yeah forgot about seans rug it looked awful, in fact that may be why it is not #1 with me lol I personally think things started going silly with Goldfinger
Connery's toupee was a little obvious but I still consider it to be the second greatest Bond performance of all time.
When I first read that sentence, I though it would continue with "second greatest toupee of all time"... )
Second only to William "Rug? What rug?" Shatner's assortment.
Hey, hey, hey, don't diss the Shat-man!! Bond only got laid on Earth, but Captain Kirk fornicated all over the galaxy! He was recently roasted on the Comedy Central cable network; his toupee got the brunt of the barbs (along with his girdle and the recently outed Mr. Sulu).
Thunderball was a very "business like" bond movie which in someways made it a tad dull (in addition to those overly long underwater sequences (as nice filmed and beautiful looking as they are). In contrast, the previous bond Goldfinger was short (indeed the shortest of all the bonds which works in its favour) and was more personal and linear..thus more audience friendly. Appart from the final couple of action scenes, all the other action scenes in Thunderball felt a bit under-developed and over too quickly.
Hey, hey, hey, don't diss the Shat-man!! Bond only got laid on Earth, but Captain Kirk fornicated all over the galaxy! He was recently roasted on the Comedy Central cable network; his toupee got the brunt of the barbs (along with his girdle and the recently outed Mr. Sulu).
To baldly go where no man has gone before? Don't diss Captain Kirk or there'll be hell toupee?
Would that be... illogical?
Hey, hey, hey, don't diss the Shat-man!! Bond only got laid on Earth, but Captain Kirk fornicated all over the galaxy! He was recently roasted on the Comedy Central cable network; his toupee got the brunt of the barbs (along with his girdle and the recently outed Mr. Sulu).
To baldly go where no man has gone before? Don't diss Captain Kirk or there'll be hell toupee?
Would that be... illogical?
PS Didn't see that show, sounds like fun!
Glad you didn't wig out on my little joke! Given people's strong opinions around here, things do sometimes get a little hairy.
But I am surprised you've never seen an episode of the show. Trek was one of the first things I ever saw when I came to America; I was five years old at the time and it had a profound effect on me. I actually learned to speak english watching the old reruns and they instilled an interest in science and computers in me that survives to this day (I even majored in computer science in college). I'm sure it looks somewhat hokey by today's standards but I still love it.
Live long and prosper.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Hey, hey, hey, don't diss the Shat-man!! Bond only got laid on Earth, but Captain Kirk fornicated all over the galaxy! He was recently roasted on the Comedy Central cable network; his toupee got the brunt of the barbs (along with his girdle and the recently outed Mr. Sulu).
To baldly go where no man has gone before? Don't diss Captain Kirk or there'll be hell toupee?
Would that be... illogical?
PS Didn't see that show, sounds like fun!
Then judging from your region, Barbel, you'd love Scotty. Doohan wasn't a true Scotsman but he was one of my favorites from the show. You definetely should check it out...
I remember playing Kirk all of the time during recess as a kid just to get to kiss the prettiest girl who was game enough to play. As Kirk slept with not just different races but different species of female. lol
Besides I had the best Shatner impression of my class and the other guys just ate it up. )
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Guys, you're misunderstanding me! OF COURSE we get Trek here! I'm a fan! (To my left as I type this are DVDs, books and videos from various incarnations of the series/films. The Bond stuff, which takes up ever so slightly more space , is behind me.)
I mean I didn't see the Shatner roast on Comedy Central. That would have been fun. And, while I love Scotty, James Doohan's accent may work in every other country in the world but it doesn't work here. I believe in one episode he implied that he came from Aberdeen- not with those inflections, he doesn't.
Guys, you're misunderstanding me! OF COURSE we get Trek here! I'm a fan! (To my left as I type this are DVDs, books and videos from various incarnations of the series/films. The Bond stuff, which takes up ever so slightly more space , is behind me.)
I mean I didn't see the Shatner roast on Comedy Central. That would have been fun. And, while I love Scotty, James Doohan's accent may work in every other country in the world but it doesn't work here. I believe in one episode he implied that he came from Aberdeen- not with those inflections, he doesn't.
Oops, mea culpa! The Shatner roast was funny, but often in very, very, very bad taste (as is the norm at these "events"). Still, William Tiberius Shatner (as he called himself at one point) took it all in good stride and gave a very funny monologue at the end. If you're curious, I believe you can see clips from the show at comedycentral.com.
