Thunderball Appreciation

DieAnotherDay

This film gets bashed about a hell of a lot and I don't really think it deserves it.
This thread is here for the positives of this film (which I think there are a lot of) to discussed.

I'll start by saying that this is my favourite out of all Connery's Bonds and I think it's his strongest portrayal of the character. I also think the locations are absolutely tremendous; I love the tropical paradise on offer as it just makes the film so bright and vibrant. I agree that the film is overly long by a couple of minutes but the only scenes I would really like to see cut from the film are some boring underwater sequences...everything above the surface is fantastic. It's certainly in my top 5 Bonds -{

Blackleiter

I agree that Thunderball is a great, classic Bond film. It features one of the better PTSs that contains a terrific hand-to-hand fight scene. Connery is completely assured and at home in the role, and I think Lucianna Paluzzo is one of the top Bond girls in the whole series. The film looks absolutely beautiful, and the locations are top-notch. I think the plot is intriguing and the score is brassy and exciting. The only negatives for me, which is mentioned frequently, are the rather slow underwater sequences. But that flaw is far outweighed by all of the great attributes of this fantastic film.

Ens007

Blackleiter has yet again summed up my views pretty much perfectly.

Love TB & it remains one of my 'go to' Bonds.

welshboy78

Perfect - even the underwater sequences dont bother me!!

DieAnotherDay

Blackleiter wrote:

I agree that Thunderball is a great, classic Bond film. It features one of the better PTSs that contains a terrific hand-to-hand fight scene. Connery is completely assured and at home in the role, and I think Lucianna Paluzzo is one of the top Bond girls in the whole series. The film looks absolutely beautiful, and the locations are top-notch. I think the plot is intriguing and the score is brassy and exciting. The only negatives for me, which is mentioned frequently, are the rather slow underwater sequences. But that flaw is far outweighed by all of the great attributes of this fantastic film.

Here Here -{

Blackleiter

Ens007 wrote:

Blackleiter has yet again summed up my views pretty much perfectly.

Love TB & it remains one of my 'go to' Bonds.

-{

Sir Hillary Bray

Thunderball was the first film made when Bond was a huge cultural phenomenon (thanks to GF), and for me it remains the archetype of "Bond cool". The glamour of Nassau, the beauty and vulnerability of Domino, and John Berry's score create an intoxicating mix, and Fiona Volpe has never been matched as a femme fatale.

Thunderpussy

Thunderball is on such a huge scale, Like some of the big war movies of the 60s.
The underwater scenes may be slow, but all underwater scens are. , I can't
think of another film that has used so many extras in such a big underwater scene.
You can see every penny they spent up on the screen.
It has not only some of the most beautiful locations but some of the most beautiful
women in a Bond film. I remember seeing Thunderball on TV for the first time and
being shocked by Largo cutting the Pilots air line. ( later to find out it wasn't acting
as the REAL air line had been cut ).
Also as Sir Hillary Bray points out it was a phenomenon, the Star Wars of the 60s. )

Charmed & Dangerous

Thunderball has always been my favourite Bond film - in my mind it's yet to be beaten.

Apart from all the great elements noted above (and BL once again you hit the nail on the head), let's not forget the wonderful Claudine Auger, and great performance by Adolf Celi; or the series' most accurate portrayal of the Leiter of the novels, at least physically (though it wasn't until Jeffrey Wright that we really started getting a three-dimensional Leiter).

Also Maibaum's script contains some of the most memorable scenes and lines crom he whole series, including:

Fiona (in the bath): "Aren't you in the wrong room, Mr Bond?"
Bond: "Not from where I'm standing."
Fiona: "We'll now you are here, would you mind giving me something to put on?"
Bond (leans firward, hands her a pair of slippers... And sits back) ) ) :007)

Napoleon Plural

On its day, with a glass of rose in the hand and the UE on the plasma, TB is the best Bond ever. The odd thing about the Bonds in the 60s is how the cinematography progessed in leaps and bounds with each film reaching its zenith with OHMSS with looks startlingly modern (then taking a leap back with DAF really, which has a made for TV look to it at times, almost Batman TV series).

TB looks a lot better than GF (though it doesn't have GF's stylish iconic look overall).

It seems to be the template for those Man from Uncle shows, more than the other films.

First in widescreen, too.

I still intend to visit Chateau Arnet (whatever it's called) north of Paris, seen in the pts. It's a lovely looking opening.

hehadlotsofguts

Coolest soundtrack of Connery's tenure, really suave and mischievous.

MooseWithFleas

I've never seen the underwater sequences to be slow. Maybe I just find them so astounding and visually appealing that I am never bored at any moment.

The one point in the film that lags every once in a while for me is during the parade sequences, but even they are very engaging on most viewings. This is just a classic spectacle that is Bond.