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Comments
BOND 3 I thought he was better here than in YOLT. He seemed to be actually enjoying this tongue in cheek romp. I blast him on his physical condition, a bad fitting toupee, otherwise.
WOMEN 3 I found them very attractive especially Tiffany but her character goes from Lauren Becall to Lucile Ball. Very annoying. Plenty has too little screen time. I know some of her scenes were relegated to the cutting floor but what can I say?
VILLAINS 2 I was not impressed with Charles Gray's portrayal of Bond's greatest nemisis. He seemed more like a flamboyant homosexual and then to dress in drag really sealed the deal. Kidd and Wint act more like a comedy duo, Abbott and Costello instead of something out of Fleming. In the book they were homosexual vicious killers and very menacing. I would give this category a 0 if not for Bambi and Thumper
HUMOR 4 It was up there and sometimes over the top and very tongue in cheek but I suppose it played well for this movie.
ACTION 2 There was so little in the way of action in this film when compared to previous films.
SADISM 4 Plenty's death was disturbing as well as seeing that nice old granny pulled from the canal in Amsterdam. Kidd and Wint's demise was violent as well. Killing of Saxby, the doctor in South Africa...I had come to expect this from Bond: brutal realism. I would have given it a 5 except for the way Blofeld's death and (which was Kidd and which was Wint?) the humor thrown in when Bond tied the bomb between his legs. It took from what should have been a thrilling scene.
MUSIC 3 Not up to Barry's high scores he did with the previous four films but not his worst work (that's to come later)
LOCATIONS 5 well utilized and gave the feeling of being there...
GADGETS 4 Few utilized but they add to the narrative.
SUPPORTING CAST 3
Overall score : 33 or 3.3
This was the first Bond film where I left the theater disappointed. I did not like this movie. I was happy to see Sean back in the drivers seat but the finished product did not move me. I found the humor to be uncalled for and too campy. (I now can see how EON was preparing us for the Roger Moore era...)
Aside from bad editing, shitty matte and FX work during the climatic helicopter assault (keep in mind, I like most of the audiences were weaned on those climatic scenes in GF, TB, YOLT, and OHMSS). Stunt men just did not seem to fall as gracefully or as realistically in earlier productions.
The movie does have its moments and I can look at it now and laugh at some of the campy dialogue, the humor and tongue in cheek approach.
warning: the word iconic pops up in this one, rather fittingly.
BOND- 4.5 out of 5. Sean is at ease and confident as Bond and that is evident from the first glimpse of him in the great PTS that set the standard for all the Bond films to come (more on the PTS later). His Bond is suave, charming, focused, physical, calculating, cool and competent. The difference between this film and FRWL for me is that Sean was more serious, grittier and more realistic in FRWL. It plays like a Cold War drama for me a lot of the time. Goldfinger explodes onto the screen so memorably, and indelibly cemented the iconic nature of James Bond and what a James Bond movie is - and we sense (at least I did) that we are in for a great ride and that no matter what happends, Bond will get by with style. Style ... that is a good word for Connery's Bond - one that built through the first 3 films steadily and here fits like a glove.
WOMEN- 4 out of 5. I think the actresses do a better than average job with what they have to work with, which is not all that much in my opinion. Shirley Eaton played the character with the most zing, playful attitude, cute sexiness and obvious chemistry with Connery and I was sorry she was killed off so quickly (Jill). Honor Blackman is fine and plays Pussy as strong and steady, with some give and take with Bond but ... it did not seem like a really relaxed performance to me. By the way, I know everybody mentions the lesbian element but quite honestly it is not apparent to me in the film. They are strong women not immediately swayed by Bond (Tilly and Pussy) but it does not, in any way in that movie, come across like they are lesbians. (Yes I know they were in the books.) I just wanted something a little more between her and Sean, hard to describe what I feel is lacking, it is a slight thing ... but I am not really knocking her performance; I like her in the role. The other women were not much of anything. Tilly Masterson was also killed so quickly and I felt that Tania Mallet was too one dimensional in her acting. The angst, sadness, and bitterness about her sister being killed just doesn't show; not really. So a bit of a letdown, with Honor doing a B plus effort and Shirley sparkling - well, like gold - just too briefly.
Cannot help but mention that one scene. There are some great lines and scenes in Goldinger, but it is that golden death scene that steals the show. Truly iconic, that scene with Shirley Eaton painted in gold, lying there dead. That scene was presented really well, in my opinion. We did not know what to expect, we knew it would be bad but that gold paint was an utter surprise and horrifying sight (especially back in its initial release; that kind of death was not done before, I do not think).
