One thing about FRWL that I love is the connections between it and DN. One could even call FRWL a sequel of sorts to DN. That's actually what I'm liking about the Craig films; that they could all be connected to each other and form a trilogy.
I bet Honey Rider's run off now, seeing what a bunch of nerds we all are! )
She would certainly have run off if she had been here during the CR days; Benskally arguing with a mod about how Vesper pronounced arse. )
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
[quote=Napoleon PluralNah, sorry, these are all gags. Subtle, but gags nonetheless. Like Klebb and the knuckle duster on Grant: "He seems fit enough..." You don't say... You can imagine the middle-class English laughter in the cinema at that. It's hardly a serious test for their important agent, especially as he's never supposed to be physically involved in Kronsteen's plan if it comes off (the fight occurs because it goes awry). No wonder Klebb fails...
"I agree. We use live targets too." Another gag. They're all there, but not overt I agree.[/quote]
Both those lines are played straight. You are meant to take them seriously. The knuckleduster is taken straight from the book where she whacks Grant in the solar plexus at KGB HQ in Moscow. Its meant to show the brutality of the woman.
"The live targets too.." is meant to show the ruthlessness of SPECTRE. That everyone is expendable.
I think it is down to interpretation. But you seem to find every other line in FRWL funny. Perhaps you think it is a Carry On film?
One thing about FRWL that I love is the connections between it and DN. One could even call FRWL a sequel of sorts to DN. That's actually what I'm liking about the Craig films; that they could all be connected to each other and form a trilogy.
Yes, I was thinking that last night too- it's the only Bond film where the plot from the previous film is mentioned and affects the events of this one that I can think of. Plus it has the only reoccuring Bond girl character.
I think it is down to interpretation. But you seem to find every other line in FRWL funny. Perhaps you think it is a Carry On film?
Bond = Jim Dale
Kronsteen = Kenneth Williams
Kerim Bey = Sid James
Klebb = Yootha Joyce
Q = Charles Hawtrey
"Oh, stop messing about!"
Yes, I think a lot of the lines are intended to be funny, in an arch, knowing sort of way the audience can pick up on. Lost on the lone viewer. But I can't prove it really.
I thought FRWL was great. Connery was perfect in that one. The first appearance of Blofeld was mysterious and sinister. Grant was the perfect henchmen.
I found Klebb quite weird and strange though. Her touching Tatiana's leg was really weird and quite
sickening IMO. But, she was still very sinister.
Bond and Grant's train fight was magnificent and truly thrilling. I loved every minute of it.
The PTS is wonderful. The whole time I was at the edge of my seat wondering when the heck Grant was going to strike. A very bone chilling and suspenseful moment.
Like Lazenby said, It hardly seemed dated. I didn't care much for the gypsy camp scene though.
Kerim Bay is my favorite allie. Him and Bond had great chemistry. I was deeply saddened when he died.
Plus it has the only reoccuring Bond girl character.
Yeah, I love Sylvia Trench. I love that they brought her back. She has such a presence and mystique about her. I really like her look, very 60's cool. FRWL is definitely one of the sexier films as a whole to me.
Yes, I was thinking that last night too- it's the only Bond film where the plot from the previous film is mentioned and affects the events of this one that I can think of. Plus it has the only reoccuring Bond girl character.
I think it's great. But whats especially good is that whhile it does carry on from DN, it is still quite possible to enjoy FRWL without having seen DN first.
FRWL is definitely one of the sexier films as a whole to me.
It is extremely sexy. However I think all of the early 60's films (from DN to TB) were just incredibly sexy.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Bond = Jim Dale
Kronsteen = Kenneth Williams
Kerim Bey = Sid James
Klebb = Yootha Joyce
Q = Charles Hawtrey
I would pay to see this.
Try Carry On Spying, then! It has most of the above, including Hawtrey as Charles Bind- after complaints from EON when his original character name was just too close (shades of Austin Powers):))! The poster apes FRWL, with Williams in Connery's place.
Edit: According to imdb, Cubby complained about the Hawtrey character being called "Charlie Bind Agent 006 1/2". Carry On producer Peter Rogers agreed to drop the number, but insisted on keeping the name.
