The Best of BOND; Let's get this over with - Page 182

I actually LIKE that Diana Rigg's fairly take charge in the relationship.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Stockslivevan 

I agree, was refreshing for the series especially after YOLT (ex: the leading lady was so underdeveloped her isn't even mentioned at all).

Agreed.

Interestingly, the characterisation of Tracy in OHMSS follows the book quite closely. Bond's relatively more passive relationship with her in the book seems sub-textually to be driven by him finally breaking down the walls he had built up around himself after his experience with Vesper, and is consistent with the development by Fleming of Bond's distate for his work and a desire to quit. It's serendipity (or clever producing) that the Bond girls in the films needed a fresh approach, as Mr S correctly notes, and the character of Tracy and the story of OHMSS could achieve that.

Did OHMSS bomb? Seems strange that the promising direction - no matter who the actor was going to be thereafter - was so crudley cast aside in DAF.

Do audiences these days even care about Fleming's original depiction of Bond? I doubt most of them have never even read the books. Bronson and Moore's versions of Bond is their idea of the character.

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Originally Posted by felix 

Do audiences these days even care about Fleming's original depiction of Bond? I doubt most of them have never even read the books. Bronson and Moore's versions of Bond is their idea of the character.

Not sure if that was aimed at me, but I wasn't making that point particularly. I was just being a Bond book geek. The nice thing about Diana Rigg's performance was that it had roots in the books - which still mattered in the late sixties, I'd say - and served a strong, albeit ultimately wasted, purpose in the film series.

Saying that though, for a characterisation that arguably doesn't matter, it's extraordinary how much lip service is paid to fidelity by actors who take on the role. Espcially the actors that have followed Moore and Brosnan.

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Originally Posted by felix 

Do audiences these days even care about Fleming's original depiction of Bond? I doubt most of them have never even read the books. Bronson and Moore's versions of Bond is their idea of the character.

  To be honest, I have read any Fleming novels and I don't plan to. Connery wasn't Fleming's idea of Bond and at first wasn't happy with the casting. The one liners weren't in the novels; Connery and the director of Dr No came up with those on the set. Even Connery wasn't the Bond of the books.

I don't actually like Fleming all that much.

My problem with Grey is he isn't very menacing. DAF has its fun moments, but its not one of the better Bond movies.

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Originally Posted by Chaz 

For as much as I love OHMSS I don't like that Tracy is smacked by Bond, and decked by her father, who after wards says,"Spare the rod." I just don't like seeing man hit women. I know, aren't I Mr Sensitive.

Say goodbye to the thread, Chaz.

Uhhh...man talk

I recently saw DAF and SWLM on the big screen, and two things struck me: How ugly the photography of DAF is, and how in SWLM Curt Jurgens plays Stromberg (in many ways a Blofeld analog) absolutely straight, without a trace of camp.

Diamonds are Forever just looks like complete ass.

Aside from the elevator fight though(which is a really great brutal sequence) there's absolutely nothing worthwhile in that movie whatsoever.

The shift from the elegance of OHMSS to the sleaziness of DAF perfectly exemplifies why the 70's sucked shit compared to the 60's.

Those Skyfall trailers are fan-fucking-tastic.  And now it's time to play catch-up...

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Originally Posted by History Buff 

It would be cool to have Lazenby or Dalton do some voice over work for a Bond game but I guess that ship has sailed for both those guys.  

Had the From Russia With Love video game sold better, it might have happened.  The whole concept was to do a game adaptation from each "era", giving us Bond games with Lazenby, Moore, and Dalton voicing the role and lending their likeness.  Obviously Lazenby's would have been OHMSS.  I believe Moore's The Spy Who Loved Me was earmarked for a go and there were rumors that it would be altered to have Blofeld as the villain (as they had the character back by then and he was intended to be the villain in the original script), making it a pseudo-sequel to the Lazenby game.  I don't think they ever mentioned which Dalton one they would do.  I would have loved for an improved LTK, but I suspect Living Daylights would have been far more likely.