VILLAINS- 4 out of 5. Oddjob is definitely menacing and memorable, but I do not feel that Goldfinger himself is very theatening or oozing evil. Yes, he was evil - his horrible plans and the way he had people killed- but on the screen I did not think he was palpably threatening. Of course he has some great lines, most especially "No, Mr. Bond - I expect you to DIE!" and his face when he said that line was just perfect; Goldfinger's best moment, in my opinion. Other times he acted like a pink-faced spoiled five year old (notably when cheating at cards and the golf game).
HUMOR- 4 out of 5. What was there was done well, I think. Some good one liners and not OTT or done at inappropriate moments. For example, I like that Sean's quip about Oddjob's death was not an off the cuff remark when it actually happened (electrocuted him), but rather later as a reply. "I must be dreaming" is another good one, so yes more humor in this film and again set the tone for Bond films to come (so many things became the fomula after Goldfinger).
ACTION- 3.5 out of 5. I would have liked more action or at least had the action move the story along (or maybe I just want some of the Kentucky scenes cut). The story dragged a bit for me in Kentucky. But there are some good scenes, including the car chase where the Aston Martin shows off its gadgets, Bond vs. Oddjob, and the plane fight at the end.
SADISM- 5 out of 5 Pretty brutal and sadistic: especially asphyxiation by being painted gold (I mean, come on! Lying there suffocating slowly ...), the broken neck by flying hat, the electrocutions, and the laser beam. (Yeah, if that were filmed today it would be somehow graphically demonostrated first, like on another character before Bond got strapped down; so much bloody and graphic violence the past few decades.)
MUSIC- 4.5 out of 5. Absolutely Barry's finest theme song in that it set the standard. What a tremendous blast those first notes are! Bond closes the door in the PTS and the music lifts us out of our seats. Yes, it was loud and brassy ... but it was so ... Bond. Shirley Bassey does sing it like nobody else can, and although I may like Diamonds Are Forever better as a song, and Moonraker is lovely, it is Goldfinger that is the #1 (again here is that word) iconic James Bond song (along with Monty Norman's theme). Superb. However, I didn't feel swayed to enjoy the rest of the soundtrack so much; I did, just not as much as some other Bond films' soundtracks. Barry makes the quantum leap with this film, though, for sure.
LOCATIONS- 3.5 out of 5 I like the opening, Switzerland, and England. I did not enjoy spending so much time in Kentucky (sorry, dear Bluegrass State). Just not visually exciting or veryenjoyable for me. Nothing extraordinary.
GADGETS- 4.5 out of 5. Great intro into more gadgetry; well, the Aston the Aston the Aston was my favorite. Tracking devices, nice, yes. Killing with a unique hat, yes. But back to the car: what a true Bond car, eh? Including ejector seat. :) Again gadgets became more of a staple in the films from this movie onward.
SUPPORTING CAST- 4 out of 5. Moneypenny was on her game, just wish she had a little longer to play with Sean, and Q was great! Really came into his own - the frustration, professional pride, crankiness, and give and take with Bond all took off with this film. Not fond of this Leiter (seems like no one is) but he did his best, just bland. The fembots of the future, I mean the flying circus girls were really silly and I didn't enjoy them. DB5 mentioned Richard Vernon as the English banker and I concur, he was quite good. Sakata was excellent as Oddjob (Do you ever want to come up against this man in a dark alley or anywhere for that matter? No, you do not).
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS- whew! These reviews take me so long to do.
I also want to mention the strong PTS and breathtaking titles design by Robert Brownjohn (corrected from my earlier post). Both the PTS and titles again set the tone/style element for future Bond films. Fabulous work!
While Goldfinger overall is not my favorite Bond movie, it is the one that changed everything in several ways - truly iconic images and sounds; it set the tone and formula for the series; and although everyone has their own favorites and likes/dislikes, we can all at least salute this film, and I hope respect it, for giving James Bond to the world as a superstar character - the Bond films really continue to this day beause of subsequent good films, but as the third Bond movie this was the one that gave the franchise the push to go into the stratosphere. Bond mania indeed. And aren't we lucky to have this golden movie and golden series to enjoy? I am know I am.
My mistake. OK, I read Binder was credited. Goldfinger does have the best titles of the first 3 films, in my opinion.