Having watched Goldfinger at the cinema last night (how lovely it looked and sounded, too!) I was taken as to how much had changed between the two films. Bond, in particular, was much more likable and managed to keep a lid on all of those terrible wisecracks which he had spouted through FRWL (coming thicker and faster than in any Roger movie!). Somehow he's much more likable in Goldfinger, and the whole thing just works so much better (despite Bond not actually doing very much that's useful! ).
So all in all; FRWL is good, but Goldfinger really nailed it- Goldfinger's the 'great' one. Not a very original observation!
And on the subject of running stories between Bond films; I forgot the one bit of continuity between FRWL and Goldfinger- Bond's attache case nearly comes in handy once more, but not quite!
emtiem, you mentioned how you didn't like the wisecracks in FRWL. Did you not like lines like 'she should have kept her mouth shut' and 'she's got her kicks'?
Also, how did the attache case almost come in handy in GF?
emtiem, you mentioned how you didn't like the wisecracks in FRWL. Did you not like lines like 'she should have kept her mouth shut' and 'she's got her kicks'?
Good lines, but he comes out with one after every single episode in the film, and it gets wearing; especially when some of them aren't so good e.g. 'no smoke without fire'. And for the Bond film which supposedly has a more 'serious' tone than most other Bond entries, having him smarmily wander about firing off more wisecracks than Roger ever did deflates the drama somewhat.
Good lines, but he comes out with one after every single episode in the film, and it gets wearing; especially when some of them aren't so good e.g. 'no smoke without fire'. And for the Bond film which supposedly has a more 'serious' tone than most other Bond entries, having him smarmily wander about firing off more wisecracks than Roger ever did deflates the drama somewhat.
You know, I love FRWL, but I have to agree with you. There was a few lines towards the end (such as 'no smoke without fire') which weren't all that great. Still, the great lines in the film more than make up for the ordinary ones. (That's why I love GF so much; no ordinary lines. {[])
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
You know, I love FRWL, but I have to agree with you. There was a few lines towards the end (such as 'no smoke without fire') which weren't all that great. Still, the great lines in the film more than make up for the ordinary ones. (That's why I love GF so much; no ordinary lines. {[])
Very true- and in GF he doesn't come out with quite so many- he just leaves it for when he has a really good one. He's much more likable in GF; less smarmy, a bit more affected by events emotionally, and perhaps his fallibility also helps that.
LazenbyThe upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
But yeah, "She had her kicks." What in the heck was that? A terrible line, but one bad line does not a bad film make.
Why do you think it was a bad line? I had always considered it to be among FRWL's best lines.
BTW, I agree that FRWL has a great story. I prefer GF's but I think that FRWL is glorious in terms of its low-key revenge-oriented approach. If GF was IMO cooler and more adventurous than FRWL, then FRWL was more sophisticated and romantic. Sounds like two women I know. ) (Not really, but it would be great if it did. )
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
FRWL bounces between my number one and my number two. It happens to be my favorite novel for sure (the novel, in my opinion, being better than the film). FRWL tugged at me; the music, the plot, the screenplay, the shots, the fight scene, the love scene, the actors...it just all comes together. With the above lines in question, well, I boil it down to a developing character (JB) in the movies, being that FRWL is only the second film, which refined itself and peaked in GF. GF is definitely the best in terms of Sean Connery's Bond portrayal. However, I still feel everything came together better for FRWL.
I love FRWL and OHMSS because the films are pretty faithful to the books. From Russia With Love must have been pretty groundbreaking upon its initial release. We've all come to love and appreciate all that is Bondness, but imagine seeing that without any previous Bond knowledge. Many of the Bond trademarks were created in FRWL-only to be perfected in Goldfinger and Thunderball. They make for a tremendous trilogy. As we all know, things aren't quite the same afterwards.
Many of the Bond trademarks were created in FRWL-only to be perfected in Goldfinger and Thunderball. They make for a tremendous trilogy. As we all know, things aren't quite the same afterwards.
I completely agree, however I would go one step further and make it a quartet as IMO DN (the fourth greatest Bond film of all time IMO) should most certainly be included.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Many of the Bond trademarks were created in FRWL-only to be perfected in Goldfinger and Thunderball. They make for a tremendous trilogy. As we all know, things aren't quite the same afterwards.