As a consolation we are getting this anthology 007 Legends game, I guess.  Better than nothing, but what was proposed could have been fun if it had caught on with the fans.

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Originally Posted by Slim 

I think this trailer is the first time in the Craig era we've seen an onscreen reference to Bond's military rank and branch of service, too.

I think you are right.  Let's also not forget that this is his first true appearance as "Bond, James Bond".  Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace are effectively Bond Begins: Parts 1&2, which is accentuated by the gun barrel sequence happening at the end of QoS as opposed to the beginning.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Stockslivevan 

Would make sense if this were a much younger and reckless Bond, in fact they were aiming for an early 20s actor before settling with Craig.

Funnily enough, the other three main contenders for the role....all of which were a good deal younger than Craig....have all hit their stride recently.  Sam Worthington is effectively a new action star.  Henry Cavill is the new Superman.  And the other one is one of the leads on the new Hawaii Five-O show.

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Originally Posted by Chaz 

 One of the things I like about QOS is that when Bond goes rouge, he gets the job done without MI6.

My favorite scene in the film is where his company card is declined and he flirts his way out of getting ratted out to MI6 by the travel agent.

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Originally Posted by MrBananaGrabber 

I've never seen DAD or QoS, worth netflixing?  Brosnan is my least favorite bond, and I still haven't warmed up to Craig.

 

I really need to watch LTK again.  It disturbed me so much when I saw it as a kid (Shark attack!  Exploding head! Benicio in a shredder!), I never revisited it.

LTK has a great Dalton performance and fantastic villains (Robert Davi, Benecio Del Toro) saddled with a problematic screenplay.  I love the entire set-up of the tale "Bond gone rogue and out to avenge his friend" but it loses its way a bit in places.  Well worth seeing though.  And definitely give QoS a look.  It's not nearly as bad as many say, it's just no Casino Royale.

Do with DAD as you please.  It's the worst of the lot.

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Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

I always cringe at those parts during old Bond movies.

 

Always.

Hush...man-talk!

But yeah, so do I.

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Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd 

For my money, the first actress that gave Diana Rigg a real challenge for best Bond Girl was Eva Green.

Agreed and I love how it coincidentally turns out that they are the only two women (outside of Moneypenny) that Bond has ever loved.

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Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

Diamonds are Forever just looks like complete ass.

 

Aside from the elevator fight though(which is a really great brutal sequence) there's absolutely nothing worthwhile in that movie whatsoever.

DAF is far from one of my favorites, but don't you dare even think of dismissing Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd.  They are easily among my favorite Bond villains.

Sean Connery sounded like he was about to have a stroke in his line readings from the FRML video game. 

Yeah, the execution of that game as a whole didn't really help when it came to the sales either.  It was middling at best.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Stockslivevan 


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a398622/daniel-craigs-james-bond-doesnt-have-a-heart-says-george-lazenby.html

It doesn't sound like he knows what he's talking about. Craig is one of the only men to play Bond as an actual human being.

I don't like Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Stockslivevan 

The sleaziness for me is one of the film's strengths. I can see why Connery would return for DAF: Tom Mankiewicz's script, and of course the big paycheck. It also makes a much better final entry than YOLT (or NSNA especially). I can't be the only one in this forum who enjoys DAF. So many great points it has:
Great diaogue, of course.
Shirley Bassey's best title song.
John Barry's socre.
Every scene with Jimmy Dean "I'll take in the john!"
Jill. St. John's Tiffany
Wint & Kidd, best henchmen of the 70s
Lana Wood's knockers.
It does have its flaws: Cheap f/x. Bambi and Thumper kicking Bond's ass (and then him miraculously handling them in the pool). Guy Hamilton never seemed comfortable shooting in panavision scope so it's really lacking there. Finally the climax that abruptly ends because they scrapped the finaly showdown between Bond and Blofeld (which would see the death of Blofeld).
Aside from those flaws, I can't help but grin as I watch the flick. It's a great start for the 70s much like MOONRAKER was a great end for the decade.

