The first hour or so is pretty good but it descends into Carry On Bond after that. It's also John Barry's last great Bond score as far as I am concerned, he was never able to match the heights of his own brilliance after this one.
) carry on Bond. Very good.
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
DAF is one of my guilty pleasures. For all its camp and OTT moments, I actually find the movie rather odd and unsettling in parts. It almost has a Hammer Horror feel to it - bolstered by the creepy Kidd & Wint, Charles Gray in drag, the nightmarish coffin scene, and John Barry's eerie soundtrack.
Even the locations feel a little weird. 1970's Las Vegas, the streets of Amsterdam and the moon buggy chase in the desert all add to the strange atmosphere.
Anyone else feel DAF has an odd, creepy feel to it, or is it just me?
I don't find it creepy, but I think it has many creative and unique moments. I like it for the many great moments it has. Nothing else is like Wint and Kidd or the moon buggy chase. The whole film had a unique atmosphere. That makes it a great film to me. Every Bond film from the 1960s and 1970s has a unique feel with some very special moments that I don't think anything since has compared with.
I don't find it creepy, but I think it has many creative and unique moments. I like it for the many great moments it has. Nothing else is like Wint and Kidd or the moon buggy chase. The whole film had a unique atmosphere. That makes it a great film to me. Every Bond film from the 1960s and 1970s has a unique feel with some very special moments that I don't think anything since has compared with.
It definitely has a unique atmosphere. No other Bond film can compare with it.
Likewise LALD and TMWTGG also have a unique feel to them too, as 70's flicks. I guess Guy Hamilton did something right with his films.
BTW Matt, I love your blog site. I bought a tailor made glen plaid check suit from OHMSS inspired by your site.
I don't find it creepy, but I think it has many creative and unique moments. I like it for the many great moments it has. Nothing else is like Wint and Kidd or the moon buggy chase. The whole film had a unique atmosphere. That makes it a great film to me. Every Bond film from the 1960s and 1970s has a unique feel with some very special moments that I don't think anything since has compared with.
It definitely has a unique atmosphere. No other Bond film can compare with it.
Likewise LALD and TMWTGG also have a unique feel to them too, as 70's flicks. I guess Guy Hamilton did something right with his films.
BTW Matt, I love your blog site. I bought a tailor made glen plaid check suit from OHMSS inspired by your site.
The Las Vegas locations really make this movie for me, combined with John Barry's brilliant but eerie early 70's score, and a general Hammer Horror feel to a rather odd, and rather unsettling film at times. It is the most unique film in the franchise, probably the most bizarre, and probably the scariest, in a strange way.
Too many weird moments to mention - crazy zooms to Mr. Kidd's glasses peeking through the curtains on the plane, Bond being trapped in a coffin, the rather dark moment dead bodies get discovered - Shady Tree, the old woman in Amsterdam, Plenty in the pool....Blofeld in drag, Bond trapped in the underground tube, the shiny elevator that Bond steps into when leaving Blofeld's lair, Bambi & Thumper, Kidd and Wint's general behaviour.
For all its comedic and witty moments, it has equal dark scenes, which often get cut massively when shown on TV - probably more than any other Bond film. Connery strangling a woman with a bra in the PTS often gets chopped, as does the 3 knife throw at one of Blofeld's henchmen in the PTS. The superb Franks elevator fight scene often gets cut too.
Cons
Some silly moments. `You've just killed James Bond!' The film lacks a decent ending to Blofeld's demise. The oil rig scenes are definitely the weakest moments in the movie.
Connery looks at his worst here too - ageing badly, jowls, greying hair, pot belly.
Just rewatched DAF for the first time in years and was surprised that I enjoyed most of it. Don't get me wrong, it's far from the best film in the series, especially in comparison to the brilliance of the 60s films, but in its own right it's okay. DAF is a shift in tone from serious spy films to the camp stlyings that continue until the mid 80s. It could easily be mistaken for an Austin Powers film because it has all of the tropes that series makes fun of, and, as mocked in International Man of mystery, Bond goes from one easily escapable situation to the next with little effort. The first half of the film has some genuinely funny moments but the second half contains plenty of unintentionally funny moments.
