One question that occured to me this evening, when seeing TB again, is: what exactly's at stake?
Bond's concern that "thousands... hundreds of thousands of people will die" unless Largo can be stopped (as he explains to Domino on the beach) seems undermined and drained of dramatic impact by the fact that, in London, the Home Secretary has grudgingly but repeatedly stated his decision to pay the ransom if push comes to shove. His people are already "on to De Beers". So ultimately it wouldn't be the lives of everyone in Miami at stake, but the diamonds! (One wonders if the U.S. would be chipping in with a share of the ransom payment too, or perhaps they don't deal with terrorists.)
Let's assume that, in the event of Bond's failure to throw a spanner in SPECTRE's works in time, the criminal organisation would receive its ransom payment as the Home Secretary has arranged: Number One would presumably honour his word in allowing NATO to recover the missiles (unless, of course, he'd have a hissy fit about the casualties already inflicted on his organisation by Bond - or unless he'd end up behaving like Angelo, who attempted to change the terms of an agreement when it suited him. But Angelo's behaviour provoked SPECTRE's ire, and it would be out of character for Number One to trash SPECTRE's reputation as an organisation which meets terms: they'd never credibly be able to hold the western world, or anyone else, to hostage again!)
The plot doesn't bear much scrutiny, but it's all good fun!
Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
Actually, I do not mind this twist with Daniel Craig, the hollywood style, too many explosions, a lot of stunts, twister-plot, etc. I'm an old School guy, I prefer intelligence and gangster-ish, but Daniel Craig's films for me, not the best, but within normal.
Having seen NTTD at the cinema I re-watched it again last night, I still have little love for it sadly, it's not so much the ending.....though that is hard to take, I just find it pretty unenjoyable, the PTS location is still stunning but I can't get past it being just a series of retcons with a pretty flimsy main story, the editing is jarring in places for me and that's coming from someone who loves QoS. Looking back at the Craig era for me it started strong but I doubt Spectre and NTTD will be very heavily viewed by me in the future.
My friend CoolHandBond told me he watched this last week, so I thought I'd give it another watch.
Has it dated? Yes of course it has, it's pushing 60 years old. The tech, especially- marvelous at the time but not now.
The two main strong points it had then, though, it still has. Sean Connery owns the part of James Bond just as much now as he did then. I've written here before of how director Terence Young fills the film with scenes of Connery simply walking across a room to show Bond's character, inspired by the way John Huston did the same with Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon". His line deliveries are very enjoyable, too. I think you get the point.
The second? John Barry, of course. His main theme, "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "007" and of course the Bond theme all intertwine and push the movie forward, especially during the slow sections- I'm not so blind to deny those.
Watching large parts of Operation Crossbow from the very same year, I have to say it looked a far more sophisticated film and aside from the climax similar somewhat to the pre-credits of GoldenEye, the main thing anticipated You Only Live Twice. Of course, the film didn't have to blow its budget on foreign location work so much.
No Time to Die yesterday morning, in bed with a cuppa. I just can't get enough of it. Each time I watch it seems shorter somehow. A wonderful finale to Craig's tenure.
Over the past week I’ve watched the first 6 movies again and there is nothing to touch them in terms of style and enjoyment. Everything that came afterwards pales in comparison (although TSWLM, FYEO, LTK and CR are creditable entries). I think this reflects the era when someone first watches them, those who grew up with Roger Moore will favour him etc etc. For me it’s Sean and George. The sixties style and glamour are gloriously captured, the casting is nearly 100% impeccable, the girls are gorgeous and those John Barry scores are some of the best movie music ever written.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Just watched Quantum of Solace. I’m just going to say it…. I think this is a cracking film second only to Casino Royale from the Craig films. I’m not sure I can even watch all of NTTD again, I just watch the Jamaica and Cuba scenes and then stop.
I watched several Bond films,when i was away. I posted on the NTTD forum, that i watched it for the first time and i've posted on the Pros And Cons thread. I thought it was ok. A decent send off for Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond.
I also watched Dr No and The Man With The Golden Gun as well.
I always enjoy Joseph Wiseman's performance as Dr No,despite the limited amount of screentime he had.
