Weekly Bond Poll: Round 59: secondary Bond girls & helicopter flights

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Comments

  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,721
    My favourite Bond film!...FRWL is class right the way through and I agree that the Moneypenny scenes here are among the strongest in the series. From DN to OHMSS are the best Moneypenny-Bond relationships for me.

    In this match up I'll go for the Lektor talk. It's such a unique moment in the early Bond adventures. The line about M and Bond in Tokyo is classic. Moneypenny's subtle look to M when she hears tatiana ask Bond 'will you make love to me in England' and he replies 'day and night' is great fun. As another observation this clip contains one of my favourite combination of Bond entering and exiting a meeting with M in the series. 'For my next miracle' and awkward silence that follows as well as the flirting with Moneypenny on the way out and signing the title of the film on the photo of Tatiana. (I'll also say that TB has a couple of cracker scenes too - like when Moneypenny gets busted talking about 'the old man' and bond says 'I swear I had a hat when I came in...)

    Two iconic villainous gadgets...ill go with poison tipped shoe knife it takes care of kronsteen in memorable fashion with the old switcheroo where you think morzeny is going to execute Klebb and then goes in the other direction. Of course Klebb wearing it in a maid's uniform while bond holds her off with a chair in a Venice hotel is a surrealistically unforgettable sequence (so suspense fully done in the novel as well with the cliffhanger ending).

    FRWL is a timeless wonder.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    Garrotte watch
    and
    Lektor/Love talk
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,895
    Garrotte watch
    &
    Lektor/Love talk

  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,641
    I’ll second @Major_Boothroyd’s sentiment and go with the Lektor talk and the poison tipped shoe knife. Concerning the former, just look at Lois Maxwell’s eyes when Tiana asks if she’s “as exciting as all those western girls.” 😊 It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

    Agreed. FWRL is a timeless classic.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 8,602
    I looooooooveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Grant's watch, but, I think the shoe, the way it was filmed, the sound, the music, the crooked walk of Klebb; it all scared the shit out of me as a kid, and still does. She's like a nightmare when she comes at Bond. KLEBB'S SHOE WINS...

    I will go with Lektor talk easily.... the VO work is fun, MP's reaction very rich....

  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited January 2020 Posts: 4,401
    The knife in the shoe is an iconic gadget. I especially like its first appearence when Kronsteen is executed. Surprising victim and a surprising killing method the first time and always great to rewatch. It is cool to see this gadget again but the last confrontation with Klebb isn't a highlight of the movie and it is almost a bit pitiful to watch Klebb how she kicks into nowhere.
    The watch sticked in my mind even more. SC was killed with this watch in the PTS! And later, the same watch is used by Bond to kill its owner. Great and brutal death after a fantastic fight.
    The watch gets my vote.
    And the lektor/love talk. The bit with “day and night“, all the men listening, M stopping the tape AND Moneypenny's great performance that doesn't need words there. Great and one of the funniest scenes of the series.
    To be fair: The scenes with Moneypenny in the beginning of FRWL are splendid, too. Bond's introduction, the old case and the discussion about how much time he needs to be back in the office...This could even be another top ten scene from the movie...which is crazy, because FRWL is full great moments and characters. The scene was (imo successfully) copied in TLD and in TND.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,401
    Both gadgets got six votes so far. Any last (key) votes?
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Last but not least, hopefully...

    Have to go with the watch. Grant is so smooth with it, while the shoe felt a bit clunky. However, I like Klebb's energy as she comes off as a desperate psychotic much like Greene swinging that axe.

    For my next miracle, I'm going with Reviewing an Old Case. I love everything about this from the return of Trench, Bond being put in his place by M and the flirtations with Moneypenny. The other scene is amusing but just can't compare in my opinion.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,401
    pachazo wrote: »
    Last but not least, hopefully...

    Have to go with the watch. Grant is so smooth with it, while the shoe felt a bit clunky. However, I like Klebb's energy as she comes off as a desperate psychotic much like Greene swinging that axe.

    For my next miracle, I'm going with Reviewing an Old Case. I love everything about this from the return of Trench, Bond being put in his place by M and the flirtations with Moneypenny. The other scene is amusing but just can't compare in my opinion.

    With that last vote, we have a winning gadget:

    Garrotte watch wins against the poison tipped shoe knife: 7 : 6

    FRWL Moneypenny Scenes: Lektor/love talk wins easily against Reviewing an old case: 11 : 2

    At least a second vote for the first Moneypenny scenes (I'm sure, that these scenes would win against most of the Moneypenny Scenes in the other movies).


  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited January 2020 Posts: 4,401
    Round 16: Brosnan time

    No Time to Die is another title with "Die" in it. Brosnan had even two such titles...and two others.

    A) Which Bond movie title do you prefer (don't vote for the movie itself, only for the better title): "GoldenEye" vs. "The World Is Not Enough"

    It is often discussed that the second part of DAD is (one of) the weakest parts of Bond history. But how good is the first hour compared to others?

    B) Which first 60 minutes* do you prefer: TND vs. DAD

    *I checked it on my old DVDs:
    60 minutes of TND end right before Bond is seen on the US-air force base in Okinawa:PTS/Titles with double torture (Bond is tortured and our ears)/ship destruction/Inga Bergstrom/Briefing in car/Q and the BMW/Hamburg Party/Urgent call/infiltration of news paper factory/Paris and Kaufmann killed/BMW action

    60 minutes of DAD end right before the virtual gunfight: PTS/Titles/exchange with Zao/Hong Kong Hotel/Havana with Jinx in Bikini/Los Organos/London Calling/Fencing battle/in the underground with M
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited January 2020 Posts: 12,459
    I enjoy the first half of DAD pretty much, but I prefer TND overall by a good deal. So I prefer TND even the first 60 minutes. TND is a very good Bond film; I enjoy it a lot and it ranks in my top 12 or so.