Thank you! Your Goldfinger review was also great. If I haven't mentioned it before I'd like to say that while we know Bond fans generally tend to be male, reading how female fans see the movies is truly of interest to me as a counterpoint, especially since I've known many women over the years who found the films to be either chauvinistic or simply a "guy thing" that held no interest for them. Having your perspective as part of the mix was a bonus to me, and they are always so well written and insightful in the way I had hoped. I have to digress for a moment speaking of women. Thankfully and luckily for me, my wife decided that she wanted to see all the films for herself to figure out why I loved them so much and while she felt most of them were good but nothing to obsess over, she loved the ones that concentrated a little bit on romance as well and was always game to watch those. FRWL was her favorite but not by much, she cried at the end of OHMSS and over Vesper in CR, and she came to see the series as something more than a stereotype. I'm going to greatly miss her being with us in November for Skyfall, she had been with me for all the films from GoldenEye onward and she was really looking forward to seeing Craig do the role as the fully formed character. Even when all the MGM business put the series on indefinite hold, she always said that the series could never be killed off and that if they could survive the 6 years between LTK and GE and come back strong as ever, EON would find a way out of that too. I can already tell based on the trailers that she would be psyched up for the new film, and I have a good feeling inside that she'll be there with us in spirit.
Good stuff bro, really enjoyed your review of this one. A little commentary on some of the categories you scored-
WOMEN- Lauren Bacall to Lucille Ball??? Friggin' hilarious! That's classic! As far as Plenty, her assets are obvious and I take it you agree with me that those extra scenes should not have been cut. Though when I think of that scene with her having dinner with Bond and how annoyingly stupid her character was shown to be, I could understand why the additional illustration wasn't needed in that case. I loved the look of her face in the deleted scene when she saw that Tiffany horned in on her action! Lana is hot, no question about that, but it's clear she was never meant to be more than a little eye candy. All things considered, she's no Shirley Eaton. Jill St. John, Bambi and Thumper, as our British cousins would say, "meh".
VILLAINS- I think Wint and Kidd are pretty true to the book definition. They are still homosexual and vicious judging by what they did here. The smiling and joking doesn't put me off though. It's one thing to be a "stone killer" and show no emotion, it's just a job. But a killer who is smiling while killing you? That gives me the chills. Agreed with your score, but not because of Whyte's bodyguards, who Bond makes look like fools in the swimming pool.
Otherwise, I'm curious why you don't find the DAF soundtrack as good as the prior two? Would just like a little more insight.
Barry's scores after OHMSS (the high water mark) seemed to not live up to the previous great scores he had been doing since GF. The theme song is good but a lot of the tracks (the moon buggy chase) were ho hum. "Blofeld's Killer Satellite" reminded me of "Space Waltz" from YOLT and just not original.
As for the interpretations of Kidd and Wint, they seemed too much like a comedy team. In the book, there was nothing funny about these men. The film, they looked really funny too. I would imagine homosexual killers to be in the vein of Harvey Keitel, James Woods or John Travolta. Just my thoughts. Bond villains have a bizarre look about them (remember Vargas in TB?) but they never looked downright comedic (until DAF) ...
Bond- 2 out of 5. Connery just goes through the motions filling out his five film contract. A letdown.
Women- 2 out 5. None of the women do anything for me.
Villains- 2 out of 5. Osato, Helga Brandt, the Swedish Starker (what's he doing in Japan?) and a terribly miscat Donal Pleasance as Blofeld. zzzzzzzz
Humor- 2 out of 5. The only memorable line "Mr. Osato believes in a healthy chest."
Action- 4 out of 5. The helicopter fight with Little Nellie, the ninja assault on Blofeld's volcano lair.
Sadism- 4 out of 5. Helga Brandt devoured by piranhas, the poisoning of the Japanese girl.
Music- 4 out of 5. John Barry's title song sung by Nancy Sinatra is one of the series most beautiful and memorable.
Locations- 2 out of 5. Not a big fan of Japan.
Gadgets- 3 out of 5. Little Nellie is about it.
Supporting Cast- 3 out of 5. Actor who portrays Tiger is OK.
Thanks for the review. Any review is better than none. Sorry you didn't much enjoy this one.
Bond - 3 out of 5 Connery has taken plenty of flak for this film, and I do see him being too relaxed here. Hard to put my finger on it. He was maybe not fully involved at times, even with the action - I had no sense of him being very intense or terrifically engaged, not really. But not as bad as some make out. Just okay for me.
Women- 3 out 5. Both Japanese women are very lovely and I was sorry Aki was killed (not a painless way to go either). Kissy was fine and competent. I just didn't get the super charge of a great Bond girl vibe from them. Both were, I think, alluring but in a more demure way. But then again, that suits the culture (Japanese), too.
