The Albert R. Broccoli Era

DoubleOhhSeven

From The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) to Licence to Kill (1989) "Cubby" Broccoli was the sole producer of the Bond films and fully responsible for the fate of the series. Before that he shared credits with Harry Saltzman and after Licence to Kill Michael G. Wilson and Barbera Broccoli took over those duties.

What are your opinions on that 12 year/7 film time period during the series? Was it a highlight for the films or a lowpoint? The films included TSWLM, MR, FYEO, OP, AVTAK, TLD, and LTK. Feel free to rank them.

I personally loved it despite the financial difficulties and uneven film quality. My favorite films from this era were LTK, OP, and FYEO.

Benny

I've moved this to 'Bond movies' @DoubleOhhSeven as it's clearly not 'News'
Please be careful when creating a topic, that you try and place it in the most suitable catergory.

This is however a rather interesting idea for discussion, and one that untill now I don't think has been looked at.
Cubby, I feel steered the ship well for his sole producer role in the series. TSWLM was a huge success, and imo proved that he knew what he was doing with the series. Films like FYEO, OP and TLD only help cement his understanding of Bond, giving us some of the best films of the series. LTK, whilst a slightly controversial film in the Bond canon, was a brave move in an attempt to try a different direction, long before the 'reboot' of CR. It certainly does seem to be a film that has fans divided. I for one have always enjoyed its darker tone, and memorable villains. Dalton was fantastic, giving one of the most Fleming like portrayals of the series. Imo.

timmer

Great era. Especially the first two films TSWLM and MR. LTK is a great film, but it does somewhat lack the Bond vibe, much like the most recent film, which stands up OK on it's own, but IMO is not really much of a Bond film.

DoubleOhhSeven

Benny said:
I've moved this to 'Bond movies' @DoubleOhhSeven as it's clearly not 'News'
Please be careful when creating a topic, that you try and place it in the most suitable catergory.

This is however a rather interesting idea for discussion, and one that untill now I don't think has been looked at.
Cubby, I feel steered the ship well for his sole producer role in the series. TSWLM was a huge success, and imo proved that he knew what he was doing with the series. Films like FYEO, OP and TLD only help cement his understanding of Bond, giving us some of the best films of the series. LTK, whilst a slightly controversial film in the Bond canon, was a brave move in an attempt to try a different direction, long before the 'reboot' of CR. It certainly does seem to be a film that has fans divided. I for one have always enjoyed its darker tone, and memorable villains. Dalton was fantastic, giving one of the most Fleming like portrayals of the series. Imo.

Sorry @Benny. I honestly forgot to categorize it and I guess it got sent to news.

I understand most people probably prefer the Broccoli/Saltzman era from 1962 to 1974 as it featured the classic Bond films of the 60s but I thought the Broccoli era gave us alot of classic Bond moments. And although 2 of my 3 favorite Bond films came from the 60s, more films on my top 10 list appear from the Broccoli era tha any other.

OHMSS69

TSWLM was a good start. I always liked the darker ones too which is why I am so taken with Dalton's films. Even though he is listed as "Consulting Producer" on GE I can't help but feel that it has Cubby's prints all over it.
The movies took a downward turn with TND and the rest of the Brosnan Age. Maybe Babs and Mikey were feeling their way without the great man's shadow looking over their shoulders. Babs may have come into her own with CR. I just hope she can keep the spirit and make films that her father would be proud of.

Samuel001

Wilson co-produced with Broccoli from A View A To A Kill. So those last three films do differ from the first four in some ways. Good topic about a strong era for Bond.

licensetoforum

I think the era was extremely intersting for the fact that it contains the funny, outlandish styles of Moore's Bond and the serious side of Dalton's Bond. To me it is the second best era after the Broccolo/Saltzman era.

PrinceKamalKhan

licensetoforum said:
I think the era was extremely intersting for the fact that it contains the funny, outlandish styles of Moore's Bond and the serious side of Dalton's Bond. To me it is the second best era after the Broccolo/Saltzman era.

Seconded. Broccoli proved he could succeed without both Saltzman and Connery which I'm sure was very gratifying for him. This era could be also called the John Glen era since he not only directed all 5 1980s EON Bond films, he also served as editor and 2nd unit director on MR and TSWLM. My biggest criticism of this period would be the fact that Broccoli held on to Moore for one picture too many.

My rankings of the 7 films of this era:

001) TLD
002) MR
003) OP
004) TSWLM
005) LTK
006) FYEO
007) AVTAK

DoubleOhhSeven

Yeah I didn't even realise those were all the movies John Glenn worked on in any capacity. I guess Cubby really liked him.

