Misconceptions and false memories: Our wrong ideas from we weren't familiar with Bond.

edited April 2020 in Bond Movies Posts: 1,009
I didn't really catch up on Bond until I was 14-15 years old. Until then, I was strongly influenced by my parents' or my uncle's memories of the movies, James Bond Jr., scattered scenes and wrong magazine articles. Did it happen to you? Here are my cases:

Dr. No: I thought Dr. No looked like his James Bond Jr. version, green skin and all.

FRWL: I thought the end of TSWLM was the end of FRWL.

TB: I remembered the jetpack scene with Bond flying around the Parliament Bridge, getting very high (almost surpassing Big Ben) and wearing his tuxedo and no helmet.

OHMSS: OK, brace yourselves. I thought it was about Bond faking a marriage with a mousey looking but beautiful agent (maybe I saw something with Ruby). She's murdered halfway through the film, which would turn into a slapstick-laden revenge story that ended with Bond singing opera in a theatre while the audience there goes ROFLTAO.

DAF: I mixed the Amsterdam lift fight, Bambi and Thumper and Wint and Kidd: Probably influenced by playing Streets Of Rage on my Mega Drive, I thought there was a big fight between two acrobatic gay martial artists and Bond in a huge storage lift.

TMWTGG: I thought there was a rickshaw chase, and that the final confrontation was in a hall of mirrors, much like Enter The Dragon.

MR: I thought that DAF picture of Sean playing golf on the moon was from MR.

LTK: I thought it was a an Italian-made semi-official entry, much like NSNA, especially because of the simplicity of the title and an actor I hadn't seen (I was 6 or 7, then). At the end it ended up being my fav movie of all time XD

GE: I thought Pierce Brosnan would sport a beard.

I can't deny that several of these scenes would have been awesome.
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Comments

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    My introduction to Bond was a double feature of FYEO and TSWLM. As I wasn't familiar with Roger Moore, when I first saw Michael Billington I thought Billington was Moore in bed with Bach.

    Back in the day, every time I watched Jaws meeting Dolly, I would think, 'let's see the braces!', but I cannot remember whether I actually saw them or not. Weird.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    My first film was GoldenEye, and when I watched it as a kid I thought James Bond existed in a supernatural world and Trevelyan actually came back from the dead.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 17,241
    Thinking back, I don't think I had many misconceptions about Bond or the films. My first introduction to Bond was the covers of an early 90's VHS collection (featuring the original poster artworks), which I used a lot of time to look at, years before I was allowed to watch any of the films. Then I read a few John McLusky comic strips when I was around 6-7, before finally being allowed to watch the films when I was 8. I think the only thing that too me by surprise watching the films for the first time, was the fact that Bond wasn't wearing a dinner suit as much as I thought he would!
  • Posts: 1,009
    @QBranch About Dolly, I think many fans still see her supposed braces ;)

    @NickTwentyTwo Now this is an interesting case. I'll make a confession. As long as it has nothing to do with aliens, I would welcome some supernatural things on Bond movies. It worked on LALD, and the Bond vs androids idea on the abandoned third Dalton project strikes me as attractive: Bond vs Terminator XD

    @Torgeirtrap Lucky you. Misconceptions tend to be confusing the first time one watches an actual Bond film.
  • Posts: 1,879
    The first Bond film I saw in the cinema when it was new was DAF when I was preschool age and after Bond kills Peter Franks and switches wallets and Tiffany says "You just killed James Bond" I was mad at Connery thinking he killed James Bond in disguise at first.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 1,009
    BT3366 wrote: »
    The first Bond film I saw in the cinema when it was new was DAF when I was preschool age and after Bond kills Peter Franks and switches wallets and Tiffany says "You just killed James Bond" I was mad at Connery thinking he killed James Bond in disguise at first.

    That's very funny and it really brings it home. My dad always tells me that when he saw FRWL (that was around 1964-66, on a double Bond feature) for the first time and Red Grant killed the SPECTRE opereative disguised as Bond, some people on the audience, unfamiliar with the movies, gasped and whispered "OMG, they killed James Bond!”.
  • Posts: 1,879
    Another that came to mind was seeing OHMSS on a double feature with DAF for the first time when I was 7. Now given that at that point there were 3 different actors as Bond over 3 films and I had no idea about OHMSS but had seen DAF twice in the cinema. So there was something I knew along with something totally unknown.

    So a bit of familiarity popped up when Telly Savalas came onscreen and I wondered why Kojak - which was a popular series at the time - was in this. What I took away from that was the shock ending. It's never left me.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 1,009
    BT3366 wrote: »
    Another that came to mind was seeing OHMSS on a double feature with DAF for the first time when I was 7. Now given that at that point there were 3 different actors as Bond over 3 films and I had no idea about OHMSS but had seen DAF twice in the cinema. So there was something I knew along with something totally unknown.

    So a bit of familiarity popped up when Telly Savalas came onscreen and I wondered why Kojak - which was a popular series at the time - was in this. What I took away from that was the shock ending. It's never left me.

    Yes, that ending left quite an impact, and for a child it’s way worse.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited April 2020 Posts: 5,834
    I thought the female guard from the beginning of DAD eventually became Miranda Frost through Graves' technology. I don't know why.
  • Posts: 1,009
    Denbigh wrote: »
    I thought the female guard from the beginning of DAD eventually became Miranda Frost throught Graves' technology. I don't know why.

