What is your favourite/least favourite Pre-Title-Sequence?

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  • Posts: 3,333
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    Have to defend OHMSS, second for me. Brilliant reveal of Bond, (Sunglasses, hat, rifle sight in glove box), Barrys score, Tracys attempted suicide, great fight scene, beautifully shot!
    Well said, @Mathis1. Totally agree with you, in the top three best PTS of all time. Seriously guys, you have a problem with the old-style camera technique of undercranking, which is still occasionally used today; see Mad Max: Fury Road, but give the dreadfully hackneyed overcrank (slow-mo) a pass due to the technique featuring in every modern action movie ever made in the past 15 years, which, might I add, was as as unnatural to the human eye back then as undercranking is to some younger critics today. In the 70s I used to align slow-mo to cheap TV productions and bad Kung-fu movies. Today, I align it with unimaginative action directors. You guys need to look at OHMSS more as experimental film making, using bold and inventive techniques, rather than a movie to poo-poo. Seriously, it's the nearest a Bond picture's got to looking visually anything like an art house movie.

    On a side note, when I first saw OHMSS as a kid in '69, I thought the "other fella" line was in reference to Cinderella and the forgotten glass slipper. It works better if you read it that way.

    To rank the best in any kind of semblance is impossible, there are too many great ones to contemplate. I will say, I think TLD is a very good one, so is MR despite the slapstick ending. Of course GF needs to be up there, too. The worst I'll reserve for DAD, as it's a total travesty from beginning to end. There's nothing, absolutely nothing I like about that movie.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    I think there's something to like in every bond film, even dad and thunderball, just less stuff , I can hit dad where it deserves it, shit story, shit directing, shit cgi, so much none sense. But the pts, besides the surfing, isn't bad nor is the car chase or the fencing scene. Brosnan is good as usual and the ice palace is really cool. Not saying it's a good film, it's far from, but I'll turn it on sometimes and it can entertain me
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 11,189
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Favorite is either TSWLM or CR (all of the early ones, LALD and GE are pretty high up there). Least favorite is easily OP.

    I know that's a pretty lightweight, silly pre-title sequence but I think it's fun.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 3,333
    I think there's something to like in every bond film, even dad and thunderball, just less stuff , I can hit dad where it deserves it, shit story, shit directing, shit cgi, so much none sense. But the pts, besides the surfing, isn't bad nor is the car chase or the fencing scene. Brosnan is good as usual and the ice palace is really cool. Not saying it's a good film, it's far from, but I'll turn it on sometimes and it can entertain me
    I agree with you, almost, except for DAD. There's nothing that I find remotely entertaining in there, and I dislike the PTS as well. Ok, the 30 seconds of surfing is passable, but the satellite beacon in the surf board is where it goes downhill pretty quickly. Isn't that the one also with the CGI bullet in the gun barrel intro?

    TB, however, is at least original. And it does have the superior Spectre meeting out of all the Bonds. Much better than Craig's Bond infiltrating it with a "Mickey Mouse" password. I also like the fact in TB that Bond isn't there on their clandestine meeting, as he has his very own meeting with the other 00 section agents to attend. Great scene, and it all works so much better. Sure, the underwater sequences can drag a little, but the story is infinitely better than DAD's regurgitated DAF come GF plot. Plus, TB has one ingredient DAD does not.... Connery. Oh, and the title song is way better than Madonna's tripe. If one movie that deserved to be lost in the old MGM fire (yeah, I know wrong decade) it was DAD. Tried to watch it a few weeks ago on TV. Boy, it's BAD.

    To bring this topic back on track, I'd say TMWTGG greatly missed Ken Adams. Scaramanga's Fun House just didn't look convincing enough to me back in 74. Maybe Peter Murton just wasn't up to the job, originally he was Art Director on some of the previous Bonds, but the end result just looked cheap, especially for a Bond extravaganza and one that relied heavily on this set-up for its climax. Just imagine how different a Ken Adam's designed Fun House would've looked. It would've changed the dynamics entirely. I don't mind LALD, as it has that great funeral scene ("whose funeral is it?" --- "Yours!") set in New Orleans and that otherworldly voodoo sacrifice just before the brilliant McCartney song.
  • 23. L&LD
    22. DAF
    21. FYEO
    20. TMWTGG
    19. FRWL
    18. YOLT
    17. AVTAK
    16. OP
    15. TSWLM
    14. SP
    13. DAD
    12. LTK
    11. TB
    10. SF
    9. TLD
    8. MR
    7. QOS
    6. CR
    5. GF
    4. TND
    3. OHMSS
    2. GE
    1. TWINE


    #'s 1-11 are pretty much perfection; assigning them each a ranking is almost a formality, so slight are my preferences from one to the next (though admittedly GE and TWINE take the PTS to unheard of levels of amazingness).