And in regards from going from Moore's light humor to Dalton's gritty touch, Cubby should be given credit for not being afraid to take chances and truly understanding Bond.

DarthDimi

I respect TSWLM because this film demonstrated that Cubby could shoulder the responsibility all by himself. I also respect the fact that he recruited Dalton, recognized John Glen's talent as a Bond director and had MGW involved.

Here's my ranking:

1) TLD
2) FYEO
3) LTK
4) OP
5) MR
6) TSWLM

7) AVTAK

BAIN123

My current ranking:

1). TSWLM
2). OP
3). TLD
4). FYEO
5). LTK
6). AVTAK
7). MR

MajorDSmythe

1. TLD
2. LTK
-----
3. TSWLM
4. OP
5. FYEO
6. MR

7. AVTAK

DoubleOhhSeven

I noticed both @DarthDimi and @MajorDSmythe both took spaces before ranked AVTAK last. Honestly I don't think it deserves all the hate it's gotten. As a kid I adored it. Now as an adult I can see it's flaws and that it's a lesser Bond movie but still pretty solid. Moore's age, that stupid firetruck chase, and Grace Jones naked are my only qualms with the film. It still features a kickass John Barry score, Christopher Walken giving one of the best performances as a villan in the entire series, and one of my favorite climaxs with the fight on The Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe Im patial because Im an American haha.

St_George

I love Spy and MR, but appreciate they're not to every (Bond) film fan's taste - especially MR. Following those two, the era in question arguably suffered from competitors rather raining on its parade (the likes of Star Wars-inspired fantasy adventure, Indy, Arnie, Lethal Weapon etc).

That's not to say that the '80s were utterly a lean time for Bond, there's much to enjoy in most of the five films made that decade, but, for the most part, they did feel a little behind the groove compared to those of the '60s and '70s. Was that because the Bond actor himself was ageing (Moore) and/ or the new Bond actor didn't really connect with the public (Dalton)? Or was it because the director (John Glen) wasn't the most inspired and imaginative the series had enjoyed? Or was it because times had changed and Bond for the first time had serious competition? Probably a mix of all three...

DoubleOhhSeven

Just thought I'd bump this thread seeing as how the first and last film of that era are currently on the Bond movie A vs. Bond movie B thread.

CommanderRoss

I think all films bring something to the franchise, though I personally don't care for a couple of the: LTK,MR,OP and TSWLM are all on the bottom of my list, whereas I love AVTAK and TLD. These are very Bondian to me, with FYEO lagging not too far behind. I think Cubby did very well, considering he on his own was responsible for those films. He kept Bond alive and kicking, eventually handing the series over to his children.

Funnily enough I think it's Saltzman's grandeur that first took Bond in the right direction, and then over the top in the seventies. When he left there allready was a very mixed legacy. Again, Broccoli managed to serve something for everyone. I say, well done!
(allthough his pick in directors i think asn't that good).

SirHenryLeeChaChing

My ranking-

1. LTK
2. TLD
3. FYEO
4. TSWLM
5. AVTAK
6. OP

7. MR

connerybond

"Funnily enough I think it's Saltzman's grandeur that first took Bond in the right direction, and then over the top in the seventies. When he left there already was a very mixed legacy"
Agree. After Saltzman left, the films took a direction that I did not like, and I stopped watching them-having watched the first Bond film DN , when it was released.

Goldeneye95

Let me say that Cubby did an amazing job taking over the Bond franchise after Saltzman left.

1.The Spy Who Loved Me
2.For Your Eyes Only
3.The Living Daylights
4.Moonraker
5.Octopussy
6.License to Kill
7.A View to a Kill

thelivingroyale

Probably my favourite era overall because it has Spy, Octopussy, and of course the Dalton flicks (my top two Bond movies). 4 of my all time favourites and all 4 are in my top 10 (none of the other eras have that many in my top 10).

FYEO isn't bad either imo, and MR was pretty good until Jaws met Dolly. AVTAK was pretty naff overall but Moore was good outside of the action scenes, there were some good lines and Walken was brilliant.

wildboonjive

I don't think this was a weak era at all. I can see why it's not necessarily the strongest in the franchise's history because of its inconsistencies, however, a large chunk of it trumps the '71-'74 Guy Hamilton era. And it's a testament to Cubby's vision and overall perserverance. This was his defining moment as a producer.

As for the rankings:

1. Licence To Kill
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. For Your Eyes Only
4. The Living Daylights
5. Octopussy
6. Moonraker
7. A View To A Kill

Categories

In this Discussion

Announcements