Before the reveal of Dr No, Joseph sells his performance based on his voice. He had a deep and sinister quality to his voice, that was great for a villain.
The film isn't as grand as what we'd get later on, but that's because the filmakers only had a small budget to play with and they weren't sure if they'd be making a franchise and the film would be a hit with audiences.
The Jamaican locations are lush and it's thanks to the great cinematography by Ted Moore.
Honey Ryder is a great Bond girl. Ursula added many layers to her character. Childlike naivety, terror at being in the same room as Dr No and she's tough when the situation called for it. When she tells Bond about when she was raped by her landlord and she killed him,that was dark!
Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"
LALD last night on TV. I was very impressed how it was on HD. It is one of my favourite Bond films made better for me because of the showing on the HD channel.
Good stuff but odd it's showing on prime time on a Saturday night on ITV, as if it were the early 1980s again! To be followed by Jaws. On the other side there was a talking heads documentary about the great heatwave of 1976 which I kind of remember. I guess under the current Govt they promised to take us back to the 1970s and it's as if they have.
Even Seymour's Solitaire seems no longer exotic, the actress's prim, suburban manner put me in mind this time round of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss!
Golden Gun on today on telly. Moore's the quick change Bond, isn't he? In this he has a minute to get out of his clothes and into the shop dummy's suit, presumably without Nik Nik seeing it on CCTV. He pulled a similar trick with the gorilla suit in Octopussy, not to mention his clown outfit later in the film.
I usually only see them on ITV4, which show them quite often but not in HD. Watching the DVDs does not give as good viewing as HD so it was a treat for me.
I missed TMWTGG. I knew it was going to be shown but I thought it was on in the evening!
RM was my particular first Bond, I know some of his films are criticised (I don't like MR or TSWLM) but he'll always be a favourite Bond of mine.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,929Chief of Staff
Unfortunately my home does not have an areaI, only freesat through the old sky box. It does say ITV 4 on one of the HD channels but I tried to get this I just got the message to 'insert viewing card'. When I looked further, ITV 4 HD channel is only available if you pay extra as part of a sky subscription.
Is this true? I have a bog standard flat screen - 'upgraded' to a 37in via eBay this year - but ITV4 still only seems to be NOT in HD, shame! I watched Golden Gun on ITV + 1 which also is not in HD. Ah well. That said, these HD 4K versions don't seem quite so good on the big screen close up.
@Joshua : "I won't change my mind about MR though!"
MR was my last Bond seen, in a cinema last night. I'm definitely a fan. Although it's dated, there's a tonal richness about much of it and a pleasing aesthetic:
Hey @chrisno1 were you the one who posted on Twitter that there were only three in the cinema, with a picture of Jaws, Bond and Goodhead and the line, 'Shall I expel them?'
I watched the first 10 mins of NSNA largely to check if it was in 4K HD - I think it was, it was in letterbox so I should have stayed with it. But I was watching with my family and, well, one observed that Connery really looked too old in this - and his eyes were old too, unlike Moore of that year the spark seemed gone, he seemed sheepish and defeated. It starts with him being given a rollicking by Fox's M and it carries on like that, sort of being constantly sledged rather than doing the sledging. In a way, it's amiable and the jokes are there but....
Comments
TB seen simultaneously at another Vue!
My full review of TB is here (written prior to NTTD's release):https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/comment/967952#Comment_967952
One question that occured to me this evening, when seeing TB again, is: what exactly's at stake?
Bond's concern that "thousands... hundreds of thousands of people will die" unless Largo can be stopped (as he explains to Domino on the beach) seems undermined and drained of dramatic impact by the fact that, in London, the Home Secretary has grudgingly but repeatedly stated his decision to pay the ransom if push comes to shove. His people are already "on to De Beers". So ultimately it wouldn't be the lives of everyone in Miami at stake, but the diamonds! (One wonders if the U.S. would be chipping in with a share of the ransom payment too, or perhaps they don't deal with terrorists.)