It's interesting, I actually agree with all of the great points you mentioned. The title song is among the series' best (and on the right day, possibly my favorite), the score is very cool, and the dialogue sparkles. And Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd are fantastic characters who pop up just enough without wearing out their welcome.

I think it's the chintzy look of the production, amateurish editing/dubbing (mainly in the pre-credits sequence - yuck!) the terrible hair on everyone, the Vegas setting and general "Americanized" tone that really puts me off from DAF. It truly is one of my least favorites in the series, but I can't deny that it has its charms.

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Originally Posted by felix 

Do audiences these days even care about Fleming's original depiction of Bond? 

They don't, but it matters to me a little.

I like Fleming and the literary Bond. What's great about Craig is that he's the closest we've come to that, personality-wise. Fleming's Bond is a depressive, whose occupation and lifestyle wear on his nerve after a time, who sometimes worries about dying in a random airliner crash.

Craig, even in QOS, gets some of that across.

   I read that Lazenby interview too. When I read the too violent line, I wondered if he forgot about the scene where he chokes someone to death with a ski. He came off as classless when he said Rigg and him where going to have an affair as long as he didn't hook up with anybody else. She then caught him in the act with another woman, and they never hooked up. It looks like he was a tool then and a tool now.

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Originally Posted by Clarence Boddicker 

 

Say goodbye to the thread, Chaz.

 

Uhhh...man talk

 

There is a difference between a little smack on the ass and belting a woman in the face. Also he had the gun out of her hand. She wasn't a threat.

PS I do love the man talk line.

Both of them are cringe inducing for me.

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Originally Posted by Dr Harford 

The climax of Dr. No has Bond fighting for his life against a giant squid, and it was a pretty iconic moment for the character. I think it would be really cool to have 007 sent on a mission in shark infested waters for the next film, so Daniel Craig's Bond might face off with a shark.

This would have been cool had I not seen Sterling Archer shoot a shark in the face then become a Pirate King and formed a South Pacific pirate Lacrosse league.

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Originally Posted by MrTyres 

 

 

This would have been cool had I not seen Sterling Archer shoot a shark in the face then become a Pirate King and formed a South Pacific pirate Lacrosse league.

Lana... Lana! LANA!!

License to Kill: I may have just been in a really good, but I enjoyed it a good deal.  Benicio and Davi bring tons of crazy menace, and it is a perfect 80's period piece.

I should have watched the commentary though, did a bunch of characters screen time get cut?  It was the end of the movie before I realized General Heller was American, among other things.

More character beats probably would have slowed the thing to a crawl though, so my only real complaints is are the weakish score, and not very good opening song.

The DVD from netflix didn't have the deleted scenes, thanks!  I think they all should have stayed.  Also, my crush on Carey Lowell hasn't gone anywhere.

Still surprised at the violence, but that was the time period.  LTK, Enemy Mine, and Temple of Doom are among the goriest PG-13 movies I've seen.  Nowadays they can get away with anything as long as there's no blood.

Ha, really?  Fascinating.

When Bond goes to the United states, he always seems to head South.  Wasn't he in Florida for Casino Royale too?

MrBannanaGrabber, Except for...Live And Let Die, which included 007 in New York City!

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Originally Posted by MrBananaGrabber 

Ha, really?  Fascinating.

 

When Bond goes to the United states, he always seems to head South.  Wasn't he in Florida for Casino Royale too?

He does make it as far north as San Francisco in VIEW.  

Both of those are kind of depressing.

In addition to MOONRAKER being considered a "classic" according to the game.

It is too bad that Brosnan's level isn't Tomorrow Never Dies.  The Addition of License To Kill puts me in...007TH Heaven!  While I am glad that Moonraker was chosen over View To A Kill, The Spy Who Loved Me would have been perfect for the game.  Lotus Turbo Espirit Submersible.  Nuff Said.  The last time the Lotus sub was in a Bond Game was for the...Commodore 64 James Bond 007 by Parker Bros.

Moonraker is a terrible movie.