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"Octopussy, a reappraisal"

PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
edited July 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 3,262
Good article.

http://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/octopussy-a-reappraisal/

I welcome any effort to cause folks to appreciate OP more. Perhaps EON should have to compete with rival non-official versions of TB more often.
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Comments

  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    Why does Octopussy need to be reappraised? its genius..

    One of the most imaginative, engaging, entertaining, exotic and exciting films of the series..

    I thought the turnaround with Bond fans about this one happened about ten years ago...apart from those of us who loved it from the start.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,882
    Why does Octopussy need to be reappraised? its genius..

    One of the most imaginative, engaging, entertaining, exotic and exciting films of the series..

    I thought the turnaround with Bond fans about this one happened about ten years ago...apart from those of us who loved it from the start.

    I welcome any effort to cause folks to appreciate OP more. Perhaps EON should have to compete with rival non-official versions of TB more often.
    Two great posts, and as ever Octobenny is more than happy to see appreciation for all things OP.
    I have to agree with actonsteve that the turnaround happened several years ago, and the love for OP appears to grow and grow.
    Long may it do so.

  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited June 2011 Posts: 11,189
    There are still some avid "anti-Octopussy-ers" out there. Just last week I was watching the film on tv with a friend. I ended up in an argument with him (albeit a light-hearted one) about why Octopussy/Roger Moore were good. We'd both read some of the Fleming books so were equally informed. I liked the film despite its relitively small links to Fleming - he didn't.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    I love OP as well. Was Moore to old ? Nonsense - he was still perfect as Bond !! An absolutly fantastic outing. Great Moore, great soundtrack, great locations, sets, action scenes, characters... What is there not to like in OP ??
  • thegiantcookiethegiantcookie
    Posts: 103
    Octopussy was my first ever Bond, and will always hold a special place in my heart, and rankings. The action is exiting and suspensful, the humour and babes are first rate and the plot is full of twists, turns, and full of suspense.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    An exciting SPYmovie in which RM is brilliant as 007, nice to see another 00 clowning about.
  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    Posts: 2,115
    >>Why does Octopussy need to be reappraised? its genius.. <<

    The headline "Octopussy, a Reappraisal" was used because a month earlier the Web site had used "Quantum of Solace, a Reappraisal." There was no specific anniverary or other "hook." Every time one watches a movie, the viewer reappraises it.



  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    A true classic! OP should definately deserve some more attention and praise. It has so many high points, such as:
    -Intriguing Cold War plot
    -Great locations
    -Thrilling action
    -Worthy adversaries (Kamal Khan, Gobinda, General Orlov)
    -Excellent performance by Roger Moore, once again!
  • shadowonthesunshadowonthesun Banned
    Posts: 1,894
    The best thing about OP is the plot. Orlov's plan to stage a nuclear accident inside a NATO air base to force a withdrawl of Western forces from Germany is absolute genuis.

    Unfortunately, the film is let down by its campiness. Orlov is so hammy, you could string him up in a butcher's shop. Most of the India scenes are there for gags. The clown and gorllia costumes are almost unforgivable.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited July 2011 Posts: 15,690
    Orlov is so hammy, you could string him up in a butcher's shop.
    You can say the same about Brosnan in TWINE...

    Honestly, I love the Indian section of OP. The gags are just hilarious, and make for a stellar viewing !! Highly entertaining. Couple that with the edgy, suspensful bomb chase climax, and you have one amazing film !!
  • Monsieur_AubergineMonsieur_Aubergine Top of the Eiffel Tower with a fly in my soup!
    Posts: 642
    shadowonthesun said:
    Orlov is so hammy, you could string him up in a butcher's shop.

    Steven Berkov is naturally and notoriously leftfield. I think his performance is a highlight. He sticks two fingers up to the material and plays it nutty. Love it. :-)

    This was the first VHS I ever bought back in 1987 and it still has a special place in my heart. The first minute of the credits is beautiful to watch.