    Both are good titles. I'm partial to Goldeneye.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,401
    That was quick!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Hard picks, but I will go with TWINE, as Goldeneye was already a film title, and with DAD, but it s close.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,805
    TWINE
    DAD
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    The World Is Not Enough
    and
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    Choosing the title was easy. The first 60 minutes was difficult.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,895
    The World Is Not Enough over GoldenEye

    Tomorrow Never Dies over Die Another Day

    DAD almost won that round for me. But then I recalled the surfing PTS and Jinx. A character I despise with a passion.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,349
    The World Is Not Enough
    And
    Tomorrow Never Dies
  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    TWINE
    TND
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    TWINE

    Both the second two movies are about equal to me, but the BMW car park scene always puts a big smile on my face, as does Q introducing the car beforehand so I’ll go for TND
  • Posts: 1,885
    This may be the only time I pick this particular film to win anything, but as a title I prefer TWINE.

    For first half, I'll take TND all the way as it's my personal favorite of the Brosnan films. But I'll have to admit that DAD has its moments as well.
  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,721
    TWINE

    TND

    (both DAD and TND have superior first halves compared to their seconds, but TND's is stronger)
  • GE- nice nod to Fleming, and I feel TWINE is a bit too much of a generic action movie title. Both great movies though!
    TND- the first half of both films are the best part about them, but TND is such an enjoyable romp of a first half that it is hard to go past it.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 8,602
    TWINE
    TND
  • TWINE. Multi-word titles are much harder to pull off, but when they do, 👌.
    I can't believe I'm saying this, but I prefer DAD's first 60 mins.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    edited January 2020 Posts: 7,314
    I had to think about this for a bit before I made my decision because I'm much more partial to GE as a film, so I wanted to be completely fair... and I'm still going with GE. It's catchier and I think it implemented the title better than TWINE, although I do love the callback to OHMSS.

    Oh, and I'll take the first half of TND anyday, but DAD's strongest moments are definitely in the first half. The Brosnan era got off to a rollicking start with GE and the first half of TND, but then it took a nosedive and never fully recovered imho.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,401
    TWINE

    TND

    (both DAD and TND have superior first halves compared to their seconds, but TND's is stronger)
    pachazo wrote: »
    I had to think about this for a bit before I made my decision because I'm much more partial to GE as a film, so I wanted to be completely fair... and I'm still going with GE. It's catchier and I think it implemented the title better than TWINE, although I do love the callback to OHMSS.

    Oh, and I'll take the first half of TND anyday, but DAD's strongest moments are definitely in the first half. The Brosnan era got off to a rollicking start with GE and the first half of TND, but then it took a nosedive and never fully recovered imho.

    may I ask if it is the finale on the ship you dislike or already the parts before?
    Because the HALOjump, diving, banner scene and bike action are maybe a bit too action loaded but in my opinion very entertaining.
    JamesStock wrote: »
    TWINE. Multi-word titles are much harder to pull off, but when they do, 👌.
    I can't believe I'm saying this, but I prefer DAD's first 60 mins.
    There is definitely a lot to like in the first half of DAD, i.e. I prefer the fencing battle to every action scene in TND.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    I do enjoy the Halo Jump bit. The rest of it just feels like action for action's sake. It also doesn't help that Brosnan and Yeoh have no chemistry together. I like them both on their own, but the romance is not believable to me. Whether it was intentional or not, their being handcuffed together was a perfect representation of a forced relationship. And then of course the finale on the ship has been well documented by many members here, but there are also some wonderful moments scattered about, even if they are too few and far between. It's TND after all.

    @goldenswissroyale, I have come to really appreciate your point of view and I can respect your enjoyment of the second half of TND. Thank you again for creating this thread. It has been great to read everyone's comments and gain some knowledge and perspective from my fellow diehards.
  • Posts: 1,885
    I've already voted, but had additional thoughts about why I find GoldenEye a lesser title. For one thing, it sounds like some type name assigned to an animal, bird or reptile: similar to a copperhead snake or a goldeneye hawk or something like that; I have no idea if there is a goldeneye hawk, but sounds like something that could have such a title.

    Secondly, like too many titles with die/dies, we'd already had Goldfinger and The Man with the Golden Gun, so GoldenEye is just another variation on that trend. And if you factor in we've had For Your Eyes Only, it combines 2 already used titles. I know, I'm stretching. Tomorrow Never Dies also contains 2 words in other titles as well.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    BT3366 wrote: »
    I have no idea if there is a goldeneye hawk, but sounds like something that could have such a title.

    Nope, but there is a Goldeneye Duck ... which is perhaps less flattering than a hawk!

    Common_Goldeneye_%28Bucephala_clangula%29.jpg

  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,721
    @goldenswissroyale
    For me the TND finale is my least favourite of the Brosnan era - even DAD's insane clmax works better for me. The halo jump and banner ripping stunt are good, albeit brief. But I'm not a big fan of the motorbike sequence or arbitrary Yeoh kicking ass moment. TND isn't a favourite of mine. if ranks in bottom third Bonds easily. The first half has the better moments - Bond, M, Moneypenny scene in the back of the car, the punch up in soundbooth, the Kaufman sequence, the BMW chase is fun. Even though it has Paris Carver who I don't enjoy.
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