Pros
Title song
John Barry's score lends the film a lighter, fun touch
Connery exudes a similar charm to his earlier films
The early diamond smugling scenes with Bond and Tiffany are fun and clever
Mr Wint and Mr Kidd are fun villains
Tiffany Case is a great Bond girl for the first half of the film
The elevator fight
Ken Adam's set designs like the Whyte House
Cons
Bond walks from one scenario to another with little effort, meaning the film lacks tension
Action scenes lack tension, are prolonged, and cause me to zone out (which is trend that continues into the mid 80s)
Charles Gray's interpretation of Blofeld is overly camp
Plenty O'Toole is underused
The tone is overly American and lacks the British charm of the earlier films
Bond is just a pawn in the plot, lacking any real personality
The resolution of OHMSS's ending is lame
The disrespect of Fleming's novel
The casinos and circus scenes add little to the film
The anticlimax is disapointing
There are some serious leaps of logic throughout
Jimmy Dean as Willard Whyte is unbelievable
Felix is unlikable in the film
Tilting the car twice in the alley is seriously dodgy. Why not refilm the exit?
The terrible dubbing of Connery
Someone mentioned the film doesn't take itself seriously and pokes fun at itself and the series in general. I agree with this during the first half, which gives it some charm, but find it degenerates into a generic action film in the second half.
In other words, DAF feels like a spoof of a Bond film rather than a Bond film itself.
In other words, DAF feels like a spoof of a Bond film rather than a Bond film itself.
I think this is the correct sentiment. It's a clear response to OHMSS and as others in this forum have attributed to - the general, bleak situation in the UK at the time. The film is flippant and fun and I can imagine it being a blast at the time. It's just one of those Bond films that really has not aged well...
All i need to please me. The movie begins in Japan, so just pretend this immediately follows YOLT. And imagine that Bond is angry in the PTS due to Aki's death.
Pros:
.Connery is better than in YOLT.
."Something I'd like you to get off your chest".
.I laugh at this film more than any other film. Mankiewicz is on fire.
.I dig the Vegas location.
.Jill St. John.
.Charles Gray as blofeld cracks me up.
.Plenty O'Toole. Wish her other scenes were kept.
.The score.
.The sequence where Bond infiltrates the Whyte House and "kills" Blofeld.
.Wint and Kidd.
.Talking to the rat.
.Bigger role for Q.
.I like Jimmy Dean.
.The showdown with Wint and Kidd.
Cons:
.Connery's appearance.
.The Circus Circus scenes are boring.
.Finale is a letdown. Especially when compared to the last three films. I would've kept the frogmen and salt mine sequence.
.Connery's dubbing in the PTS.
.The motorcycle driver waiting to get kicked.
Just an observation. Does anyone else think Jill St. John is a wringer for Shari Lewis?
As a side note my friend writes books on 1960's and 1970's starlets. According to him Jill is basically a huge shrew and he never says anything bad about people he interviews.
As a side note my friend writes books on 1960's and 1970's starlets. According to him Jill is basically a huge shrew and he never says anything bad about people he interviews.
"I don't care much for red heads, terrible tempahs! But somehow it seems to suit you..." That gives that line a whole new meaning.
Cons - Sean Connery (should he have even returned)
Oh, yes. Commercially it was a coup, both for him and Eon, and I'd argue artistically as well. It's common to knock his performance in this film, but IMHO he's a pleasure to watch.
I love DAF, I rate it very high (No 13 at the moment).
It is a wonderful new addition of style to Bond. Silly, camp fun. It's what Sir Rog continued later on.
Very glad DAF got made that way with Connery. Almost wish TMWTGG would be with that Connery as well. Would make one hell of a double feature.
Nothing against Sir Rog of course, but TMWTGG shines for Lee and Moore found his style with TSWLM.
Would have loved to see DAF-TMWTGG with Connery and then LALD-TSWLM next with Moore.