    My favourite line: "no ma'am I've with economy tour" brilliant
  • Whitaker1987Whitaker1987
    edited July 2011 Posts: 172
    Why does Octopussy need to be reappraised? its genius..

    One of the most imaginative, engaging, entertaining, exotic and exciting films of the series..

    I thought the turnaround with Bond fans about this one happened about ten years ago...apart from those of us who loved it from the start.
    Well said. OP has always been my fav Moore Bond flick.

    I still think Louis Jourdan as Kamal was the highlight nice actor and not an OTT performance.

    All Time High is also a fantastic song maybe not that popular with a few but still a classic Bond song. For me anyway.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    edited July 2011 Posts: 3,494
    Not one of my faves in the Moore canon, but easily better than the garbage that played against it in the summer of 1983.

    I would echo 00Beast here as far as the high points. Berkoff steals the movie for me as his character is almost certainly insane and his hammy/over the top manner conveys this perfectly. If he played it any other way, his character would have suffered for it. I'd also add that it was refreshing to see Moore have a much more age appropriate leading lady than he had in FYEO and AVTAK.

    The things that detract from OP are the sight gags such as the tiger (lost on any audience outside of Britain), and the sound gags (Tarzan yell) that plagued the Moore era. Some out there may be fans of this goofiness but to me they do not belong in a Bond movie and I wish they were not.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Yeah, OP would have been better off if they had left out the cheesy gags, which add nothing to the story except plot holes and cringes.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    edited July 2011 Posts: 1,497
    Hmm...I actually like the gags, they give OP charm.

    I don't even want to get into the clown argument...a total beating a dead horse argument by now.

    I would describe OP as 'smooth' much like Roger Moore and the John Barry seductive soundtrack. There hasn't been a Bond film like it since.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Personally, Bond dressing up as a clown never bothered me. Why didn't it? Because for one, 009 dressed up as one for a successful cover, and their was obviously no joking around with that scene. Second, Bond was only doing what needed to be done, and honestly, do you think he wanted to dress like a clown? No, never in a million years. He was just making sure that the US airbase didn't get blown to bits!
  • OnlyManWhoCanOnlyManWhoCan Greater London
    Posts: 202
    OP is one of those weird films that I don't really like that much but I keep on watching! I don't know why! Maybe it's because I can't really dislike any Bond movie, maybe it's because I'm always willing to give it another chance. There are some great scenes and stunts in it, but it doesn't really click for me. I would love a modern Bond to be set in India again, and it's looking like the next one very well may be!
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    OP is a work of genius to be sure.

    Rog is pure class ('fill her up please' - superb) yet balances his usual light Bond with some brilliant serious work such as in the scenes with Vijays death and the whole bomb sequence.
    And for those who say theres not much Fleming there, perhaps there isnt but there are certainly some very Fleming-esque moments such as 009 in East Berlin, the auction, the backgammon scene.

    That article made some very good points, in particular that it is harder than it looks to make a good Bond film and although people like John Glen and Richard Maibaum could be regarded as journeymen in the film industry, they were actually masters of the trade of making Bond films. Something Sam Mendes would do well to bear in mind following in Forsters less than impressive footsteps on QOS.