And as an FYI, the old animated Star Trek show from the early 70's is being released on DVD this fall (Novemberish here in the states). The MSRP is $35 US currency. James Doohan really earned his money on the animated show as he voiced a ton of characters in many shows.
To everyone else, apologies for hijacking this thread. Back to topic...
And as an FYI, the old animated Star Trek show from the early 70's is being released on DVD this fall (Novemberish here in the states). The MSRP is $35 US currency. James Doohan really earned his money on the animated show as he voiced a ton of characters in many shows.
To everyone else, apologies for hijacking this thread. Back to topic...
Thanks, I read about that elsewhere- Mr Doohan, as he did on TOS, supplied a lot of alien voices to save money on guests! Probably won't buy TAS unless it's a bargain.
However, as you say, back on topic! TB is one of my faves, primarily for John Barry's wonderful score and the 60s atmosphere. I admit that it does drag in places, but the plus points (Sean, the music, Sean, the fair amount of almost verbatim Fleming dialogue, Sean, Fiona Volpe ( -{ ), and did I mention Sean?) outweigh that!
Another reason I love TB is the PTS; it's basically a mini-adventure unto itself and has so many great moments: Bond slugging the "grieving widow", the brutal fight, Bond throwing flowers on Boutier's corpse even as the guards are breaking thru the door, and his audacious escape via a jet pack ("No well dressed man should be without one"). All punctuated by John Barry's awesome score.
Said this before and I will say it again, TB is one of the Best Bond movies ever. It is what a Bond movie should be, BIG. Awesome PTS, best score ever (my favorite soundtrack to listen to), best group of Bond girls ever (Molly Peters, Claudine Auger, Lucianna Paluzzi :x and Martine Beswick), great villian, well constructed action scenes, suspense, great henchman Philip Locke as Vargas, intoxicating tropical backdrop to the movie, some of the more interesting sex scenes ever in a Bond movie (Molly Peters in the sauna and a spirited twist with Paluzzi), a plot that is easy to follow and believable, and Sean Connery in one of his better performances. Never get tired of watching it.
Said this before and I will say it again, TB is one of the Best Bond movies ever. It is what a Bond movie should be, BIG. Awesome PTS, best score ever (my favorite soundtrack to listen to), best group of Bond girls ever (Molly Peters, Claudine Auger, Lucianna Paluzzi Love Heart and Martine Beswick), great villian, well constructed action scenes, suspense, great henchman Philip Locke as Vargas, intoxicating tropical backdrop to the movie, some of the more interesting sex scenes ever in a Bond movie (Molly Peters in the sauna and a spirited twist with Paluzzi), a plot that is easy to follow and believable, and Sean Connery in one of his better performances. Never get tired of watching it.
We agree on most things, Barry, but I want to make a somewhat qualified response to this.
It's become a part of the expectation that Bond movies be "big," but I don't necessarily agree that it's what it should be. I've been a Bond fan since about the age of 6 years old, and I admittedly started with the films (thanks, in no small measure, to my dad, who is a big Bond fan himself). I really started getting serious about it about sophomore year of high school, when I started reading the novels. The one thing that really hooked me about the novels and got me serious about Bond is the character himself in the novels. Here's a guy who has some of the image that is portrayed on film (ruggedly handsome, very good with the ladies, cool lifestyle, well-traveled to many exotic locales), but at the same time, he is a man who is greatly tormented, world-weary, choleric, frustrated with life and his job, and a bit depressed, but who still possesses romantic notions of duty, honor, and loyalty. Being a shy, unsure, socially akward, frustrated, short-tempered, somewhat depressed young man myself who had loads of bad luck with girls, I responded to him in a huge way: here was a guy who has everything that I want, but at the same time, he experiences the same thoughts and feelings as I do, and who expresses them much in the same way.
With that said, I began to look very hard for Fleming's character in the films. I understand that it's very hard to portray everything about him and that audiences don't go to Bond movies for a lot of character development, and I also understand that there must be some fantasy involved in a Bond story: after all, here's a guy who gets to live the coolest lifestyle you can conceive. But I at least want to see traces of this character: traces of the feelings he expresses in the novels, so that I can still identify with him. Having this makes me enjoy his exploits even more. I want to see the vigorously subdued sadness in Dalton's eye when he catches Della's garter in LTK. I want to see the caring, almost ballsy, admission of fear Connery gives to Honey in comforting her in DN.
