You Only Live Twice.....
alabamabondfan
Posts: 23MI6 Agent
I am a new member to the forum here. I am also a new bond fan. So far I've only seen Dr. No, FRWL, GF, TB, YOLT, OHMSS, and LALD.
I can remember my dad watching bond movies when i was a kid. I heard such good things about Casino Royale that i decided to watch all the old movies before I watch that one.
So far YOLT is the worst Bond film I've seen by far. It was so boring. The plot sucked. The women in the film were just average. Connery definitely seemed to be growing tired of this role.
Dr. No and LALD are my two favorites so far. Thunderball is pretty high up there. I didn't care much for Goldfinger. FRWL was pretty enjoyable.
OHMSS was interesting. I thought the plot was silly. Not really sure about Lazenby as Bond. Would have liked to see him make at least one more Bond film.
I am really enjoying watching all the Bond films now.
What do ya'll think of YOLT????
I can remember my dad watching bond movies when i was a kid. I heard such good things about Casino Royale that i decided to watch all the old movies before I watch that one.
So far YOLT is the worst Bond film I've seen by far. It was so boring. The plot sucked. The women in the film were just average. Connery definitely seemed to be growing tired of this role.
Dr. No and LALD are my two favorites so far. Thunderball is pretty high up there. I didn't care much for Goldfinger. FRWL was pretty enjoyable.
OHMSS was interesting. I thought the plot was silly. Not really sure about Lazenby as Bond. Would have liked to see him make at least one more Bond film.
I am really enjoying watching all the Bond films now.
What do ya'll think of YOLT????
Comments
A pure cinematic masterpiece. The story of an aging secret agent with a bad toupee trying to save the world from actors who mail in their efforts to star in the movie.
You will cringe in fear as you see horrible acting! You will bite your nails in aticipation waiting for the next cheesy dialogue line to be delivered!
The pathetic chases and poorly choreographed fight scenes are only surpassed by the size of Bond's jiggly belly!!!!
Yep! Compared to DAF, You Only Live Twice isnt that bad at all.
I'm not sure why, but I don't care for Thunderball as much as everyone else does. Ditto Goldfinger. But I love From Russia with Love (#3 for me) and I enjoyed Diamonds are Forever (#8). I love seeing a snapshot of Vegas as it existed in 1971, and I've never been bothered by Connery's performance.
So go into DAF with an open mind and see what you think. Do it before you get deep into the Moore films, as it's the last Connery film.
Since you are new, I thought I should mention Never Say Never Again. I do not consider Never Say Never Again a bond film for a number of reasons. It was not produced by EON so they didn't have the rights to the logo, the gunbarrel, the music, the theme song, or anything else. It was produced by Kevin McClory, who claimed to own the Bond franchise after he wrote Thunderball. Not sure how he got that idea in his mind, but he created havoc for many years. Most around here do not consider NSNA a bond film and it is usually not mentioned any more than the original 1960's Casino Royale is...
Back to the topic at hand, watch Diamonds are Forever and then resume the order, watching the man with the golden gun next. You can find my review of that elsewhere, it isn't exactly a stellar effort, but then you reach the glorious The Spy Who Loved Me, the very best film by Roger Moore and one of the top films in the entire series IMHO.
As for YOLT, the plot isn't that bad but you have to put yourself in a cold war context. I don't know how old you are, but the tension between the soviet world and the western world was extremely high in those days, and YOLT capitalizes on that. Also, space was the next battlefield, with the soviets and americans trying to establish superiority in their space programs.
Now, when you hit Moonraker you'll see what happens when a Bond film goes totally wrong :-)
Joel
Fiona Volpe: Some men don't like to be driven.
Bond: No, some men don't like to be taken for a ride.
I am planning on watching DAF next. My expectations are not high though.
I can see how all those elements mentioned made YOLT a great film for its time but some of the Bond films seem to have held up better over time. To me, YOLT was just bad.
1/ The music is classic. I've debated with myself whether the theme song is the best or one of the best. Right now, it's the best ... the melody, the sweep of strings really hits the uber romanticism (that's a word!) of Bond's world. Look at the lyrics -- one life for yourself, and one for your dreams!
John Barry really hit his mark : when Bond tackles the assassin in the garden -- DANT!! and lurking in the trees while the guitar goes doonk DOONK! In Bond movies, the composer is on co-star status, IMHO..... the Ama girls running in the sunrise ... when Kissy raises her head to see Bond the first time.
2/ It's of course all over the top. That's one of the weaknessess ... but also its strength. It's not a 'serious' Bond film, it pokes fun at itself. However, the mood still treats the crazy action as having a real base. The fight with the sumo wrestler. Bond smacking him with a couch (doing one better than guys picking up a chair). The lines are very funny, especially delivered with the dubbed voices. Tiger Tanaka and his voice make him an "A" Bond-friend. umpump ump. Welcome. Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond....
3/ Japan. It's the Japan of Fleming, not the real Japan. Like the book, Bond's film Japan is glossy, strange, erotic ... the precursor of Japanese animation. In fact, someone mentioned that a Bond film is like a No-play. Bond puts on his cold, saturnine but quirky mask and ambles through, invincible like a sword master. If this was an accident, (and I may be reading into it), it's a deft touch. This man is in Japan, a land of deadliest dangers, and looks mock-elegant whether fighting or loving.
4/ Unintentionally funny, too. A beer belly officer taking a hard hike with a disciplined Ama girl: "Think you can make it?" he wheezes.
"Of course. It's bizness!" She was of course thinking, Oh Please, fat boy.
5/ Many funny Connery 'pretty boy' shots (close ups) ... in the sub briefing with M.... as Blofeld takes his helmet off... James ... Bond.