Let's assume that, in the event of Bond's failure to throw a spanner in SPECTRE's works in time, the criminal organisation would receive its ransom payment as the Home Secretary has arranged: Number One would presumably honour his word in allowing NATO to recover the missiles (unless, of course, he'd have a hissy fit about the casualties already inflicted on his organisation by Bond - or unless he'd end up behaving like Angelo, who attempted to change the terms of an agreement when it suited him. But Angelo's behaviour provoked SPECTRE's ire, and it would be out of character for Number One to trash SPECTRE's reputation as an organisation which meets terms: they'd never credibly be able to hold the western world, or anyone else, to hostage again!)
The plot doesn't bear much scrutiny, but it's all good fun!
Hi!
Last Saturday I watched NTTD, after that I had to re-watch Spectre the very same day, at the end of the day I managed to finish Moonraker.
Three in one day! Very dedicated, sir. Which did you enjoy most?
Moonraker, of course.
I think you're going to fit in here very nicely. 👍
well at least you finally found a good James Bond movie to watch!
(joking, joking everybody, but the joke was too perfectly set up to let go to waste)
Actually most of my friends who dislike James Bond Movies say that Moonraker is absurd, that's the point! When any Bond film has been normal?
Actually, I do not mind this twist with Daniel Craig, the hollywood style, too many explosions, a lot of stunts, twister-plot, etc. I'm an old School guy, I prefer intelligence and gangster-ish, but Daniel Craig's films for me, not the best, but within normal.
Of course, 😁😁
Having seen NTTD at the cinema I re-watched it again last night, I still have little love for it sadly, it's not so much the ending.....though that is hard to take, I just find it pretty unenjoyable, the PTS location is still stunning but I can't get past it being just a series of retcons with a pretty flimsy main story, the editing is jarring in places for me and that's coming from someone who loves QoS. Looking back at the Craig era for me it started strong but I doubt Spectre and NTTD will be very heavily viewed by me in the future.
Thunderball
My friend CoolHandBond told me he watched this last week, so I thought I'd give it another watch.
Has it dated? Yes of course it has, it's pushing 60 years old. The tech, especially- marvelous at the time but not now.
The two main strong points it had then, though, it still has. Sean Connery owns the part of James Bond just as much now as he did then. I've written here before of how director Terence Young fills the film with scenes of Connery simply walking across a room to show Bond's character, inspired by the way John Huston did the same with Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon". His line deliveries are very enjoyable, too. I think you get the point.
The second? John Barry, of course. His main theme, "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "007" and of course the Bond theme all intertwine and push the movie forward, especially during the slow sections- I'm not so blind to deny those.
Watching large parts of Operation Crossbow from the very same year, I have to say it looked a far more sophisticated film and aside from the climax similar somewhat to the pre-credits of GoldenEye, the main thing anticipated You Only Live Twice. Of course, the film didn't have to blow its budget on foreign location work so much.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
No Time to Die yesterday morning, in bed with a cuppa. I just can't get enough of it. Each time I watch it seems shorter somehow. A wonderful finale to Craig's tenure.
Over the past week I’ve watched the first 6 movies again and there is nothing to touch them in terms of style and enjoyment. Everything that came afterwards pales in comparison (although TSWLM, FYEO, LTK and CR are creditable entries). I think this reflects the era when someone first watches them, those who grew up with Roger Moore will favour him etc etc. For me it’s Sean and George. The sixties style and glamour are gloriously captured, the casting is nearly 100% impeccable, the girls are gorgeous and those John Barry scores are some of the best movie music ever written.
Just watched Quantum of Solace. I’m just going to say it…. I think this is a cracking film second only to Casino Royale from the Craig films. I’m not sure I can even watch all of NTTD again, I just watch the Jamaica and Cuba scenes and then stop.
My top five from Craig:
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
Skyfall
No Time to Die
Spectre
I watched several Bond films,when i was away. I posted on the NTTD forum, that i watched it for the first time and i've posted on the Pros And Cons thread. I thought it was ok. A decent send off for Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond.
I also watched Dr No and The Man With The Golden Gun as well.
I always enjoy Joseph Wiseman's performance as Dr No,despite the limited amount of screentime he had.