With regards to TB, I will say that, IMO, this is the most fun movie to watch. I love the women in this to death, and in fact wouldn't mind having all four at the same time. Largo might just be the best Bond villan. And there are sprinkles of the character that I like to see: the sense of duty to Caplan when she goes missing and the regret in his eye when he finds her dead, the sense of regret in informing Domino of her brother, the loss of control when he is on the stretcher, etc.. I would like to see a little more of this, and I generally like a little darker story, but it is still a hell of a movie. I'll rank it #5 on my list.
I watched Thunderball last night and it is my opinion that the underwater sequence are not too long. The general consensus on this forum is that the underwater sequences detract from the film and I disagree entirely.
I think Connery peaks in this film, his best performance as Bond. The villians are excellent - think of Number 1 executing Number 7 for embezzlement. The scenes between Largo and Bond are brilliant because they both know who each other are. The Bond girls are also impeccable. Fiona Volpe and Domino are among the best in the series.
The plot is believable, music superb and the one-lines are hilarious.
"I think he got the point"
"mind if my friend sits this one out, she's just dead"
"do you know much about guns Mr Bond?"
"No, I know a little about women"
In all a brilliant film and in my opinion almost on par with the first 3. I think the underwater scenes are unfairly criticised and always enjoy watching this film.
Connery's performance is fine and pretty much as good as in the earlier films. But this has always been my least favourite of the Connery films. I think of this one as kind of 'Moonraker' underwater, even though it's obviously better than that. I just think it lacks depth and is purely a spectacle due to the big budget that was available. As someone who hates almost any scenes underwater with a vengeance, the sheer amount of them here beggars belief. The pacing is SO slow, imho.
It's a shame, because the rest of the film is pretty enjoyable. Great pre credits scene, a gorgeous, hugely desirable yet deadly villainess in Fiona Volpe, some terrific action scenes and lots of great lines. With some cutting this could have been better regarded- I read somewhere even the director Terence Young felt the film was bogged down and too long. This gets 3/5 from me- a shame because the three previous films are all 5/5 winners for me.
I wouldn't call this the best James Bond film, but this is well within my top five favourites. Sean Connery's performance is superb as usual, and the storyline is fairly much as it has been written by Ian Fleming. I will agree, however, that the underwater sequences and the theft of the Vulcan scenes seems far too dragged out, and the pace of the film is rather slow at times. Having said that, I still love the story, I still love Sean's performance, the scenes between Largo/Bond/Fiona are well written and acted, the girls are beautiful and the one-liners are brilliant ... overall, I'd probably rate this film at 8/10.
Lucina Paluzzi's character Fiona Volpe is, in my opinion and probably many others, one of the absolute best femme fatales in the history of film. Paluzzi plays that part so stunningly well, and is extremely gorgeous.
Lucina Paluzzi's character Fiona Volpe is, in my opinion and probably many others, one of the absolute best femme fatales in the history of film. Paluzzi plays that part so stunningly well, and is extremely gorgeous.
I agree. Luciana Paluzzi just exudes sex appeal in the movie. It is so obvious that she strung along Francois Derval. When he says that he may not be in the mood and she counters "You want to bet?" you just know she is in control.
And in bed with Bond and she calls him "Mr. Bond, James Bond" you can hear using her allure again. She may have been playing a dangerous game, but she enjoyed it. Probably one of the sexiest scenes in the entire series.
And even today, she still looks hot. What is it about Italian women? Both she and Sophia Loren look fantastic even though they are considerably more mature.
In terms of sex appeal. they only subsequent henchwoman who could be compared to LP is Famke Jansssen in GoldenEye. Beautiful, lethal and just plain hot.
Luciana Paluzzi's gorgeous but deadly assassin Fiona Volpe is the only particularly interesting villain in the film. This is still the weakest Connery film to me- although Connery's performance here is better here than in YOLT, I'm not surprised that Connery was tired in that film (I find YOLT to be better paced with some far more exciting action scenes) after doing this one- the script just gives him no depth at all and he's basically superhuman here- this film really is the forerunner of Moonraker, though at least it spares us the awful jokes that did.
