A Touch Of The Bizarre
bigzilcho
Toronto, ONPosts: 245MI6 Agent
Greetings everyone. Time for a list.
One thing that has been lacking in the Bond films in recent years is a touch of the bizarre. That strange, unexpected, perhaps eerie but always disorienting feeling that something is not what it seems.
NEVER forget that bizarre touches are in the books. Anyone who has a problem with say, Jaws, should remember that Fleming wrote a similiar character with steel teeth. Fleming's world-view cherished the bizarre! Indeed, the whole point of Bond IS the bizarre for some fans.
The point being made is that Bond has ALWAYS had one foot in the world of fantasy.
Tough and gritty Bond is what everyone wants but what the films had once, at their best, was that perfect balance between serious and fun. (Of course, what is "bizarre" is open to debate).
Therefore, an appreciation of the bizarre in the world of Bond.
DN- Three Blind Mice.
The first moments after the DN titles and already we have been introduced into the world of 007. These three "blind" gentlemen kill Strangways after thanking him for his charity. A wonderful Hitchcockian touch by Terence Young and a summation of one the basic tenets of Bond: NOTHING is what it seems.
FRWL- In 1963, the gypsy camp cat-fight must have warped the sensibilities of teenage boys (and men) eveywhere. In 2009, nothing has changed. As provacative as the fight seems, always remember Bond is NOT amused and asks that it be stopped. A very revealing moment in the character of "misogynist dinosaur" Bond.
GF- Goldfinger's playroom is Ken Adam at his finest. Want to amuse your gangster buddies ( the kind of guys who have seen it all)? Press a button and the world changes. Bonus points when Goldfinger shouts "EXCEPT CRIME!!!". Bad guys around the world have wept in gratitude, but without that set behind him, that moment would not resonate as much.
TB-"Vargas does not drink, does not smoke, does not make love...what do you do, Vargas?"
44 years later, Vargas not responding to Largo is as chilling as ever and a reminder of a time when not EVERYTHING has to be spelled out. A little mystery goes a long way in the world of 007.
YOLT- Donald Pleasance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Although Pleasance was miscast and not the best Blofeld (Charles Gray by a mile), he is the Blofeld that still chills. Easily parodied and copied through the years, this Blofeld has always felt like the craziest Napoleon in the asylum.
OHMSS- "Fancy meeting you here, fraulein!"
One of the geat shock moments in the series is made even greater by the eerie giggle Irma Bunt gives "Hilly" Bond when he enters.
DAF- "Shady Tree. we just adore your act!"
Wint and Kidd are two of the all-time best creepy villians. Check out the moment during Shady Tree's routine where the audience is laughing and it cuts to Wint and Kidd as stone-faced as Mount Rushmore.
LALD- Baron Samedi. 'Nuff said.
TMWTGG- Bond disguised as Scaramanga is invited by HaiFat for dinner. Bond enters the court and is confronted by sumo statues that move. A terrific touch of the bizarre is undermined by a lame fight. Why, oh why, did Guy Hamilton keep setting up great confrontations and then not deliver in the fights? Kananga, Baron Samedi and Bambi/Thumper should all have been fights to include in the pantheon. Hamilton sets up an epic encounter between Bond and Scramanga and that's the best he can deliver? Alas.
TSWLM- "Pyramids!"
Jaws stalks Fakesh at the pyramids like a cat playing with a mouse. The mood, the lighting, the atmosphere all make this scene one of the best examples of Bond bizarre at its finest. Perhaps the creepiest scene in the series.
MR- I've said it before: the Rio Alleyway scene is simply, pound-for-pound, one of the GREAT scenes in the series. Tense, funny and dangerous it is everything that is good in the series. Jaws slowly walking toward Manuela and then revealing himself with his killer grin is what Bizarre Bond is all about. Film students should take notes.
FYEO- A down-to-earth Bond is what FYEO is all about but how about a tip of the hat to the scene where Bond is attacked by hockey players. Illogical? Of course it is, but when the fight is handled this well, why quibble? As a Canadian, it warms my heart to see Bond participate in our national sport and he earns instant Canadian citizenship when he climbs aboard the Zamboni.
