embarrassing moment in FYEO

Well,I'm still working my way through all the Bond films for the first time. Today i tried to watch FYEO. It was pretty awful from the get-go. Even though the PTS was cool and they FINALLY got around to avenging Tracy's death........Bond didn't look angry enough to me. Seems if he'd been grieving her for years, he'd have been more cruel.


But later on, when the figure skater is in his bedroom. That whole scene was probably the silliest, most embarrassing thing I've seen in the Bond films so far. The girl looked like she was about 16 and Roger Moore looked about 55. Not to mention the actress that played the figure skater couldn't act her way out of a paperbag.

This movie is right up there with YOLT as the worst of the Bond films for me. With all the terrible reviews I've read about AVTAK, I'm almost scared to watch that one.

Does anyone agree with me on FYEO?

Maybe I'll like it better in a few years if i ever decide to watch it again.
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Comments

  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    There are certainly a couple of dodgy moments in FYEO. The PTS starts off well, but Blofeld deserves a better death than the glib sendoff he's given here. Bibi is VERY annoying. I can do without the comedy Mrs Thatcher impersonation at the end as well. However, I think there's some great stuff in there too and it remains one of my favourites. Carole Bouquet is not just stunning, but has one of the best Bond girl roles as the vengeful Melina. The scenes between her and Roger Moore work really well. I'd give it another chance once you've watched the other films. You might like it better second time around. Especially after you've seen OP, which makes FYEO look like a masterpiece. And do let us know how you got on with AVTAK. It's a film that always raises some interesting debate on this forum. It would be good to have another opinion. :007)
  • Napoleon Han SoloNapoleon Han Solo Posts: 78MI6 Agent
    I love FYEO. Nymphos will try to seduce older men. And Roger Moore may look 55 but he is a very chiseled and handsome 55. She seems convincingly like a bubbly teenage girl to me. It's significant that Bond resists her, in fact is not even tempted. The scene on the cliff is wonderful. I believe the opening scene is deliberately silly as it symbolizes, by the dumping of Blofeld, the dumping of cartoony elements. The song isn't that great though, in fact DAF, which I consider a worse film, has a better opening song. But on the other hand VTAK has a great opening song on a pretty mediocre movie, so it all evens out.
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    AVTAK? Terrible? You're gonna have to learn what not to say when you're around me. ;)
  • Smoke_13Smoke_13 Kitchener Ont CanadaPosts: 285MI6 Agent
    FYEO was the first Bond I ever saw in a theater. I think I was 12. For a long time 12 - 18 it was proabably my favorite. My friends and I at the time thought Bibi was so hot as well. We thought Bond was nuts for turning her down. Ah, the follies of youth.

    As an adult, I can't stand Bibi. I can't stand that scene. I dont know who the genius was that thought that it actually had any merit being in a Bond film. Did the people telling the story feel the need to tell the audience that, "Bond is a womanizer, but a womanizer with limitations?"

    You nailed it Alabamabondfan, it's an embarrassing moment. The other thing I hate about FYEO is that cheesy music that plays throughout the ski chase - it ruins the whole thing -and that chase would have been so good without it.

    That said, FYEO does have some fantastic scenes. One scene that I have always liked was the scene with Bond and Milena tied up on the boat getting ready to be trolled through the shark infested waters. She looks at Bond and says, "I didnt think it would end like this." and he looks down at her and very calmly replies, "We're not dead yet." That is just spot on for a Bond response IMHO.
  • jbfreakjbfreak Posts: 144MI6 Agent
    I thought that FYEO was a very good film. Much better than OP, and I'll just leave AVTAK alone so not to upset JFF :D