I think this is another 3/5 for the occasional great moments but the quagmire of dullness here is unbelievable. The last underwater battle is actually quite exciting though, in fairness, with a sense of pace every other underwater scene lacked.
I would consider THUNDERBALL to be Connery's And did Bond lose some sense of intelligence during his baccarat game with Largo? He kept repeating the word, "spectre", and in the process, aroused the suspicion of the villain. What on earth was he thinking?
Still, TB is my seventh favorite Bond film and I feel that it was Connery's second best.
I don't think Bond lost any intelligence. It's just part of the cat and mouse game that he and Largo played with each other. Largo carried it through when he asked Bond if he would like to see over the Disco Volante. They were sizing each other up and were well aware that they were enemies. It's been a recurring event throughout the movies, and it was done particularly well here.
1. Gorgous Woman esp. Fiona
2. Locations
3. Recovering Scene
4. Nassau Scenes
5. John Barry Score
6. PTS
Bad:
1. Vulcan Scenes
2. Cinematograpy
3. Special FX
4. Boat Scene at end
5. THE TRANSITIONS BETWEEN SCENES
6. Scenes at the RAF and with M where Bond wasnt present
I do enjoy this movie, but i think its quite a poorly put together film.
I understand the grumble about the 'spectre' scene. Mentioning it once was amusing, mentioning it twice was not and gave the game away completely. I think this sums up the, imo, overkill of this film.
I agree that the last boat scene/fight was a bit of a negative- very choppily edited with shoddy back projection. I too think perhaps it was a bit rushed- it certainly looks it to me, anyway.
The re-editing of the movie is the answer to that. Now the movie looks like this:
- Bond chats with Domino
- Bond goes to the Casino
- He plays with Largo
- Bond dances with Domino
- Bond goes home to the hotel
- He finds Quist in the shower
- Quist reports to Largo and is killed
Now this is how it was originally planned and was intended to be released until the final edit:
- Bond chats with Domino
- Bond goes home to the hotel
- He finds Quist in the shower
- Quist reports to Largo and is killed
- Bond goes to the Casino
- He plays with Largo
- Bond dances with Domino
See the difference? Pay attention to the following details:
Bond wears the exact same clothes when he chats with Domino on the beach and when he returns to the hotel (same towel, everything). Thanks to the messed up finish cut, he goes to a blacktie event between the two occurances.
Bond and Felix chat in the background while Domino and Largo leave. If seen in the original edit, this makes sense. In the finished picture, it's a mistake, since Bond is contacted by Felix after this chat!
And most importantly. Largo says to Bond: "One of my associates spoke about". Currently, this line has almost no meaning. Who spoke about Bond? Domino? The guy watching them with binoculars? Oh no no no... Quist spoke about Bond, just before he was thrown in the shark pool! And thanks to that, Largo already knew who Bond was, and Bond knew that Largo knew because he sent Quist for him! That's the main difference if we look at the movie in this light. It's no mistake on Bond's part - it's a mistake coming from too much editing and changing the story after shooting.
What's this "movie goers found the plot hard to buy" nonsense? Back in 1966 there was a plane crash over the Mediterrean, a hydrogen bomb was lost at sea, and it needed to be recovered. The news media pointed out the obvious similarity to Thunderball, which was enjoying the swell of popularity at the same time. Doesn't sound too fantastic to me.
And while I will admit that the role of Felix Leiter in TB is primarily a yes man for Bond. But I fail to see how that makes him less than bright. Bond is the hero of the movie, anyone else is not supposed to show him up.
And I will take a sexist 1960s James Bond theme any day over the sappy romatic wailing tunes that started in the 70s.
And while I will admit that the role of Felix Leiter in TB is primarily a yes man for Bond. But I fail to see how that makes him less than bright. Bond is the hero of the movie, anyone else is not supposed to show him up.
And I will take a sexist 1960s James Bond theme any day over the sappy romatic wailing tunes that started in the 70s.
Nah, Fish is right about Leiter -- van Nutter's Felix is pretty weak. He looks most like Fleming's description (tall, blond) but really seems like a dolt. Seems like a guy on holiday with no real idea what to do until Bond arrives to show him. I agree that no one should show up Bond, but that doesn't mean that Leiter needs to be his Boswell. Give me Jack Lord's version any day -- someone with ideas of his own and ideas on how to execute them. The Felix shown in TB, and especially in GF and DAF, is not credible as a CIA agent.
