Best of Bond (Pre-Craig)

DigificWriter

Hi, all. I'm new to the forum and relatively 'inexperienced' when it comes to James Bond (having only seen 4 films in the series: Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall), but desperately want to expand my horizons. However, I'd like to contain that expansion to only those films that represent the best of the character from the pre-Craig Era, so I'm starting this thread to ask what other fans' "Best Of Bond" film lists would look like based on the following criteria:
1) Character development and evolution (to the degree that such exists from film to film)

2) Story progression (to the degree that such exists from film to film)

3) World-building (to the degree that such exists from film to film)

I look forward to seeing how people answer the question based on those criteria, and hope I'll get enough consistent answers to be able to make an informed decision on which parts of the pre-Craig franchise to experience going forward.

chrisisall

Of course you knew this would be said by someone here:
Watch them all. )
But (loosely) from your criteria and in order of release, my humble opinion would be:
DN
FRWL
GF
TB
OHMSS
FYEO
TLD
LTK
GE

HatThrowingHenchman

here's what you do: take a 1 week leave from work, go to your local electronic markt, buy the 007 box set, sit down and enjoy!

ToTheRight

You're in for a lot of fun. To me, ALL the films are a blast. Even the ones many dislike are still fun to watch. I'd back Crisisall's list up there. Good choices. Maybe throw in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

DigificWriter

I plan on adding TND to whatever list suggestions I get, but does anybody have another suggestion from the second half of Moore's tenure so I can better justify buying Vol. 2 of his DVD collection set?

Thunderpussy

For Me before Craig the Best Bonds were,
OHMSS, LTK, and FRWL.

Matt S

DigificWriter wrote:

I plan on adding TND to whatever list suggestions I get, but does anybody have another suggestion from the second half of Moore's tenure so I can better justify buying Vol. 2 of his DVD collection set?

Octopussy is up there for me, though occasionally you'll find people who prefer A View to a Kill. Though neither have much significance in the series. The Spy Who Loved Me is probably more significant.

DigificWriter

Besides TSWLM, does anybody have any suggestions from the first half of Moore's tenure that'd fit my criteria?

Robbo88

DigificWriter wrote:

Besides TSWLM, does anybody have any suggestions from the first half of Moore's tenure that'd fit my criteria?

Probably Moores first one. LALD.

Thunderpussy

For character development and story, I'd say FYEO would
fit the bill.

broadshoulder

You can read my list underneath

But each of them is worth a look. Dont bother with the ones after LTK though...

heartbroken_mr_drax

Try and watch them all in order, you only have this chance once!

DigificWriter

^ Based on the way MGM, Sony, etc. divided up Moore's 2-volume DVD collection, FYEO would be part of the second half of his tenure, not the first.

By the same token, DN, FRwL, and GF would constitute the first half of Connery's tenure, which I only mention in light of my next question:
Using my original criteria as a guide, which 4 of Connery's 6 films would you guys pick if you could only pick 4 and you had to have 2 each from the first and second halves (TB, FYEO, and DaF) of his tenure?

Barbel

ToTheRight wrote:

Crisisall

Oh, that seems a Freudian slip to me! ) ) )

chrisisall

DigificWriter wrote:

^
Using my original criteria as a guide, which 4 of Connery's 6 films would you guys pick if you could only pick 4 and you had to have 2 each from the first and second halves (TB, FYEO, and DaF) of his tenure?

Dude, now my head's spinning. )

heartbroken_mr_drax

DN & GF then TB and YOLT. Gives good context for the growth of the scale of the series.

FRWL is hard to leave out, but Goldfinger moreso. You'd have to include DN for it's historical importance.

Virgil37

My advice would be to watch them chronologically if possible, but since you already watched the Craig films and (dare I say it) TND, I would definitely watch:

FRWL ,the quintessential spy thriller Bond movie
GF , the quintessential spy fantasy Bond movie.
OHMSS, talk about character devolpment. This is it.
LALD, Bond embracing the 70s.
TSWLM , Roger Moore finally creating his own Bond.
TLD, Timothy Dalton, probably the closest to what Ian Fleming envisioned.

I still remember the night that I first watched both GF and LALD, together as a double feature of sorts. Boy, did I have fun!

chrisisall

Virgil37 wrote:

I still remember the night that I first watched both GF and LALD, together as a double feature of sorts. Boy, did I have fun!

Yeah, that sounds very cool. But why not throw in FYEO? It provides some small measure of closure for OHMSS...

DigificWriter

I think this is the path I'm going to take:
FRwL (I've played the game and want to see the movie)
GF
TB
YOLT
OHMSS
LaLD
TSWLM
FYEO
AVtaK
TLD
LtK
GE
TND
TWiNE
DAD (I think it'd provide good closure to the pre-Craig continuity)

Thoughts?