    IMO, FYEO and YOLT are up there together, but not as horrible Bond films. I think that both of them bring a lot to the series. Both of them have annoying moments in them, but so does every other movie you watch. I agree that Blofeld deserved a more cruel death, but aside from that part, the rest of the movie was just about perfect.
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,882Chief of Staff
    I think what some people are missing here is that Bond is supposed to be an older man in FYEO--witness his huffing and puffing as he chases Locque's car--and he knows better than to bed a silly young thing like Bibi. I don't find the scene embarassing at all: Moore handles it with considerable panache (I love the line, "Get dressed and I'll buy you an ice cream") and it works as a nice humorous moment. FYEO is, I think, a pretty good Bond film, and it's largely because Roger Moore delivers his most complicated and layered performance as 007. There are some bad moments in the film--the Blofeld drop, the attack of the hockey players--but, on the whole, it's a highlight of the Moore years.
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    Hardyboy wrote:
    I think what some people are missing here is that Bond is supposed to be an older man in FYEO--witness his huffing and puffing as he chases Locque's car--and he knows better than to bed a silly young thing like Bibi. I don't find the scene embarassing at all: Moore handles it with considerable panache (I love the line, "Get dressed and I'll buy you an ice cream") and it works as a nice humorous moment. FYEO is, I think, a pretty good Bond film, and it's largely because Roger Moore delivers his most complicated and layered performance as 007. There are some bad moments in the film--the Blofeld drop, the attack of the hockey players--but, on the whole, it's a highlight of the Moore years.

    Very very true {[]

    I dont find FYEO embarrasing at all, it has so many good elements, but yes when there is an embarrasing moment it is embarrasing. Only ones to me would be the hockey players and thats about it.

    The PTS is forgettable though.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    Hardyboy wrote:
    I think what some people are missing here is that Bond is supposed to be an older man in FYEO--witness his huffing and puffing as he chases Locque's car--and he knows better than to bed a silly young thing like Bibi. I don't find the scene embarassing at all: Moore handles it with considerable panache (I love the line, "Get dressed and I'll buy you an ice cream") and it works as a nice humorous moment. FYEO is, I think, a pretty good Bond film, and it's largely because Roger Moore delivers his most complicated and layered performance as 007. There are some bad moments in the film--the Blofeld drop, the attack of the hockey players--but, on the whole, it's a highlight of the Moore years.

    Very very true {[]

    I dont find FYEO embarrasing at all, it has so many good elements, but yes when there is an embarrasing moment it is embarrasing. Only ones to me would be the hockey players and thats about it.

    The PTS is forgettable though.

    I don't find FYEO embarassing either. It's one of the better films of the series. Bibi Dahl is annoying, but then she is rather a spoilt brat. Bond's rejection of her advance makes perfect sense to me, it's not embarassing at all. Neither is the Maggie Thatcher parody at the end of the film, I find it amusing. A lot of fans complain about "Blofeld's" demise down the chimney stack, but I actually enjoy the PTS.

    I do agree with those who say that the music during the ski chase spoils that sequence. And the attack of the hockey players is spoilt by the "humour" of them all ending up in the net. A shame because it begins in such a brutal fashion.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    I am another one who doesn't find FYEO to be embarassing. I consider FYEO to be Moore's second best film (after TSWLM) and I consider Moore's performance in it to be his third best (after TSWLM and LALD.) Are there moments in FYEO which are less than idea? Absolutely, but then again IMO the last Bond film which was flawless was TSWLM, so really every one of the last 11 Bond films (post-TSWLM) featured 'embarrassing' moments IMO.

    Plus, in the case of FYEO, I think the benefits (a great performance by Moore, some cool action scenes, a moment that finally proves to the cynics just how ruthless Moore can be, a really good title song IMO and an intelligent plot that more than makes up for the second half of MR) more than outweigh the negatives. IMO FYEO was the best Bond film of the 80's and the second best Bond film (after GE) post-TSWLM.
    "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
  • Prince Kamal KhanPrince Kamal Khan Posts: 277MI6 Agent
    Well,I'm still working my way through all the Bond films for the first time. Today i tried to watch FYEO. It was pretty awful from the get-go. Even though the PTS was cool and they FINALLY got around to avenging Tracy's death........Bond didn't look angry enough to me. Seems if he'd been grieving her for years, he'd have been more cruel.