    LTK at 12 is just about perfect too: a mini-movie that hits all the right marks and introduces many of our core cast. Small points make this PTS just slightly less perfect than 1-11.

    13-16 all have great moments. They all have weaker moments, too.

    AVTAK at 17 is helped greatly by John Barry's "Snow Job" and romantic iceberg sub cue as well as that killer snow-surfing to the Beach Boys bit (how do people seriously not like this?), but strip those pluses away and you're left with a pretty rough PTS. Still gets me fired up for the awesomeness to come every time though.

    YOLT at 18 has the great swallowing space capsule opening and Bond's assassination. No problems here whatsoever apart from being less action-oriented and feeling all too brief. A perfectly fine PTS that perhaps doesn't jazz the viewer up as much as most others.

    FRWL at 19 is nice. It's short, it's clever, it introduces us to Red Grant and his garroting, but it really does nothing to get me pumped for the movie. It's way too brief and the segue into the main titles, with everyone just walking to the building for a few inconsequential seconds, is poorly handled. Not much to write home about here.

    20-23 are just rough, but at least TMWTGG is well shot, nicely sets up the villain, and provides some good tension before we kick into the main titles.
  • GBFGBF
    Posts: 3,195
    23. DAF
    22. L&LD
    21. DAD
    20. TND
    19. QOS


    18. LTK
    17. SP
    16. FYEO
    15. TB
    14. TSWLM
    13. OHMSS
    12. FRWL
    11. YOLT
    10. AVTAK
    09. CR
    08. OP
    07. SF
    06. MR

    05. TMWTGG
    04. GF
    03. TWINE
    02. GE
    01. TLD

  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    edited March 2017 Posts: 1,884
    bondsum wrote: »
    You guys need to look at OHMSS more as experimental film making, using bold and inventive techniques, rather than a movie to poo-poo. Seriously, it's the nearest a Bond picture's got to looking visually anything like an art house movie.
    Believe me, I don't have anything against those who love the PTS for OHMSS but saying that it's the most art-house-looking Bond film of all time is ridiculous. Not even all the nostalgia glasses in the world can let me accept that.

    I love OHMSS (top 10 for me) but that's going a bit too far. Mendes' silhouette fight alone puts Hunt to utter shame. Although, Hunt still manages to get some pretty decent visuals in the final film, in the end, whether it was the lack of patience - or limited tech to work with at the time - he didn't do any better than Hamilton or Young.

    Furthermore any underlying themes in OHMSS are... well... non-existent compared to the complexity of Skyfall. You have childhood trauma, the resulting mother/son relationship between Bond and M, old vs new "sometimes the old ways are the best", modern society's hurdles, Britain (pride/false pride), trust, guilt etc. There is an entire thread dedicated to this over on the Skyfall pages, I believe.

    In addition, the editing could be classified as "experimental" but that doesn't make it any better. The scenes which are the worst cut are: beach in the PTS, hotel brawl, Draco's goon fight and the bobsled chase at the end. I can't watch these scenes without wondering why Hunt never directed a JB film again...I wonder. Whoever edited the sound should also get a slap on the wrist because it was truly horrible. It sounded like I was watching a 60s tv show with all the archived sound effects being thrown into the mix.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2017 Posts: 23,883
    I really do enjoy the OHMSS pretitles. Much of that has to do with Barry's score during the entire sequence, which I consider the best piece of music he has ever composed.

    The whole scene has so much atmosphere, pace & class, and introducing Laz in shadow is a nice touch, emulated for Brosnan some years later.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    bondjames wrote: »
    I really do enjoy the OHMSS pretitles. Much of that has to do with Barry's score during the entire sequence, which I consider the best piece of music he has ever composed.

    The whole scene has so much atmosphere, pace & class, and introducing Laz in shadow is a nice touch, emulated for Brosnan some years later.

    I like the OHMSS PTS a lot. The editing is a bit strange in places but I think it adds to the quirkiness of the scene. The photography is very atmospheric, the music fantastic and the Aston Martin is one of my favourites!
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 11,189
    I do remember an online fan review putting the Benny Hill music over the beach fight :))

    Nonetheless, I agree with most on here who say its a decent scene. Barry's energetic music is great.
  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    Favourite: Thunderball

    Least favourite (by a large margin): Spectre
  • Posts: 11,189
    SeanCraig wrote: »
    Favourite: Thunderball

    Least favourite (by a large margin): Spectre

    That's probably the second best Craig PTS after CR. Why do you dislike it?
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    SeanCraig wrote: »
    Favourite: Thunderball

    Least favourite (by a large margin): Spectre

    Thought most people like the SP PTS... !