Loeffelholz

DigificWriter wrote:

I think this is the path I'm going to take:
FRwL (I've played the game and want to see the movie)
GF
TB
FYEL
OHMSS
LaLD
TSWLM
FYEO
AVtaK
TLD
LtK
GE
TND
TWiNE
DAD (I think it'd provide good closure to the pre-Craig continuity)

Thoughts?

Personally, I'd include DN and watch it first, to get the character intro---and watch OHMSS before FYEO, as there is a direct link between those two films even though more than a decade separates them.

AVTAK means nothing to me and I would ignore it on a first pass through the franchise, as it's my least favourite, but for some reason others really enjoy it ?:)

And DAD is a perfect way to end the pre-Craig viewing, as it perfectly illustrates where Eon had put themselves before the reboot

I envy you this journey of discovery :007) Cheers!

DigificWriter

^ Which, IYO, is more important out of DN and GF in terms of filling my criteria?

Loeffelholz

DigificWriter wrote:

^ Which, IYO, is more important out of DN and GF in terms of filling my criteria?

Well, GF truly builds Bond's world, as it creates the Precious Classic Formula that was the template for all Bonds to follow, so I'd grudgingly say GF. But personally I prefer DN...so many great iconic moments.

Matt S

chrisisall wrote:

Virgil37 wrote:

I still remember the night that I first watched both GF and LALD, together as a double feature of sorts. Boy, did I have fun!

Yeah, that sounds very cool. But why not throw in FYEO? It provides some small measure of closure for OHMSS...

That, too me, makes it a necessary watch. I also think it's Moore's best film and one of the best in the series, only let down by Bill Conti's disco score (which is fantastic in its own right, just it ruins a Bond film).

DigificWriter

Apparently, AVtaK wasn't included in the 2-volume Moore DVD collection, so it looks like I'm going to have to pick either Moonraker or Octopussy as the 'companion' to FYEO, so which one fits my criteria better?

Loeffelholz

Talk about 'choose your poison' ) Of those two...I have to go with MR. It's an outrageous follow-up/companion piece to TSWLM, as they're both huge, Lewis Gibert-directed silly spectacles---but TSWLM is widely recognized as the quintessential Moore Bond, and MR is simply too much.

IMO, OP is simply too inconsistent in tone, and unforgivably (to me) comedic. However, others really like it, which has always baffled me.

chrisisall

DigificWriter wrote:

Apparently, AVtaK wasn't included in the 2-volume Moore DVD collection, so it looks like I'm going to have to pick either Moonraker or Octopussy as the 'companion' to FYEO, so which one fits my criteria better?

Sorry man, but I'm getting a bit impatient here. Get the damn movies & watch them. WE can't tell you which ones you will love or dislike. The difference between watching half & all isn't all that great, monetarily speaking (especially on DVD).

heartbroken_mr_drax

Either watch them in order, or watch them in any order. I wouldn't only watch movies that people recommend if you're planing on watching more than one.

Before I decided to watch all the Bond films I'd seen nothing before GE apart from TMWTGG when I was really young, couldn't remember much.

Go in fresh!

chrisisall

heartbroken_mr_drax wrote:

Go in fresh!

I would accept that as an axiom. -{

DigificWriter

I've figured out the path I want to take through the pre-Craig films now, and want to thank everybody for their suggestions, comments, and opinions.

As an FYI, here are the films I'm planning to watch, listed by 'era':
Connery/Lazenby
Dr. No (007: The Sean Connery Collection Vol. 1)
From Russia with Love (007: The Sean Connery Collection Vol. 1)
Thunderball (007: The Sean Connery Collection Vol. 2)
You Only Live Twice (007: The Sean Connery Collection Vol. 2)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (007: The George Lazenby Collection)

Moore
Live and Let Die (007: The Roger Moore Collection Vol. 1)
The Spy Who Loved Me (007: The Roger Moore Collection Vol. 1)
For Your Eyes Only (007: The Roger Moore Collection Vol. 2)
A View to a Kill (007: The Roger Moore Collection Vol. 2)

Dalton/Brosnan
The Living Daylights (007: The Timothy Dalton Collection)
License to Kill (007: The Timothy Dalton Collection)
Goldeneye (007: The Pierce Brosnan Collection)
Tomorrow Never Dies (007: The Pierce Brosnan Collection)
Die Another Day (007: The Pierce Brosnan Collection)

Loeffelholz

As I said, I envy your journey of discovery, DigificWriter. There is only one first time -{ Cheers...and enjoy! {[]

heartbroken_mr_drax

^ Agree. Very luck to be watching it fresh again.

I'd love to be able to watch James Bond and The Sopranos from scratch!! -{