- PTS is awesome, love Bond's ski suit, California Girls is funny, and the "Call me James" scene is classic.
- Epic title song, best in the series IMO and great titles.
- Introduction to microchips and plot in M's office is well done, along with the Ascot scene introducing Tibbet.
- Tibbet scenes - hilarious interplay between Rog/McNee.
- Reception, equestrian elements are classy.
- Stacey's introduction, very sexy, nice sexy sax.
- Scene in Rolls Royce where Bond breathes from the tyre is well done.
- San Francisco location is great, looks the part.
- Bond cooking and caring for Stacey is a nice touch, instead of just bedding her. "That was delicious, and the way you handled those men."
- Chase in SF is a little pedestrian, but the police chief is funny - "Harris you can forget about that sergeant promotion!"
- Infiltrating into mine is interesting and well done - all very real.
- Final mine set is impressive, looks good.
- Battle on GG is tense.
- Final scene in the shower is great, like FYEO we don't see too much, but we hear "that's not the soap."
- Roger is older, but still looking very good.
- Stacey is beautiful.
- Zorin is formidable and well acted by Walken. "Intuitive improvisation, is the key to genius."
- Supporting cast, villain group is good and intriguing.
- Grace Jones as May Day is excellent - "I thought that creep loved me!" Love how she and Bond work together at the end.
- Barry's score is great, his dark sound is better incorporated in this than in OP - great love theme.
- Good all-round production value.
- Funny elements are funny, and the balance is right.
- Gogol - "nobody ever leaves the KGB" "Where would we be without it?!"
Cons - hardly any:
- Stacey is a bit dumb, and she screams a lot.
- City Hall on fire escape is a little lame, with the crowd etc.
- Aubergine and taxi-driver. 'Allo-'Allo type characters.
BluRay:
Crystal clear as expected!
Overall:
A true gem of a Bond movie. A swan-song as Roger's final film it all comes together so well. The toned-down, FYEO style pacing works again and the plot is intriguing and everyone (maybe not Stacey) throws in great performances. The final is different to other Bonds in the sense the lair isn't present and it's a nice change to have a great, fully functional set in an old mine. Bond and May Day working together tops off the film even more.
Zorin's blonde hair, 80's excess, money and technology is all on show and the film plays these well - to me it's the quintessential 80's Bond film. Roger, despite being a bit older rocks a great, stately performance as an older agent. Yeah, someone else should've been there by that time - but Rog did what he always did with Bond...adore's being there and it shows.
I'd always loved AVTAK when I first got into Bond, I watched it many, many times. I think I just let it slip while I got into other Bond films over time. On this viewing, I felt all the fascination with the film I used to have, welcome back AVTAK!
Rewatched this again then watched it again with Sir Roger's commentary, a few things I noticed:
- Peter Lamont's sets are beautiful, in particular M's office, Stacey's kitchen, the hot-tub room and the Chantilly rooms are all very rich in feel.
- Because the film doesn't have majorly expensive locations or action set-pieces, it appears the budget was spent to make the film just look as damn good as possible. Generally all elements in the film (gadgets, Louis Vuitton and my above points and the production design) are all quite "rich" looking.
- Alan Hume's cinematography looks fantastic, and his shots (directed or not) all have great detail, such as Bond entering Zorin's office from the perspective of the mirror which is then used with the computer.
IMO Moonraker is probably the only other film around the same time that looks as good...
Both have comedic elements but take a sharp turn in the end : two guys beating each other to death in Coliseum or the excalation of Zorins violence.....we've already seen that Zorin is unstable but not to what extent.
Both films kinda have similar mood (light going to deadly serious) , it's not a mood everyone's a fan of though.
I love that jacket! Grey suede. I've got a green suede blouson that looks a bit like Moore's FYEO jacket. Still, I actually think Moore at 57 looks better than he did in, say, MR. I dig his Saint pompadour in the later films as well as his clothes. His suits are timeless in the 80s and they compliment the fact that he's a bit older.
Interesting point. Perhaps on MR he wasn't as focused (at the time) on his weight or physical appearance as he had to be in OP/AVTAK.
I agree with what you've said because on the BluRay copy of MR, I thought he looked decidedly average!