    But later on, when the figure skater is in his bedroom. That whole scene was probably the silliest, most embarrassing thing I've seen in the Bond films so far. The girl looked like she was about 16 and Roger Moore looked about 55. Not to mention the actress that played the figure skater couldn't act her way out of a paperbag.

    This movie is right up there with YOLT as the worst of the Bond films for me. With all the terrible reviews I've read about AVTAK, I'm almost scared to watch that one.

    Does anyone agree with me on FYEO?

    FYEO isn't bad but it does tend to be, along with the Brosnan films, among the most overrated Bond films IMHO. I don't hate it but I'd actually like to read more bad reviews of it to counterbalance some of the overpraise I think it gets. You're right that Bond should have been more serious when dispatching the villain responsible for his wife's death and that Bibi Dahl moment might have been more at home in MR or AVTAK but not in a supposedly more "serious" Bond film.

    In retrospect, FYEO was a Bond film in transition. The series was moving away from the lighthearted comedic Bonds of the 1970s and towards the more serious Bonds of the Dalton films and CR. However, it seems a bit "inbetween" these 2 types of Bond filmmaking in FYEO. Personally speaking I'd rather a Bond film be "all out" fantasy/lighthearted like TSWLM, DAF and MR or "all out" serious like TLD, LTK and CR but to each his own.
  • baccaretbaccaret Posts: 61MI6 Agent
    I think fyeo is great, sure there are flaws in it like all Moore movies, but I rank it as his second best effort behind tswlm.
  • Pierce_BrosnanPierce_Brosnan Posts: 329MI6 Agent
    Well,I'm still working my way through all the Bond films for the first time. Today i tried to watch FYEO. It was pretty awful from the get-go. Even though the PTS was cool and they FINALLY got around to avenging Tracy's death........Bond didn't look angry enough to me. Seems if he'd been grieving her for years, he'd have been more cruel.





    But later on, when the figure skater is in his bedroom. That whole scene was probably the silliest, most embarrassing thing I've seen in the Bond films so far. The girl looked like she was about 16 and Roger Moore looked about 55. Not to mention the actress that played the figure skater couldn't act her way out of a paperbag.

    This movie is right up there with YOLT as the worst of the Bond films for me. With all the terrible reviews I've read about AVTAK, I'm almost scared to watch that one.

    Does anyone agree with me on FYEO?

    Maybe I'll like it better in a few years if i ever decide to watch it again.

    I personally love FYEO, the best Moore flick. (IMO)
  • delliott101delliott101 Posts: 115MI6 Agent
    I personally love FYEO, the best Moore flick. (IMO)

    I agree... it does have faults:

    I think the pre-credits is sorely out of place and has nothing to do with the film. But they are action filled!

    Bibi IS annoying, but Connery-Bond would have followed through with finding her in his room.

    The end (Thatcher) is embarrassing.

    Even with these faults, it's the best Bond since OHMSS.
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    Bibi IS annoying, but Connery-Bond would have followed through with finding her in his room.

    LOL :v

    But true.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • alabamabondfanalabamabondfan Posts: 23MI6 Agent
    thanks for all the replies.

    my apologies to JennyFlexFan. :)I'll wait until I've seen AVTAK to make any judgments.

    Funny, lots of people seem to hate DAF but it is one of my favorites so far. The women in the film were awesome (2nd only to Thunderball) and Connery seemed much more inspired in this role than in YOLT.

    It seemed stupid to me that Bond had been made to be such a playboy and then the writers put in this scene with an oversexed teenager just so we can see that Bond does have enough morals to turn down the underaged??? The ice cream line was funny but the scene was still bad and the actress weak imho.

    I've only seen the first 15 minutes of Moonraker. I'm going to watch it next and then AVTAK. I've tried to watch them in sequence but have skipped ahead and gone back a few times.

    I'll go ahead and give my vote for best Moore Bond film as LALD. I loved this movie. TMWTGG wasn't bad either. TSWLM was ok. I'd like to see what FYEO and AVTAK could have been like with a younger Bond.