OP- A challenge to all concerned:
ANYONE who snickers at Roger Moore dressing as a clown (oh look at how
Bond has been reduced to this!) will be challenged to a Scaramnga like duel.
On this point, I will take no prisoners.
An absolutely cracker-jack scene and performance by Roger as he frantically tries to defuse the bomb.
As far as I'm concerned, this scene is a Rorschach test for Bond-fans. If, like me, you appreciate its greatness...Karim Bey type friendhip.
HOWEVER...if you take the attitude that Roger can do no right and this scene is beneath contempt because Bond is in a clown costume...NickNack, begin the countdown.
Roger-haters always use this scene as a symbol of Roger's tenure and ALWAYS seem to miss the point. And badly at that.
AVTAK- Every single moment Christopher Walken is on screen. Bizarre...thy name is Walken.
TLD- Brad Whittaker is a second-tier villian, to be sure. But, for a split-second his games-room elevates his status to worthy adversary. Old-school megalomania and all its indulgences is what Bond villiany is all about. I like Bond villians who ENJOY being Bond villians.
LTK- An inguana perched on Sanchez's shoulder. All future Bond-villians, please take note. Accesories such as these are beyond essential for bad-guys status in Bond's universe.
GE- Bond and Alec meet at a Moscow graveyard. A beautifilly handled scene of betrayal surrounded by the dead symbols of Communist Russia. A scene in which the production design is as crucial as the writing and performances. A reminder of a time when Bond moved through a Ken Adam world: stylized and very, very cool. Great job by Peter Lamont.
TND- Bond enters his apartment, finds Paris dead and sees the news of her death on tv. A terrific touch that would have made ol' Hitch nod in admiration.
TWINE- The whole point of capturing Bond is NOT to kill him outright. What's the point of that? A Bond villian must treasure the few fleeting moment of rapture because...it will not last long. Elektra torturing Bond is an example. Her device? A contraption that brings to mind what LeChiffre remarked about different methods of torture in CR. The point is that, of course, Elektra would use an elaborate torture chair. Why? Because thats the kind of villianess in the Bond universe.
By the way, both TWINE (despite flaws) and Sophie Marceau's performance will grow in stature as the years pass.
DAD- Zao's diamond-studded face. The last cool-looking Bond villian.
CR- We are now in the Craig era and the touches of the bizarre are slowly being pushed aside for a harder, more realistic Bond universe. But as long as Bond villians exist, they will be the last conduits of Fleming's appreciation with the bizarre. Creepy, insane, power-mad, deformed or just plain happy like Tee-Hee, Bond villians, by their very existence, offer proof that the Bond universe cannot be seen as "realistic".
At its best, a Bond movie depicts a fantasy... realistically. If that makes sense.
Bizarre in CR? How about LeChiffre's lizard-like death-stare when Bond realizes he's been poisoned?
QOS- To be continued.
As I said, tough and gritty Bond is my preference and Craig is sensastional but a certain...style...is missing. I can't quite define it, but perhaps it is the lack of the bizarre in Bond's universe. Ken Adam, and what he represented, is sorely missed.
And remember, any complaints that the bizarre should NOT be part of Bond's world should have a serious read of Fleming.
Any comments and opinions are welcome.
"His name is Jaws. He kills people."
One thing that has been lacking in the Bond films in recent years is a touch of the bizarre. That strange, unexpected, perhaps eerie but always disorienting feeling that something is not what it seems.
NEVER forget that bizarre touches are in the books. Anyone who has a problem with say, Jaws, should remember that Fleming wrote a similiar character with steel teeth. Fleming's world-view cherished the bizarre! Indeed, the whole point of Bond IS the bizarre for some fans.
The point being made is that Bond has ALWAYS had one foot in the world of fantasy.
Tough and gritty Bond is what everyone wants but what the films had once, at their best, was that perfect balance between serious and fun. (Of course, what is "bizarre" is open to debate).
Therefore, an appreciation of the bizarre in the world of Bond.
DN- Three Blind Mice.