I always thought the camera angle of Roger taking off the gas mask was a bit unflattering in MR for instance. In View he is leaner and meaner and looks great in his first few close ups. I remember interviews where Moore often said the Bond films need to have that comforting sameness of a bed-time story told to a child. I had that feeling at 10 when my folks took me to see View. It was very exciting to see those first shots of him as he grabs the microchip. I remember thinking "THAT's my hero. That's Bond!"
ALL the kids in my class loved View when it came out and most said it was their favorite Bond. Of course we were all 10, then, but still, those memories have stayed with me. No one really thought he looked too old, he just looked like Bond.
Yes the Blouson! Bond in a Blouson. What we're they thinking. The Blouson, clothing for a man that has truly given up and no longer gives a chuff.
Did you mean to post this in the thread about how Daniel Craig has given up? Three blousons in Spectre must be a sign!
And did you realise you responded to your own comment?
Responding to my own comment is a new level of narcissism even for me. Truth be told it was a **** up, and error, a mistake in old money. I was not dissing Daniel (heaven forbid) and thought that his were more Bomber like than Blouson. I will have to look up distinctions and definitions, but to me a Blouson has a pouched quality, a distinctive look to the cut. Not really worth a discussion probably, just one of an endless sea of bad sartorial choices inflicted on Roger. The real crime of course went unmentioned which was the disastrous Bouffant hair do. Perhaps another time...
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Yes the Blouson! Bond in a Blouson. What we're they thinking. The Blouson, clothing for a man that has truly given up and no longer gives a chuff.
Did you mean to post this in the thread about how Daniel Craig has given up? Three blousons in Spectre must be a sign!
And did you realise you responded to your own comment?
Responding to my own comment is a new level of narcissism even for me. Truth be told it was a **** up, and error, a mistake in old money. I was not dissing Daniel (heaven forbid) and thought that his were more Bomber like than Blouson. I will have to look up distinctions and definitions, but to me a Blouson has a pouched quality, a distinctive look to the cut. Not really worth a discussion probably, just one of an endless sea of bad sartorial choices inflicted on Roger. The real crime of course went unmentioned which was the disastrous Bouffant hair do. Perhaps another time...
A true bomber jacket is a type of blouson. Matchless calls their jacket in Spectre a "blouson", though it's technically not. Craig doesn't wear any true blousons or bomber jackets. Nothing in Spectre is a blouson in the traditional sense. Roger Moore is a little stuck in the 50s and 60s with his hairstyle and blousons.
I always thought the camera angle of Roger taking off the gas mask was a bit unflattering in MR for instance. In View he is leaner and meaner and looks great in his first few close ups. I remember interviews where Moore often said the Bond films need to have that comforting sameness of a bed-time story told to a child. I had that feeling at 10 when my folks took me to see View. It was very exciting to see those first shots of him as he grabs the microchip. I remember thinking "THAT's my hero. That's Bond!"
ALL the kids in my class loved View when it came out and most said it was their favorite Bond. Of course we were all 10, then, but still, those memories have stayed with me. No one really thought he looked too old, he just looked like Bond.
You're right about him looking leaner and meaner. My girlfriend and I were doing the marathon and when we got to AVTAK we both commented on how fantastic he looked in comparison to earlier and also for his age. He in particular looks fantastic at Ascot with the top-hat.
I think in MR he's probably a bit flabby. TSWLM is probably where he looks his best overall, with TMWTGG coming 2nd.
Con: The day of filming the City Hall on fire exteriors our local CBS affiliate in San Francisco, KPIX, ran the news promo "City Hall in flames, details at 11." The late Dave McElhatton intoned the words with such misleading gravitas.
Pro: Duran Duran theme and the oh so 80's credits.
TSWLM is probably where he looks his best overall, with TMWTGG coming 2nd.
I agree with this, but MR is definitely third place. Rog is quite dashing in MR.
AVTAK he looks leaner, but I have an issue with him not blinking for the first several minutes, while all other characters are noticeably blinking. Maybe George Lucas could fix like like he did with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. )
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
I always thought the camera angle of Roger taking off the gas mask was a bit unflattering in MR for instance. In View he is leaner and meaner and looks great in his first few close ups. I remember interviews where Moore often said the Bond films need to have that comforting sameness of a bed-time story told to a child. I had that feeling at 10 when my folks took me to see View. It was very exciting to see those first shots of him as he grabs the microchip. I remember thinking "THAT's my hero. That's Bond!"
