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YOLT 45 today

TracyTracy
edited June 2012 in Bond Movies Posts: 1,639



*grins*

Comments

  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    edited June 2012 Posts: 2,341
    Okay I will say something. I think I may be the only one on this board that can remember when this film was released back in June 1967.

    I remember all the trailers, the posters, the TV specials promoting the fifth Bond adventure. And then after all this I MISSED IT DURING THE THEATRICAL RUN. Can you believe that??
    I was upset and saddened and made a vow that I would never miss another Bond adventure. And starting with OHMSS I always caught the Bond films up until GE during their initial release.

    Anyway I did finally see YOLT but it was years later (Seven to be exact) during a return double bill with DAF.
    There was no DVD or VHS home video and the Bond films were rarely shown on TV. One had to catch them on a return engagement and usually a double bill. those were the days, my young associates.

    I remember the Ninjas (very few of us had heard of a ninja back then) and all the "welcome to Japan Mr Bond" promotions. The beautiful Japanese landscapes, the cute ladies, Blofeld finally revealed, the pirahna pool, that great Barry soundtrack.

    Here's to YOLT: 45 years young.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    I saw the PTS of the movie in 1968 but fell asleep after that, I was only 7. But I remember the posters and all the newspaper articles and saw all the Connery movies on the big screen by the time OHMSS was released except for Goldfinger, which finally came around again in 1970. I don't know what it is like not to see a Bond film for the first time on the big screen, and I'm not talking about at home.

    YOLT isn't the greatest of Bond movies, but it is still a movie I enjoy to this day and has much sentimental value. Mie Hama is far more than "cute", to me she is a perfect living goddess and the most beautiful woman (short of my daughter of course) I have ever seen. My very first crush.

    Seconded, here's to YOLT!
  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    Posts: 2,115
    I saw it but a few months later. It was at a drive in theater, the second half of a double bill of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I was bored by the first movie and perked up when YOLT started. I saw it again in theaters during 1970 and 1974 double features, both times with Thunderball. In 1970, YOLT was first in the double bill, in '74, it was TB and YOLT in that order.
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    I saw it in 1967 at a Saturday matinee with my friends when i was eleven. The poster I remember had the line "Sean Connery IS James Bond. Two and a half years later that was no longer true.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,976
    Nice to see the YOLT reference on Mad Men just two days ago!

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DB5 wrote:
    I saw it in 1967 at a Saturday matinee with my friends when i was eleven. The poster I remember had the line "Sean Connery IS James Bond. Two and a half years later that was no longer true.
    No, Sean will ALWAYS be James Bond.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I wasn't even interested in Bond at the time of release, that came later, but for as long as I can remember or been enthusiastic about the 007 series, it's been a title to forget for me. Connery looks jaded and uninterested and of course stepped down from the James Bond part during production that year, only to become 'interested again' when an obscene amount of $ was offered his way for an ill advised return. Doesn't seem like forty-five years have passed since this release. The greatest thing for me was the Nancy Sinatra soundtrack, there isn't much else to hold the interest here, although Donald Pleasence, before his Halloween days, isn't that bad a Blofeld. But bottom line is , this is a pretty dire James Bond film, and the idea of turning our favorite secret agent into a Japanese nonsense, well I don't know what they were thinking of really
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    echo wrote:
    Nice to see the YOLT reference on Mad Men just two days ago!
    I was thinking the exact same thing! Nice to see we have another "Mad Men" fan here!

  • Agent7FAgent7F
    Posts: 820
    It was great movie. Sean Connery was great in it. I loved it a lot. I also got the DVD with the other Sean Connery era James Bond movies.
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    Have to say, never one of my favourites. Had to wait for the first TV showing to see YOLT, and remember feeling disappointed even then (still in my mid-teens) as there was no Shatterhand, no castle and NO garden of death! How could they not have that?
    Overall I think the film lacks something - Fleming! Although the Producers obviously liked it, having remade it twice (MR and TSWLM - with the same director!). I love the score and Nancy's song, the fight at the docks, shot from a long way away instead of the close-ups normally used for fight scenes. This film also has some of the worst back-projection of the whole series.
    And although I like DP, I don't like him as Blofeld, nothing like he is in the book. Do like the ladies though! (Though in the book Kissy dives naked!).
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,894
    Happy birthday YOLT. <:-P It was the first Bond I saw, and the film that got me into the films. It may no longer be my #1 Bond, but i'll always have a special place for it in my heart.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    I saw it in 1967 at a Saturday matinee with my friends when i was eleven. The poster I remember had the line "Sean Connery IS James Bond. Two and a half years later that was no longer true.
    No, Sean will ALWAYS be James Bond.


