YOLT, the issue isn't Connery...
heartbroken_mr_drax
New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
Rewatched YOLT last night as the lady wanted to watch it :x and I've had a good read of some of the YOLT threads on here. I know many people rate YOLT highly - but I've never done really done so despite some affection for it. The others on here who have issues with YOLT mostly claim that it's Connery's sleepwalking performance as the reason. I disagree.
The issue is that Bond (the character) is a zombie just going along with it all. This is a problem that begins in GF with Connery's films. The other issue being that after Little Nellie mostly everything is unsurprising and just plain boring. Connery can't help it. While it isn't as overt in TB, the final half of the film suffers the same lack of suspense and the over-indulgent filmmaking catches up with it.
It's a shame - the film starts so incredibly well and the whole Japanese underground intelligence team is fascinating. Japan is also probably the best location of them all. All of this fantastic stuff blended together neglect the character of Bond. He's a cardboard cutout that understandably - anyone who played couldn't really do much with.
There are a few other Bonds IMO which suffer from this issue too GE, TND, DAD where the interest in the films ending wanes because it's predictable and not so much riding on what exactly the outcome is.
Supposing this is all true and while I can point out what amazing elements do exist in YOLT, does over-watching and Austin Powers affect this? Also, plot-rehash isn't uncommon in the films, but is TSWLM a remake? Its structure certainly is much better...
What does everyone else think? Is it Connery or other things I've mentioned or just me?
The issue is that Bond (the character) is a zombie just going along with it all. This is a problem that begins in GF with Connery's films. The other issue being that after Little Nellie mostly everything is unsurprising and just plain boring. Connery can't help it. While it isn't as overt in TB, the final half of the film suffers the same lack of suspense and the over-indulgent filmmaking catches up with it.
It's a shame - the film starts so incredibly well and the whole Japanese underground intelligence team is fascinating. Japan is also probably the best location of them all. All of this fantastic stuff blended together neglect the character of Bond. He's a cardboard cutout that understandably - anyone who played couldn't really do much with.
There are a few other Bonds IMO which suffer from this issue too GE, TND, DAD where the interest in the films ending wanes because it's predictable and not so much riding on what exactly the outcome is.
Supposing this is all true and while I can point out what amazing elements do exist in YOLT, does over-watching and Austin Powers affect this? Also, plot-rehash isn't uncommon in the films, but is TSWLM a remake? Its structure certainly is much better...
What does everyone else think? Is it Connery or other things I've mentioned or just me?
1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP
"Better make that two."
"Better make that two."
Comments
But I also think it has to be taken in context. It's an epic film -- the first true epic of the Bonds. In this, characterization usually suffers. Beyond that, the real star of the film is the production, which is sumptuous. The while film feels dream-like, and Bond stands in for the audience in that he is as much caught up in the fantasy as we are. The problem with the second half of the film is less about Connery or the production, which continues to deliver on the epic qualities, but on the Blofeld reveal. This should have been the greatest moment in the series' history, but it fizzles in part due to the underwhelming performance of Donald Pleasence.
What impresses me is that You Only Live Twice is really one of the few Bond films that truly does deliver on the "larger than life" scale of its story. It's not the Bonds of the past 20 years that seem to always reduce the climax to a small rather than big scale. This is a huge battle in a volcanic lair sporting a helipad, rocketbase, and personal subway. In this respect, the production was always going to be the star. But if Blofeld had been cast properly, and the confrontation more memorable, the second half would have been very effective. Blofeld should have matched in personality the scale of his plot and his surroundings.
"Better make that two."
What do you disagree with then? That Connery is asleep and the screenplay isn't flawed?
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
It is really the middle of the film that does it for me. Especially when Bond is just waiting for something to happen, then we get a sequence that seems to go on forever of the rocket launching. I wonder if the exact same film would have been better if Moore was playing Bond - the film certainly suits him more.
TSWLM is Moore's version of this, and he carries it better. But perhaps that's just down to the writing of the character being a little more key to everything going on...
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I have to agree on that. I wish they had kept Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann on as the likeness and voice of Blofeld respectively. Would had made the proceedings of the Volcano a bit more serious and less comical.
I've also always thought that Osato should have played more of a role in the film as well, and have shown up in future films as well. That's just me though.
I agree that he puts in a good shift, as my earlier point stated that IMO he's fine. Historically, on this forum, the naysayers of the film have blamed him. It's more that the writing of the film feels far behind the scope and scale that's required of it...
"Better make that two."
I occupy the safe and boring middle ground, yes it's a lackluster sub prime performance, but even here Connery on a bad day...I think the series was getting tired and lazy and attempted to cover up by throwing money at the problem. Sound familiar?
Yes, TSWLM was definitely a rehash of YOLT by the sheer commonality of their elements, with Lewis Gilbert as their most common denominator, but again, looking at the context of the series and the times, another YOLT was critically needed to further bolster Moore's status as the new, resident Bond and the YOLT formula succeeded in accomplishing that objective.
For interesting reading that zeroes in on this phenomena with the Lewis Gilbert Bond films, I recommend the MI6 Confidential magazine, number 30, "The Monorail Trilogy."
The opening sequence of Spectre is the closest any of them came to having an epic quality, but though there are lots of people present, it amounts to a crowd scene. Contrast that with the volcano battle alone in You Only Live Twice, set against an elaborate set. Contrast that with Bond's escape from Blofeld's desert computer fortress, where he fights a half dozen people.
