Bond seen by scene ......... Bond has dinner with Scaramanga.
Thunderpussy
Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
Thought it might be fun to analyse the Bond films, by dissecting some classic scenes.
( If a similar thread exists, then it can continue there )
The Introduction of Hinx.
In my opinion, one of the best introduction scenes in years, with this giant figure emerging
From the shadows, his relaxed manner and smile of greeting to his victim. To the suddenness
And Brutality of his opening attack. Over in seconds but leaving a lasting impression. I remember
Hearing a few gasps from the other cinema audience members.
Then viewing his victim, apparently appraising his handiwork, before delivering his last, fatal blow.
Almost stepping over the body to take his seat. Only hesitating to wipe off some blood.
I find the cinematography and lighting really impressive here, not to mention the acting skills of
All involved. With the sumptuous setting, it has all the feel of a Gothic horror story.
So, any thoughts or opinions on this scene, from love to hate or perhaps you've seen something
Similar, or better ?
( If a similar thread exists, then it can continue there )
The Introduction of Hinx.
In my opinion, one of the best introduction scenes in years, with this giant figure emerging
From the shadows, his relaxed manner and smile of greeting to his victim. To the suddenness
And Brutality of his opening attack. Over in seconds but leaving a lasting impression. I remember
Hearing a few gasps from the other cinema audience members.
Then viewing his victim, apparently appraising his handiwork, before delivering his last, fatal blow.
Almost stepping over the body to take his seat. Only hesitating to wipe off some blood.
I find the cinematography and lighting really impressive here, not to mention the acting skills of
All involved. With the sumptuous setting, it has all the feel of a Gothic horror story.
So, any thoughts or opinions on this scene, from love to hate or perhaps you've seen something
Similar, or better ?
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Comments
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/23058/single-favorite-scene/
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/43020/favourite-sectionsscene/
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/42812/best-bond-scene/
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/34496/best-scene-from-a-bond-movie-ever/
But I'd say this one is an original enough twist!
I agree completely that The Introduction of Hinx is a great scene, well directed & acted. {[]
would follow. It is the Spectre way.
Scene from the history of cinema.
I love the set, although obviously a reused piece of Goldfinger 's ranch, but the colour scheme
Of gold and natural wood looks so good together. It shows how good an actor Sir Sean is, strapped
To a table he can convey so many emotions and thoughts.
The script to Goldfinger is extremely witty and several scenes are filled with clever word play, something
The series would become famous for..
Beautifully filmed, with the lights slowly illuminating the room, revealing Bond's predicament. Both actors
Are superb with some great lines, as the tension builds, The intercutting of Goldfinger casually talking to
His people, as Bond waits for an answer, coupled with the magical J Barry score. Until Bond is able to talk
his way out of certain Death. A fantastic little scene and one that film makers would return to, in various
Forms over the years.
The scene is carefully and superbly laid out. Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn manage to take the already good raw material given to them by Ian Fleming and improve upon it in every sense, but it didn’t come easy.
Fleming’s scene had 007 strapped to a table with a buzz saw slowly approaching his, er, assets while Goldfinger addresses him. One of Maibaum’s first thoughts on this was:
That buzz saw must go. It’s the oldest device in cheap melodrama... I am dreaming up a machine which utilizes the new laser beam... I visualise a demonstration of the beam, showing it cutting through steel, and then used as the buzz saw was in the book, threatening to cut Bond in half. This out-Flemings Fleming.
His first outline had a long and complicated laser scene, which ended with 007 crying “Go to hell, Goldfinger!” before fading out. Maibaum felt Fleming’s reason for Goldfinger not simply killing Bond at this point (Bond offered that he and Tilly, still alive in the book at this point, would work for him) was weak but he couldn’t come up with a better one. In a later draft, he has Goldfinger justify his not killing Bond by saying “Why didn’t I crush you like a beetle! I was mad to have taken the chance- but I liked you, Mr Bond.”
Enter Paul Dehn, who revised Maibaum’s work. He came up with the classic dialogue we can all recite by heart:
GF- Choose your next witticism carefully, Mr Bond, it may be your last.
007- Do you expect me to talk?
GF- No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!
But still there was no valid reason for Auric not to simply let James be bisected by laser. Maibaum subsequently read Dehn’s work, came up with suggestions which he passed to Harry Saltzman, then Dehn did another draft- this time including Bond overhearing Goldfinger mention the words “Operation Grand Slam”, which he repeats to save his life later.