Totally agree with you, RJJB, in preferring the sexist Bond to the PC Bond.
What's this "movie goers found the plot hard to buy" nonsense? Back in 1966 there was a plane crash over the Mediterrean, a hydrogen bomb was lost at sea, and it needed to be recovered. The news media pointed out the obvious similarity to Thunderball, which was enjoying the swell of popularity at the same time. Doesn't sound too fantastic to me.
And while I will admit that the role of Felix Leiter in TB is primarily a yes man for Bond. But I fail to see how that makes him less than bright. Bond is the hero of the movie, anyone else is not supposed to show him up.
And I will take a sexist 1960s James Bond theme any day over the sappy romatic wailing tunes that started in the 70s.
Full agreement.I'm old enough to have seen Thunderball during it's first week in release in 1965.I was a teenager at the time and clearly remember the newspaper and television coverage of the plane that went down in the Mediterranian carrying a live bomb.This was an important event and was watched closely by the media.References to Thunderball frequently appeared in the coverage of this incident.The bomb was located and retrieved from the plane by trained divers using equipment very much like that used in the motion picture by those SPECTRE divers when they steal the two nuclear devices.And in today's world,the idea of a terrorist cartel downing a bomber and taking the devices it carries is all too credible.Thunderball was ahead of it's time...
I think Van Nutter's a pretty good Felix,everything being equal.He certainly comes the closest of all of the various actors who've played Felix to actually resembing the character as Fleming originally describes him.Although Felix has a special importance as Bond's best friend,he's not the hero of this film.Eon could've made him a bit more alert perhaps(sunglasses at night?),maybe even more proactive, but it was ultimately the screenwriter's decision to make him subordinate to 007.
Quick aside:As for those underwater action sequences?I think they're great--absolutely fantastic, but then again,I like underwater photography.Car chases and big explosions are now so commonplace as to become boring,while conversely,Thunderball's underwater action was both unique and history making.New equipment was devised especially for this film.TV series like "Sea Hunt" had featured underwater sequences and Cousteau's wonderful documentaries broke new ground in this regard,but it was Thunderball that set an extremely high standard for all of the motion pictures shot underwater thereafter.
The first four Bond movies are noticably different from one another in many ways,most notably in their storylines and their locales.One is the Mad Scientist story,one is the espionage/suspense film,one is a caper film,and Thunderball is the series' first true epic.I like that variety.
As for the Thunderball theme song?IMO it's terrific,perfectly sets the tone for the movie--it's about Emilio Largo,who is not Politically Correct-- and it is much better than many of the ones that followed it.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
If Bond is going to be sexist, then they need another character to point out his idiotic attitude.
Enter Dame Judi, who has made this a cornerstone of her portrayal of M, particularly opposite Brozzer. In CR, her big gripe against Bond was his recklessness, but I'm sure she'll get back round to going after his reputed misogynism in #22...
But back to TB...the plot of this one has probably been tweaked/recycled more than any other in the franchise, and with good reason: it can happen, and---God help us---it might.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Quick aside:As for those underwater action sequences?I think they're great--absolutely fantastic, but then again,I like underwater photography.Car chases and big explosions are now so commonplace as to become boring,while conversely,Thunderball's underwater action was both unique and history making.New equipment was devised especially for this film.TV series like "Sea Hunt" had featured underwater sequences and Cousteau's wonderful documentaries broke new ground in this regard,but it was Thunderball that set an extremely high standard for motion pictures,particularly in the 1960s.
many of the ones that followed it.
Now I agree with you, Willy. The underwater scenes are very well done and quite mesemerizing. Like you, I saw the movie on the wide screen, the way it is intended. You are right in the middle of the action and the entire finding the bombs and camouflaging the Vulcan is sheer artistry. I still marvel at the scenes that shows the SPECTRE crew hammering the camouflage into the sea floor. There is also a segement in which one of the sea sled cuts through the picture from top to bottom. It really made me feel as though I was there. If nothing else, epic movies such as Thunderball illustrate that even though we now have home theaters, the true movie experience belongs on the big screen.
It seems like sexism hasn't really died, after all. If Bond is going to be sexist, then they need another character to point out his idiotic attitude.