ALL the kids in my class loved View when it came out and most said it was their favorite Bond. Of course we were all 10, then, but still, those memories have stayed with me. No one really thought he looked too old, he just looked like Bond.
You're right about him looking leaner and meaner. My girlfriend and I were doing the marathon and when we got to AVTAK we both commented on how fantastic he looked in comparison to earlier and also for his age. He in particular looks fantastic at Ascot with the top-hat.
I think in MR he's probably a bit flabby. TSWLM is probably where he looks his best overall, with TMWTGG coming 2nd.
I thought he looks his worst in AVTAK because he looks leaner. He's his heaviest from MR to OP, but I think he looks okay. He's not as heavy as he was in The Persuaders. I think he looks his best in TMWTGG.
- One of the best Bond movies ever, aside it's flaws
- One of the best theme songs by Duran Duran
- Terrific locations - enjoyed France and especially San Francisco
- The best bond villain of all time in Walken's Max Zorin
- City Hall Fire Scene (really emotional scene that makes you 'feel' as if Roger Moore is signing out)
- Fire truck chase and everything to do with the mines
- One of the best final fight scenes atop the Golden Gate Bridge of all time, even though Moore can't really pull off any action as he could earlier
- Roberts' is hot
- The first plot is interesting, but the main plot with Silicon Valley is amazing, even more so for me than GF
- I loved John Glen's darker and more realistic approach here, such as the gore, violence and the fact that Bond didn't have any gadgets to use (all his films did that well and were serious except for OP perhaps)
Con's:
- Roger Moore was too old to play Bond anymore
- Too many obvious stunt doubles throughout the first half of the film
- Would have worked better as Timothy Dalton's first Bond film
That's it. A lot of people here would have a lot more flaws but for me, the main flaw are the stunt doubles. I can seriously handle an older Bond if they at least try to hide the fact that they are using doubles.
- City Hall Fire Scene (really emotional scene that makes you 'feel' as if Roger Moore is signing out)
- Fire truck chase and everything to do with the mines
There was another discussion on here recently (between Barbel and myself I believe) that highlighted Moore's excellent presence in the film as a seasoned professional in his last hurrah. He's written and played differently to all his other films as a wise hero that is protecting others first and foremost.
I think the final scene between Mayday and Bond is brilliant. "Mayday! Jump!" "Get Zorin for me!" has a similar vibe to, as you say, the Town Hall fire.
I would honestly give A View To A Kill a 9/10. The only gripes I have with it are the obvious stunt doubles, and somehow Roger Moore looks a lot older in the first half of the film, mainly in Siberia and Eiffel Tower scenes compared to the second half.
I would honestly give A View To A Kill a 9/10. The only gripes I have with it are the obvious stunt doubles, and somehow Roger Moore looks a lot older in the first half of the film, mainly in Siberia and Eiffel Tower scenes compared to the second half.
Well my Bond marathon continues as yesterday I watched "A View To A Kill". I assume it was just a typo error that they called it that instead of "From A View To A Kill"?
I actually enjoyed my viewing of this film, much more than I seem to remember. Maybe as I've got older myself I've mellowed to this Bond film. I enjoyed the storyline, for me it's a combination of three movies. There's the "Goldfinger" element, Roger Moores "Gold", and "Boys From Brazil"
I watched this on Blu Ray and it looked great on my 52 inch TV. I have issues with Bond in the inlet pipe, in real life I'm afraid zero zero would be no more, but hey it's the movies so I'll quickly move on.
I loved the eifel tower stuff, I wonder if this movie was the first to show "Base Jumping", it would be interesting to know whether it was.
Christopher walken plays a great villian totally believable. In fact watching this now for me the negatives are a lot less than when I first went to see it at the cinemas alll those years ago. Sure Moore looks old and the mechanical dog (Dr Who used to have K9) at the end is cringeworthy.