(Most of the above details are from “Adrian Turner on Goldfinger”, published by Bloomsbury in 1998 and highly recommended)
John Barry’s “The Laser Beam”, which accompanies the scene and was not included in some releases of the original album, is built around a tension-increasing ostinato* and is immeasurably responsible for adding to the impact and memorability of it.
Connery has rarely if ever been better than he is here. Aided somewhat (enforced method acting?) by the fact that the SFX team were aiming a blow-torch from below the table closer and closer to his crotch, his Bond appears genuinely terrified while remaining completely in character and as ever more masculine than Clint Eastwood and John Wayne drinking beer, watching sport and discussing girls.
Frobe is simply terrific. He combines comedy (his background was heavily in comedy) and malevolence (he’d previously played a child killer, and very well too) purely through body language, since his voice was dubbed by Michael Collins. It took me years to realise Frobe had been dubbed, so well was it handled, and so perfectly did Collins’ work match that of Frobe.
Guy Hamilton is perhaps the most variable of multiple Bond directors- you know what you’re going to get with Young, Gilbert or Glen but Hamilton varies from impeccable (as in this scene and indeed movie) to pedestrian and uninspired. Here his work shone.
* See http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/33598/what-is-your-favorite-and-least-favorite-bond-song/page/3/ for a discussion of “ostinato”
Christopher Lee oozes charm, with an undercurrent of menace throughout his delivery. It's these confrontational scenes
That really give the actors something to play with.
The scene also clearly shows Bond as a professional soldier, who takes no pleasure in his kills, while Scaramanga
Revels in his.
Bond (much in the same vein as Blofeld in Diamonds or Stromberg in Spy) doesn't need to capture a woman to have her affection.
She represents to us, the audience, how life must've been like for Anders. Her "I could stay here forever" with her stare, tone of her voice and fake smile that she flashes at Scaramanga is brilliantly well done and actually made me enjoy her character more.
While many wouldn't like to put Skyfall and Golden Gun in the same stratosphere, it's undeniable that she was the original inspiration for Severine but in the hands of a more competent actress with better material to work with.
This scene also shows how much Scaramanga respects Bond, both in skill and approval and it also shows how much in the dark he is about Bond's true motivations. For how much he admires him (the likeness), this is very much a classic case of never meet your heroes. While he was mostly at ease until that point, he tried to provoke Bond for an emotional reaction, trying to see how far he'd go, assured that he has the edge on him by insulting his ability as a secret agent and his home country. Bond throughout most of the film is overconfident and a bit of a jerk and I was rooting a bit for Scaramanga getting the edge on him for a change.
Bond might not be the best gun in the far east yet he outwits Scaramanga, foreshadowing how he would die.
I think KnickKnack was planning to quit the Scaramanga gig, he didn't seem too loyal to his boss. Maybe he was sitting next to Jaws in the Agency's cheap rented office, waiting for a new gig, and the Agency offered him first. Drax said no, his Evil Scheme involves eugenics and doesn't quite allow for that particular sort of henchman, so they offered him Jaws instead?
Drax is one villain who is most definitely not working for somebody else. But I did used to watch those movies very closely for clues to see if anybody else was working for SPECTRE. Seeing Goldfinger on a fuzzy tv in the 70s, it was hard to make out who he was conspiring with. I think they're Chinese military, but he was the only Connery villain who didn't work for SPECTRE, so I was sure there was some clue there I kept missing.
I don't remember the line about the "opposite number who also has a licence to kill". You should post that in the Little Niggles thread, that is a stumper.
I love the deadpan humor of Moonraker.
There is a funny scene in Inspector Gadget that features Richard Kiel and other henchmen in a "Minion Recovery Group"
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Thank you.
Goldfinger is referring to Mr Ling (Burt Kwouk).
He describes him to Bond loosely "Let us say, by one of your opposite numbers" and doesn't mean that Ling is Bond's exact equivalent. The "who is also licenced to kill" addition is a rather dark joke on Goldfinger's part- Ling has been authorised by the Chinese government to help Goldfinger explode an atomic, er, device on US territory causing multiple loss of life so could therefore be seen as "licenced to kill".
Gloomy, indeed.