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Dad to son...how was your love of Bond passed to you? How have you passed Bond on to your kids?
thedove
hiding in the Greek underworld
Consider this thread for us Bond fans who are parents! As my Dad gave me a love of Bond, I too have started to grow my son's love of 007! He's really into the few that we watched and has allowed me to see them with new sets of eyes...and not the jaded eyes of an adult. I'd like to share his thoughts within this thread.
He's 7 years old and while some of the films are out for now(based on his age), I have shown him a few. Namely TMWTGG, DAF, TSWLM, MR, GF and just last night YOLT. His top 3 ranking so far is TSWLM, YOLT and MR. (which wouldn't be my top 3 but shows the eyes of a child.)
I can't wait to take him to his first theatre Bond movie, but that will have to wait for a few more years. Maybe the one after Bond 25.
I'm thinking this thread can be either the perspective of the younger generation watching our beloved secret agent, or maybe you are young enough to remember your youthful perspectives?
Lets see reviews of the films from a kids perspective, or memories of your youth and your impressions of 007, or maybe just when and how you introduced Bond to your kids.
He's 7 years old and while some of the films are out for now(based on his age), I have shown him a few. Namely TMWTGG, DAF, TSWLM, MR, GF and just last night YOLT. His top 3 ranking so far is TSWLM, YOLT and MR. (which wouldn't be my top 3 but shows the eyes of a child.)
I can't wait to take him to his first theatre Bond movie, but that will have to wait for a few more years. Maybe the one after Bond 25.
I'm thinking this thread can be either the perspective of the younger generation watching our beloved secret agent, or maybe you are young enough to remember your youthful perspectives?
Lets see reviews of the films from a kids perspective, or memories of your youth and your impressions of 007, or maybe just when and how you introduced Bond to your kids.
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I think I was lucky to be a kid during the Roger era, and the Dalton years. I read the novels in middle school thanks to Dalton and Raymond Benson's JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION book. But the lighthearted films captured my imagination in Elementary School. That fact that both Roger and Sean had films out in '83 really sparked my interest in Bond and discovering the other films.
It was great back then as a new film would come out every other year so one could actually have a Bond they grew up consistently with. That would be Roger for me.
Today a kid can finish middle school and most of high school before a new Bond film comes out. To a 12 year old today, something like SPECTRE or SKYFALL might seem an eternity ago.
Some of my best memories are my Mom and Dad taking me to the local video stores on the weekends to rent the Bonds. We must have rented that CBS/Fox Home Video edition of DR NO ten times or more. I would record the films from the ABC network, but those were truncated versions.
Eventually as I got into middle school and VHS prices dropped I started buy the films. We had OCTOPUSSY, and my dad won THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS on a radio contest. I would gradually collect the others in t heir newly repackaged forms.
Many of the films I rank high these days are the ones I loved as a kid. The early Connery Bonds especially.
I remember in 5th grade watching that VHS copy of OCTOPUSSY repeatedly, though it wasn't one I would have ranked quite as high as I do now. My favorite Roger's back then were FYEO and LALD. My favorite Connery's were GF, DN and FRWL. TB, I grew to appreciate later.
Before I became hooked on Bond I was more of a fan of the Jaws character as my folks took me to see MR. TSWLM had been on cable quite a bit and my Dad and I watched it several times. Later on, when it aired on ABC, I can remember thinking the supertanker section was a bit too long. Today, however I love it!.
As a 5th grader I preferred the low key films like DN
. I loved the bits where Bond placed a strand of hair in the door and so forth. I also loved the entire section with Honey on the beach.
I'm pretty biased these days, really. As great as Daniel is, my favorites today are clearly the ones I grew up with.
Watched YOLT with my son yesterday. The joy and glee he had reminded me when I discovered Bond for the first time. He loved "Little Nellie" and how she handled herself with the big shots.
I was struck by how he grasped a certain plot hole. I explained the gas in the cave when Bond and Kissy are investigating the volcano. Then when Bond shouts "lets head for the tunnel" when they are fleeing he said "what about the gas?" LOL! Had a tough time explaining that one!
I saw those exact Roger Bonds on the big screen, too . I missed FYEO. My family had relocated that summer and we didn't get to see it. Actually, one night my aunt took my cousins and myself to see SUPERMAN II, though I had already seen it a few weeks earlier. I suspect while we were watching Christopher Reeve, my dad was enjoying the latest Roger outing in the cinema room next to us.