The music is fantastic, as is Barry's score. Also I hate the Beach Boys in the opening scenes, I really wish they would edit that out for a future release. For me it takes away from the great stuntwork that we are witnessing. Overall I really enjoyed this movie, and it certainly has been elevated in my pecking order of the 24 films, not much but it isn't the bottom of the pile anymore.
Well my Bond marathon continues as yesterday I watched "A View To A Kill". I assume it was just a typo error that they called it that instead of "From A View To A Kill"?
I'm pretty sure the title change was intentional. Why should it be called "From a View to a Kill" anyway if they share nothing beyond a location?
Well my Bond marathon continues as yesterday I watched "A View To A Kill". I assume it was just a typo error that they called it that instead of "From A View To A Kill"?
I'm pretty sure the title change was intentional. Why should it be called "From a View to a Kill" anyway if they share nothing beyond a location?
I like to think that when Duran Duran were writing the theme song they were so wasted that they got the title wrong, but the song was so good the producers decided to just change the name of the movie.
While AVTAK is my favorite Bond movie it's probably one of the worst attempts to work a movie's title into the dialogue. Apparently the "What a view"..."To a kill" exchange was the best they could come up with. And the From in the title didn't really fit into the conversation so it was dropped. I'm not entirely sure what the title of the From A View To A Kill short story is referencing, Bond up in the tree viewing the assassins in their secret base and and then later moving in for the kill? It's vague and generic enough that it could have been the title of any Bond movie assuming they could have found a way to work the title into the script. Or if they had decided you don't HAVE to say the title of a movie in said movie.
I'm pretty sure the theme song was written after the title was changed, but it's possible (though highly unlikely) the title may have been changed to work in the dialogue aboard the blimp.
The story was at one point going to be part of Hugo Drax's back story in MR, with the timing originally being WW2.
The full title was announced at the end of OP, but lost the "From" quickly- some months before John Barry and Duran Duran got together to work on the title song.
Comments
Pros:
- PTS is awesome, love Bond's ski suit, California Girls is funny, and the "Call me James" scene is classic.
- Epic title song, best in the series IMO and great titles.
- Introduction to microchips and plot in M's office is well done, along with the Ascot scene introducing Tibbet.
- Tibbet scenes - hilarious interplay between Rog/McNee.
- Reception, equestrian elements are classy.
- Stacey's introduction, very sexy, nice sexy sax.
- Scene in Rolls Royce where Bond breathes from the tyre is well done.
- San Francisco location is great, looks the part.
- Bond cooking and caring for Stacey is a nice touch, instead of just bedding her. "That was delicious, and the way you handled those men."
- Chase in SF is a little pedestrian, but the police chief is funny - "Harris you can forget about that sergeant promotion!"
- Infiltrating into mine is interesting and well done - all very real.
- Final mine set is impressive, looks good.
- Battle on GG is tense.
- Final scene in the shower is great, like FYEO we don't see too much, but we hear "that's not the soap."
- Roger is older, but still looking very good.
- Stacey is beautiful.
- Zorin is formidable and well acted by Walken. "Intuitive improvisation, is the key to genius."
- Supporting cast, villain group is good and intriguing.
- Grace Jones as May Day is excellent - "I thought that creep loved me!" Love how she and Bond work together at the end.
- Barry's score is great, his dark sound is better incorporated in this than in OP - great love theme.
- Good all-round production value.
- Funny elements are funny, and the balance is right.
- Gogol - "nobody ever leaves the KGB" "Where would we be without it?!"
Cons - hardly any:
- Stacey is a bit dumb, and she screams a lot.
- City Hall on fire escape is a little lame, with the crowd etc.
- Aubergine and taxi-driver. 'Allo-'Allo type characters.
BluRay:
Crystal clear as expected!
Overall:
A true gem of a Bond movie. A swan-song as Roger's final film it all comes together so well. The toned-down, FYEO style pacing works again and the plot is intriguing and everyone (maybe not Stacey) throws in great performances. The final is different to other Bonds in the sense the lair isn't present and it's a nice change to have a great, fully functional set in an old mine. Bond and May Day working together tops off the film even more.