Before the reveal of Dr No, Joseph sells his performance based on his voice. He had a deep and sinister quality to his voice, that was great for a villain.
The film isn't as grand as what we'd get later on, but that's because the filmakers only had a small budget to play with and they weren't sure if they'd be making a franchise and the film would be a hit with audiences.
The Jamaican locations are lush and it's thanks to the great cinematography by Ted Moore.
Honey Ryder is a great Bond girl. Ursula added many layers to her character. Childlike naivety, terror at being in the same room as Dr No and she's tough when the situation called for it. When she tells Bond about when she was raped by her landlord and she killed him,that was dark!
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
LALD last night on TV. I was very impressed how it was on HD. It is one of my favourite Bond films made better for me because of the showing on the HD channel.
Good stuff but odd it's showing on prime time on a Saturday night on ITV, as if it were the early 1980s again! To be followed by Jaws. On the other side there was a talking heads documentary about the great heatwave of 1976 which I kind of remember. I guess under the current Govt they promised to take us back to the 1970s and it's as if they have.
Even Seymour's Solitaire seems no longer exotic, the actress's prim, suburban manner put me in mind this time round of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss!
Golden Gun on today on telly. Moore's the quick change Bond, isn't he? In this he has a minute to get out of his clothes and into the shop dummy's suit, presumably without Nik Nik seeing it on CCTV. He pulled a similar trick with the gorilla suit in Octopussy, not to mention his clown outfit later in the film.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Of course, 😁😁
I usually only see them on ITV4, which show them quite often but not in HD. Watching the DVDs does not give as good viewing as HD so it was a treat for me.
I missed TMWTGG. I knew it was going to be shown but I thought it was on in the evening!
RM was my particular first Bond, I know some of his films are criticised (I don't like MR or TSWLM) but he'll always be a favourite Bond of mine.
There IS an ITV4 HD channel…it’s on Freeview as well, so you should be able to watch all of the Bond movies on there in HD 🍸
Unfortunately my home does not have an areaI, only freesat through the old sky box. It does say ITV 4 on one of the HD channels but I tried to get this I just got the message to 'insert viewing card'. When I looked further, ITV 4 HD channel is only available if you pay extra as part of a sky subscription.
Is this true? I have a bog standard flat screen - 'upgraded' to a 37in via eBay this year - but ITV4 still only seems to be NOT in HD, shame! I watched Golden Gun on ITV + 1 which also is not in HD. Ah well. That said, these HD 4K versions don't seem quite so good on the big screen close up.
Why don't you like TSWLM, @Joshua ?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I can't remember?! I saw it a couple of times when I first became a fan of the James Bond films and didn't like it.
It is on ITV in HD on Saturday and I am going to watch it. Perhaps now I might change my mind?
I won't change my mind about MR though!
@Joshua : "I won't change my mind about MR though!"
MR was my last Bond seen, in a cinema last night. I'm definitely a fan. Although it's dated, there's a tonal richness about much of it and a pleasing aesthetic:
https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/comment/1046311#Comment_1046311
Hey @chrisno1 were you the one who posted on Twitter that there were only three in the cinema, with a picture of Jaws, Bond and Goodhead and the line, 'Shall I expel them?'
Roger Moore 1927-2017
🤣🤣🤣
From Twitter, it's a rare Moonraker trailer that appeared to be yet another Pearl & Dean ad
https://twitter.com/thaigaz/status/1541119647164112898
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It has been a treat for me to see the Bond films in HD. On Saturday it was FYEO and Sunday Dr No and Octopussy.
I know next week will be NSNA (which I don't think I will watch but I also hope AVTAK is on to finish the Roger Moore films..
I watched the first 10 mins of NSNA largely to check if it was in 4K HD - I think it was, it was in letterbox so I should have stayed with it. But I was watching with my family and, well, one observed that Connery really looked too old in this - and his eyes were old too, unlike Moore of that year the spark seemed gone, he seemed sheepish and defeated. It starts with him being given a rollicking by Fox's M and it carries on like that, sort of being constantly sledged rather than doing the sledging. In a way, it's amiable and the jokes are there but....
Roger Moore 1927-2017