6/ Oscar Bond lines : a/ Kill him! b/ Kill Bond now!! c/ this is the price of failure, Mr Bond!!!
7/ The most beautiful camera work of all, with the possible exception of OHMSS.
8/ The REAL M and Moneypenny are at their best.
I ... love ... you ... get it? 'Don't worry, I get it.'
9/ The villains. Blofeld seems to really be enjoying himself.
10/ The sets. Ken Adam also had fun .... Osato's office, Tiger's lair, and of course the volcano (it must have sounded incredibly stupid, and Brocolli must have been rolling his eyes)... 'Why, it's metal!'
Summing up, while the plot makes no sense, the film is very entertaining, like a good hearted, eccentric uncle. You know all his jokes, but he's fun to have around anyway. Maybe that's the best word: eccentric. Bond is slightly (maybe more) nuts. Nothing bothers him; he has fear at the time, but then it washes off with a stiff drink. Like that daft uncle, he makes you laugh not in spite of the cliches, but etc...
______________________
"Surely, you're joking!!?"
"Don't call me Shirley."
Still, this still looks a very impressive film. It's still one of the most expensive looking films of the series and John Barry's score is gorgeous. Some excellent action scenes too- a monumental punch up with a hulking bodyguard in the first half and the ninja assault near the end is well handled. I'd say it was a 4/5 from me, because I think the sheer spectacle prevails.
1. The "impossible camera" providing aerial shots of the car being dumped in the bay, on the TV screen in Aki's car.
2. The appaling effect shot of the volcano erupting.
3. The feeble attempt to transform Bond into a Japanese fisherman, despite the best efforts of a team of lovelies in a gleaming operating theatre and all the technological advances available to Japanese intelligence. And, of course, the mysterious disappearance of the top-of-the-range prosthetics, wig etc after climbing the volcano.
I know, I know: suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride. And I really would love to, but these three still drive me nuts!
I agree with you 100% that Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd were fantastic characters. In fact, I wish Bond would have taken longer than one film to kill the two of them -they would have been great reoccurring characters! I was certainly mistaken when I didnt give the two of them the Kudos they so rightly deserve.
My "supporting cast of bad actors" was in reference to the guys who played the police, and to Bambi and Thumper. There were several others too, but I would have to see that movie again to pinpoint exactly who they were, and I just dont think I can bear to look at it.
1. The "impossible camera" providing aerial shots of the car being dumped in the bay, on the TV screen in Aki's car.
2. The appaling effect shot of the volcano erupting.
3. The feeble attempt to transform Bond into a Japanese fisherman, despite the best efforts of a team of lovelies in a gleaming operating theatre and all the technological advances available to Japanese intelligence. And, of course, the mysterious disappearance of the top-of-the-range prosthetics, wig etc after climbing the volcano.
I know, I know: suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride. And I really would love to, but these three still drive me nuts!
And don't forget the other "impossible camera" in Earth orbit for the final capsule hijack attempt. Blofeld: "You can watch it on TV." How???
Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.
And don't forget the other "impossible camera" in Earth orbit for the final capsule hijack attempt. Blofeld: "You can watch it on TV." How???
Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.[/quote]
Maybe no money, but maybe an emergence of a new world leader after the US and USSR destroy the heck out of each other.
Edit: And I almost forgot. I rather like YOLT. I think it was very well done, and definately better than DAF. The only downfall, Englishmen don't make very good Japanese guys. Besides that, its high on my list.
The majority of my enjoyment comes from John Barry's stunning score, simply the best in the entire series. I have never visited Japan, but Barry's music perfectly evokes what I imagine Japan to be, based on what I have seen of it on film. The Wedding Music is my favourite piece of all Bond music, it just blows me away every time I hear it.
So many of the novels were wasted on hokey scripts.
PPS PPK : Not only Japan, but the music is perfect for exotic SW China. China is much more Bondian than Japan. Beautiful natural scenery, even the city parks have cool trees and bushes; the new cities and old cities full of energy and colour, and sometimes wonderful over the top architecture; and the people are very friendly; last but not.... plenty of beautiful Bond girls.
When you take a taxi into the city, from the airport just arriving or from your flat, YOLT score is the best! When you amble either in day or night (where the nightlife never stops, it seems) in the older sections, Fleming is walking besides you, your every pore open. (I hope this isn't boring, but China nowadays IS 007 Land.-{
______________________
"Surely, you're joking!!?"
"Don't call me Shirley."
Also the novel way to resolve the car chase was fun despite the impossible camera scene as has already been mentioned.
All in all a great fun Bond movie as long as you don't take it too seriously!
I will say though that Aki is one of the worst Bond girls, and Donald Pleasance's Blofeld is one of the worst villains. Neither one of those things is enough to stop me from watching it though.
This is an enjoyable ride, as I said. Some great action scenes and the first hour is terrifically exciting and pacy. Yet, it has a cold feel to it largely due to Connery's muted performance (the only film he goes through the motions though, imo). I do find it a shame that it thrashed OHMSS at the box office when to me, that's clearly the superior film. Same goes for Diamonds Are Forever, even though like YOLT I enjoy it a lot.
Second, imdb.com lists Alexander Knox's role in YOLT as the unamed American president (uncredited). I'm sure that's wrong; Knox seems to be playing something more like the Secretary of Defense. He's sitting there in one scene while someone else says that the president will be making a speech denying US involvement in the supposed destruction of the Russian capsule. Clearly, the chief executive is strictly an offscreen character.
I liked it, Sean Connery did good in it too IMO, not as bad as everyone is saying. It wasn't his best performance as Bond, but it was still a solid performance.
Blofelt was played very well by Donald Pleasence. The action in it was good and the Bond-girls were hot.
All in all You Only Live Twice was a good BOnd film in my eyes {[]