New thoughts on Connery's last four Bond movies...

135

Comments

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,412
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    I think, like many here, Jerry Goldsmith would have produced a superb score for NSNA. I had the pleasure of working with the great composer on 1985's King Solomon's Mines, he did it as a favour for his friend, director and gentleman, J Lee Thompson. I asked Mr. Goldsmith about NSNA and he shrugged (he was a man of few words) and said something like, "Just a rumor, but it needed a strong new theme." He didn't elaborate, but I think we can conclude he would have done a great job.

    Oh wow that's amazing! You were editing on that?

    King Solomon's is one of those where he really overdelivered again: the theme to that is absolutely superb and more than just the Raiders knockoff he was presumably asked for.
  • 1. DAF: Out of the 4, this film is funny and sticks to it. It might be poor overall but it does have an interesting premise in terms of plot with the idea of SPECTRE consuming a gang and a race to the next part of the pipeline
    2. TB: slow paced and boring. When the interesting parts happen I can't forgive it for the slow, bumbling and convoluted stuff at Shrublands with Derval, in contrast to the snappier and simpler introduction of Petacchi in the novel. Editing is poor as well
    3. YOLT: uninteresting, full of nonsense but an incredible soundtrack
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?
  • Posts: 1,368
    1. DAF: Out of the 4, this film is funny and sticks to it. It might be poor overall but it does have an interesting premise in terms of plot with the idea of SPECTRE consuming a gang and a race to the next part of the pipeline
    2. TB: slow paced and boring. When the interesting parts happen I can't forgive it for the slow, bumbling and convoluted stuff at Shrublands with Derval, in contrast to the snappier and simpler introduction of Petacchi in the novel. Editing is poor as well
    3. YOLT: uninteresting, full of nonsense but an incredible soundtrack
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?


    It's the same but different. That was the whole point.

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited November 18 Posts: 16,412
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?

    Yes I always think that's nuts. I bet half the audience didn't even notice they're so similar, but imagine how much it cost!
    Apparently NSNA actually cost more than Octopussy in the same year: I think that's where Broccoli showed he's the better producer as all that money was on the screen.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited November 18 Posts: 6,304
    Wasn't a lot of NSNA Connery's fee, and also tax reasons why it was shot in the Bahamas? He made something like $35M as a producer? At the time I recall Moore was getting $1-2M per film in salary.
  • edited November 18 Posts: 1,368
    I guess the Bahamas thing was for legal reasons.

    Anyway It seems that Largo loved France but he didn't like paying taxes.
  • Posts: 4,161
    mtm wrote: »
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?

    Yes I always think that's nuts. I bet half the audience didn't even notice they're so similar, but imagine how much it cost!
    Apparently NSNA actually cost more than Octopussy in the same year: I think that's where Broccoli showed he's the better producer as all that money was on the screen.

    Would never have guessed that. NSNA on the whole doesn’t look low budget necessarily, but there are times where you get the sense it’s not lavish (the weird jet pack scene is an example where it looks as though they’ve borrowed props from a sci fi b movie from the 1950s or something).
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited November 18 Posts: 16,412
    Yeah it's not low budget, but doesn't have any spectacle to rival Octopussy's really (OP has Bond hanging onto the outside of a speeding train and plane: NSNA has some scuba swimming? And a very tame bike chase), and it's that weird situation where shooting stuff on location in real buildings actually manages to look cheaper than shooting on sets in a studio. M's office is clearly a real place, but it looks drafty and cold and somehow uninhabited compared to the Eon set version; and Shrublands is a luxury resort which looks like it has the cold, dark corridors of your least favourite old school. I guess the sets feel perfectly suited to what they're supposed to be, whereas the location interiors in NSNA feel like they're close enough and that'll have to do.
  • edited November 18 Posts: 1,368
    The jet pàck is fine. It's not the alligator boat or something like that. ;)

    mtm wrote: »
    Yeah it's not low budget, but doesn't have any spectacle to rival Octopussy's really (OP has Bond hanging onto the outside of a speeding train and plane: NSNA has some scuba swimming? And a very tame bike chase), and it's that weird situation where shooting stuff on location in real buildings actually manages to look cheaper than shooting on sets in a studio. M's office is clearly a real place, but it looks drafty and cold and somehow uninhabited compared to the Eon set version; and Shrublands is a luxury resort which looks like it has the cold, dark corridors of your least favourite old school. I guess the sets feel perfectly suited to what they're supposed to be, whereas the location interiors in NSNA feel like they're close enough and that'll have to do.

    Well, If it looks cold it's because it has to look cold. That's what the movie is about.
  • edited November 18 Posts: 4,161
    The jet pàck is fine. It's not the alligator boat or something like that. ;)
    .