The problem with film epics, though, is that in order to work, they need three things:
1) A stunning audio and visual quality that supports the largess of the overall production.
2) Strong (but not necessarily complex) characters who stand out against the scale of the production.
3) A rhythm to the pacing that balances big action sequences with engaging quiet moments.
You Only Live Twice handles 1 best -- perhaps better than any of the other films in the series. It's tasked with creating a fantasy world and does so with sets rather than miniatures. Gilbert actually takes the time to show us the huge scale of the locations, whether the Kobe docks, the Osato Corporation, the volcano crater, and the volcanic lair. It's not just the sets but the people -- literally hundreds and hundreds. This is not a film where there's a CGI establishing shot and then a cut to some interior where 15 people stand in place of hundreds through the use of close ups and claustrophobic film angles. It shows rather than tells.
The film is not as strong in 2 and 3. It does fairly well with the heroes -- Bond, Tanaka, Kissy, and Aki are all charismatic enough to carry the weight of the scenes they are in. It loses ground with the villains. The biggest disappointment is, of course, Blofeld, who goes from being this spider-like puppet master to instead being a rat-like spoiled child. Donald Pleasence may sort of look the part, but he certainly doesn't sound and act like it. They should have gone with the Santa Claus guy because at least he would have been ironic.
But it's not just Pleasance. While Osato works as a scheming middle man, Helga Brandt obviously is no Fiona Volpe, and Hans is a wooden and not very effective Oddjob substitute. When the film begins to rely on the villains to be present, they seem anemic in contrast to the heroes, robbing the film's second half of a lot of its dramatic impact.
In terms of rhythm, the story likely is missing scenes. It gets a lot of things right -- the wedding sequence, for instance, is beautiful and serves as a wonderful and elegant way to cleanse the palate of all the action. We get a taste of traditional Japan, all while taking in John Barry's beautiful score and the lovely mountain vista. Moments like that are exactly right. Oddly, the action sequences are often the problem.
Bond's stay at the Ninja training school seems too truncated, for instance, so that when the assassination attempt occurs, there's no suspense. This sort of thing may work for a contemporary audience, used to awkward cuts and pacing so they can just get to the "good parts," but it keeps You Only Live Twice from feeling seamless, the way, say, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia or The Guns of Navarone do. The attempt to kill Bond in the plane has a similar slapdash feel. The situation is handled better in the fight at Osato's office, where the geography of the set is sweeping and the fight and aftermath are given time to sink in.
In order to create a true epic, the director has to have the time and production to pull it off. Short-shrifting, which is what most contemporary films do, hints at an epic but doesn't achieve the same results. You Only Live Twice is flawed but the most successful of any of the Bond films to create an epic. Certainly, nothing that follows eclipses it.
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Agreed. I'd say that TND does a better job with its characters! Stamper/Carver etc., are all excellent.
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
{[] steady on! You can see where it's place is in my rankings...
"Better make that two."
Perhaps YOLT feels truncated In places because it genuinely IS truncated. The original editor was having a hard time cutting the film down from 3 hours or so, and Peter Hunt had to be dragged back to cut it to its final length.
(Hunt wasn't originally editing here since he was moving into direction)
- The characterisation of Bond being a "zombie" didn't start in GF, nor did it continue into TB. In fact, he is very active in TB, especially in Shrublands, where he didn't need to be investigating.
- I don't think many people rate YOLT all that highly. Personally, it's middle ground Bond for me.
- The second half of Thunderball isn't unsurprising or or boring, and neither is YOLT for that matter. I think it's where YOLT picks up the pace, with the discovery of SPECTRE's lair being in the volcano, the Blofeld reveal, Helga's death, the Volcanic assault, etc.
- GE, TND and DAD don't wane at the end, nor are they unsurprising and boring. The former two have exciting second halves and final acts, and while DAD's execution was a bit daft, it's still entertaining for what it is.
- Over-watching and Austin Powers affecting your enjoyment of a Bond film is something that only you can decide. Personally, Austin Powers makes me enjoy YOLT more, cementing it's place in pop culture and demonstrating how much of an impact James Bond has made.
- The structure of YOLT is the same as TSWLM. There is quite a lot of padding to maintain the 2 hour run time (Ninja school/wedding in YOLT, the scenes in Egypt after Bond gets the microfilm/the train fight). YOLT edges out for me for its 60s charm. Out of the four of five WWIII films, TND does it best for me - as others have mentioned: stronger characters, greater sense of urgency, social commentary on a contemporary issue, exciting action sequences).
- Connery was just pissed off because of the reliance of gadgets, less focused story and the Japanese press. But when he needed to bring his A Game he was there. His reaction to Aki dying, escaping Osato's office, etc.
I think it helps that Connery stars in the films as he's such a pleasure to watch - however I feel that that means the character is taken for granted by the writers. In GF Bond's impact is minimal other than being a passenger, in TB (as enjoyable as it is -{ ) Bond is mostly a playboy on holiday and in YOLT, he's mostly taken around by Japanese intelligence, gets into a few scuffles etc., but just doesn't really do much. For me I prefer the Connery Bond portrayed in DN and FRWL where he's a damn good spy.
"Better make that two."
I think Barry's score, beautiful as it is, may be part of the "sleepwalking " problem ... the lyrics literally tell us this a just a dream, and all through the film the recurring melody continues that vibe
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Unknown, but I recall reading somewhere that part of the car chase footage was cut. And also unknown.