments it gets. For my money, it's one of the very best in the series.

Mod edit - This is not news. Moved to Bond movies.
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Comments

  • TopGearJB007TopGearJB007
    Posts: 624
    It's 3rd on my list.

    1.) Goldfinger
    2.) Diamonds are Forever
    3.) You Only Live Twice

    It's a classic Bond film! :-bd
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    I think it's a classic yeah. Shoot me, but I actually prefer it to DN and FRWL. I'd add TB to the title btw.
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    Posts: 5,745
    Its the perfect balance of fun and seriousness in the Connery films. I often 'crave' it over all his others.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Nope. Not a goodie at all, the only memorable things in it are the great Bond/Moneypenny moment, the fight at the chemical warehouse, Little Nellie, the great Ken Adam sets, Blofeld kitty's freakout, and location shots. It shouldn't even be compared to the masterpieces of DN, FRWL, or TB.
  • slyfoxslyfox
    edited May 2012 Posts: 940
    I'd add TB to the title but definitely not YOLT. It's got classic elements but over all, falls flat.

    It's a visually stunning, entertaining 60's popcorn adventure with one of the best soundtracks and theme tune of the series, but Sean's performance is way below his previous standard and whether it's his extra weight, body movement, facial expressions or tone of voice, it's clear that he's lost the sheer energy, enthusiasm and mischievous quality of his previous performances. This affects the viewing of the film for me.
  • GetafixGetafix
    edited May 2012 Posts: 11,425
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    Nope. Not a goodie at all, the only memorable things in it are the great Bond/Moneypenny moment, the fight at the chemical warehouse, Little Nellie, the great Ken Adam sets, Blofeld kitty's freakout, and location shots. It shouldn't even be compared to the masterpieces of DN, FRWL, or TB.

    That's quite a long list of positives for a film that's not a 'goodie'.

    The rooftop dock chase sequence is one of my favourites in the entire series.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Getafix wrote:
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    Nope. Not a goodie at all, the only memorable things in it are the great Bond/Moneypenny moment, the fight at the chemical warehouse, Little Nellie, the great Ken Adam sets, Blofeld kitty's freakout, and location shots. It shouldn't even be compared to the masterpieces of DN, FRWL, or TB.

    That's quite a long list of positives for a film that's not a 'goodie'.

    The rooftop dock chase sequence is one of my favourites in the entire series.

    No it isn't, and if Sean was in it I wouldn't be so generous. You should see my lists for DN, FRWL, TB, and CR if you think that puppy is long.
  • SJK91SJK91
    Posts: 1,310
    I don't believe it is as good as Connery's first four, however, YOLT occupies the number 10 spot on my list. Somehow, the film manages to be more than the sum of its parts for me. The film does have problems: miserable special effects (especially during the helicopter battle) that probably never looked convincing (even in '67), Kissy Suzuki being one of the least memorable Bond girls and the whole Connery Japanese thing...that was just...off...

    HOWEVER

    Sean seems a little bored but I always enjoy seeing him as Bond. I've really liked the whole sequence of Henderson getting murdered to the magnificent fist fight Bond has with the assassin at the Osato HQ ('Siamese VOKDA????!!!! Love that line), Karin Dor was a pretty good Bond hench-woman (also like the scene where the piranas eat her), and call me crazy but I like Pleasance's Blofeld.

    I'd give YOLT a 7.5/10...the film has a soft spot with me, you could say. ;)
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I've always ranked it significantly higher than TB.

    TB sits below most of the Moore and Dalton movies in my rankings. Dull as dishwater IMO.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited May 2012 Posts: 13,355
    There's a You Only Live Twice discussion thread here, where you can also give the film a score from 1 - 10:

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/926/i-love-you...-lets-discuss...-you-only-live-twice-1967-poll
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I did do a search but I find it's almost impossible to find old threads.

    It would be good if you could search by thread title only.
  • SJK91SJK91
    edited May 2012 Posts: 1,310
    Samuel001 wrote:
    There's a You Only Live Twice discussion thread here, where you can also give the film a score from 1 - 10:

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/926/i-love-you...-lets-discuss...-you-only-live-twice-1967-poll
    Good lord, @Samuel001, the last time someone commented on that thread was June 2011!!!! How do you always do it?? haha

    EDIT: Westbrook just posted something there 3 minutes ago. It's been dug up now lol
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited May 2012 Posts: 13,355
    Getafix wrote:
    I did do a search but I find it's almost impossible to find old threads.

    It would be good if you could search by thread title only.

    Search using Google and just add MI6 community to what you're searching for.

    I agree, the search function is awful and was the only thing we needed this forum upgrade for in terms of features, yet it still doesn't work! Oh, the irony...

    I'll give my thoughts on this over at the other thread.
    SJK91 wrote:
    Samuel001 wrote:
    There's a You Only Live Twice discussion thread here, where you can also give the film a score from 1 - 10:

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/926/i-love-you...-lets-discuss...-you-only-live-twice-1967-poll
    Good lord, @Samuel001, the last time someone commented on that thread was June 2011!!!! How do you always do it?? haha

    EDIT: Westbrook just posted something there 3 minutes ago. It's been dug up now lol

    @St_George set up discussion threads for about one third of the films, so I just looked for them. Keeps everyone's thoughts in one place, that way anyway,
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Getafix wrote:
    I did do a search but I find it's almost impossible to find old threads.