    I think this is an awesome message board by the way.
  • Smoke_13Smoke_13 Kitchener Ont CanadaPosts: 285MI6 Agent
    Alabamabondfan, I am also one of the few on this board that like TMWTGG as a Bond film.

    Yes, it's full of plot holes big enough to drive a cement truck through -however, some parts are very enjoyable.

    I'm old and I forget names now lol, but in TMWTGG when Moore is with Scaramanga's girl (her name is the one I forget -little help appreciated there board members) and he has her arm twisted up behind her back she says to him, "You're hurting my arm." His response is, "I'll break it unless you tell me where Scaramanga is." -It actually looked like Moore meant every word of what he said -and that for me is one of the few moments where Moore came off looking like a Fleming Bond.

    But this thread is about FYEO -and coincedentally enough this movie also shows Moore in a Flemingesque Bond moment. It's when he kicks "The Dove's" (there goes my crappy memory again- sorry) car off the side of the cliff and heartlessly kills him when he could have just as easily saved him. If Moore could have displayed a more consistant edge like that when he played Bond I'm sure he would be a much more popular Bond than he is now.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    and Connery seemed much more inspired in this role than in YOLT.
    Yes, absolutely! :D I completely agree with you that Connery was great in DAF. It's wonderful to meet someone who agrees with me on this. {[]
    "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
  • actonsteveactonsteve Posts: 299MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    My new partner and I watched FYEO last night for the first time in two years and it really is quality stuff.

    There are a few silly its ie Blofelds demise and the Thatch bit at the end (see, I'm an eighties boy and we always referred to her in that derogatory way) but it really is a first class script from Richard Maibaum and Michael Wilson.

    I like the way everyone is given a background. Its an ensemble piece. We get to know Melina's idyllic life brought up on a ship sailing around the sunny Meditterranean with a loving family which is brought to an end so brutally. The shock of your world ending with an assassins bullet. And they dont portray her as a drooling loon out for revenge she does it coldly and with controlled fury that is believable. Easily as good as Barbara Bachs Anya Amasova..

    Bu the minor characters are well written - Jacoba Brink was a previous world class figure skater alluded to by Bond. Kriegler is a defector, Locque a murderer who escaped prison and the WWII rivalry background of Kristatos and Colombo. Even the bit part of Lisl von Schlaf is good with her not really being an Austrian countess but a Livepudlian fraud.

    It really is first class stuff. Just as good as Casino Royale.
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    Smoke_13 wrote:

    I'm old and I forget names now lol, but in TMWTGG when Moore is with Scaramanga's girl (her name is the one I forget -little help appreciated there board members)

    But this thread is about FYEO -and coincedentally enough this movie also shows Moore in a Flemingesque Bond moment. It's when he kicks "The Dove's" (there goes my crappy memory again- sorry) car off the side of the cliff and heartlessly kills him when he could have just as easily saved him.

    Scaramanga's girl in TMWTGG is Andrea Anders. She is portrayed by the delightful Maud Adams.

    "The Dove" in FYEO is Emile Leopold Locque. He is portrayed by Michael Gothard.
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    and Connery seemed much more inspired in this role than in YOLT.
    Yes, absolutely! :D I completely agree with you that Connery was great in DAF. It's wonderful to meet someone who agrees with me on this. {[]

    I would agree that he is fun to watch, and it looks like he is having a good time, but DAF still sucks.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    I would agree that he is fun to watch, and it looks like he is having a good time, but DAF still sucks.
    I don't agree that it sucks. Yes, it's not a great Bond film, but IMO it is still pretty fun. ;)
    "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
  • Napoleon Han SoloNapoleon Han Solo Posts: 78MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    Hardyboy wrote:
    I think what some people are missing here is that Bond is supposed to be an older man in FYEO--witness his huffing and puffing as he chases Locque's car--and he knows better than to bed a silly young thing like Bibi. I don't find the scene embarassing at all: Moore handles it with considerable panache (I love the line, "Get dressed and I'll buy you an ice cream") and it works as a nice humorous moment. FYEO is, I think, a pretty good Bond film, and it's largely because Roger Moore delivers his most complicated and layered performance as 007. There are some bad moments in the film--the Blofeld drop, the attack of the hockey players--but, on the whole, it's a highlight of the Moore years.