Villains- 2.5 out of 5. Helga Brandt could have had a little more zest and a few more scenes to make her truly a strong villain/henchwoman; the possibilities were there. Osato was not very threatening to me; he looked like a businessman and not a menacing one. For instance, just for one moment picture Ken Watanabe in the role and you immediately getting a strong feeling of presence and threat, even if he didn't say much. The wrestler/strongman was pretty good (who fought with Bond in Osato's office). But overall not strong enough villains. Let's see, who am I leaving out? Ah, yes: Blofeld. Hmmm. Even when I first saw this movie, I wasn't left with any strong spine tingling of horror or revulsion or sense of threat. Okay the scar was decent and a nice touch for a villain, but no ... just not good, not menacing.
Humor- 2.5 out of 5. A few pretty good lines but not much here.
Action- 3.5 out of 5. The final assault on Blofeld's volcano hideout was quite good, but that was the only thrilling part. Not enough action overall. They could have done better (this is after all the land of kabuki theatre and the samurai).
Sadism- 3 out of 5. The charming piranha pond was horrible and truly sadistic. But that was about it for sadism.
Music- 4.5 out of 5. The title song is so lovely, haunting, and fits with the location of Japan beautifully. It was used excellently throughout the film. For me, the biggest highlight of this movie is the music.
Locations- 3.5 out of 5. Some lovely shots and glimpses of the culture here in Japan, but I feel they could have done more (gosh that is my overall feeling of this movie - okay but could have been better). The wedding scene was a bit long, although it is exotic to western viewers and therefore possibly of interest. I did like them leading off with the sumo wrestling, which is a big part of the culture here and has Shinto elements. But I would have liked some scenes in a kabuki theatre (leading into action and tearing up the place), a real samurai sword fight, and some gorgeous views of the numerous islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
Gadgets- 3 out of 5. Nothing memorable except Little Nellie, which was interesting (especially for the time the movie came out).
Supporting Cast- 3.5 out of 5 The runaway winner here is Tetsuro Tamba as Tiger Tanaka (who singlehandedly almost makes me score this a 4). He is a real ally for Bond and a strong enough character to be memorable. I like his quiet amusement of Bond, his self confidence, and his complete ease. I wish they could have used Tetsuro's own voice, but the voice actor chosen was okay by me (seemed to fit).
Overall: I can enjoy this movie once in a while, but it is not in my top 8 or maybe even top 10 (I have to do my list again; I don't like keeping lists of these kinds of things). It really falls into the just okay category for me. I can understand why Connery was inundated to the point of past saturation as Bond (way too much intrusion and ridiculousness of Bondmania at that point). However, he was James Bond (his baby, he made the role his, he is the original) he was paid well, and I do think he could have put in a stronger performance, yes. But he does more, I feel, than just "go through the motions" as some people say. Blofeld could have been introduced better, villains and henchmen/women could have been more memorable, etc. I hope that someday soon (in the next 10 years, say) Bond comes back to Japan - even as just one location of many. I know Skyfall has the Japanese abandoned island ... but I still hope to see a kabuki theatre fight scene, more ninjas, and some samurai action actually filmed in this lovely and unique island country.
Sayonara for now, tomodachi ...
I always thought Aki was very forward thinking for the time when she made it obvious she wanted to have sex with Bond. As you've said, and know from our conversations, I have also found Japanese women to be more demure and reserved than most Asian girls from personal experience. I had a bit of trouble believing she made it that easy for him, whereas I found Kissy to be more typical in putting his advances off.
I'm not surprised that parts of the culture were left out though. EON has always tried to give us a glimpse of what is normal, but rarely makes it the focus to an impressive degree. As a typical gaijin (did I spell that right?) I was happy enough with what they did. Gotta get to Kirishima before these bones get too old.
Everyone agrees that the Barry soundtrack is the highlight of the film, but so far it's a mixed bag as far as the overall view. I don't agree with the thought that the movie is the worst of the Connery's nor even a bottom feeder. I like the film and always enjoy a watch. Personally, I think somewhere between 11-16 out of now 23 is about right, definitely not a top 10 but it has some very enjoyable moments.
You are right, it is usually spelled "gaijin" meaning from another country, or outsider. That is a word that has many different flavors and ranges of negativity, depending on who is saying it, with what intent. I could go on and on about Japan (from personal experience; I do not claim to be an expert or even particularly well read about this country), but I won't digress here. It is a great place to teach, and I have some good, now lifelong, friends here. I hope Bond returns to this land of the rising sun! I really do. Meanwhile, I will be watching Skyfall a full month later than Korea, which is right next door to me. :(
Off to watch Jill St. John and Sean frolic in one of my least favorite places (Vegas) ... but Diamonds was my first Bond film so it still has a special fun ambience for me. More to come ... oh! I am realizing that I am not totalling my scores. Sorry! Will do shortly.
Yes, Sir Sean much better in YOLT.