Also DAF as I said before has some of the best things. The score, the dialogue, the characters, Wint, Kidd, Bambi, Thumper, Franks, Whyte, Blofeld and of course Tiffany Case. The list is even much longer. Maybe one of the best Bond films, if not the best when it comes to ensemble cast and interesting colourful characters.
In the big context, DAF was the perfect and right beginning for Bond in the 70s.
Cons - Sean Connery (should he have even returned)
Oh, yes. Commercially it was a coup, both for him and Eon, and I'd argue artistically as well. It's common to knock his performance in this film, but IMHO he's a pleasure to watch.
It was the third highest grossing picture of the year. No Bond had done so well since Thunderball. At least in the States, it was a smash hit commercially speaking.
Connery's Bond was always a smash hit. Adjusted for inflation, three out of the top five highest grossing Bond films domestically are Connery films. Adjusted for inflation, Thunderball is #1 with $624 million made in the States alone. OHMSS' on the other hand is one of the worst grossing Bond films in the States of all time, with only 124 million in the States. Compare this to YOLT's 300 million. You can see why EON thought it imperative to get Connery back at all costs.
Does anyone know why Connery's voice is sped up in the pretitle sequence when introducing himself? It's at normal speed in the trailer....
"My name izzz Bnd. Jmes Bnd."
Cutting down run-time, perhaps? Or maybe, McLory got his revenge by kidnapping the editor and editing that part himself. Hence the awful sandals in the trailer.
Does anyone know why Connery's voice is sped up in the pretitle sequence when introducing himself? It's at normal speed in the trailer....
"My name izzz Bnd. Jmes Bnd."
Cutting down run-time, perhaps? Or maybe, McLory got his revenge by kidnapping the editor and editing that part himself. Hence the awful sandals in the trailer.
As much as I don't like tampering with films, I wonder if they could splice the trailer dub back in so it sounds right?
Watching (or trying to watch) the fish tank seduction scene that ended up on the cutting room floor, I was reminded of just how uncomfortable that whole thing must have been for them to act. In the deleted scene, Tiffany just sounds like she's zoned out on medications. It's really odd to watch.
Speaking of deleted scenes, I love how you can see the alley way car stunt where they emerge the right way up, but they cut it because of all the Vegas spectators watching. Don't know why they bothered, because during most of the car chase you can see everyone standing there watching. I remember finding that super distracting when I saw it in the cinema. They should have left the correct alleyway emerge in the movie.
All in all, for me DAF continues the tone of YOLT, where large parts work well, especially early on in the movie. But, I find the set pieces sometimes jarring. The movie doesn't flow as well as it should.
The Peter Franks elevator fight is great. And there are some great gags. The pool gag.
Does anyone know why Connery's voice is sped up in the pretitle sequence when introducing himself? It's at normal speed in the trailer....
"My name izzz Bnd. Jmes Bnd."
Cutting down run-time, perhaps? Or maybe, McLory got his revenge by kidnapping the editor and editing that part himself. Hence the awful sandals in the trailer.
What!! Connery rocks sandals! You just ask James Brosnan.
Watching (or trying to watch) the fish tank seduction scene that ended up on the cutting room floor, I was reminded of just how uncomfortable that whole thing must have been for them to act. In the deleted scene, Tiffany just sounds like she's zoned out on medications. It's really odd to watch.
is it the bit that begins at 5:24 in this set of deleted scenes? they both seem like theyd been into the smokables https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4cU_20TgJ8
but maybe the scene was left out because the filmmakers were aware a much more stylish fishtank seduction scene had already been done in a competing James Bond film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCKij1dzrvc
Watching (or trying to watch) the fish tank seduction scene that ended up on the cutting room floor, I was reminded of just how uncomfortable that whole thing must have been for them to act. In the deleted scene, Tiffany just sounds like she's zoned out on medications. It's really odd to watch.
Speaking of deleted scenes, I love how you can see the alley way car stunt where they emerge the right way up, but they cut it because of all the Vegas spectators watching. Don't know why they bothered, because during most of the car chase you can see everyone standing there watching. I remember finding that super distracting when I saw it in the cinema. They should have left the correct alleyway emerge in the movie.