I Completely agree, however I would go one step further and make it a quartet as IMO DN (the fourth greatest Bond film of all time IMO) should most certainly be included.
I struggled with the inclusion of Dr. No. Personally, I love the film, and its rawness certainly lends the movie a great deal of charm. Dr. No, however, just lacks the refined brilliance of the next three films to come.
Comments
Hi.
One thing about FRWL that I love is the connections between it and DN. One could even call FRWL a sequel of sorts to DN. That's actually what I'm liking about the Craig films; that they could all be connected to each other and form a trilogy.
"I agree. We use live targets too." Another gag. They're all there, but not overt I agree.[/quote]
Both those lines are played straight. You are meant to take them seriously. The knuckleduster is taken straight from the book where she whacks Grant in the solar plexus at KGB HQ in Moscow. Its meant to show the brutality of the woman.
"The live targets too.." is meant to show the ruthlessness of SPECTRE. That everyone is expendable.
I think it is down to interpretation. But you seem to find every other line in FRWL funny. Perhaps you think it is a Carry On film?
Yes, I was thinking that last night too- it's the only Bond film where the plot from the previous film is mentioned and affects the events of this one that I can think of. Plus it has the only reoccuring Bond girl character.
Bond = Jim Dale
Kronsteen = Kenneth Williams
Kerim Bey = Sid James
Klebb = Yootha Joyce
Q = Charles Hawtrey
"Oh, stop messing about!"
Yes, I think a lot of the lines are intended to be funny, in an arch, knowing sort of way the audience can pick up on. Lost on the lone viewer. But I can't prove it really.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I found Klebb quite weird and strange though. Her touching Tatiana's leg was really weird and quite
sickening IMO. But, she was still very sinister.
Bond and Grant's train fight was magnificent and truly thrilling. I loved every minute of it.
The PTS is wonderful. The whole time I was at the edge of my seat wondering when the heck Grant was going to strike. A very bone chilling and suspenseful moment.
Like Lazenby said, It hardly seemed dated. I didn't care much for the gypsy camp scene though.
Kerim Bay is my favorite allie. Him and Bond had great chemistry. I was deeply saddened when he died.
Overall, I give it a 9/10. {[]
I would pay to see this.
Yeah, I love Sylvia Trench. I love that they brought her back. She has such a presence and mystique about her. I really like her look, very 60's cool. FRWL is definitely one of the sexier films as a whole to me.
It is extremely sexy. However I think all of the early 60's films (from DN to TB) were just incredibly sexy.
So all in all; FRWL is good, but Goldfinger really nailed it- Goldfinger's the 'great' one. Not a very original observation!
And on the subject of running stories between Bond films; I forgot the one bit of continuity between FRWL and Goldfinger- Bond's attache case nearly comes in handy once more, but not quite!
Also, how did the attache case almost come in handy in GF?
Good lines, but he comes out with one after every single episode in the film, and it gets wearing; especially when some of them aren't so good e.g. 'no smoke without fire'. And for the Bond film which supposedly has a more 'serious' tone than most other Bond entries, having him smarmily wander about firing off more wisecracks than Roger ever did deflates the drama somewhat.
Very true- and in GF he doesn't come out with quite so many- he just leaves it for when he has a really good one. He's much more likable in GF; less smarmy, a bit more affected by events emotionally, and perhaps his fallibility also helps that.
Smarmy? I'm curious to know what you mean here.
See my above posts- too many wisecracks in FRWL etc.
The suspense with Grant is unparalelled in any Bond film.
But yeah, "She had her kicks." What in the heck was that? A terrible line, but one bad line does not a bad film make.
BTW, I agree that FRWL has a great story. I prefer GF's but I think that FRWL is glorious in terms of its low-key revenge-oriented approach. If GF was IMO cooler and more adventurous than FRWL, then FRWL was more sophisticated and romantic.
I struggled with the inclusion of Dr. No. Personally, I love the film, and its rawness certainly lends the movie a great deal of charm. Dr. No, however, just lacks the refined brilliance of the next three films to come.