Oh, not really. It is all a matter of personal preference. I really like Thunderball, it is very impressive, but Goldfinger just pips it with its classic moments for me. You Only Live Twice is very impressive and spectacular, but I prefer Thunderball to it - which is more low key. It's all about how you want to spend your two and a bit hours. They are not bad films at all, they're all in my very top Bond film rankings -but you have to have some sort of descending ranking. I don’t like doing it, it’s like choosing your favourite son or something like that, but there it is.
The first four of Connery's films can all be appreciated for the various elements they brought to the series, while being able to remain faithful to their literary counterparts. In addition, Connery molds and shapes what would become the benchmark portrayal of the character for the next 40 years within these films. That said, I think From Russia With Love is the best of these four, and the best film before Casino Royale would re-boot the series.
Suprised to see 'Never Say Never Again' at the top of some peoples lists!
Anyhow, new poster here, hello all!
For me, i rank Connerys films in the following order -
1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Dr No
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Thunderball
Like many, the water scenes in TB didn't do it for me. The ending/under water scenes seemed to drag, and although i appreciate the alternative view of a 'world under water' and the challenges in which that entails to Bond, i remained a little bored, to be honest.
Moving up the list, DAF was a bit of harmless fun. Good Bond girls but not the film i wanted to see after Bond lost his wife in the previous film. I thought they may have taken the more serious view (much like QOS looks like it will). Dr No is the original and will always have a fond place in my heart. GF is a classic. But for me, FRWL, Made Bond what it is today. Good solid storyline, believable characters, action, gadgets, humour etc - its all in there. Add the fact the train scene is one of my all time favourites and you have my pick of the crop
Welcome MLE (great user name, by the way), but I hope your listing Goldfinger twice--and in different places--is just a typo! )
Consider it sorted and thanks for giving me a heads up! Thats what you get when trying to type a reasonably long comment whilst avoiding your boss at work! ;%
1)From Russia With Love-Fleming's favorite among all of his novels adapted fairly faithfully to the screen with only a few minor alterations.Action.Suspense.Espionage.Romance. And the Orient Express...In my opinion,this is one of the finest of all the James Bond movies.
2)Thunderball-A great story and the series's first epic.Considered fantastic when it was first released, Thunderball's terrorist plot is all too believable today.Plenty of action and suspense.Exceptional surface and underwater photography enhanced by one of John Barry's most haunting scores.This film features the most impressive collection of women in the history of the series,easily one of the most effective uses of SPECTRE, and Connery's at his absolute peak here.Superb.
3)Goldfinger-The big one,the one that really influenced the style for nearly all of the large productions that followed.Very well cast and well acted with one of the most memorable scores of any film of the 1960s.
4)Dr.No-Considering its limited budget,this is an excellent little movie with plenty of style and a terrific performance by Connery.Wiseman is suitably nefarious as Fleming's modern-day Fu Manchu while Ursula Andress sets the standard for subsequent Bond girls.Interestingly,while not an exact adaptation of the source novel,a good 3/4 of the film is relatively true to what Fleming wrote(other than Dr.No's physical appearance,the introductions of both SPECTRE and Felix Leiter,a clothed Honey Rider with an unbroken nose, and the climax).
5)You Only Live Twice-Enjoyable but practically a parody of the series and too much like a James Coburn "Flint" movie(spaceships swallowing space capsules,a million ninjas,a hideout in a "dormant" volcano,and televisions everywhere!All that's missing are Derek Flint, Cramden and Z.O.W.I.E.Come to think of it In Like Flint has a similar storyline to this one.Perhaps Eon used it as the "inspiration" for this 007 movie).At any rate,YOLT departs completely from Fleming's moody novel of revenge and introduces the idea that Eon will be perfectly happy to retain a presold Fleming title but will use an original story produced by their writing team(not always a good idea-in my opinion).Plus YOLT has the most ineffective Blofeld in the entire series.And Connery phones in his performance.Some nice action,great photography and a lovely score,but that's simply not enough for me.
6)Diamonds Are Forever-Very strange.The first James Bond film to signal the direction several of Roger Moore's movies will take.Bizarre unsubtle, and unique for its time(if you don't count Charlie Feldman's 1967 production of Casino Royale or the Neil Connery film Operation Kid Brother).This is,thankfully, the only James Bond film to present Ernst Stavro Blofeld as a crossdresser .