    I’m actually fine with the alligator sub. At least it’s used in the film in a way that makes sense. In NSNA Felix and Bond get shot out of missiles, use the jet packs to fly to a nearby bit of water and then just go back in anyway. It’s so strange and it looks awful.
    mtm wrote: »
    Yeah it's not low budget, but doesn't have any spectacle to rival Octopussy's really (OP has Bond hanging onto the outside of a speeding train and plane: NSNA has some scuba swimming? And a very tame bike chase), and it's that weird situation where shooting stuff on location in real buildings actually manages to look cheaper than shooting on sets in a studio. M's office is clearly a real place, but it looks drafty and cold and somehow uninhabited compared to the Eon set version; and Shrublands is a luxury resort which looks like it has the cold, dark corridors of your least favourite old school. I guess the sets feel perfectly suited to what they're supposed to be, whereas the location interiors in NSNA feel like they're close enough and that'll have to do.

    Yeah, it’s always struck me just how dreary even the Bahamas looks in that film.
  • Posts: 1,368
    007HallY wrote: »
    The jet pàck is fine. It's not the alligator boat or something like that. ;)
    .

    I’m actually fine with the alligator sub. At least it’s used in the film in a way that makes sense. In NSNA Felix and Bond get shot out of missiles, use the jet packs to fly to a nearby bit of water and then just go back in anyway. It’s so strange and it looks awful.

    It makes sense. The submarine can't bring them any closer.
  • Posts: 4,161
    007HallY wrote: »
    The jet pàck is fine. It's not the alligator boat or something like that. ;)
    .

    I’m actually fine with the alligator sub. At least it’s used in the film in a way that makes sense. In NSNA Felix and Bond get shot out of missiles, use the jet packs to fly to a nearby bit of water and then just go back in anyway. It’s so strange and it looks awful.

    It makes sense. The submarine can't bring them any closer.

    Well, it feels like they tried to devise a cool sequence and one up TB… but yeah, I’m afraid for me it looks really naff and adds nothing. It’s actually quite unintentionally funny in my opinion.
  • Posts: 1,368
    It's a Bond movie. Makes more sense than a balloon with Union Jack.
  • edited November 18 Posts: 4,161
    It's a Bond movie. Makes more sense than a balloon with Union Jack.

    Yeah, but Bond movie spectacle actually has to be spectacle, or at the very least it has to have a semblance of being gripping or just fun. Even the Union Jack balloon, ridiculous as it is, comes for the final fight and is effectively Bond swooping in to save the day.

    The jetpack scene but just isn’t anything. It’s not really a stunt and even in the context of the film it adds nothing. It’s certainly not fun, and in fact the main reason I find it funny is due to how anti-climactic it is. You could get rid of it and it’d make no difference (in fact in many ways it’d be better and would tighten the film/avoid such an embarrassing moment).
  • edited November 18 Posts: 1,368
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's a Bond movie. Makes more sense than a balloon with Union Jack.

    Yeah, but Bond movie spectacle actually has to be spectacle, or at the very least it has to have a semblance of being gripping or just fun. Even the Union Jack balloon, ridiculous as it is, comes for the final fight and is effectively Bond swooping in to save the day.

    The jetpack scene but just isn’t anything. It’s not really a stunt and even in the context of the film it adds nothing. It certainly not fun. You could get rid of it and it’d make no difference (in fact in many ways it’d be better and would tighten the film/avoid such an embarrassing moment).

    Well, It's a cool gadget. They could have used a boat but this is cooler.

    In TSWLM Bond rides a jet ski. It was cool in the 70's and now It doesn't seem like anything special.

    NSNA jet pack was a... well, a jet pack. It was a gadget and it still looks like a gadget.
  • Posts: 4,161
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's a Bond movie. Makes more sense than a balloon with Union Jack.

    Yeah, but Bond movie spectacle actually has to be spectacle, or at the very least it has to have a semblance of being gripping or just fun. Even the Union Jack balloon, ridiculous as it is, comes for the final fight and is effectively Bond swooping in to save the day.

    The jetpack scene but just isn’t anything. It’s not really a stunt and even in the context of the film it adds nothing. It certainly not fun. You could get rid of it and it’d make no difference (in fact in many ways it’d be better and would tighten the film/avoid such an embarrassing moment).

    Well, It's a cool gadget. They could have used a boat but this is cooler.

    In TSWLM Bond rides a jet ski. It was cool in the 70's and now It doesn't seem like anything special.

    NSNA jet pack was a... well jet pack. It was a gadget and it still looks like a gadget.

    Like I said it looks distinctly dated even in the film. Very b-movie 1950s sci fi. Anyway, it’d been done in TB so surely the idea was a bit of a cliche even then?