The first moments after the DN titles and already we have been introduced into the world of 007. These three "blind" gentlemen kill Strangways after thanking him for his charity. A wonderful Hitchcockian touch by Terence Young and a summation of one the basic tenets of Bond: NOTHING is what it seems.
FRWL- In 1963, the gypsy camp cat-fight must have warped the sensibilities of teenage boys (and men) eveywhere. In 2009, nothing has changed. As provacative as the fight seems, always remember Bond is NOT amused and asks that it be stopped. A very revealing moment in the character of "misogynist dinosaur" Bond.
GF- Goldfinger's playroom is Ken Adam at his finest. Want to amuse your gangster buddies ( the kind of guys who have seen it all)? Press a button and the world changes. Bonus points when Goldfinger shouts "EXCEPT CRIME!!!". Bad guys around the world have wept in gratitude, but without that set behind him, that moment would not resonate as much.
TB-"Vargas does not drink, does not smoke, does not make love...what do you do, Vargas?"
44 years later, Vargas not responding to Largo is as chilling as ever and a reminder of a time when not EVERYTHING has to be spelled out. A little mystery goes a long way in the world of 007.
YOLT- Donald Pleasance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Although Pleasance was miscast and not the best Blofeld (Charles Gray by a mile), he is the Blofeld that still chills. Easily parodied and copied through the years, this Blofeld has always felt like the craziest Napoleon in the asylum.
OHMSS- "Fancy meeting you here, fraulein!"
One of the geat shock moments in the series is made even greater by the eerie giggle Irma Bunt gives "Hilly" Bond when he enters.
DAF- "Shady Tree. we just adore your act!"
Wint and Kidd are two of the all-time best creepy villians. Check out the moment during Shady Tree's routine where the audience is laughing and it cuts to Wint and Kidd as stone-faced as Mount Rushmore.
LALD- Baron Samedi. 'Nuff said.
TMWTGG- Bond disguised as Scaramanga is invited by HaiFat for dinner. Bond enters the court and is confronted by sumo statues that move. A terrific touch of the bizarre is undermined by a lame fight. Why, oh why, did Guy Hamilton keep setting up great confrontations and then not deliver in the fights? Kananga, Baron Samedi and Bambi/Thumper should all have been fights to include in the pantheon. Hamilton sets up an epic encounter between Bond and Scramanga and that's the best he can deliver? Alas.
TSWLM- "Pyramids!"
Jaws stalks Fakesh at the pyramids like a cat playing with a mouse. The mood, the lighting, the atmosphere all make this scene one of the best examples of Bond bizarre at its finest. Perhaps the creepiest scene in the series.
MR- I've said it before: the Rio Alleyway scene is simply, pound-for-pound, one of the GREAT scenes in the series. Tense, funny and dangerous it is everything that is good in the series. Jaws slowly walking toward Manuela and then revealing himself with his killer grin is what Bizarre Bond is all about. Film students should take notes.
FYEO- A down-to-earth Bond is what FYEO is all about but how about a tip of the hat to the scene where Bond is attacked by hockey players. Illogical? Of course it is, but when the fight is handled this well, why quibble? As a Canadian, it warms my heart to see Bond participate in our national sport and he earns instant Canadian citizenship when he climbs aboard the Zamboni.
OP- A challenge to all concerned:
ANYONE who snickers at Roger Moore dressing as a clown (oh look at how
Bond has been reduced to this!) will be challenged to a Scaramnga like duel.
On this point, I will take no prisoners.
An absolutely cracker-jack scene and performance by Roger as he frantically tries to defuse the bomb.
As far as I'm concerned, this scene is a Rorschach test for Bond-fans. If, like me, you appreciate its greatness...Karim Bey type friendhip.
HOWEVER...if you take the attitude that Roger can do no right and this scene is beneath contempt because Bond is in a clown costume...NickNack, begin the countdown.
Roger-haters always use this scene as a symbol of Roger's tenure and ALWAYS seem to miss the point. And badly at that.
AVTAK- Every single moment Christopher Walken is on screen. Bizarre...thy name is Walken.