Bond- 3 out of 5. George Lazenby isn't Connery, but he really isn't all that bad. And he does handle the fight scenes quite well.
Women- 5 out of 5! Diana Rigg was the first woman that I literally fell in love with! I would watch "The Avengers" every Friday night just to see what outfits Emma Peel would be wearing and how she would use her kung fu to deal with her male adversaries (there was always a semi-dominatrix aspect to the character, especially when she was dressed in her "catsuit," but I digress)! Ahem, OK, getting back to OHMSS, Diana Rigg is absolutely perfect in the role of Tracy di Vicenzo.
Villains- 5 out of 5. Terry Savalas is the perfect Ernst Stavro Blofeld! As someone else on this board has suggested, I'd prefer to simply pretend that YOLT never happened and OHMSS is the sequel to TB.
Humor- 3 out of 5. The only memorable line "He had a lot of guts." I never saw the humor in "This Never Happened to the Other Fella." Never saw it as a reference to Connery, to me it was a reference to "Cinderella."
Action- 5 out of 5. The two ski chase scenes! The assault on Piz Gloria. The bobsled scene at the end.
Sadism- 5 out of 5. How can you top someone being ground to a stream of blood and guts in a snowblower?!
Music- 4out of 5. Barry's intro theme very memorable, even if it's only an instrumental.
Locations- 4 out of 5. OK, even if it's just the beach in Portugal and the snows of Switzerland they're both enjoyable locations.
Gadgets- 2 out of 5. The only thing that comes to mind was the gadget to open the combination.
Supporting Cast- 5 out of 5. And this is all for Gabriele Ferzetti as Marc Ange Draco. He's perfectly cast. No one else could have played Tracy's Corsican Mob father better!
Overall- One of the best James Bond films ever made.
Bond - 2/5 - It's a shame to give arguably perhaps the greatest James Bond ever such a low score but this time I feel it is justified. Nine years after his introduction and where it all started, by now had become a pale imitation of the greatness he was from between 1962-63, and looked anything like Flemings created character, it didn't even feel like a Bond movie whenever I watch it. Out of shape, out of sorts, too old for the part by '71, and only lured back by a then astronomical salary to play Bond again. An all round disappointment, not only for Connery but for the movie as a whole
Women - 3/5 - If I had liked the Lana Wood character more this would of been a four for sure, but I never took to the Plenty O Toole character, it was almost a relief when she met a demise half way through. It's all about St John, for she, steals the show, is attractive enough, but goes from a savvy Diamond smuggler in Amsterdam to an air headed bimbo that doesn't know one end of a gun from the other by the time we reach Nevada and California. Bambi and Thumper were fun, but were only shown too briefly, would of liked to have seen more of them, even standing in and the assassins instead of Wint and Kidd, but then again, no-one should replace them
Villains - 4/5 - the aforementioned Wint and Kidd get the share of the scoring here, what a tremendous fun pair they were, great elaborate deaths, not only by themselves but for their own personal demises. It's usually one main reason why I bother to watch Diamonds again. Charles Gray's Blofeld, was disappointing, did he die at the end?, the debate will go on.. . Peter Franks was shown only too briefly, but a fun and eventful fight in the elevator was his time on stage
Humor - 4/5 - any humor in a Connery Bond film, is ill advised, it's simply not a part of his demeanor, but this release, was simply too evident. Gone were the serious days and the man just seemed to indulge himself in the rest of the sometimes campy nonsense that ensued. Wint and Kidd (again), also had a riot sometimes with the humor that threatened to go into overdrive one on or two occasions. Blofeld in Drag?, I didn't find it amusing.. .