    I agree with all this but again must reiterate that I believe the Blofeld scene is symbolic of cartoonish elements in the series being dropped for now, hence it's silliness is deliberately satirical...as for it not being a cruel enough death, I think dropping a man in a wheelchair into a smokestack, to shattered bones and a burning death, is fairly cruel.
  • Napoleon Han SoloNapoleon Han Solo Posts: 78MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    I would agree that he is fun to watch, and it looks like he is having a good time, but DAF still sucks.
    I don't agree that it sucks. Yes, it's not a great Bond film, but IMO it is still pretty fun. ;)

    Having just watched DAF a couple days ago, I have to say it stands alone because it is the only Connery Bond with a distinctly seventies feel. The police chases foreshadows JW Pepper, who happens to be an element I take with a grain of Mrs. Dash and get a kick out of. After watching DAF what I walked away thinking about is, man, Wynn and Kidd are two of the creepiest creeps in any film ever!
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited January 2007
    FYEO does indeed have some embarrassing moments...all of the Bond films do IMO, but there's not one movie that I refuse to ever watch again.

    There is one thing in FYEO that makes me cringe each time I see it. It's a small thing, but I can't help but notice it every time. In the Q lab sequence, Bond witnesses a man's cast swing open and smash a dummy's head sitting in a chair. I'm constantly aware that the effect is pulled off by simply having a second individual slide his arm from behind the wall and underneath the actor's arm in front of the wall. A simple trick, but glaringly bad once you notice it.
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    darenhat wrote:
    FYEO does indeed have some embarrassing moments...all of the Bond films do IMO, but there's not one movie that I refuse to ever watch again.

    There is one thing in FYEO that makes me cringe each time I see it. It's a small thing, but I can't help but notice it every time. In the Q lab sequence, Bond witnesses a man's cast swing open and smash a dummy's head sitting in a chair. I'm constantly aware that the effect is pulled off by simply having a second individual slide his arm from behind the wall and underneath the actor's arm in front of the wall. A simple trick, but glaringly bad once you notice it.

    I notice that everytime, and that whole Q scene is boring. I love FYEO though
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    FYEO is definitely one of Moore's best films, as far as I'm concerned...but I really dislike the attack of the hockey players---and the fact that Bond scored a 'goal' with each of them 8-) This goes to a point I made elsewhere about the overall self-consciousness of the Moore era: even in what was arguably the most 'serious' of Moore's films, they just couldn't resist...
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    Having just watched DAF a couple days ago, I have to say it stands alone because it is the only Connery Bond with a distinctly seventies feel. The police chases foreshadows JW Pepper, who happens to be an element I take with a grain of Mrs. Dash and get a kick out of. After watching DAF what I walked away thinking about is, man, Wynn and Kidd are two of the creepiest creeps in any film ever!
    It is a unique film. Although I don't think DAF is a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, I do agree with you that it is indeed a very fun film. I also agree with you that Wint and Kidd are fantastic villains. :D -{
    "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
  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    [quote=Dan Same I also agree with you that Wint and Kidd are fantastic villains. :D -{[/quote]

    I didn't realise until watching the DAF DVD special features that Bruce Glover, (Mr Wint), was the father of the extremely eccentric Crispin Glover. That explains so much. :D Wint and Kidd are among the best villains ever. I quite like Bambi and Thumper too.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    John Drake wrote:
    I quite like Bambi and Thumper too.
    Me too. I have to say that I rather like dangerous women. :D (Bambi and Thumper, Xenia, Electra, Fiona Volpe, Helga Brandt and among the 'good' girls Pussy Galore and Honey Ryder.)
    "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
  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    I have to say that I rather like dangerous women.

    Yup, there's nothing like dating a woman who could kick the hell out of you. :D
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