    My issue isn’t that it’s ridiculous, it’s that it’s not cool at all. It doesn’t even one up the TB scene, and that’s not exactly the best Bond stunt.
  • Posts: 1,368
    Cars with gagets are a cliche too. And we have a lot of them.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited November 18 Posts: 16,412
    It's funny how there is this little sub-genre of Bond vehicles which is 'vehicles Bond uses to get the final act which are often supposed to be spectacular in themselves': we have these NSNA rocket pods, DAD's Switchblades, TSWLM's Wetbike, OP's hot air balloon, NTTD's Q Glider... are there more? Maybe DAF's inflatable ball thing, TMWTGG's slightly odd light aircraft.
  • 1. DAF: Out of the 4, this film is funny and sticks to it. It might be poor overall but it does have an interesting premise in terms of plot with the idea of SPECTRE consuming a gang and a race to the next part of the pipeline
    2. TB: slow paced and boring. When the interesting parts happen I can't forgive it for the slow, bumbling and convoluted stuff at Shrublands with Derval, in contrast to the snappier and simpler introduction of Petacchi in the novel. Editing is poor as well
    3. YOLT: uninteresting, full of nonsense but an incredible soundtrack
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?


    It's the same but different. That was the whole point.

    Why travel, why chase if the setting is barely different? From a story perspective, yeah it makes sense for the villain to set up shot in multiple tropical locations, but for storytelling reasons, why have another location if nothing is different from the last?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited November 18 Posts: 16,412
    It is weird. They're sort of hampered in that it has to be somewhere the Flying Saucer would go, so another coastal location. But you'd think even then you could vary it a little, somewhere not tropical.
    Actually, I haven't seen it for a while, but doesn't Bond follow Largo to France from the Bahamas? How come the yacht gets there so quickly? Or does Bond just hang around in the Bahamas for a couple of weeks or so after Largo leaves? :D

    Bond actually doesn't accomplish anything in the Bahamas in the film, it's a weirdly wasted trip. All he finds out is that the boat sailed the morning he got there, and then Fatima tries to kill him, then he leaves!
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited November 18 Posts: 7,132
    mtm wrote: »
    It's funny how there is this little sub-genre of Bond vehicles which is 'vehicles Bond uses to get the final act which are often supposed to be spectacular in themselves': we have these NSNA rocket pods, DAD's Switchblades, TSWLM's Wetbike, OP's hot air balloon, NTTD's Q Glider... are there more? Maybe DAF's inflatable ball thing, TMWTGG's slightly odd light aircraft.

    In SF he goes to Skyfall with the DB5, and I suppose you could say in FRWL he uses the Orient Express to go to the final showdown...

    Edit: and in TB he goes to the underwater mayhem with that yellow-exhaust kind of thing on his back.
  • edited November 18 Posts: 1,368
    1. DAF: Out of the 4, this film is funny and sticks to it. It might be poor overall but it does have an interesting premise in terms of plot with the idea of SPECTRE consuming a gang and a race to the next part of the pipeline
    2. TB: slow paced and boring. When the interesting parts happen I can't forgive it for the slow, bumbling and convoluted stuff at Shrublands with Derval, in contrast to the snappier and simpler introduction of Petacchi in the novel. Editing is poor as well
    3. YOLT: uninteresting, full of nonsense but an incredible soundtrack
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?


    It's the same but different. That was the whole point.

    Why travel, why chase if the setting is barely different? From a story perspective, yeah it makes sense for the villain to set up shot in multiple tropical locations, but for storytelling reasons, why have another location if nothing is different from the last?

    Look, this is a remake with many legal restrictions (Thanks, EON). They were trying to be a little different from the original movie.

    The same but different. That's all.

    Yes, there is not much contrast, but that also happens in LALD and in LTK.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,412
    Yes that is true. In LTK in particular, I was never very keen on that having two locations which felt so similar.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    1. DAF: Out of the 4, this film is funny and sticks to it. It might be poor overall but it does have an interesting premise in terms of plot with the idea of SPECTRE consuming a gang and a race to the next part of the pipeline
    2. TB: slow paced and boring. When the interesting parts happen I can't forgive it for the slow, bumbling and convoluted stuff at Shrublands with Derval, in contrast to the snappier and simpler introduction of Petacchi in the novel. Editing is poor as well
    3. YOLT: uninteresting, full of nonsense but an incredible soundtrack
    4. NSNA: Thunderball, but more boring, sillier and farther from the novel. Why the hell swap the Bahamas for what is pretty much the same sort of location in the South of France?


    It's the same but different. That was the whole point.

    Why travel, why chase if the setting is barely different? From a story perspective, yeah it makes sense for the villain to set up shot in multiple tropical locations, but for storytelling reasons, why have another location if nothing is different from the last?

    Look, this is a remake with many legal restrictions (Thanks, EON). They were trying to be a little different from the original movie.

    The same but different. That's all.