    Why least favourite?
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    That's probably the second best Craig PTS after CR. Why do you dislike it?
    I personally prefer the QoS (most visceral car chase in a Bond film) & SF (tense, non-linear action sequencing with some fantastic stunts & suspense) over the SP one too. I wouldn't call it the worst of the 24 film franchise, but it's easily the worst of the Craig entries imho.
  • Posts: 3,333
    bondsum wrote: »
    You guys need to look at OHMSS more as experimental film making, using bold and inventive techniq
  • Posts: 19,339
    bondjames wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    That's probably the second best Craig PTS after CR. Why do you dislike it?
    I personally prefer the QoS (most visceral car chase in a Bond film) & SF (tense, non-linear action sequencing with some fantastic stunts & suspense) over the SP one too. I wouldn't call it the worst of the 24 film franchise, but it's easily the worst of the Craig entries imho.

    I agree with this,it definitely is not as good as CR,QoS & SF PTS'.



  • edited March 2017 Posts: 3,333
    bondsum wrote: »
    You guys need to look at OHMSS more as experimental film making, using bold and inventive techniques, rather than a movie to poo-poo. Seriously, it's the nearest a Bond picture's got to looking visually anything like an art house movie.
    Believe me, I don't have anything against those who love the PTS for OHMSS but saying that it's the most art-house-looking Bond film of all time is ridiculous. Not even all the nostalgia glasses in the world can let me accept that.

    I love OHMSS (top 10 for me) but that's going a bit too far. Mendes' silhouette fight alone puts Hunt to utter shame. Although, Hunt still manages to get some pretty decent visuals in the final film, in the end, whether it was the lack of patience - or limited tech to work with at the time - he didn't do any better than Hamilton or Young.

    Furthermore any underlying themes in OHMSS are... well... non-existent compared to the complexity of Skyfall. You have childhood trauma, the resulting mother/son relationship between Bond and M, old vs new "sometimes the old ways are the best", modern society's hurdles, Britain (pride/false pride), trust, guilt etc. There is an entire thread dedicated to this over on the Skyfall pages, I believe.

    In addition, the editing could be classified as "experimental" but that doesn't make it any better. The scenes which are the worst cut are: beach in the PTS, hotel brawl, Draco's goon fight and the bobsled chase at the end. I can't watch these scenes without wondering why Hunt never directed a JB film again...I wonder. Whoever edited the sound should also get a slap on the wrist because it was truly horrible. It sounded like I was watching a 60s tv show with all the archived sound effects being thrown into the mix.
    You call yourself an aficionado, and then you go on to destroy your own self-inflated accolade by rambling on about SF as if anyone cares how you interpret it. Yes, the neon silhouette fight is beautifully shot by Deakins, but it happens to feature in a below-par Bond outing that's just one overlong eulogy to Dame Judy and some fabricated backstory that's not even close to Fleming. Hey, I get that some like it here, but to say that one scene in SF puts Hunt to utter shame is in fact a ridiculous statement in itself. But I don't want to turn this into an SF bashing rant, when there are plenty of other places to do that and my wifi server is on the fritz again.

    Your misinformed remark about the sound editor is also baseless, especially as the sound effects were not found in 60s tv shows, but were exclusively used by Eon throughout the 60s for their own productions. There might be slight similarities to Gerry Anderson productions, but they were mostly a homage to Bond and not a direct lift from a library source. In fact, not that an aficionado such as yourself would care, but I actually miss those old sound effects. I still stand by my earlier statement that OHMSS is bold, innovative and experimental... and you're no (cough) aficionado. <:-P
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 3,333
    DELETE
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 11,189
    Ah, those old stock sound effects. My favourite was the car crash sound effect that was often used in the Gerry Anderson shows and last used in Bond when the tanker crashed with Bond and Sanchez fighting on the back (it was also used during the stock car racing sequence in OHMSS).

    (0.59)
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 3,333
    Yes, sorry for going off the deepend there @BAIN, I just found The Aficionado's comments about the awful 60s sound effects incredibly petty and dare I say - ignorant. He seems to forget that Norman Wanstall won an Oscar for Goldfinger's sound effects, which set the bar and were continually used thereafter in successive Bonds. I bloody love that sound and I won't have someone who hasn't proven themselves here on these boards dissing them or his memory.

    Also, it's worth noting that the sound effects have been altered quite a bit from their original cinematic versions, most notably on Blu-ray Discs where there are plenty of critics that complain about: Gunshots sounding different, the addition of chirping birds in the final scene, and that the addition of these new sound mixes have become a distraction. Even the music has been mixed down, lessening the powerful moments. For the record, I still prefer the remastered VHS widescreen version over the DVDS and Blu-ray editions; it's rich colour pallet of mauves was exactly how I remembered seeing it in the cinema, not the washed out versions we've gotten since. So maybe The Aficionado has seen a poor copy with an alternative modern mix?