Two years later we'd be watching OP at that same movie theater. I vividly remember how bright OP looked in the cinema. As we left the theater my dad remarked how light Roger hair looked. He said something like "Roger Moore's hair sure is looking blonder and blonder". My mom thought this film had more action than the others. Dad then told me Connery was coming out with his "own Bond film" later in the year. I was intrigued. By the time NSNA came out I had become a huge Bond fan and wanted to see them all. I remember Siskel and Ebert doing a James Bond special and loving Connery. I really wanted to see GF. ABC soon aired it, it must have been in December of '83, and it was pretty badly truncated.
Where I lived, there was an old drive in theater that would operate as a swap meet on the weekends. My dad would buy me toy guns, gadgets and things so I could run around pretending to be Bond. On the way home we stopped by a vintage music/antique furniture store my dad would go to often. Around the corner there was an old school barber shop. Been there since 1946. I went in and asked for a Bond haircut like Connery's. I must have been 8 or 9 at the time. Looking back I think it ended up looking more like Daniel Craig's.
Lots of fond memories being a young Bond fan. The first time I saw YOLT was an ABC Sunday Night airing around March of '85. My folks and I had taken a trip to see my grandpa and were gone for 2 weeks. All the time I was terrified a Bond film would be showing in my area and I 'd miss it. . Ironically the week after we got back ABC showed YOLT . My dad and I stayed up for it and I loved it. I loved the volcano, and Little Nellie. I noted as the end credits rolled that Connery didn't utter the "Bond, James Bond introduction in this one. I was curious which films he missed the iconic line, and by then figured out it was FRWL, TB and now, YOLT.
I wonder if we will ever see Bond hit Netflix. Currently isn't available in Canada.
My son has taken great pleasure at mimicking Willard Whyte from DAF. His favourite lines were:
"Washington for you sir."
"I'll take it in the john,"
"One of our missiles just accidentally blew up in North Dakota."
"Come on Bond get off that damn rig!"
He also liked Bond coming out of the pipe with the line:
"I was walking my pet rat and seemed to have lost my way."
I was reminded how many great lines of dialogue there were in DAF. While it was played with a very light tone it seemed to work. I enjoy watching the Bonds with my son.
I always felt Tom Mankiewicz was a bit underrated as Bond screen writer. His three films had great dialogue and scenes. That particular trilogy of films I loved as a kid.
Seemed like a good time to revitalize this thread and allow us to share stories of Dad and Bond.
My Dad introduced me to James Bond when I was 8 or 9 years old. I remember watching Dr. No on a black and white TV we had at the house. My first Bond movie was Moonraker at the Drive In. Thru the years my Dad would make a point of taking us to the movies to watch Bond on the big screen.
Saw OP and NSNA both on the big screen. My Dad was in the Sean Connery camp and enjoyed NSNA over OP. I enjoyed both films and really didn't take a side.
What are your memories of your Dad and Bond? Or if you are a dad how have you shared your love of the films and books with your kids?
I would eventually see DAF, LALD, MR, OP and NSNA with my dad and mom before going with dates or friends from AVTAK onward. Dad would watch my VHS tapes or showings on ABC. He would get me Bond memorabilia when he found it and was always supportive of my interest.
While my daughter never became a Bond fan, I do have memories of when she was little wanting to watch the scenes with sharks and snakes. She would say her favorite was TMWTGG just because she liked the title. One of my favorite items is a hand-made 007 canvas she made me for Christmas one year.
She blessed us with a granddaughter earlier this year, and you can bet I'll work my best to expose her to my Bond interest and she can decide if she wants to be a fan or not.
I'm a dad now myself. My boy isn't even two years old. But at some point, he will be exposed to Bond... I guarantee.
My brother soon lost interest, but for me the interest grew, especially as I started reading Fleming. Then, in my student years, I picked up all the DVD's, one by one, as there was a store close to the University that had all the Bonds on their own shelves on the wall.
I won tickets to the movie premiere (in my own country) for The World Is Not Enough. We stole one of the big cardboard signs, which stoot in our student housing up until we were forced to leave it by the owner. By that time my fellow students in the house had destroyed it with darts, knives and anything else you can throw at a big cardboard sign.
Pity, I'd have paid quite a bit of money to have it (in one piece).
My son is almost 6, but sadly, due to some personal traits of his, it's going to take a few more years for him to learn to appreciate Bond.