TLD- Brad Whittaker is a second-tier villian, to be sure. But, for a split-second his games-room elevates his status to worthy adversary. Old-school megalomania and all its indulgences is what Bond villiany is all about. I like Bond villians who ENJOY being Bond villians.
LTK- An inguana perched on Sanchez's shoulder. All future Bond-villians, please take note. Accesories such as these are beyond essential for bad-guys status in Bond's universe.
GE- Bond and Alec meet at a Moscow graveyard. A beautifilly handled scene of betrayal surrounded by the dead symbols of Communist Russia. A scene in which the production design is as crucial as the writing and performances. A reminder of a time when Bond moved through a Ken Adam world: stylized and very, very cool. Great job by Peter Lamont.
TND- Bond enters his apartment, finds Paris dead and sees the news of her death on tv. A terrific touch that would have made ol' Hitch nod in admiration.
TWINE- The whole point of capturing Bond is NOT to kill him outright. What's the point of that? A Bond villian must treasure the few fleeting moment of rapture because...it will not last long. Elektra torturing Bond is an example. Her device? A contraption that brings to mind what LeChiffre remarked about different methods of torture in CR. The point is that, of course, Elektra would use an elaborate torture chair. Why? Because thats the kind of villianess in the Bond universe.
By the way, both TWINE (despite flaws) and Sophie Marceau's performance will grow in stature as the years pass.
DAD- Zao's diamond-studded face. The last cool-looking Bond villian.
CR- We are now in the Craig era and the touches of the bizarre are slowly being pushed aside for a harder, more realistic Bond universe. But as long as Bond villians exist, they will be the last conduits of Fleming's appreciation with the bizarre. Creepy, insane, power-mad, deformed or just plain happy like Tee-Hee, Bond villians, by their very existence, offer proof that the Bond universe cannot be seen as "realistic".
At its best, a Bond movie depicts a fantasy... realistically. If that makes sense.
Bizarre in CR? How about LeChiffre's lizard-like death-stare when Bond realizes he's been poisoned?
QOS- To be continued.
As I said, tough and gritty Bond is my preference and Craig is sensastional but a certain...style...is missing. I can't quite define it, but perhaps it is the lack of the bizarre in Bond's universe. Ken Adam, and what he represented, is sorely missed.
And remember, any complaints that the bizarre should NOT be part of Bond's world should have a serious read of Fleming.
Any comments and opinions are welcome.
"His name is Jaws. He kills people."
Comments
I'm not sure your 'Rorschach' analogy is the right one, however, since Rorschach is often criticised as being difficult to interpret in a reliably objective fashion---making it, in my opinion, the very definition of subjectivity---no two people will look at ink blotches on a sheet of paper and see exactly the same thing...which can surely be said of Bond fans looking at a Bond film, yes? It wouldn't do to simply dismiss one test taker's interpretation, whilst celebrating the other's...
I'll concede that, post-DAD, the series might lack a bit of the overt bizarreness of the Bond of old---which arguably, in the series' weaker moments, became a sort of crutch with which to prop things up. I'll also concede your point that the OP scene, where Bond defuses the bomb wearing clown-face, is a good one in terms of dramatic tension (one of a few in that particular film)...but I utterly reject your premise that it's an 'all or nothing' test for Bond fans. I appreciate the structure of the scene, and Moore's performance (actually it's one of his finer moments). However it also strikes me as an unintentional, on-the-nose metaphor for the era as a whole, which I frankly find a bit nettling. Sorry about that!
If you want bizarre irony...put Daniel Craig in greasepaint...and speaking of that, I'll attempt, with my comparatively limited means, to defend the Current Era---since, frankly, I find the isolated pockets of virulent disregard for it quite similar to the Moore derision you so eloquently lament:
CR - Le Chiffre's "derangement of the tear duct---nothing sinister"...yeah, right! The knotted rope. The shadowy guy with one dark eyeglass lens. The sinking house in Venice. All bizarre, IMRO.
