Scenes that need more praise

bigzilcho

Greetings, everyone.

There seems to be a lot of scenes that don't get enough attention and praise IMO.

Without further ado...a list.

DN- "Get her, Quarrel! And the camera!"
One of the nastiest bits of Bondian mayhem ever and a reminder of a time when Bond was a complete ******* when he wanted to be. And to this day, a truly shocking bit of violence with a flashbulb. Bonus points for a chilling shot of Jack Lord as Felix enjoying the proceedings.

FRWL- "She had her kicks."
Rosa Klebb never gets enough mention IMO. This scary lady suckers Bond into believing she's a maid and almost makes him pay the price. The fight is short and sweet but what makes it memorable is how wild and crazy Klebb becomes, like a trapped animal. When she is shot dead, she slides to the ground, mouth open in half-scream...as if the ol' gal might still be kicking.

GF- "Gold? All over?"
Perhaps the best Bond/M scene in the series in the sense it defines their antagonism in the clearest terms. Without M, Bond is a loose cannon. When M warns Bond against a private vendetta the room chills for a moment. For, you see, Bond needs the moral structure that M provides...since M is the only real father he's ever had.
Bernard Lee...forever M.

TB- "Strange as it may seem...I've grown accustomed to your face."
Every film editor on the planet earth should meticulously study the Bond/Fiona scene at the Kiss Kiss Club to come to the realization that rapid-fire cutting, handled properly, can achieve electifying results. Fiona's death, in the hands of Peter Hunt, puts to shame what constitutes as fast editing nowadays.

YOLT- "Welcome to Japan, Mr.Bond."
From Henderson's death to Bond meeting Tanaka...this is as good as Bond movies get in terms of action, pace, design...just sheer pizzazz.Bond chasing Aki in the subway station and then sliding down into a comfortable couch is the kind of glorious Bondian touch that seemed effortless once.

OHMSS- "This never happened to the other fella."
Lazenby's introduction as Bond is a VERY close second to the DN intro. As far as I'm concerned, every Bond intro since then has not lived up to the standard of how Bond is revealed in OHMSS...teasing the audience with glimpses but never truly revealing the face until those immortal words.

DAF- "Right idea, Mr. Bond."
"But wrong pussy."
IMO the greatest Bond/Blofeld scene in the series. Oh sure, there are flaws (not mentioning Tracy, for one) and the scene really does not make sense, if you really think about it. But just in terms of sheer craziness and iconic coolness, this scene was never topped.If the oil-rig finale was as good as this scene...alas, one can only wish.

LALD- Bond meets Solitaire. Roger's proper intro as 007. (By the way, Roger's intro as Bond in bed is the worst of the six. What was Guy Hamilton thinking?) Smiling Roger in Harlem is a very tense proposition, made more so by the fact that his gun is turned into mush by the happiest of all henchmen, TeeHee. From Bond being twirled in the booth to his over-the-shoulder goodbye to Soltaire as he is hustled away by two large gentlemen, this is a Bond scene that works on every level.

TMWTGG- "Speak now or forever hold your piece."
A great little scene thats gotten lost in the shuffle over the years. Bond threatening to shoot Lazar is as cold-blooded as Bond has ever been and Roger handles it perfectly.

TSWLM- "Egyptian builders."
Bond and Anya losing Jaws at the ruins is the kind of scene thats gone the way of the dodo bird. Simply put: Bond in a tux, PPK at the ready with a beautifil Russian spy at his side at a spectacular location being menaced by a deadly foe. Tense, moody, iconic...and very cool.What more do you want? Except...MORE!

MR- "Jaws, you obey ME!!!"
The space finale of MR has been lambasted for close to 30years (with no let-up in sight). Well. Bond-fans, its time to give credit where its due. Bond in space is crazy? Fair enough. But I maintain that if you HAD to get Bond in space, well, the plot of MR is as good as any and, more, it is downright subversive in its implications. Drax's caper is beyond crazy...and then some...it is chilling when one considers that Jaws realizes what is going on only after Bond spells it out. The inclusion of Dolly has always been dismissed by Bond-fans...but Jaws betrayal of Drax makes no sense without her.The look Jaws give his girlfriend when he realizes they are doomed is one the GREAT moments in the series. I kid you not, fellow Bond-fans.

End of PART ONE.