My daughter's three now but I wound up treating her to a little slice of every film during my pre-NTTD Bondathon in 2021, think I even shared the picture here of her posing in front of the NTTD cutout when I went to see it in theaters on release day. Not sure they'll ever be her kinda thing but I'm willing to try!
As for my Dad, he wasn't keen. When my brother and I were watching Moonrakers premiere on telly, (day after Christmas, if I recall?) , during the thrilling pts, he commented "That's stupid, it wouldn't take that long to hit the ground!!" 😂
I never did explain to him the dynamics of freefall!
@Murdock I am sorry for your loss. My Dad passed many years ago and the last Bond film we watched in the cinema was NSNA in 1983. I have often wondered if he'd like Craig as Bond. His Bond was Connery and his favourite film was FRWL.
@Gerard I can feel the pain in your post. Thanks for sharing the story of your brother and how you both enjoyed the movies. You've given me an idea on getting my two boys to bond over Bond. :) So far my attempts on the first child haven't quite clicked so maybe his younger brother can bring him around.
Finally, my Dad was a fan of the movies, my Mom a fan of the books. Between them I guess it was inevitable that I would become a fan. LOL!
Not sure I saw OP on the big screen but I definitely remember going to see AVTAK with my mom two years later.
My dad (who’s 83) was always a Connery guy and his two favorite films are FRWL and GF.
Tbh I don’t think he has even seen the Brosnan and Craig films.
My 11yr old daughter has now seen all the Bond films, including NSNA and CR’67.
Her favorites are TB, OHMSS, LALD and… (yikes) QOS.
As for me, it all started with my brother actually liking Bond films, he got TWINE on VHS somewhere in 2000 and then he got that whole orange-black VHS collection set for his birthday.
One day I was ill and had to stay home from school and I started with DN and not before long I became the bigger James Bond fan.
Used to drag my mum with me to watch Bond (and other stuff too, like Hammer's Dracula :p). Her favourite was always 'the one with the cello girl', and as it happens that has also always been one of mine (as most of you know).
My own boy, just like my fellow Belgian @DarthDimi's, is only two, it is actually his birthday today :p , and I'll introduce him to Bond at the proper time for sure. He did have two 007-related baby vests already though, one read 'Licence to Spill' and the other 'Cry Another Day' :))
Happy B-day to your son, @GoldenGun! I like "Licence to Spill" and "Cry Another Day".
We are currently in the DN stage, because every thing we say is replied to with "No!".
However, he took me to see DAD out of my love for Bond opening weekend and he enjoyed it. He hated the Craig casting when announced. I remember being in Air Force tech school in Mississippi when CR came out and as soon as I left the theater, I called him saying I just watched the best Bond film ever and I couldn't wait to see it with him when I went on Christmas leave. We happened to catch it at one of those large megatheaters when it was down to like 1 or 2 showings a day. As soon as it was over, he gave me the biggest thumbs up ever. He agreed with me and retconned his comments a year earlier about Craig. We saw QOS through Spectre together and he thought Skyfall was Craig's best. I refused to watch NTTD with him solely due to the ending.
I have two boys, 10 and 8 who absolutely love the Bond films because of me. We watched GoldenEye two years ago on Father's Day and we watch most of them together. I think we only have a few left we haven't seen together. They would study "The Essential Bond" by Lee Worrall to gear up for the next film they wanted to watch.
Haha I can relate to that :))
And thanks, that's very kind :)
So young and already of such good taste! Especially appreciating QOS!
Congrats to your son @GoldenGun ! He's still too young to remember things probably, but as a goodnight-song Thunderball or You Only Live Twice may plant something for the future. I tried at least ;-)
My 13 year old son has enjoyed Bond and has seen most of the films at this point. We are going through on a Bond-a-thon. Right now we are up to OP.
So far he didn't much care for FYEO. Doesn't like TMWTGG. He tolerated OHMSS but since he's only young and hasn't read any of the books, I guess that is to be expected.
His favourite Bond is Craig's version, I am guessing he would rank Moore second.
His favourite movie is SF followed by CR.
I'm SO much looking foreward to doing that as well. Didn't work with my wife, she only saw CR but isnt interested.
My wife isn't too hot on Bond either. She sat through the entire collection once, and then watched CR - SP again in preperation for NTTD, which she enjoyed. But she's not interested in Bond overall and doesn't understand what I find so special about the series.
I consider myself lucky then, my other half quite likes Bond films and doesn't mind to watch one with me once in a while. I even remember our first date during which she mentioned she loves Octopussy... That and the shared love for good food and wine was enough for GG to continue his pursuit :p