QoS - Poor, misunderstood, unappreciated QoS - Mister White, facing what is sure to be 'enhanced interrogation techniques' at the hands of MI6---laughing his ass off, treating the British with open derision. Mitchell's sudden turning, about five seconds later. Fields wearing a trenchcoat in Bolivia---and nothing else? Her death in oil (like Jill Masterson's death in gold, which it celebrates in homage, deserves 'bizarre' status), Mathis being discovered in Bond's own boot by the Bolivian police (after Mathis had done something similar to Obanno in CR). Elvis's bad hairpiece...and the way his clothes disintegrate as the hydrogen cell next to him explodes. Bond providing motor oil to Greene, for refreshment in the desert.
Perhaps irony has replaced 'bizarre' in the Craig Era thus far...but, I would suggest that Eon's strategic plan is to 'ramp up' the element of the bizarre---in conjuction with other elements of the Precious Classic FormulaTM---as they move forward from the controversial (yet wildly successful) reboot of the character/franchise. I believe CR and QoS were all about setting the table...and the feast is yet to come.
"That's why I eat the peppers."
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
BTW, I certainly agree with you about the lack of the bizarre in the Craig films. Le Chiffre and his eye wasn't so much bizarre as downright weird, while QOS IMO didn't have any moments that were weird, let alone bizarre.
"Your contact?" "Not well."
http://apbateman.com
But I think the defenition of 'bizarre' may need to be looked into if you found nothing bizarre in the Craig era. The above examples, especially le Chiffre's not so sinister tearduct, seem pretty bizarre to me.
Perhaps the reason they seem less bizarre to some, is because of the choice of camerawork on the new Bond films. It may also be a personal thing, but for some reason just about everything shot during the seventies seems a little bizarre to me. I put this down to the fact that I was only a small child at the time and any images I may have picked up stuck in my head. So now anything looking remotely similar triggers an almost deja-vu like effect in my head.
I agree with the clown scene in Octopussy being quite effective. I know I have often voiced my opinion on Roger Moore not being my favorite Bond, but I always liked Octopussy. That circus scene works very well.
A pity they didn't end the movie there though.
However, bigzilcho, sorry. I love Canada, and I used to play hockey as well. But I never did like that scene in FYEO....
Indeed!
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
The closest David Arnold has got to Barry's 'bizarre' sensibility is, I think, in QOS - with, for example, the exquisite sudden Thunderball-style plinky-plonk arrangement of a phrase from The James Bond Theme, moments before Bond tells Mister White that it's time to get out of the boot of the car; or the occasional jangly strings flourishes such as near the end when Camille walks away for the last time; or the subdued, slow, muted undertow of the James Bond Theme - overwritten with a rare incidental squiggle of the 'Just Another Way To Die' melody - as Craig and the doomed Fields acclimatise to the grand hotel room which they've just checked into: all these pieces have a bizarre, ghostly 'retro' ambience to them. And - love it or hate it - Jack White's and Alicia Keys' title track is, in itself, the most bizarre entry in the canon of Bond songs.
Loeff, perhaps I over-stated my case that that the clown scene in OP is a Rorschach test. You hit the nail on the head when you referred to it as "on-the -nose metaphor for the era". Unfortunately, that has become the reflex reaction some fans have for Roger as a whole. At least you have the generosity to concede its a well-made sequence.
As for turning in your fan-boy membership...we're not a country club, 007! (I mean Loeff)
And Mister White points out that although he likes hockey and Canada the FYEO ice-rink scene is not to his liking.
Thats fair, Mister White, dramatically the scene makes no sense...BUT thats as close as Bond has ever been a Canuck, so I'm biased.
"She's had her kicks."
There's a distinctive style and set of sensibilities at play in the world which Bond---Cinematic Bond, in particular---inhabits...and Eon would be wise to keep their eye on the ball in that regard. With the foundation they've laid with Craig, they'd be well-advised to pay that aspect of the Precious Classic FormulaTM its due...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
What about Canadian Intelligence in QOS?
And I don't think that it's necessary to mention, that Qos contents a bit more than 100 minutes of total creepyness
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
And while the film features charecters driving about in PC "green" cars, it climaxes with a resort hotel exploding because of unstable fuel cell technology.
It's bizzare that anyone at EON should have such a highly devolped sense of irony?
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