"Thank you, I'd love to."
"Love to what? You're mad, do you know that?"
"Yes...isn't everyone?"

bigzilcho

PART TWO

FYEO- "Love a drive in the country, don't you?"
John Glen has never been more than grudgingly respected by Bond-fans over the years. His work as a director of action needs more appreciation. The chase with Melina's car is a case in point. It is a tight and efficient bit of mayhem, no frills required. Arguably the single best car chase in the series, full marks go to Remy Julien and his crew. Extra points for Bond making Melina laugh.

OP- Bond, Kamal Khan and Magda have a pleasant dinner. The topic of conversation? What form of truth serum will be used to make Bond talk. One of those scenes that Fleming would have appreciated. If one must be a master villian, one must understand the sublime ettiquette of being the perfect host to your main nemesis. Anything less than perfect manners towards Bond is simply unthinkable in Fleming's universe. Repeat: UNTHINKABLE. The impeccable Louis Jourdan simply oozes deadly charm.

AVTAK- AVTAK haters will never concede the fact that there are a handful of great scenes in the film. Quibble all you want about logistics, but the MayDay chase in Paris is one heckuva of an action sequence. The shot of Bond's car landing on top of a moving bus is one of those "Holy Cow!" moments that make Bond-fans like myself VERY happy.

TLD- "Death to spies, Minister."
If I were asked to pick one moment from the series that captures the essence of who Bond is from the books, I would nominate the Koskov de-briefing. For whatever reason, Dalton's attitude or the way he hisses this line through a haze of smoke...there is something about this moment that makes me think: this is the closest embodiment of Fleming's 007 we have ever seen. Dalton is slowly becoming the most divise Bond ever (more than Roger).In the long run, Dalton's short reign as Bond will grow in stature for the simple reason that Bond-fans of the future will recognize and appreciate that Dalton was the only actor who played Bond in a way that DARED you to dislike him. Fleming would be proud.

LTK- Any scene with Pam Bouvier. Sigh.
Without any doubt, question or deliberation the best of all the ladies that have played Bond's female equal. Why hasn't Carey become a bigger star?

GE- The confrontation on the train between Bond and 006,Xenia and Ouromov is one those effortlessly flawless Bond scenes that makes one wonder why every similiar scene is not as good. (Gustav Graves anyone?) Top marks for every performance but especially for Sean Bean, the best 007 villian of the '90's.

TND-"I doubt she'll remember me."
"Remind her."
A very telling bit of business between Bond/M which reveals a mercenary edge to M's character that goes back to the Bernard Lee days. Make no mistake, M has ALWAYS understood that Bond's reputation as a ladies man is a valuable asset for Her Majesty's Secret Service. Bonus points for the meeting taking place in a fast-moving car with Moneypenny and Robinson riding along. With her drink in hand, this is the only time M resembles Tiger Tanaka, a Secret Service Chief on the go...and having a drink along the way.

TWINE- The Bond/Renard confrontation at the missile silo is IMO as good as any scene in the series. One of the few times that Bond and the villian exchange pleasantries with Bond's finger on the trigger, for a change. Its just a terrific Bond scene on so many levels and one of the few times where it looks like Bond will seriously lose his temper and his cool. A tip of the hat to Pierce and Robert Carlyle.

DAD- Once Bond arrives at the Ice-Palace, the single worst hour in Bond history begins. But before that are some cool scenes that seldom get a pat on the back. One is the Bond/Zao fight in Cuba. Not on, say,the Bond/Peter Franks level, to be sure, but a solid bit of action. And the best bit of action concerning Jinx is the scene where she is running up the hill with a silencer shooting at Zao's helicopter. Believe me, if Lee Tamahori shot the rest of the Jinx action as good as this scene, Jinx would be respected more...but alas.

CR- The killing of Demetrius is a cracking good bit of tension. A lesson to all future Bond film-makers: spectacle has its place in a Bond flick but once in a while you need a hand-to-hand combat scene which ends in a whisper. At the end of the day, we need to see that Bond is a master assassin who can kill you in any number of ways. Quickly and quietly...for one. Not so much a fight scene as a stand-off with a knife, it is an example of a thing that at one time they used to call...suspense. Bonus points for Bond's pat on the cheek...a sign of respect for a worthy opponent.

Obviously there's any number of scenes that deserve a pat on the back. I would like to hear your thoughts.


"Jealous husbands. Outraged chefs. Humiliated tailors. The list is endless."

Loeffelholz

Great list as always, BZ---up to your usual stratospheric standard.