    Yes, there is not much contrast, but that also happens in LALD and in LTK.

    It's odd. While they were restricted, they were able to get away with a training exercise to open the movie (FRWL) and, perhaps most surprisingly, a comedic Q and doting Moneypenny, neither of which seem particularly tied to TB and seem like Eon IP to me.

    It would be interesting to know which Broccoli/McClory lawsuit book is the best because I would like to understand all the attempted remakes better.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,431
    I think Q was more of a smart ass and had an almost friendship with Bond. There was no mention of "returning your equipment". In fact the character said he hoped for gratuitous sex and violence. I can't see Desmond's Q vocalizing that.

    It is a fascinating part of movie history that we are privy to. McClory was hamstrung by how far afield he could go. In the end he kept many of the original elements of the book and film. This was likely to the detriment as for many this wasn't different enough. I do like the decision to have less reliance on the underwater action. It speeds up the plot a bit. I also think how they introduce Shrublands is better handled in NSNA. In TB Bond is there and we are never told why. I think getting rid of Count Lippe was another improvement as in the film we never really understand why Bond and Lippe antagonize each other. Bond comes across as being jealous that Lippe is spending time with Pat. Lippe seems to be upset that Bond noticed his tattoo.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    I like the mood in the Shrublands sequence of TB--undoubtedly lifted by Barry's score--but the entire sequence makes little sense (doubles! people skulking around! phones ringing and ringing!) and needed sharper writing or editing.
  • edited November 19 Posts: 1,368
    thedove wrote: »
    I think Q was more of a smart ass and had an almost friendship with Bond. There was no mention of "returning your equipment". In fact the character said he hoped for gratuitous sex and violence. I can't see Desmond's Q vocalizing that.

    It is a fascinating part of movie history that we are privy to. McClory was hamstrung by how far afield he could go. In the end he kept many of the original elements of the book and film. This was likely to the detriment as for many this wasn't different enough. I do like the decision to have less reliance on the underwater action. It speeds up the plot a bit. I also think how they introduce Shrublands is better handled in NSNA. In TB Bond is there and we are never told why. I think getting rid of Count Lippe was another improvement as in the film we never really understand why Bond and Lippe antagonize each other. Bond comes across as being jealous that Lippe is spending time with Pat. Lippe seems to be upset that Bond noticed his tattoo.

    The funny thing is that now we have a lot of different Qs and Moneypennys and no one complains.

    The tattoo thing is like "red wine and fish". Snobbery of the time.
  • Posts: 1,493
    mtm wrote: »
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    I think, like many here, Jerry Goldsmith would have produced a superb score for NSNA. I had the pleasure of working with the great composer on 1985's King Solomon's Mines, he did it as a favour for his friend, director and gentleman, J Lee Thompson. I asked Mr. Goldsmith about NSNA and he shrugged (he was a man of few words) and said something like, "Just a rumor, but it needed a strong new theme." He didn't elaborate, but I think we can conclude he would have done a great job.

    Oh wow that's amazing! You were editing on that?

    King Solomon's is one of those where he really overdelivered again: the theme to that is absolutely superb and more than just the Raiders knockoff he was presumably asked for.

    Yes, Mr. Goldsmith took every film as seriously as the best ones he did. I remember his Music Editor, Ken Hall, being very excited after first hearing Jerry playing the theme on his piano in his London apartment. He would have done the same excellent work on NSNA.
  • Posts: 4,161
    thedove wrote: »
    I think Q was more of a smart ass and had an almost friendship with Bond. There was no mention of "returning your equipment". In fact the character said he hoped for gratuitous sex and violence. I can't see Desmond's Q vocalizing that.

    It is a fascinating part of movie history that we are privy to. McClory was hamstrung by how far afield he could go. In the end he kept many of the original elements of the book and film. This was likely to the detriment as for many this wasn't different enough. I do like the decision to have less reliance on the underwater action. It speeds up the plot a bit. I also think how they introduce Shrublands is better handled in NSNA. In TB Bond is there and we are never told why. I think getting rid of Count Lippe was another improvement as in the film we never really understand why Bond and Lippe antagonize each other. Bond comes across as being jealous that Lippe is spending time with Pat. Lippe seems to be upset that Bond noticed his tattoo.

    I agree that they streamlined a lot of the Shrubland stuff and it works better. I actually like the more laid back Q as well (although the gratuitous sex and violence line is a bit cringey/on the nose). Not as keen on Moneypenny or Fox’s M.
  • edited November 19 Posts: 1,368
    Shrubland in Thunderball was fine. It was the underwater stuff (stealing the bombs, hiding the Vulcan) what should have been shortened.

    GE has the same problen with the Servernaya thing. Where is Bond?

    Kershner was smart. He didn't let Bond disappear from the film with a parallel editing.
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