Great to see references from Andrew McNess' book here, Firemass. Any members of AJB that have not bought his gem of a book - for heaven's sake do yourselves a favour and get a cop ASAP. You won't regreat purchasing this real gem of a book that takes a look at the overlooked quality aspects of AVTAK.
Note- I wrongly attributed much of that quote to Pauline Kael when in fact it was McNess. FIXED.
All Kael said was, ""Moore gets a chance to look scared--an emotion that suits him and makes him more likable." - Pauline Kael, critic for The New Yorker (from a review of The Spy Who Loved Me)
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
Andrew McNess references Roger Moore's "worried eyes" in his book A Close Look at A View to a Kill
"In the case of A View to a Kill, a film where Bond's actions are often rendered ineffective, seeing the worry materialise in those amiable eyes is tremendously engaging and reaches a peak as Bond clings to the suspension cable. At the same time, those worried eyes, along with Zorin's dismissals and May Day's dynamism, steal some of the triumphalist zing."
and here is McNess' note about Goldeneye:
Martin Campbell noted that his essential task in directing was making sure he "never looks panicked or flustered" On the one hand, fear and panic held in check may represent more authientic and realistic behavior froma secret agent, a man who is required to kill. And in the short term this cool and controlled behavior can be quite arresting for a cinema audience to watch. But are we shortchanging ourselves in the process?
A very interesting amended quote from Dr Andrew McNess's book there, Firemass. A book every Bond fan on Earth shold own. That's how good it really is!
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
One missed opportunity to show Bond being scared is The Spy Who Loved Me where Jaws is making mincemeat of the van. Instead of being worried, Bond is making bad jokes and generally not seeing Jaws as a threat. That's the only part of TSWLM that irks me, because it's an otherwise flawless 007 masterpiece.
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
One missed opportunity to show Bond being scared is The Spy Who Loved Me where Jaws is making mincemeat of the van. Instead of being worried, Bond is making bad jokes and generally not seeing Jaws as a threat. That's the only part of TSWLM that irks me, because it's an otherwise flawless 007 masterpiece.
Agreed - that whole desert scene irks me, but then I don't view TSWLM as a masterpiece, a point I make in my article "Kingsley Amis, Drax's Gambit and the Reform of the Action Sequences in the James Bond Films" on The Bondologist Blog.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Comments
Note- I wrongly attributed much of that quote to Pauline Kael when in fact it was McNess. FIXED.
All Kael said was, ""Moore gets a chance to look scared--an emotion that suits him and makes him more likable." - Pauline Kael, critic for The New Yorker (from a review of The Spy Who Loved Me)
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
A very interesting amended quote from Dr Andrew McNess's book there, Firemass. A book every Bond fan on Earth shold own. That's how good it really is!
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Agreed - that whole desert scene irks me, but then I don't view TSWLM as a masterpiece, a point I make in my article "Kingsley Amis, Drax's Gambit and the Reform of the Action Sequences in the James Bond Films" on The Bondologist Blog.