I'll have to go after these seriatim...

DN - "That damned Beretta again." This must have been quite heartening, at the time, to fans of the book---a nice nod to the source material that ably established, quite early on, that Bond's licence to kill doesn't mean that he isn't immediately answerable to the old sailor with the "damnably clear gray eyes." B-)

7289

One scene that I have enjoyed recently is from DAF, the climax when Wint and Kidd serve oo7 and Miss Case dinner....

"and the piece de la resistance.. a bomb supreeze!"

"Ooh what's in it?"

"Ah, but then there would be no supreeze!"

Now if that aint funny........

Mailfist

Good topic.

In addition to those already mentioned the scene in the Tangier hotel room in TLD between Bond and Pushkin. This scene to me defines TDs Bond, and is one of the finest examples of Bond as the ruthless assassin rather than the lounge lizard protrayed by RM.

Also from TLD the scene in the fairground after Saunders is killed. From the moment when Bond bursts the ballon until he jumps over the fence and sees the mother and child you just know that if he had spotted Necros he would have shot him on the spot. Top marks to Dalton and this scene really emphasiases 'you don't want to mess with Bond'.

As you can probably tell I'm a TD fan.

Loeffelholz

FRWL - "If you do, you will be SHOT!" (accompanied by the SLAP! of the riding crop)...Another glittering Rosa Klebb moment, wherein we are allowed an insight into how feared she was within the expected framework of the KGB---nevermind the devious machinations of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.!

A bold acknowledgement of the lesbian underpinnings of Fleming's original scene, somehow slipping under the radar of the tightened standards of the ever-vigilant MPAA...

Great stuff B-)

Strangeways

Two to add to the list for me:

1. Goldfinger, dinner with Colonel Smithers.
"Have a little more of this rather disappointing brandy". "Why, what's the matter with it?" "I'd say it was a 30 year old fiend, indifferently blended; with a overdose of bombois!"
M hates that Bond is such a know it all, but then gets his own back by not letting him take the gold bar! M (bernard Lee at his best) is in charge, and let's Bond know it.

2. The SAME scene is played again in Diamonds are Forever. Which we all know was going to be a re-hash of Goldfinger, even with Gert Frobe as GF's briother etc etc.
I love the comment "are you paying attention 007?" "The acbarshar, 114 carots rough", and as for the sherry...."an exceptionally fine solera, 51 I believe" "There is no year for sherry 007. "I was referring to the original vintage, on which the sherry is based....851, unmistakable"

Pure genious! What do thers think?

Newsman

I agree that DAD is awful once it gets to the ice palace...but one scene in the movie that I think is wonderful is when Bond strides through the Hong Kong hotel, wet, bearded, pajamaed. Despite his dishelved looks, Brosnan retains the Bond swagger and style. The look he gives the desk man when he asks for a credit card is priceless.

Loeffelholz

GF - "Strict rules of golf, Goldfinger." I'm talking about the scene before the much-celebrated hat cutting the head off the statue, or Oddjob crumbling the golf ball in his ham-sized fist...

Owing much to Fleming's excellently-written scene from the novel---which was a great read even if you aren't into golf---Guy Hamilton and Co. do a great job delivering some primo Bond here. From their meeting in the clubhouse, to the thud of the gold bar on the green prior to Goldfinger's missed putt, to the mysteriously missing---and reappearing---Slazenger golf ball...this is the world of James Bond :007)

Tilly Masterson 007

The Ski Jump from TSWLM is a scene that really doesn't get the praise that it deserves......it was unique and had people on the edge of the cliff........errr........seat!!!

Napoleon Plural

Strangeways wrote:

:

1. Goldfinger, dinner with Colonel Smithers.
"Have a little more of this rather disappointing brandy". "Why, what's the matter with it?" "I'd say it was a 30 year old fiend, indifferently blended; with a overdose of bombois!"
M hates that Bond is such a know it all, but then gets his own back by not letting him take the gold bar! M (bernard Lee at his best) is in charge, and let's Bond know it.

Pure genious! What do thers think?

I agree. In particular the way the camera pans back along the length of the table to suggest the long-winded waffle of Smithers, suddenly cut down by the close-up of Connery: "I take it you mean smuggling?" It's similar to a Fleming scene where Bond 'felt boredom gathering in the corners of the room' not sure where that is from.

I believe Smithers is the same actor baited by the Beatles on the train in A Hard Day's Night and represents the much derided Profumo generation of that year.