    This is an interesting concept, indeed. Frost would be THAT crazy.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    The only misconception I remember was thinking that OHMSS was the unofficial Bond film I kept hearing about. I just assumed this considering it had a Bond I didn't recognize.

    Didn't find out that it was NSNA until I was a teenager.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,382
    When I first watched TMWTGG, I was expecting Bond to duel Baron Samedi in an Egyptian Temple because of the final level of the N64 game.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    When I first watched TMWTGG, I was expecting Bond to duel Baron Samedi in an Egyptian Temple because of the final level of the N64 game.

    This is amazing! Looking back, I can see why you would think that.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 17,241
    @Torgeirtrap Lucky you. Misconceptions tend to be confusing the first time one watches an actual Bond film.

    @bigladiesman Yes, I think I was lucky in that regard. I give that credit mostly to the wonderful artwork by Robert McGinnis, Frank McCarthy and others, used on the VHS covers. They felt very representative of what happened on screen, so there weren't that many misconceptions to have watching the films for the first time.
  • Posts: 6,682
    I saw TMWTGG and TSWLM at a very young age. I don't know if I watched them in full or just parts of them. I didn't see them again for several years, so my memories of those films faded and got mixed up. Later, I grew to think TMWTGG was set in Egypt, there was a house of mirrors in the middle of the desert, and Scaramanga was a guy with a moustache who wore a fez.
  • Posts: 1,009
    @Agent_47 As stated before, this happened to me with LTK.

    @Last_Rat_Standing This is AWESOME

    @Torgeirtrap Ah, yes, those WB tapes with a silvery cover am I right?

    @mattjoes This one is funny as heck! It reminds me of my DAF elevator fight hodgepodge.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 17,241
    @Torgeirtrap Ah, yes, those WB tapes with a silvery cover am I right?

    @bigladiesman No, these (black cover) ones:

    VHS_german-1992-cover-set2-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set3-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set4-1.jpg

    I think they were released around 1992/1993.
  • Posts: 6,682
    @mattjoes This one is funny as heck!
    I doubt if I'm in your class, however. Your misconceptions are hilarious! :))
  • Posts: 1,009
    @Torgeirtrap Ah, yes, those WB tapes with a silvery cover am I right?

    @bigladiesman No, these (black cover) ones:

    VHS_german-1992-cover-set2-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set3-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set4-1.jpg

    I think they were released around 1992/1993.

    Never seen them. Thanks!
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 17,241
    @Torgeirtrap Ah, yes, those WB tapes with a silvery cover am I right?

    @bigladiesman No, these (black cover) ones:

    VHS_german-1992-cover-set2-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set3-1.jpg
    VHS_german-1992-cover-set4-1.jpg

    I think they were released around 1992/1993.

    Never seen them. Thanks!

    I don't know how many countries these were released in. The pictures above is the German edition, and I have the Norwegian edition.

    Maybe someone here knows more about these?
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    Despite being a man of science and accepting of the evidence against, I’m still often convinced I saw Dolly’s braces as a child watching MR on TV. To reconcile this in my mind I now blame it on the poor resolution and small screen! And snowy VHS tapes with tracking problems!
  • Posts: 1,009
    Despite being a man of science and accepting of the evidence against, I’m still often convinced I saw Dolly’s braces as a child watching MR on TV. To reconcile this in my mind I now blame it on the poor resolution and small screen! And snowy VHS tapes with tracking problems!

    The Bond fandom on Twitter was reminding Cal Dyson of this just yesterday ;))
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    I swear to this day Bond gives a different quip to the sharks in TB when he escapes the pool.

    I believe I had a copy where he said "Now you can tell them about the one that got away."

    The copy I have now says "Sorry old chap, better luck next time."
  • Posts: 6,682
    thedove wrote: »
    I swear to this day Bond gives a different quip to the sharks in TB when he escapes the pool.

    I believe I had a copy where he said "Now you can tell them about the one that got away."

    The copy I have now says "Sorry old chap, better luck next time."

    I believe they talk about the different lines Bond used there in some Bond documentary.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,598
    thedove wrote: »
    I swear to this day Bond gives a different quip to the sharks in TB when he escapes the pool.

    I believe I had a copy where he said "Now you can tell them about the one that got away."

    The copy I have now says "Sorry old chap, better luck next time."

    Same here. I do recall seeing a version of TB with the first line ("..got away"). maybe it was the TV edit.

    I guess I now have my homework assignment for Tuesday :-)
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675

    TB: I remembered the jetpack scene with Bond flying around the Parliament Bridge, getting very high (almost surpassing Big Ben) and wearing his tuxedo and no helmet.
    This happens in FRWL for PS2. Did you play that?
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    The Bond fandom on Twitter was reminding Cal Dyson of this just yesterday ;))

    Oh I wonder if he’ll do this for one of his new Bond myths videos, hope so! 🤞
  • Posts: 1,009

    TB: I remembered the jetpack scene with Bond flying around the Parliament Bridge, getting very high (almost surpassing Big Ben) and wearing his tuxedo and no helmet.
    This happens in FRWL for PS2. Did you play that?

    Only a little, and when I had watched TB maybe 2 or 3 times.
    I remember my father wanting me to see the sequence when I was a kid and telling me there were no tricks or FX on it.
  • Agent_OneAgent_One Ireland
    edited April 2020 Posts: 280
    I thought Jack Lord and Rik Van Nutter were the same guy.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    Thanks @mattjoes and @Dwayne for restoring my sanity. I hope you are right! For the record I think the better quip is "Now you can tell them about the one that got away."
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