Action - 3/5 - The elevator fight in Amsterdam, ending on the cruise liner, Bond swinging around Vegas, car chase past the casinos, to name but a few, but it all seemed in short supply sometimes. Connery even looked bored some of the time, maybe a hangover from his Goldfinger outing. Not the best release for action in a Bond film, but not the worst either
Sadism - 4/5 - Wint and Kidd's (just no getting away from these two), actions, the killing of O Toole, maybe I'm struggling now, but I know full well, that there was sadist actions a plenty going on here and there. Not my strongest area for Bond ranking in my defense, but I feel it justifies a four score
Music - 2/5 - Bassey returned for a second time, and even thereafter, but her theme intro never lives long in the memory for me. Some of the other background scores of the release went between the absurd and the belligerent sometimes I felt. Not a favorite year for James Bond music scores by any length for me
Locations - 3/5 - Maybe I was being too generous, but there's simply not that much to get involved in, a few brief shots of Holland, the wide open sprawl of Nevada and the Vegas Casinos, which can become a bit repetitive after the 100th viewing, and which culminates in a silly battle on a rig off the coast of California. It all seemed a bit restricted sometimes, and it wasn't to be the first, or last time, either
Gadgets - 2/5 - a sort of hand mousetrap variation, fingerprint imitation, a Piton gun when Bond swings around Vegas, RPM gadget for slot machines, and a machine that can imitate anothers voice, all said, not a lot to get excited about
Supporting cast- 2/5 - Sometimes all other cast members hitherto unmentioned pale into significance. Moneypenny and M seem almost non existent, Q has a few minutes to himself up to no good in a Vegas casino, and the remaining characters don't really even warrant a mention. Sorry If I left anyone else out, who deserved recognition, but that's how I feel about it
Overall - 2/5 - No surprise for seeing I don't think much of this 1971 release. Connery was almost an embarrassment, such a shame after his powerhouse performances of the early 1960s, but by this time, had simply fallen so far by the wayside. Poor Blofeld, absurd plot, (building a laser satelite constructed by Diamonds), restricted locations, indifferent theme intro, the biggest saving graces were Putter Smith, Bruce Glover and Jill St John. Such a shame, that maybe the best James Bond ever had to depart in such a poor and disappointing release. Bottom line is, should of been Lazenby back with the focus on revenge for Tracy, not an out of sorts, fallen ex-legend getting involved in a ridiculous plot about diamond laser satelites. Opportunity wasted, and a waste of a couple of hours viewing too...
That about wraps up my reviews as an original fan for all the years specified by my math, it's been a fun event, been a pleasure to have been involved in this. James Bond has changed so much since when I first encountered it
You Only Live Twice (Interstellar Overdrive)
Bond - This was the point where Connery was bored with the Bond role. Connery seemed like he was phoning it in, where he could have stepped it up in scenes such as meeting Blofeld for the first time. Sadly, the worst was yet to come for us with Connery. (3)
Women- Aki was the better of the two. She seemed more into her role and was very believable as a female agent in a male dominated society. Kissy was just there and really didn't do anything special. Karin Dor as Helga did a solid job in having to follow the femme fatale role established by Lucianna Paluzzi (4).
Villains- The presentation of Blofeld was a letdown. After being mysteriously menacing in FRWL and TB, my initial reaction was "You're Blofeld"? Helga was a solid femme fatale, Osata was nothing special, Hans was a forgettable henchman (3).
Humor- Mostly hit and miss. Best humor was Bond's interaction with Tiger (3)
Action- The Kobe dock fights stand out. A lot clsoer to Fleming than the over the top ninja raid of the volcano. Little Nellie was quite ingenious. Action at Osata's HQ was flat. (4)
Sadism- Piranhas, Blofeld shooting Osata and Helga avenging Tatiana and Dink by slapping up Bond. That's about it. My thirst for sadism wasn't satisfied in YOLT. (3)
Music- The best aspect of YOLT. Nancy Sinatra sang a beautiful version of the main theme. The remainder of soundtrack captured the traditional Japanese music. Along with Chinese music, I actually find this very soothing to listen to. (5)
Locations- Excellent job in capturing traditional and metro Japan. (4)
Gadgets- Pretty much just Little Nellie. Q's daughter served her purpose. Less is better in this case (4).
Supporting Cast- Tetsura Tamba is arguably Bond's second best ally. I really envied his lifestyle. Great to see Moneypenny and M in uniform. Not so greeat to see Q in those highwater pants. (4)
Overall: (37) There always seems to be a letdown after the great Bond films (i.e. FRWL-GF, OHMSS-DAF, GE-TND, CR-QOS). YOLT was no different. It was painfully obvious to see that Connery was loising interest as Bond. YOLT followed GF and went with an inplausable plot. What was the purpose of capturing US and Soviet spacecraft to instigate WWIII again? Lewis Gilbert strayed too far from Fleming with YOLT. Tetsura Tamba, Karin Dor, Akiko Wakabayashi were the three stars of YOLT. YOLT was enjoyable enough that it won't make my Bottom 5, but ridiculous enough to stay off my Top 10.
We are going to begin the reviews of the Roger Moore era (1973-1985) starting this Saturday. On Friday I'll give updated rating totals and the usual list so everyone knows what they have and have yet to review.