I always liked Charles Gray, and think that based upon his stellar performance in The Devil Rides Out he'd have made an absolutely outstanding Blofeld, had he only been given better material than the DAF script.
Comments
Roger Moore 1927-2017
2. From Russia With Love
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. Dr No
2. From Russia With Love
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. Dr No
This bondmovie is amazing. even when it dont is counted as a real bondmovie of some weird reason so is it a great movie.
2. Goldfinger
This was the first bondmovie i saw and connery plays good in it.
3. Diamonds are forewer
4. You only live twice
5. thunderbolt
6. from russia with love
7. dr.no
Anyhow, new poster here, hello all!
For me, i rank Connerys films in the following order -
1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Dr No
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Thunderball
Like many, the water scenes in TB didn't do it for me. The ending/under water scenes seemed to drag, and although i appreciate the alternative view of a 'world under water' and the challenges in which that entails to Bond, i remained a little bored, to be honest.
Moving up the list, DAF was a bit of harmless fun. Good Bond girls but not the film i wanted to see after Bond lost his wife in the previous film. I thought they may have taken the more serious view (much like QOS looks like it will). Dr No is the original and will always have a fond place in my heart. GF is a classic. But for me, FRWL, Made Bond what it is today. Good solid storyline, believable characters, action, gadgets, humour etc - its all in there. Add the fact the train scene is one of my all time favourites and you have my pick of the crop
FRWL
TB
DN
YOLT
DAF
NSNA - doesn't count.
1)From Russia With Love-Fleming's favorite among all of his novels adapted fairly faithfully to the screen with only a few minor alterations.Action.Suspense.Espionage.Romance. And the Orient Express...In my opinion,this is one of the finest of all the James Bond movies.
2)Thunderball-A great story and the series's first epic.Considered fantastic when it was first released, Thunderball's terrorist plot is all too believable today.Plenty of action and suspense.Exceptional surface and underwater photography enhanced by one of John Barry's most haunting scores.This film features the most impressive collection of women in the history of the series,easily one of the most effective uses of SPECTRE, and Connery's at his absolute peak here.Superb.
3)Goldfinger-The big one,the one that really influenced the style for nearly all of the large productions that followed.Very well cast and well acted with one of the most memorable scores of any film of the 1960s.
4)Dr.No-Considering its limited budget,this is an excellent little movie with plenty of style and a terrific performance by Connery.Wiseman is suitably nefarious as Fleming's modern-day Fu Manchu while Ursula Andress sets the standard for subsequent Bond girls.Interestingly,while not an exact adaptation of the source novel,a good 3/4 of the film is relatively true to what Fleming wrote(other than Dr.No's physical appearance,the introductions of both SPECTRE and Felix Leiter,a clothed Honey Rider with an unbroken nose, and the climax).
5)You Only Live Twice-Enjoyable but practically a parody of the series and too much like a James Coburn "Flint" movie(spaceships swallowing space capsules,a million ninjas,a hideout in a "dormant" volcano,and televisions everywhere!All that's missing are Derek Flint, Cramden and Z.O.W.I.E.Come to think of it In Like Flint has a similar storyline to this one.Perhaps Eon used it as the "inspiration" for this 007 movie).At any rate,YOLT departs completely from Fleming's moody novel of revenge and introduces the idea that Eon will be perfectly happy to retain a presold Fleming title but will use an original story produced by their writing team(not always a good idea-in my opinion).Plus YOLT has the most ineffective Blofeld in the entire series.And Connery phones in his performance.Some nice action,great photography and a lovely score,but that's simply not enough for me.
6)Diamonds Are Forever-Very strange.The first James Bond film to signal the direction several of Roger Moore's movies will take.Bizarre unsubtle, and unique for its time(if you don't count Charlie Feldman's 1967 production of Casino Royale or the Neil Connery film Operation Kid Brother).This is,thankfully, the only James Bond film to present Ernst Stavro Blofeld as a crossdresser
I always liked Charles Gray, and think that based upon his stellar performance in The Devil Rides Out he'd have made an absolutely outstanding Blofeld, had he only been given better material than the DAF script.