    It would be good if you could search by thread title only.

    The search option are here is horrid. I go to Google, type in "mi6 community", and then the name of the thread, and I always find it.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    YOLT has some great sets by Ken Adam and a killer score by Barry and some impressive cinematography but despite it being absolute fav when I was a kid now I find it incredibly embarrassing to watch and it seems to drag something rotten but I feel the same about GF save it's terrific PTS.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    Getafix wrote:
    I did do a search but I find it's almost impossible to find old threads.

    It would be good if you could search by thread title only.

    The search option are here is horrid. I go to Google, type in "mi6 community", and then the name of the thread, and I always find it.

    Yeah I use google too, it's impossible using the MI6 search function.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    Lesson learnt!
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    It's all right, about halfway for me. The action is grand-scale and the plot line is very much classic Bond, and there's no doubt lots of iconic scenery and moments. It would maintain a top ten spot for me if Connery were just more enthusiastic and the pacing didn't feel tired and slow.
  • DoubleOhhSevenDoubleOhhSeven
    Posts: 1,778
    YOLT used to be my least favorite Connery film. Now although I rank it ahead of DAF and Thunderball it simply doesn't hold a candle to Connery's first 3 films.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    YOLT is just okay for me; I like the sets and locations best (that's telling right there) but get annoyed at some things, including Aki's death, but especially trying to make a tall Scot look Japanese.
    I do wish they would do major filming in Japan again, though.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Connery's worst other than Diamonds are Forever. The Connery of 1967 is a shadow of his former self, looks considerably older than his earliest appearances I always thought, despite only the three or four year time difference. Nothing much happens, James Bond is restricted to one location (Japan) almost the entire time, and the whole 'Bond turns Japanese' thing is borderline ludicrous. The Only saving graces are an outstanding Nancy Sinatra track, a half decent pre credits sequence and one or two exciting (being a bit generous there) , action sequences here and there. Even Connery himself looks bored most of the time, and no surprise really he called it a day during production, only to become 'interested' again four years later with the carrot of an astronomical pay packet for his troubles. Connery's (true) Bond was extinct after 1965
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,306
    4EverBonded wrote:
    YOLT is just okay for me; I like the sets and locations best (that's telling right there) but get annoyed at some things, including Aki's death, but especially trying to make a tall Scot look Japanese.
    I do wish they would do major filming in Japan again, though.

    Wow, I love the Aki character, and find her death affecting. I feel like she is a forgotten Bond girl.
  • GunbarrelGunbarrel
    Posts: 32
    Although I don't feel it measures up to the more "serious" Bond films, I always found it one of my favorite of the "goofy" Bond flicks. When you think about it, You Only Live Twice, even more so than Goldfinger, really established all the cliches of the over-the-top spy films, and the one which was primarily skewered in the Austin Powers films. The outer space stuff, the bald evil mastermind, the hollowed out volcano, the piranha pool, the army of ninjas. It's really a crazy film. And I think a lot of that is attributable to Roald Dahl. His fertile imagination is stamped all over this film.
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Anyone watch YOLT from 1:42:35- 1:42:42?

    Blofeld's cat REALLY doesn't want to be there
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I know what you refer to and you have to feel a bit for the poor animal whenever you watch it. It's a little bit amusing in a cruel way whenever I see it
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    edited May 2012 Posts: 643
    I had never noticed it until I watched it tonight. Isn't a Bond series 'great' moment really, could have re-shot it looking back
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I give kudos to Pleasence for sticking through that. The cat looked like it really had a strong claw grip on him.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    echo wrote:
    4EverBonded wrote:
    YOLT is just okay for me; I like the sets and locations best (that's telling right there) but get annoyed at some things, including Aki's death, but especially trying to make a tall Scot look Japanese.
    I do wish they would do major filming in Japan again, though.

    Wow, I love the Aki character, and find her death affecting. I feel like she is a forgotten Bond girl.

    Me too, Aki's death is one of the saddest Bond Girl deaths in the series. I love Connery's following line, "Tiger, we must get to that island." He knows now that the mission is taking serious casualties. The only truly great moment of Connery's performance in YOLT.
  • RogueThunderballRogueThunderball
    Posts: 306
    A classic? No. Not even close. There are some good aspects like the score and the locations but that's about it. It feels cheap, the plot is severely lacking, and it's pretty boring imo. Second least favorite film of the series and far from classic.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    echo wrote:
    4EverBonded wrote:
    YOLT is just okay for me; I like the sets and locations best (that's telling right there) but get annoyed at some things, including Aki's death, but especially trying to make a tall Scot look Japanese.
    I do wish they would do major filming in Japan again, though.

    Wow, I love the Aki character, and find her death affecting. I feel like she is a forgotten Bond girl.

    No, I liked her a lot, too! I meant that I was annoyed she had to die, especially so early on and in that way.
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