Bond - George Lazenby was in a very precarious position. He was replacing a legend. He's an inexperience actor. Sean's legendary status is not forgotten in the PTS and main title theme. Yet George pulls it off. George proves himself to be a great fighter and pulls off the last scene brilliantly. Dubbing of GL keeps this from being a perfect score. (4)
Women- Diana Rigg was arguably the best actress in a lead Bond girl role. Contessa de Vicenzo (Tracy) was a character comparable to that of a Shakesperean tragedy. Who better to fill the role than an experienced Shakesperean actress. Diana's portrayal of the tragic Tracy alone gives this a five. Despite her being a Contessa, Diana made Tracy a very sympathetic character. The Angels of Death were icing on the cake. Angela Scoular, Catherien von Schell were the highlights of the angels. We would also first see Joanna Lumley, who would go on to have an absolutely fabulous career. (5)
Villains- Telly Savalas was by far the best of the on screen Blofeld's. More of a classier Blofeld than in the past, but still very menacing. Ilse Steppat is up there in the top echelon of femme fatales. I'd been horrified too if I seen her in bed expecting a far prettier woman. A shame Ilse died shortly after the release of OHMSS. An excellent one-two combo. (5)
Humor- Decent, but has the cringe inducing lines of "this never happens to the other fellow", "he had a lot of guts" and "I feel a stiffness coming on". A guilty pleasure on humor though. (4)
Action- GL provides great action. Highlights include the PTS, fighting Draco's guys and bumper cars on ice. The ski chase and the Piz Gloria raid are two of the best chases scenes of the franchise. (5)
Sadism- Not necessarily sadistic in terms of villainery, but more sadistic to the viewers. One of Blofeld's skiiers going through the snow blowers was probably pretty sick for its time. Let's not forget the great setup and shot of the bullet through Tracy's forehead. (4)
Music- Arguably John Barry's best work. The instrumental main theme and Louis Armstrong's "We Have All the Time in the World" mesh together well in OHMSS. (5)
Locations- Wished they showed more of Portugal, but Switzerland and in particular, Piz Gloria, more than make up for this. (5)
Gadgets- Once again, less is better. Pretty creative contraption that was the combination safecracker/photocopier. Fortunately, the radioactive lint never went any further. (3)
Supporting Cast- I've said this before, but Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee each gave their best performances as Moneypenny and M. Both Lois and Bernard probably realized they needed to step up their game to help out George, and they both did. Wish we would have gotten more than one scene with Desmond and George. George Ferzatti did a brilliant job as Marc-Ange Draco. Draco was certainly an efficient ally, but it was still clear that he was still a criminal first. (5)
Overall- (45) OHMSS is criminally underated in the media's eyes. With the possible exception of FRWL, OHMSS was the closest to Fleming's work. A great storyline and a great cast compensated for GL's inexperience and debut as Bond. Even if you don't like GL, there's still plenty to love about OHMSS. An easy Top 5 Bond film.
1. Are they realistic?
2. Do they add to the narrative or are they there for crowd pleasers?
3. Numbers
Scoring a film highly based on a single gadget is not consistent when we have movies in the series that use many different ones and fit the criteria of #1 and 2. I suggest for the future that everyone considers this.
Kerim, great review. I agree with a lot of it personally but I must say you went way overboard on the rating for George though IMHO, can't agree with that one by any means. Bond has to be much more than a great fighter, and that's all George is. The cast did most of the tougher work and taught George on the job. Most of this you reference so I find a 4 a bit in conflict with your score. But will not ask you to change anything if you feel that and the gadget score are in line with the existing criteria. Very much looking forward to your thoughts on the music in particular for DAF!
In closing, I wish to point out that my main job here is to introduce the next review, and tote up the scores. My job is not to influence scoring. However, we have certain criteria and unfortunately it is my job to clarify that when things appear to be going off the track. If anyone has any questions about how certain criteria should be scored, please ask. It's about consistency and being fair to every movie whether we love it, see it as a stinker, or just come down somewhere in the middle.