Bond has been sexist since his beginning. Why should his characterization be changed, because you don't like it? If it had been, we would have missed out on the classic exchange between Bond and Fiona Volpe. She gave him his come-uppance in a far better manner than pointing out his idiotic attitude. I do not want to see a James Bond modeled after some PC Alan Alda type. It would be a mistake. All your instances of calling characters stupid or sexist really makes me wonder why you watch these movies. Nothing seems to please you.
Comments
Hey, hey, hey, don't diss the Shat-man!! Bond only got laid on Earth, but Captain Kirk fornicated all over the galaxy!
To baldly go where no man has gone before? Don't diss Captain Kirk or there'll be hell toupee?
Would that be... illogical?
PS Didn't see that show, sounds like fun!
Glad you didn't wig out on my little joke! Given people's strong opinions around here, things do sometimes get a little hairy.
But I am surprised you've never seen an episode of the show. Trek was one of the first things I ever saw when I came to America; I was five years old at the time and it had a profound effect on me. I actually learned to speak english watching the old reruns and they instilled an interest in science and computers in me that survives to this day (I even majored in computer science in college). I'm sure it looks somewhat hokey by today's standards but I still love it.
Live long and prosper.
Then judging from your region, Barbel, you'd love Scotty. Doohan wasn't a true Scotsman but he was one of my favorites from the show. You definetely should check it out...
I remember playing Kirk all of the time during recess as a kid just to get to kiss the prettiest girl who was game enough to play. As Kirk slept with not just different races but different species of female. lol
Besides I had the best Shatner impression of my class and the other guys just ate it up.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I mean I didn't see the Shatner roast on Comedy Central. That would have been fun. And, while I love Scotty, James Doohan's accent may work in every other country in the world but it doesn't work here. I believe in one episode he implied that he came from Aberdeen- not with those inflections, he doesn't.
Oops, mea culpa! The Shatner roast was funny, but often in very, very, very bad taste (as is the norm at these "events"). Still, William Tiberius Shatner (as he called himself at one point) took it all in good stride and gave a very funny monologue at the end. If you're curious, I believe you can see clips from the show at comedycentral.com.
And as an FYI, the old animated Star Trek show from the early 70's is being released on DVD this fall (Novemberish here in the states). The MSRP is $35 US currency. James Doohan really earned his money on the animated show as he voiced a ton of characters in many shows.
To everyone else, apologies for hijacking this thread. Back to topic...
Thanks, I read about that elsewhere- Mr Doohan, as he did on TOS, supplied a lot of alien voices to save money on guests! Probably won't buy TAS unless it's a bargain.
However, as you say, back on topic! TB is one of my faves, primarily for John Barry's wonderful score and the 60s atmosphere. I admit that it does drag in places, but the plus points (Sean, the music, Sean, the fair amount of almost verbatim Fleming dialogue, Sean, Fiona Volpe ( -{ ), and did I mention Sean?) outweigh that!
We agree on most things, Barry, but I want to make a somewhat qualified response to this.
It's become a part of the expectation that Bond movies be "big," but I don't necessarily agree that it's what it should be. I've been a Bond fan since about the age of 6 years old, and I admittedly started with the films (thanks, in no small measure, to my dad, who is a big Bond fan himself). I really started getting serious about it about sophomore year of high school, when I started reading the novels. The one thing that really hooked me about the novels and got me serious about Bond is the character himself in the novels. Here's a guy who has some of the image that is portrayed on film (ruggedly handsome, very good with the ladies, cool lifestyle, well-traveled to many exotic locales), but at the same time, he is a man who is greatly tormented, world-weary, choleric, frustrated with life and his job, and a bit depressed, but who still possesses romantic notions of duty, honor, and loyalty. Being a shy, unsure, socially akward, frustrated, short-tempered, somewhat depressed young man myself who had loads of bad luck with girls, I responded to him in a huge way: here was a guy who has everything that I want, but at the same time, he experiences the same thoughts and feelings as I do, and who expresses them much in the same way.
With that said, I began to look very hard for Fleming's character in the films. I understand that it's very hard to portray everything about him and that audiences don't go to Bond movies for a lot of character development, and I also understand that there must be some fantasy involved in a Bond story: after all, here's a guy who gets to live the coolest lifestyle you can conceive. But I at least want to see traces of this character: traces of the feelings he expresses in the novels, so that I can still identify with him. Having this makes me enjoy his exploits even more. I want to see the vigorously subdued sadness in Dalton's eye when he catches Della's garter in LTK. I want to see the caring, almost ballsy, admission of fear Connery gives to Honey in comforting her in DN.