Well, towards the end of the fish tank seduction...she appeared to be much calmer especially after the "give away something for nothing".
That wasn't the only reason it was cut. There were also some unused cars in the background from the sequence.
Comments
Bond trapped in a coffin, getting roasted is iconic for me. It's the one moment that has stuck in my head, every time i watch this.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
(with Bond trapped in the coffin) that it must have been a horror film
Even the locations feel a little weird. 1970's Las Vegas, the streets of Amsterdam and the moon buggy chase in the desert all add to the strange atmosphere.
Anyone else feel DAF has an odd, creepy feel to it, or is it just me?
Likewise LALD and TMWTGG also have a unique feel to them too, as 70's flicks. I guess Guy Hamilton did something right with his films.
BTW Matt, I love your blog site. I bought a tailor made glen plaid check suit from OHMSS inspired by your site.
BAMF Style is another good site, similar to yours - https://bamfstyle.com/
Thanks for reading my blog!
Of course I know BAMF Style. Nick does an excellent job. But it wouldn't be what it is if my site weren't around first.
The Las Vegas locations really make this movie for me, combined with John Barry's brilliant but eerie early 70's score, and a general Hammer Horror feel to a rather odd, and rather unsettling film at times. It is the most unique film in the franchise, probably the most bizarre, and probably the scariest, in a strange way.
Too many weird moments to mention - crazy zooms to Mr. Kidd's glasses peeking through the curtains on the plane, Bond being trapped in a coffin, the rather dark moment dead bodies get discovered - Shady Tree, the old woman in Amsterdam, Plenty in the pool....Blofeld in drag, Bond trapped in the underground tube, the shiny elevator that Bond steps into when leaving Blofeld's lair, Bambi & Thumper, Kidd and Wint's general behaviour.
For all its comedic and witty moments, it has equal dark scenes, which often get cut massively when shown on TV - probably more than any other Bond film. Connery strangling a woman with a bra in the PTS often gets chopped, as does the 3 knife throw at one of Blofeld's henchmen in the PTS. The superb Franks elevator fight scene often gets cut too.
Cons
Some silly moments. `You've just killed James Bond!' The film lacks a decent ending to Blofeld's demise. The oil rig scenes are definitely the weakest moments in the movie.
Connery looks at his worst here too - ageing badly, jowls, greying hair, pot belly.
I still prefer it over :
TMWTGG
TND (generic soundtrack imo , DAF is much much MUCH better)
TWINE
DAD
Pros
Title song
John Barry's score lends the film a lighter, fun touch
Connery exudes a similar charm to his earlier films
The early diamond smugling scenes with Bond and Tiffany are fun and clever
Mr Wint and Mr Kidd are fun villains
Tiffany Case is a great Bond girl for the first half of the film
The elevator fight
Ken Adam's set designs like the Whyte House
Cons
Bond walks from one scenario to another with little effort, meaning the film lacks tension
Action scenes lack tension, are prolonged, and cause me to zone out (which is trend that continues into the mid 80s)
Charles Gray's interpretation of Blofeld is overly camp
Plenty O'Toole is underused
The tone is overly American and lacks the British charm of the earlier films
Bond is just a pawn in the plot, lacking any real personality
The resolution of OHMSS's ending is lame
The disrespect of Fleming's novel
The casinos and circus scenes add little to the film
The anticlimax is disapointing
There are some serious leaps of logic throughout
Jimmy Dean as Willard Whyte is unbelievable
Felix is unlikable in the film
Tilting the car twice in the alley is seriously dodgy. Why not refilm the exit?
The terrible dubbing of Connery
Someone mentioned the film doesn't take itself seriously and pokes fun at itself and the series in general. I agree with this during the first half, which gives it some charm, but find it degenerates into a generic action film in the second half.
In other words, DAF feels like a spoof of a Bond film rather than a Bond film itself.
8. TMwtGG 9. AVtaK 10. TSWLM 11. SF 12. LtK 13. TND 14. YOLT
15. NTtD 16. MR 17. LaLD 18. GF 19. SP 20. DN 21. TB
22. TWiNE 23. DAD 24. QoS 25. DaF
I think this is the correct sentiment. It's a clear response to OHMSS and as others in this forum have attributed to - the general, bleak situation in the UK at the time. The film is flippant and fun and I can imagine it being a blast at the time. It's just one of those Bond films that really has not aged well...