Zorin's blonde hair, 80's excess, money and technology is all on show and the film plays these well - to me it's the quintessential 80's Bond film. Roger, despite being a bit older rocks a great, stately performance as an older agent. Yeah, someone else should've been there by that time - but Rog did what he always did with Bond...adore's being there and it shows.
I'd always loved AVTAK when I first got into Bond, I watched it many, many times. I think I just let it slip while I got into other Bond films over time. On this viewing, I felt all the fascination with the film I used to have, welcome back AVTAK!
It's now in my top 10 {[]
"Better make that two."
"Better make that two."
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
"Better make that two."
- Peter Lamont's sets are beautiful, in particular M's office, Stacey's kitchen, the hot-tub room and the Chantilly rooms are all very rich in feel.
- Because the film doesn't have majorly expensive locations or action set-pieces, it appears the budget was spent to make the film just look as damn good as possible. Generally all elements in the film (gadgets, Louis Vuitton and my above points and the production design) are all quite "rich" looking.
- Alan Hume's cinematography looks fantastic, and his shots (directed or not) all have great detail, such as Bond entering Zorin's office from the perspective of the mirror which is then used with the computer.
IMO Moonraker is probably the only other film around the same time that looks as good...
"Better make that two."
Ah the Blouson!
AVTAK......
Both have comedic elements but take a sharp turn in the end : two guys beating each other to death in Coliseum or the excalation of Zorins violence.....we've already seen that Zorin is unstable but not to what extent.
Both films kinda have similar mood (light going to deadly serious) , it's not a mood everyone's a fan of though.
Yes the Blouson! Bond in a Blouson. What we're they thinking. The Blouson, clothing for a man that has truly given up and no longer gives a chuff.
Did you mean to post this in the thread about how Daniel Craig has given up? Three blousons in Spectre must be a sign!
And did you realise you responded to your own comment?
Hey! Sir Roger is 58 there and rocks that blouson better than anyone else could!
"Better make that two."
Interesting point. Perhaps on MR he wasn't as focused (at the time) on his weight or physical appearance as he had to be in OP/AVTAK.
I agree with what you've said because on the BluRay copy of MR, I thought he looked decidedly average!
"Better make that two."
I always thought the camera angle of Roger taking off the gas mask was a bit unflattering in MR for instance. In View he is leaner and meaner and looks great in his first few close ups. I remember interviews where Moore often said the Bond films need to have that comforting sameness of a bed-time story told to a child. I had that feeling at 10 when my folks took me to see View. It was very exciting to see those first shots of him as he grabs the microchip. I remember thinking "THAT's my hero. That's Bond!"
ALL the kids in my class loved View when it came out and most said it was their favorite Bond. Of course we were all 10, then, but still, those memories have stayed with me. No one really thought he looked too old, he just looked like Bond.
Responding to my own comment is a new level of narcissism even for me. Truth be told it was a **** up, and error, a mistake in old money. I was not dissing Daniel (heaven forbid) and thought that his were more Bomber like than Blouson. I will have to look up distinctions and definitions, but to me a Blouson has a pouched quality, a distinctive look to the cut. Not really worth a discussion probably, just one of an endless sea of bad sartorial choices inflicted on Roger. The real crime of course went unmentioned which was the disastrous Bouffant hair do. Perhaps another time...
A true bomber jacket is a type of blouson. Matchless calls their jacket in Spectre a "blouson", though it's technically not. Craig doesn't wear any true blousons or bomber jackets. Nothing in Spectre is a blouson in the traditional sense. Roger Moore is a little stuck in the 50s and 60s with his hairstyle and blousons.
You're right about him looking leaner and meaner. My girlfriend and I were doing the marathon and when we got to AVTAK we both commented on how fantastic he looked in comparison to earlier and also for his age. He in particular looks fantastic at Ascot with the top-hat.
I think in MR he's probably a bit flabby. TSWLM is probably where he looks his best overall, with TMWTGG coming 2nd.
"Better make that two."
Pro: Duran Duran theme and the oh so 80's credits.
I agree with this, but MR is definitely third place. Rog is quite dashing in MR.
AVTAK he looks leaner, but I have an issue with him not blinking for the first several minutes, while all other characters are noticeably blinking. Maybe George Lucas could fix like like he did with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
That one of your minute niggles?