Bond - Why Sean why? Sean became a parody of himself in DAF. Looked more like the sumo wrestler in YOLT than the Bond in DN. An abomindation of his earlier work. At least he donated his earnings to a worthy cause. Roger or George would have been better suited in DAF. (2)
Women- Jill St. John was fine until she got gloved slapped, then she became an annoying leech. I think the Bond universe would have been better off without Bambi and Thumper. Lana Wood wasn't any better, but at least someone did a good job of picking her wardrobe. (2)
Villians- A comic version of the FRWL rogues gallery. Since 1967, Blofeld managed to grow hair, lose the scar over his eye, replace his earlobes, get into drag racing and look like Dikko Henderson. Still, Charles Gray did the best he could with the circumstances. The supporting villians are actually pretty good. Saxby, Metz, Slumber, Shady Tree, and Rodney and the Henchmen were all good supporting villians. Despite the comedy, Wint and Kidd pull off being rather sadistic henchmen. (4)
Humor- DAF does have humor going for it. Over the top and inane at times, but if you forget that DAF is a horrible followup to OHMSS, this is a rather entertaining watch. (4)
Action- The elevator fight with Franks was actually good and would have fit in with Sean's earlier work. Same with the Ford Mustang chase around the Freemont area. The oil rig battle ended up being pretty cheesy though. (3)
Sadism- Wint and Kidd cover the sadistic parts of DAF quite well. The scorpion, the drowned teacher, Shady Tree's death, knocking Bond out to almost being incinerated and my personal favorite, Plenty's cement shoes with the nip slip. (4)
Music- Shirley Bassey does a solid job with the main theme. John Barry's soundtrack was a bit of a letdown from OHMSS. (3)
Locations- Nice shots of the local scenery of Amsterdam (canals) and Vegas (the Strip, Feemont and the outskirts of Vegas). Could have done without Tokyo, C-C-C-Cairo and wherever the other two PTS around the world in 80 seconds locations took place. (4)
Gadgets- The voice alteration gadget served its purpose, but I was never comfortable with Q using whatever gadget that was to manipulate the slot machines. That's not the Q we all know and love. Served no prupose in the film other than another attempt at humor, as did Tiffany's conversation with Q. (3)
Supporting Cast- Lois, Bernard and Desmond seemed less inspired than they were in OHMSS. Norman Burton was not a very good Felix. Jimmy Dean as Willard Whyte was pretty good though. (3)
Overall- (32) Honestly, I'm surprised the score is that high. DAF should have been a lot more. In what should have been a revenge film, we get a very slightly better version of Casino Royale '67. DAF is nothing more than a parody film and is my current second least favorite Bond film. DAF is a disgrace and abomination to the franchise. If any Bond film should be redone it's DAF. A blown opportunity to regain the momentum of the Bond franchise.
Running Rankings:
1. From Russia With Love (45, MVP: Pedro Armedariz)
2. On Her Majestys Secret Service (45, MVP: Diana Rigg)
3. Thunderball (42, MVP: Lucianna Paluzzi)
4. Dr No (38, MVP: Sean Connery)
5. You Only Live Twice (37, MVP: Tetsura Tambo)
6. Goldfinger (36, MVP: Harold Sakata)
7. Diamonds Are Forever (32, Co-MVP's Bruce Glover and Putter Smith)
If I had to choose a Bond film to be redone, it wouldn't be this one. MR and DAD fall under that category for me. Despite the occasional frustration with certain films in the series falling way short of potential, I'm a purist and believe that they should stand, faults and all, as they are for posterity. This one is a case in point. Despite the fact that DAF stinks out the joint for Bond and in other areas, the surprising score you mention shows that despite it's flaws the movie does have some things going for it. I felt exactly the same way while adding up my scores, I was thinking it wouldn't even make 30 but it did, and I had to chuckle about that one as well.
I really enjoy your review and comments. You keep me smiling with most of your comments.
IMHO:
It is hard to say and we can't go back in time or check out some alternative universe where George did later Bonds but that being said, I think George in DAF might have been better than he was in OHMSS. He would have been older and wiser... and EON might have done a serious revenge film and DAF would have been a worthy follow up to OHMSS.
It might be helpful if you posted here what a couple of the basic requirements to be an "original" are ... :)
P.S. I'm getting in Diamonds review today and Thunderball and OHMSS this weekend to get caught up.
Looking forward to your DAF review, as I know it was your first Bond film it must hold a special place in your heart even with all it's flaws, bumps, and bruises.
I haven't had time yet to do DAF - coming soon I hope - but would certainly like to continue with these reviews.
1 (tie) From Russia With Love (7 reviews)- 4.07
1 (tie) Thunderball (6 reviews)- 4.07
3. Goldfinger (7 reviews)- 4.04
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (6 reviews)- 3.97
5. You Only Live Twice (7 reviews)- 3.51
6. Dr. No (7 reviews)- 3.50
7. Diamonds Are Forever (4 reviews)- 3.10
Thus far we've completed voting for 4 of the first 7 films, and hopefully next week we'll have the first 6 films finalized for ratings. Once again, below is a list of who hasn't reviewed a particular film, so you know which ones you have done and which you haven't. As always, you are under no obligation to do so, but it would be great if you could do each film when you can so we have a complete picture of how we all collectively feel. Also, please try to review your prior scores for different categories for the sake of consistency.
THUNDERBALL- No vote from 4EverBonded
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE- No vote from 4EverBonded
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER- No votes from Lancaster, DB5, and 4EverBonded
That's the latest from statistics central. Tomorrow the Moore era will begin and I will review and release the eighth entry, "Live And Let Die".