    Reminds me of Sebastian Faulks who enjoyed mouthing off in the press about what a lark it was to be writing a Bond novel and who was someone who clearly thought it beneath him. The end result? Something which if I was marooned on a desert island and this was the only book I had I'd cut up into individual letters so I could play myself at scrabble.
    These so called big name directors and writers should treat a Bond film like an FA cup tie against a minnow. If you give it some respect theres every chance your talent will get show through and you'll get a good result but take the piss and you could easily end up looking foolish.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    Personally, Bond dressing up as a clown never bothered me. Why didn't it? Because for one, 009 dressed up as one for a successful cover, and their was obviously no joking around with that scene. Second, Bond was only doing what needed to be done, and honestly, do you think he wanted to dress like a clown? No, never in a million years. He was just making sure that the US airbase didn't get blown to bits!
    As much as I hate the sight gags of the era, I also never had a problem with Bond dressed as a clown. It wasn't a sight gag. 009 did the same thing to get inside Octopussy's operation and with two police forces breathing down his neck, it was perfectly plausible for Bond to disguise himself the same way. I also had no problem with Bond in the gorilla suit either, it was a good place to hide. The cheesy gags I've mentioned belong in a Matt Helm/Austin Powers movie, plain as that. We should always remember that those kinds of spy movies developed because no one could come close to bucking the franchise, so it was easier to go the opposite way and lampoon the genre. This is why they scrapped the magic carpet scene from TLD, it was a new era and I was glad to see these things exit with Sir Roger.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited July 2011 Posts: 11,189
    I don't know if I'd go so far as to say OP is a work of genius (none of the Bond films quite reach that calibre IMO) however it is extremely entertaining and that's all that matters. I watched OP a few weeks back and really enjoyed it. As with other people above I never had an issue with the whole clown thing, it was a way to get inside the circus. Once Moore takes off that nose and starts explaining about the bomb the whole thing is played completely straight. I suppose one could wonder how he managed to dress up so quickly but...oh well.

    I suspect a lot of people who moan about the clown costume either haven't seen the film at all or for a while.

    As for the gorilla costume and the tarzan yell, well they are silly but are no where near enough to ruin the film for me.
  • ltwftwltwftw
    Posts: 78
    Could OP be the most polarizing Bond film?
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    Could OP be the most polarizing Bond film?
    Perhaps but there seem to be more who like it than don't I find.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited July 2011 Posts: 15,690
    OP is a work of genius to be sure.
    Rog is pure class ('fill her up please' - superb)
    I totally agree - best PTS ending in the franchise !! :-bd
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Could OP be the most polarizing Bond film?
    The most polarizing Bond film is either LTK or QoS.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    OP is a work of genius to be sure.
    Rog is pure class ('fill her up please' - superb)
    I totally agree - best PTS ending in the franchise !! :-bd
    Yes!! I have to agree. That wink wink look Moore gives to that Cuban soldier while they're driving side by side in the jeep is classic Rog.

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    @JBFan626: Yes indeed! I always get a good laugh out of that one. That look is simply pure Roger Moore!
  • The_ReaperThe_Reaper
    Posts: 1,092
    I love Moore in this film and it has a strong nostalgic tilt for me so I will always have a soft spot for OP.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    edited July 2011 Posts: 3,494
    OP is a work of genius to be sure.
    Rog is pure class ('fill her up please' - superb)
    I totally agree - best PTS ending in the franchise !! :-bd
    Yes!! I have to agree. That wink wink look Moore gives to that Cuban soldier while they're driving side by side in the jeep is classic Rog.

    Agreed it is a fun PTS, but I can think of better ones in the series. What kind of ruins it for me though is that Cuba as we know is an island and it appears he flies over a border crossing but never flies over any water.

  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    OP is a work of genius to be sure.
    Rog is pure class ('fill her up please' - superb)
    I totally agree - best PTS ending in the franchise !! :-bd
    Yes!! I have to agree. That wink wink look Moore gives to that Cuban soldier while they're driving side by side in the jeep is classic Rog.

    Agreed it is a fun PTS, but I can think of better ones in the series. What kind of ruins it for me though is that Cuba as we know is an island and it appears he flies over a border crossing but never flies over any water.


    Who says its Cuba? Admittedly until that shot of him flying over the border you kind of asume its Cuba but then that makes it impossible. I always therefore presume its some other banana republic like El Salvador or Honduras or even Isthmus.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    This is the first Bond film I saw in the theater so it holds a special place for me.

    The Fidel Castro double is a hint that it is Cuba.

    I have never understood Octopussy's lines just before Bond kisses her: "I don't have to answer to you. A paid assassin for what I am!" What?!? Shouldn't it be "A paid assassin is what you are"?
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