    =D>
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    Happy Anniverary YOLT! =D>
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,570
    How can a film that still influences movie makers to this day be passed off as a second rate Bond adventure?

    If it's not worthy of our adoration why does it represent Bond more than any other? When The Simpsons fondly used Bond in one of their episodes which one did they lampoon? Not LTK that's for sure. YOLT, because everyone knew exactly what they were getting at.

    It has the iconic image of Blofeld, pirrhanas, Little Nellie, ninjas, a hollowed out volcano, a huge magnet, sumo wrestling, some gorgeous location work, faultless melodies, great stunts and the single most amazing aeriel shot of the series as Bond races across the roof tops beating up a load of Blofeld's goons. Marvellous.

    Yes it makes no sense, but Bond isn't about that. Bond is about being bigger and more glamorous and more exotic than the next film.

    And Connery did not for one milli-second look 'bored'. He was exactly the same as ever, simply the speed of the film, the increase in action didn't complement Connery's laid back style as much as TB and GF had. Connery was magnificent. Watch his line delivery closely, watch his faciel expressions closely. It's all there, but more subtle than the less accomplished efforts later in the series.

    Happy birthday YOLT.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    I remember them parodying it in The Flintstones when Fred and Barney are kidnapped on their way to buy some brontosaurus burgers (and some buns) and taken to a Bond like hollowed out volcano.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    One of my favourites! It's definitly the Connery I reach for the most, for some reason. Also one of the best title-songs in the entire franchise.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I agree that Sean was fine (I do not think he looked bored; people jump on that comment like lemmings going over a cliff) - and it is a really lovely theme song.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    Happy anniversary, Twice - you'll always be (near the) top for me...! ;)


    <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/yolt_banner.jpg">;
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    I've said this before but I think the "boredom" label has been used for two reasons.

    1. He was starting to put on weight in YOLT and hence wasn't in peak shape.
    2. After Twice he announced he was leaving the role so one can assume his enthusiasm had faded.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Happy 45th Anniversary to the most underrated of the 1960s Bond films and to the one I saw on TV as a child that turned me into the Bond fan maniac I am to this day.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    PrinceKamalKhan wrote:
    Happy 45th Anniversary to the most underrated of the 1960s Bond films and to the one I saw on TV as a child that turned me into the Bond fan maniac I am to this day.

    I'd hardly call YOLT underrated. OK it may not be the best film of the 60s but most people at least know about it or have fond memories watching it.

    The most underrated film of the 60s is easily OHMSS.
  • CrabKeyCrabKey
    Posts: 1,517
    One of my biggest gripes about YOLT is what for years I have considered that silly space capsule swallowing bit. I've cringed every time I've seen that preposterous space ship opening its jaws and swallowing the good guys.

    Today I got my comeuppance at the science museum in London. At first I thought I was looking at a tribute to YOLT, when in fact I was looking at the real thing in the form of a satellite launching rocket called Black Arrow. My appreciation for the film has increased considerably, even if I can never forgive the producers for DP.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    BAIN123 wrote:
    PrinceKamalKhan wrote:
    Happy 45th Anniversary to the most underrated of the 1960s Bond films and to the one I saw on TV as a child that turned me into the Bond fan maniac I am to this day.

    I'd hardly call YOLT underrated. OK it may not be the best film of the 60s but most people at least know about it or have fond memories watching it.

    The most underrated film of the 60s is easily OHMSS.

    YOLT is certainly not underrated in terms of not being heard of. Most James Bond parodies include the SPECTRE volcano lair, a villain representing Blofeld with the scar and the white cat turning around in a swivel chair, a larger-than-life battle, which YOLT took to the next level, and the Little Nellie helicopter. In terms of hard-core fans liking it or not, maybe so. It's not very high on my list, in fact it's #20, so I can't really speak on those grounds, hahaha.
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