Barry Nelson

Great post BZ, I always thought the scene in TB where Domino is caught with the camera/Geiger counter by Largo and we then see her tied up in bed and Largo threatening to torture her with a cigarette and ice. A pretty highly charged scene for its time.

Sir Hillary Bray

Kudos to zilcho for starting this, and to others for their comments. Great stuff. There actually used to be a great thread called "Unsung Bond Moments" (OK, full disclosure: I started it ) but it was taken down at some point.

Some ones I love, using zilcho's method of quotes as the set-up:

FRWL - "Is that all you want?"
The relationship between Bond and Kerim is second only to that between Bond and Tracy IMO. This scene illustrates it perfectly -- not only does Bond smile a smile of genuine warmth, he actually chuckles. We never saw Connery's Bond do this before or after. Kerim, the old pro, has Bond all figured out, and Bond knows it (and loves it). Scenes like this one make Kerim's death all the more sad, and make Bond's squeezing of his shoulder all the more believable.

OP - "Jim?"
Maybe the auction scene has plenty of praise already, but not enough for me. This little vignette is at once tense, interesting and completely hilarious. This is Moore's Bond at his absolute best, tweaking those who take all of this so seriously (Kamal, Fanning) while not taking it so far as to make a mockery of the proceedings. The palpable indigestion he gives Fanning when he shows him the egg is, like the egg itself, priceless.

OHMSS - "..."
The dots above reflect the fact that the bobsled chase has mostly no dialogue at all. It's an exceedingly well-choreographed action scene, but that hardly makes it stand out among the Bond films. No, what distinguishes this one for me is whose perspective it's really shot from -- Blofeld's. Most of the sequence is shot from Blofeld's sled looking back, rather than from Bond's looking forward. When the tense music starts up, it's because Blofeld is in danger (dropped grenade) rather than because Bond is in danger. Name me another Bond film in which that is the case. A small point maybe, but one of the many Peter Hunt decisions that make OHMSS the true masterpiece of the series for me.

I could go on, but I would be here forever...:)

Mailfist

The beach scene betwen Bond and Natalia in GE. Beautifully shoot and beautifully written and acted. It shows there is a price to being a 00.

Lazenby880

bigzilcho wrote:

MR- "Jaws, you obey ME!!!"
The space finale of MR has been lambasted for close to 30years (with no let-up in sight). Well. Bond-fans, its time to give credit where its due. Bond in space is crazy? Fair enough. But I maintain that if you HAD to get Bond in space, well, the plot of MR is as good as any and, more, it is downright subversive in its implications.

Superb post bigzilcho. I definitely agree with you here, although as far as I am concerned *every* scene in Moonraker deserves more praise. Utterly ridiculous, of course, but ruddy good fun. Cucumber sandwiches, the gas masks, the centrifuge, Moore's one-liners--if I had to choose one film to cheer me up the 1979 picture would be it. Drax's lines are some of the best written in the series, and it is very much a product of its time (in a good way, luxuriosly shot with 70s flares all over the shop!).

Loeffelholz

TB - "I thought I saw a spectre..." For anyone who thinks Daniel Craig is too brash a Bond, check out Connery calling out Largo at the card table---classic, 'in your face' B-) Here's a Bond, like Fleming's, who simply puts himself out there, and deals with the consequences.

7289

Casino Royale 1954:

Casino Director: "It wasn't your winnings they were after..."

James Bond: "It wasn't my autograph either."

later,

Felix Leiter: "Aren't you the fellow who was shot?"

James Bond: "No I'm the fellow who was missed."

-{

sharpshooter

Moonraker's boat chase and the following scenes.

It is good old relaxed fun, I love Bond using the glider. The jungle Aztec lair is just awesome. The waterfalls, sparkling stone and the python struggle. Very good location. The music works splendidly there as well.

For all the criticism of Moonraker, it has been very influential in other Bond mediums, notably video games.

KGB with love

"They print anything theese days"- TND

Alex

The keelhauling from the LALD novel making it's way to FYEO deserves praise.

Julian Glover slices Moore's arm while Melina utters murderer. Roger's demeanor and cool nerve raises this a giant notch - showing that he could act, (such as the forced heroin eating scene in Wild Geese) with the best of them.

Grishenko

GE: I've always thought the fight between Bond and Trevelyan on the Cradle was one of the best ever, and yet it gets very little praise...