"Better make that two."
I thought he looks his worst in AVTAK because he looks leaner. He's his heaviest from MR to OP, but I think he looks okay. He's not as heavy as he was in The Persuaders. I think he looks his best in TMWTGG.
- One of the best Bond movies ever, aside it's flaws
- One of the best theme songs by Duran Duran
- Terrific locations - enjoyed France and especially San Francisco
- The best bond villain of all time in Walken's Max Zorin
- City Hall Fire Scene (really emotional scene that makes you 'feel' as if Roger Moore is signing out)
- Fire truck chase and everything to do with the mines
- One of the best final fight scenes atop the Golden Gate Bridge of all time, even though Moore can't really pull off any action as he could earlier
- Roberts' is hot
- The first plot is interesting, but the main plot with Silicon Valley is amazing, even more so for me than GF
- I loved John Glen's darker and more realistic approach here, such as the gore, violence and the fact that Bond didn't have any gadgets to use (all his films did that well and were serious except for OP perhaps)
Con's:
- Roger Moore was too old to play Bond anymore
- Too many obvious stunt doubles throughout the first half of the film
- Would have worked better as Timothy Dalton's first Bond film
That's it. A lot of people here would have a lot more flaws but for me, the main flaw are the stunt doubles. I can seriously handle an older Bond if they at least try to hide the fact that they are using doubles.
1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Lazenby 5. Craig 6. Brosnan
There was another discussion on here recently (between Barbel and myself I believe) that highlighted Moore's excellent presence in the film as a seasoned professional in his last hurrah. He's written and played differently to all his other films as a wise hero that is protecting others first and foremost.
I think the final scene between Mayday and Bond is brilliant. "Mayday! Jump!" "Get Zorin for me!" has a similar vibe to, as you say, the Town Hall fire.
"Better make that two."
1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Lazenby 5. Craig 6. Brosnan
I'd give it a 10
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
I actually enjoyed my viewing of this film, much more than I seem to remember. Maybe as I've got older myself I've mellowed to this Bond film. I enjoyed the storyline, for me it's a combination of three movies. There's the "Goldfinger" element, Roger Moores "Gold", and "Boys From Brazil"
I watched this on Blu Ray and it looked great on my 52 inch TV. I have issues with Bond in the inlet pipe, in real life I'm afraid zero zero would be no more, but hey it's the movies so I'll quickly move on.
I loved the eifel tower stuff, I wonder if this movie was the first to show "Base Jumping", it would be interesting to know whether it was.
Christopher walken plays a great villian totally believable. In fact watching this now for me the negatives are a lot less than when I first went to see it at the cinemas alll those years ago. Sure Moore looks old and the mechanical dog (Dr Who used to have K9) at the end is cringeworthy.
The music is fantastic, as is Barry's score. Also I hate the Beach Boys in the opening scenes, I really wish they would edit that out for a future release. For me it takes away from the great stuntwork that we are witnessing. Overall I really enjoyed this movie, and it certainly has been elevated in my pecking order of the 24 films, not much but it isn't the bottom of the pile anymore.
"Do you expect me to talk? "No Mister Bond I expect you to die"
I'm pretty sure the title change was intentional. Why should it be called "From a View to a Kill" anyway if they share nothing beyond a location?
I like to think that when Duran Duran were writing the theme song they were so wasted that they got the title wrong, but the song was so good the producers decided to just change the name of the movie.
While AVTAK is my favorite Bond movie it's probably one of the worst attempts to work a movie's title into the dialogue. Apparently the "What a view"..."To a kill" exchange was the best they could come up with. And the From in the title didn't really fit into the conversation so it was dropped. I'm not entirely sure what the title of the From A View To A Kill short story is referencing, Bond up in the tree viewing the assassins in their secret base and and then later moving in for the kill? It's vague and generic enough that it could have been the title of any Bond movie assuming they could have found a way to work the title into the script. Or if they had decided you don't HAVE to say the title of a movie in said movie.
The story was at one point going to be part of Hugo Drax's back story in MR, with the timing originally being WW2.
The full title was announced at the end of OP, but lost the "From" quickly- some months before John Barry and Duran Duran got together to work on the title song.