"Better make that two."
Pros:
.Connery is better than in YOLT.
."Something I'd like you to get off your chest".
.I laugh at this film more than any other film. Mankiewicz is on fire.
.I dig the Vegas location.
.Jill St. John.
.Charles Gray as blofeld cracks me up.
.Plenty O'Toole. Wish her other scenes were kept.
.The score.
.The sequence where Bond infiltrates the Whyte House and "kills" Blofeld.
.Wint and Kidd.
.Talking to the rat.
.Bigger role for Q.
.I like Jimmy Dean.
.The showdown with Wint and Kidd.
Cons:
.Connery's appearance.
.The Circus Circus scenes are boring.
.Finale is a letdown. Especially when compared to the last three films. I would've kept the frogmen and salt mine sequence.
.Connery's dubbing in the PTS.
.The motorcycle driver waiting to get kicked.
8/10 -{ . Sue me. I enjoy it.
As a side note my friend writes books on 1960's and 1970's starlets. According to him Jill is basically a huge shrew and he never says anything bad about people he interviews.
That gives that line a whole new meaning.
Cons - Sean Connery (should he have even returned)
Apart from the aforementioned Ship Scene the whole movie was a let down.
"But Mouton Rothschild is a claret"
"Better make that two."
Oh, yes. Commercially it was a coup, both for him and Eon, and I'd argue artistically as well. It's common to knock his performance in this film, but IMHO he's a pleasure to watch.
It is a wonderful new addition of style to Bond. Silly, camp fun. It's what Sir Rog continued later on.
Very glad DAF got made that way with Connery. Almost wish TMWTGG would be with that Connery as well. Would make one hell of a double feature.
Nothing against Sir Rog of course, but TMWTGG shines for Lee and Moore found his style with TSWLM.
Would have loved to see DAF-TMWTGG with Connery and then LALD-TSWLM next with Moore.
Also DAF as I said before has some of the best things. The score, the dialogue, the characters, Wint, Kidd, Bambi, Thumper, Franks, Whyte, Blofeld and of course Tiffany Case. The list is even much longer. Maybe one of the best Bond films, if not the best when it comes to ensemble cast and interesting colourful characters.
In the big context, DAF was the perfect and right beginning for Bond in the 70s.
It was the third highest grossing picture of the year. No Bond had done so well since Thunderball. At least in the States, it was a smash hit commercially speaking.
Connery's Bond was always a smash hit. Adjusted for inflation, three out of the top five highest grossing Bond films domestically are Connery films. Adjusted for inflation, Thunderball is #1 with $624 million made in the States alone. OHMSS' on the other hand is one of the worst grossing Bond films in the States of all time, with only 124 million in the States. Compare this to YOLT's 300 million. You can see why EON thought it imperative to get Connery back at all costs.
Cutting down run-time, perhaps? Or maybe, McLory got his revenge by kidnapping the editor and editing that part himself. Hence the awful sandals in the trailer.
As much as I don't like tampering with films, I wonder if they could splice the trailer dub back in so it sounds right?
Speaking of deleted scenes, I love how you can see the alley way car stunt where they emerge the right way up, but they cut it because of all the Vegas spectators watching. Don't know why they bothered, because during most of the car chase you can see everyone standing there watching. I remember finding that super distracting when I saw it in the cinema. They should have left the correct alleyway emerge in the movie.
All in all, for me DAF continues the tone of YOLT, where large parts work well, especially early on in the movie. But, I find the set pieces sometimes jarring. The movie doesn't flow as well as it should.
The Peter Franks elevator fight is great. And there are some great gags. The pool gag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4cU_20TgJ8
but maybe the scene was left out because the filmmakers were aware a much more stylish fishtank seduction scene had already been done in a competing James Bond film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCKij1dzrvc
That wasn't the only reason it was cut. There were also some unused cars in the background from the sequence.