    Oh, and I loved Gerry Anderson productions, also. A bit before your time though, @BAIN.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 11,189
    Norman Wanstall's memory? I thought he was still alive.

    Yes, I get what you mean @Bondsum about the sound effects being altered/changed on modern dvd copies of old films. I remember first noticing it in the dvd version of The Terminator back in the early 2000s when the gun shot effects were changed and (most significantly) the text in the opening post-apocalyptic scene had been altered to a dvd subtitle format. I don't really get why they do it. In terms of Bond though I can't think of any instances in the subsequent DVDs/Blu Rays where they have made major changes - except perhaps TB where they added the Bond theme over the end credits as Bond and Domino are being whisked into the air.

    I loved the Gerry Anderson productions too but I got into them in the 90s when they were repeated on BBC. Although Thunderbirds tends to be the most popular, my favourite was always Captain Scarlet.

  • Posts: 19,339
    I used to love Joe 90 as well....the music in that was soooo groovy ,when I watched the show in the 70's..
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 11,189
    barryt007 wrote: »
    I used to love Joe 90 as well....the music in that was soooo groovy ,when I watched the show in the 70's..

    Joe 90 was good but I was always Club Scarlet. I even got the dvd set of it.
  • The OHMSS PTS is simply one of the best in the series.
    As is the Skyfall PTs.

    Both are pretty magnificent.
  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    SeanCraig wrote: »
    Favourite: Thunderball

    Least favourite (by a large margin): Spectre

    That's probably the second best Craig PTS after CR. Why do you dislike it?

    You know what ... I simply misread! I was thinking about the titles but not the PTS. Quite embarassing but you are right: The PTS of SP is pretty cool actually! I like the Day Of The Dead, maybe would have spared the couch gag.

    Sorry for that. But I hate the titles: Damn song, very strange and disturbing octopus sequences and I can't go on anymore - I always skip it when watching the first 2/3 of the movie (skipping the last third also)
  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    Since I am now on topic (lol):

    Favourite PTS: Goldfinger
    Least favourite: Moonraker
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    SeanCraig wrote: »
    Since I am now on topic (lol):

    Favourite PTS: Goldfinger
    Least favourite: Moonraker

    You would rather watch live and Let die pts then moonraker pts?
  • Posts: 15,785
    barryt007 wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Until the final line,which he cocks up.

    The way he says "thaT two" with emphasis on the T is an example of his staginess.

    Yep,i hate that line with a passion...in the trailer he says it fine !
    @barryt007 - in your opinion, do you prefer his trailer delivery of "Bond, James Bond" or how he spoke it in the final cut? If I'm with friends talking Bond and I happen to do a Dalton impression it's always his trailer delivery I imitate.
    As for PTS rankings go I do love TLD opening. Great stuff and my preferred over the 2 Daltons.
    Picking a number one of them all is difficult and I might just go with Octopussy- especially of the Roger Bonds. Goldfinger for the Sean's and SPECTRE for the Daniel's. Pierce, I think had excellent PTS openings in all four of his films. GE would be my favorite of his. I've always loved OHMSS's PTS as well.
    My least favorite might go to either YOLT or QoS.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 19,339
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Until the final line,which he cocks up.

    The way he says "thaT two" with emphasis on the T is an example of his staginess.

    Yep,i hate that line with a passion...in the trailer he says it fine !
    @barryt007 - in your opinion, do you prefer his trailer delivery of "Bond, James Bond" or how he spoke it in the final cut? If I'm with friends talking Bond and I happen to do a Dalton impression it's always his trailer delivery I imitate.
    As for PTS rankings go I do love TLD opening. Great stuff and my preferred over the 2 Daltons.
    Picking a number one of them all is difficult and I might just go with Octopussy- especially of the Roger Bonds. Goldfinger for the Sean's and SPECTRE for the Daniel's. Pierce, I think had excellent PTS openings in all four of his films. GE would be my favorite of his. I've always loved OHMSS's PTS as well.
    My least favorite might go to either YOLT or QoS.

    I actually dont mind that,in the final cut,he says it in a dismissive way as he wants to contact Mission Control..but the next line is woeful,they should have used the way he said it in the trailer.no excuse for that.

    He wasnt on stage in a theatre,this is film.

  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    You would rather watch live and Let die pts then moonraker pts?

    Yes, indeed! I find the Moonraker one quite boring. One I don't like much is the extreme opposite: QoS. But all just because I get angry because I can't follow it due to the insane editing.

    CR is still pretty amazing, same with FRWL, YOLT, DAF, LALD ... most of them are just awesome even by today's standands. The titles though ... some of them did not age well (GE for example).
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