With regards to TB, I will say that, IMO, this is the most fun movie to watch. I love the women in this to death, and in fact wouldn't mind having all four at the same time. Largo might just be the best Bond villan. And there are sprinkles of the character that I like to see: the sense of duty to Caplan when she goes missing and the regret in his eye when he finds her dead, the sense of regret in informing Domino of her brother, the loss of control when he is on the stretcher, etc.. I would like to see a little more of this, and I generally like a little darker story, but it is still a hell of a movie. I'll rank it #5 on my list.
I think Connery peaks in this film, his best performance as Bond. The villians are excellent - think of Number 1 executing Number 7 for embezzlement. The scenes between Largo and Bond are brilliant because they both know who each other are. The Bond girls are also impeccable. Fiona Volpe and Domino are among the best in the series.
The plot is believable, music superb and the one-lines are hilarious.
"I think he got the point"
"mind if my friend sits this one out, she's just dead"
"do you know much about guns Mr Bond?"
"No, I know a little about women"
In all a brilliant film and in my opinion almost on par with the first 3. I think the underwater scenes are unfairly criticised and always enjoy watching this film.
It's a shame, because the rest of the film is pretty enjoyable. Great pre credits scene, a gorgeous, hugely desirable yet deadly villainess in Fiona Volpe, some terrific action scenes and lots of great lines. With some cutting this could have been better regarded- I read somewhere even the director Terence Young felt the film was bogged down and too long. This gets 3/5 from me- a shame because the three previous films are all 5/5 winners for me.
I agree. Luciana Paluzzi just exudes sex appeal in the movie. It is so obvious that she strung along Francois Derval. When he says that he may not be in the mood and she counters "You want to bet?" you just know she is in control.
And in bed with Bond and she calls him "Mr. Bond, James Bond" you can hear using her allure again. She may have been playing a dangerous game, but she enjoyed it. Probably one of the sexiest scenes in the entire series.
And even today, she still looks hot. What is it about Italian women? Both she and Sophia Loren look fantastic even though they are considerably more mature.
In terms of sex appeal. they only subsequent henchwoman who could be compared to LP is Famke Jansssen in GoldenEye. Beautiful, lethal and just plain hot.
I think this is another 3/5 for the occasional great moments but the quagmire of dullness here is unbelievable. The last underwater battle is actually quite exciting though, in fairness, with a sense of pace every other underwater scene lacked.
I don't think Bond lost any intelligence. It's just part of the cat and mouse game that he and Largo played with each other. Largo carried it through when he asked Bond if he would like to see over the Disco Volante. They were sizing each other up and were well aware that they were enemies. It's been a recurring event throughout the movies, and it was done particularly well here.
1. Gorgous Woman esp. Fiona
2. Locations
3. Recovering Scene
4. Nassau Scenes
5. John Barry Score
6. PTS
Bad:
1. Vulcan Scenes
2. Cinematograpy
3. Special FX
4. Boat Scene at end
5. THE TRANSITIONS BETWEEN SCENES
6. Scenes at the RAF and with M where Bond wasnt present
I do enjoy this movie, but i think its quite a poorly put together film.
Feels like it was done in a hurry.
"Better make that two."
I agree that the last boat scene/fight was a bit of a negative- very choppily edited with shoddy back projection. I too think perhaps it was a bit rushed- it certainly looks it to me, anyway.
- Bond chats with Domino
- Bond goes to the Casino
- He plays with Largo
- Bond dances with Domino
- Bond goes home to the hotel
- He finds Quist in the shower
- Quist reports to Largo and is killed
Now this is how it was originally planned and was intended to be released until the final edit:
- Bond chats with Domino
- Bond goes home to the hotel
- He finds Quist in the shower
- Quist reports to Largo and is killed
- Bond goes to the Casino
- He plays with Largo
- Bond dances with Domino
See the difference? Pay attention to the following details:
Bond wears the exact same clothes when he chats with Domino on the beach and when he returns to the hotel (same towel, everything). Thanks to the messed up finish cut, he goes to a blacktie event between the two occurances.
Bond and Felix chat in the background while Domino and Largo leave. If seen in the original edit, this makes sense. In the finished picture, it's a mistake, since Bond is contacted by Felix after this chat!
