Raymond Benson's Top 10
Lazenby
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For those of you who don't know, Raymond Benson is a well known Fleming enthusiast, Bond fan, and author of several James Bond novels. His "James Bond Bedside Companion" was the most thorough overview of the whole Bond phemonena that I read when I was young. Anyway, I found his list interesting, though I didn't agree with all of it. I think he might be spot on when he observes that were it not for the nostalgia/classic factor with the early films, Casino Royale should be considered the best Bond film so far (and he was most certainly spot on in his observation that George Lazenby was "very underrated").
For those of you who don't know, Raymond Benson is a well known Fleming enthusiast, Bond fan, and author of several James Bond novels. His "James Bond Bedside Companion" was the most thorough overview of the whole Bond phemonena that I read when I was young. Anyway, I found his list interesting, though I didn't agree with all of it. I think he might be spot on when he observes that were it not for the nostalgia/classic factor with the early films, Casino Royale should be considered the best Bond film so far (and he was most certainly spot on in his observation that George Lazenby was "very underrated").
Comments
Thanks for posting this.
Interesting list. I respect Benson for breaking with the general consensus by putting YOLT instead of TSWLM on his list since TSWLM(good and enjoyable as that film is) is largely a remake of the 1967 Bond film.
Interesting that all 1960s Bond films make his top 10 list. There may be some sentimentalism in his judgments since he was born in the 1950s and these were the Bond films of his youth much as many(though not necessarily all of course)Bond fans born say from 1985 onwards tend to rank the 1990s Bond films pretty highly.
And of course, it isn't with me. Will we ever agree?
At some point, we'll have to agree on something. Just haven't found it yet.
Possibly, however at the same time it must be noted that his list spans the entire Bond era- every one of the actors to play Bond, and every decade in which Bond movies have been around, is represented. My impression of him is that he is someone who genuinely appreciates Ian Fleming's novels and conception of James Bond. If I were to accuse him of sentimentalism it would be for including YOLT in there, as that is the one film that breaks his general trend of highly rating the films that most resembled Ian Fleming's original conception, and really is no different in spirit than the over-the-top Moore films I know he abhors.
Also, as a sidenote, I was Born in 1975 and the first Bond movie I ever saw was the horrifying (and not in a good way) AVTAK (the first one I ever saw in the theatre was TLD). From there I traced the series back to the beginning and, if you examine my list, you will note that all of the 60s films are there-- and most of them are in the top 6-- and the only one made after 1980 is Casino Royale. I do agree, though, that the Brosnan era tends to get rated higher by those who were born later.
His top six and mine are identical, except that CR and OHMSS are reversed at the 4th and 5th positions...
I also agree with his bold (if arguable)assertions that Casino Royale might well be the best if not for nostalgia, and that CR is the first real Bond film...with the caveat that OHMSS probably better deserves that moniker---hence the reversed positions in our list of preferences---but Craig's superior acting (relative to Lazenby's) might well justify CR's ascension...
All in all, I'd say he's got pretty sound taste :v
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
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RJJB, I agree with JFF on this. In fact, I think that, while a Top 10 list can do without Dalton and Craig, no Top 10 list can do without Moore.
Not so much scary as, hmmn... suspicious. Kidding apart, yes he does have sound taste. I think that, leaving aside my very personal bias for Dalton, I could buy into his list wholesale.
Incidentally, everytime I think of my favourite Bond films I catch myself feeling a bit guilty that CR and OHMSS are not at the very top. But I can't ever bring myself to replace FRWL and TLD.
This is one of those topics that could be endlessly discussed, and I think people would get tired of hearing me rail against RM. So we'll agree to disagree and respect each other's opinion.
I agree that Thunderball is slow in parts but man! it has so much going for it: an awesome performance from Connery (and the last under Terence Young), a good suspenseful plot that had Bond working under pressure, in Claudine Auger possibly the sexiest Bond girl the series has ever known (not to mention perhaps the best ensemble cast of beauties in the whole series), that whole scene in bed with Fiona Valope and her ensuing death, a superb soundtrack, and so forth. Thunderball is great!
Agree. TB rocks. It's the only Bond film to combine Terence Young's style from DN and FRWL with the larger-than-life epic qualities that we now come to expect. Connery gives his most superconfident performance in the role and it features arguably the most impressive gallery of Bond girls to appear in a single Bond film. Domino and Fiona are textbook examples of the beauty, sophistication, sexiness and exoticness we expect from Bond girls. Other films might have stronger scripts(FRWL, TLD, OHMSS, CR for example) but TB just oozes a superconfident quality and is a time capsule of when Bond ruled the action film world. If you adjust TB's box office for inflation, it's the most financially successful Bond film of all time.
Don't forget Patricia from Shrublands! She was hot hot hot. My all time fave though, from this and all other Bond movies, is Domino. I have difficulty imagining a sexier more beautiful representative of the fairer sex.
Indeed. In terms of its pop cultural impact, James Bond was the "Star Wars" of the 60s-- and TB represented the apex.
Paula was pretty hot too. I love how these beautiful women just appear from nowhere in this film.
She was. Did you know that she was one of the fighting gypsy girls in FRWL?
Just curious, Lazenby: if AVTAK was your first Bond film ever with no baggage(good or bad) of any other Bond films, did you dislike it at the time or did you like it initially and then disliked it later after you saw other Bond films?
There's actually a little more to it than that. While AVTAK was the first Bond film I ever actually sat through (and no, I didn't care for it much even then) my first exposure to the series took place two years before that when my parents got all excited upon the release of NSNA. As an 8 year old, of course, the significance of Sir Sean's appearance in that film was totally lost on me-- but the excitement of my parents did spark a curiousity in me that, for the following two years (83-85), had me occasionally grilling them with questions about the Bond films. Right from the beginning, then, I was taught that Connery was the definitive Bond and GF & FRWL the definitive Bond films. So, while AVTAK was the first Bond film I actually saw start to finish my Bond "fandom" never actually took off until I went out and rented the old classics.
There's a funny side story here worth telling. Around 1988 or so, when I had finally managed to see all the films that had been released to that point, my mom asked me what my favorite was. Without blinking I replied "On Her Majesty's Secret Service-- the one with George Lazenby". "George who?", was her response lol.
Interesting. While I consider AVTAK the weakest Bond film(though being a Bond film, it's watchable) I figured some of my criticisms of it may have come from comparing it to previous Bond films and that a newbie who hadn't had the baggage of previous films might like it more. But you didn't care for it from the beginning? And you still had an interest in seeing other Bond films after that? When you got around to seeing GF and OP did the similarites to AVTAK stand out to you? Just rewatched AVTAK today so I'm curious about different fans' take on it.
That is funny. Did your dad and mom like Lazenby and OHMSS since they were Connery fans or did they avoid the 1969 film on its initial release?
If you're actually fond of the actors/films then sure, however I personally don't think that one should necessarily include each of them just for the sake of it.