And most importantly. Largo says to Bond: "One of my associates spoke about". Currently, this line has almost no meaning. Who spoke about Bond? Domino? The guy watching them with binoculars? Oh no no no... Quist spoke about Bond, just before he was thrown in the shark pool! And thanks to that, Largo already knew who Bond was, and Bond knew that Largo knew because he sent Quist for him! That's the main difference if we look at the movie in this light. It's no mistake on Bond's part - it's a mistake coming from too much editing and changing the story after shooting.
And while I will admit that the role of Felix Leiter in TB is primarily a yes man for Bond. But I fail to see how that makes him less than bright. Bond is the hero of the movie, anyone else is not supposed to show him up.
And I will take a sexist 1960s James Bond theme any day over the sappy romatic wailing tunes that started in the 70s.
Nah, Fish is right about Leiter -- van Nutter's Felix is pretty weak. He looks most like Fleming's description (tall, blond) but really seems like a dolt. Seems like a guy on holiday with no real idea what to do until Bond arrives to show him. I agree that no one should show up Bond, but that doesn't mean that Leiter needs to be his Boswell. Give me Jack Lord's version any day -- someone with ideas of his own and ideas on how to execute them. The Felix shown in TB, and especially in GF and DAF, is not credible as a CIA agent.
Totally agree with you, RJJB, in preferring the sexist Bond to the PC Bond.
Full agreement.I'm old enough to have seen Thunderball during it's first week in release in 1965.I was a teenager at the time and clearly remember the newspaper and television coverage of the plane that went down in the Mediterranian carrying a live bomb.This was an important event and was watched closely by the media.References to Thunderball frequently appeared in the coverage of this incident.The bomb was located and retrieved from the plane by trained divers using equipment very much like that used in the motion picture by those SPECTRE divers when they steal the two nuclear devices.And in today's world,the idea of a terrorist cartel downing a bomber and taking the devices it carries is all too credible.Thunderball was ahead of it's time...
I think Van Nutter's a pretty good Felix,everything being equal.He certainly comes the closest of all of the various actors who've played Felix to actually resembing the character as Fleming originally describes him.Although Felix has a special importance as Bond's best friend,he's not the hero of this film.Eon could've made him a bit more alert perhaps(sunglasses at night?),maybe even more proactive, but it was ultimately the screenwriter's decision to make him subordinate to 007.
Quick aside:As for those underwater action sequences?I think they're great--absolutely fantastic, but then again,I like underwater photography.Car chases and big explosions are now so commonplace as to become boring,while conversely,Thunderball's underwater action was both unique and history making.New equipment was devised especially for this film.TV series like "Sea Hunt" had featured underwater sequences and Cousteau's wonderful documentaries broke new ground in this regard,but it was Thunderball that set an extremely high standard for all of the motion pictures shot underwater thereafter.
The first four Bond movies are noticably different from one another in many ways,most notably in their storylines and their locales.One is the Mad Scientist story,one is the espionage/suspense film,one is a caper film,and Thunderball is the series' first true epic.I like that variety.
As for the Thunderball theme song?IMO it's terrific,perfectly sets the tone for the movie--it's about Emilio Largo,who is not Politically Correct-- and it is much better than many of the ones that followed it.
Enter Dame Judi,
But back to TB...the plot of this one has probably been tweaked/recycled more than any other in the franchise, and with good reason: it can happen, and---God help us---it might.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Now I agree with you, Willy. The underwater scenes are very well done and quite mesemerizing. Like you, I saw the movie on the wide screen, the way it is intended. You are right in the middle of the action and the entire finding the bombs and camouflaging the Vulcan is sheer artistry. I still marvel at the scenes that shows the SPECTRE crew hammering the camouflage into the sea floor. There is also a segement in which one of the sea sled cuts through the picture from top to bottom. It really made me feel as though I was there. If nothing else, epic movies such as Thunderball illustrate that even though we now have home theaters, the true movie experience belongs on the big screen.
Bond has been sexist since his beginning. Why should his characterization be changed, because you don't like it? If it had been, we would have missed out on the classic exchange between Bond and Fiona Volpe. She gave him his come-uppance in a far better manner than pointing out his idiotic attitude. I do not want to see a James Bond modeled after some PC Alan Alda type. It would be a mistake. All your instances of calling characters stupid or sexist really makes me wonder why you watch these movies. Nothing seems to please you.