Favourite Bond Moments - Round 26: NTTD- Part 2: Ranking

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  • ObannoObanno Somewhere & Everywhere
    Posts: 14
    Alright! My fave 007 movie (for context, my first Bond in the cinema was Goldeneye). I seriously can't find any flaw with it. It's got a 95% rating on RT and its clear why. Its a perfect initial pencil drawing of a fine artwork with FRWL & GF doing the color filling.

    My moments:

    1. Casino scene: Bond tips the dealer after saying to Miss Trench "I hope you'll forgive me but its most important" and tips the doorman right after telling Miss Trench "...my number's on the card". Blink and you'll miss it moments. Pure class!

    2. Kingston Airport: Bond's swagger just as he goes through security at Kingston Airport, flapping his top hat, then immediately shielding his face from the Daily Gleaner photographer, who then licks the camera bulb while glaring at Bond menacingly. Bond then politely giving up a taxi to the two ladies, displaying his gentlemanly qualities. Pure swag, pure Bond!

    3. Miss Taro: Just this line of dialogue...Miss Taro: What should I say to an invitation from a strange gentleman?

    James Bond: You should say yes.

    Miss Taro: [shaking her head] I should say maybe.

    James Bond: Three o'clock at my hotel? Maybe?

    Miss Taro: Yes..........Maybe.
    :D

    Honorable mention goes to when she opens the front door of her villa...just the look of surprise and awe and wonder on her face when she sees Bond...just ace! Extra points to Bond for how plays it ...." You did invite me" :D

    4. The Members Club: I like the fact that Bond picks up that Dent was the only one to have seen Strangways' secretary. Its a throwaway line and I'm sure most didn't pick up on it until Bond revealed it to Dent later, but it shows how sharp the writing was on this movie and how Bond (at least in the early movies) was always a step ahead of the audience. This has been lost in recent movies for some unexplained reason.

    5. Dr. No: "1 million dollars Mr. Bond! You were wondering what it cost" - "A medium dry martini, lemon peel, shaken, not stirred", "Vodka?", "Of course!" - "Minnows pretending they're whales. Just like you on this island, Dr. No.", "It depends, Mr. Bond, on which side of the glass you are" - I could go on and on but their exchanges are the best in the series bar none. I actually get the underlying sense of one-upmanship throughout their all their interaction. It isn't forced. Meanwhile, compare it to future interactions between Bond and the villain in future entries and they, by and large with a few exceptions, feel very forced. I hope NTTD is a return to form.


    I purposely avoided mentioning obvious moments as they are easily identifiable and have been repeated. I prefer the nuances that speak of the characters. Dr. No is a far more layered movie than its given credit for, almost as if they knew they were creating a legend. It oozes international cool and its so sure of itself. Most of the Bond girls in it are portrayed rather well with no weak link. Taro, Trench and the reporter are all acted great with enough in their performances to tell us all we need to know about them in their limited screen time.

    Overall a great Bond movie that started it all.

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited November 2020 Posts: 14,861
    mattjoes wrote: »
    A scene I really like is when Bond, after investigating Strangways' house, is in his hotel room. He gets a drink from the waiter, checks and locks the side door, powders the briefcase, places the hair on the closet, puts on his shoulder holster and jacket and leaves to meet with Dent, Pleydell Smith et al. Barely any dialogue, nothing too showy or dramatic, but a very cool scene.

    It is good, although is that the one where he gets the guy to mix and bring him a drink and doesn't bother to drink it? Rude James! :D
    Obanno wrote: »
    2. Kingston Airport: Bond's swagger just as he goes through security at Kingston Airport, flapping his top hat,

    I did not see this scene! :D
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Obanno wrote: »

    3. Miss Taro: Just this line of dialogue...Miss Taro: What should I say to an invitation from a strange gentleman?

    James Bond: You should say yes.

    Miss Taro: [shaking her head] I should say maybe.

    James Bond: Three o'clock at my hotel? Maybe?

    Miss Taro: Yes..........Maybe.
    :D
    Welcome @Obanno. Superbe andlist refreshing list!
    This dialogue is great and it is even better becauae of Connery. A few sentences and the date is safed. I watched DN a few months ago with a colleague who hasn't seen DN before. We looked at each other at this scene and just nodded our heads. We both thought the same: This guy knows how to “handle“ a woman.

    It's interesting that the famous beach scene doesn't seem to be in many top 5 lists.

    There are already several listed top5 DN moments. Let's go on to part 2, the ranking...before I'm the only who hasn't voted yet
    ;)
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Obanno wrote: »

    3. Miss Taro: Just this line of dialogue...Miss Taro: What should I say to an invitation from a strange gentleman?

    James Bond: You should say yes.

    Miss Taro: [shaking her head] I should say maybe.

    James Bond: Three o'clock at my hotel? Maybe?

    Miss Taro: Yes..........Maybe.
    :D
    It's interesting that the famous beach scene doesn't seem to be in many top 5 lists.

    Yeah it's funny: it's always in any number of clips compilations but it's never really done anything for me. It's an alright scene but.. yeah.
    Maybe you had to be there at the time! :)
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    Posts: 2,608
    I'm late again for part 1, my suggestions are:

    - first views of Dr. No's lair
    - mayhem in No's radio jamming station
    - Bond & Co. fleeing from No's henchmen in the river
    - car chase
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    1 Picking up the tarantula cage
    2 Entering Dr No s lair and dinner conversation
    3 Dog chase in swamp
    4 Waiting for Dent
    5 Bond, James Bond
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    edited November 2020 Posts: 2,608
    1. Dinner with Dr. No
    2. Entering Dr. No's lair
    3. Mayhem in the radio jamming station/finale
    4. Car chase
    5. Exploring Crab Key/dog chase in the river
  • edited November 2020 Posts: 6,844
    1. Dent receives tarantula (a perfectly chilling introduction to Dr. No: the disembodied voice coming from nowhere and everywhere at once, the marvelous Ken Adam set draped in aesthetic shadow, Dawson's tremendously nervous performance in voice, facial expression, and body posture, and the slow reveal of what's in the cage)

    2. Bond delays Taro and awaits Dent (superbly staged scene, countering Taro's surprise and concern with Bond's knowing confidence; and then of course there's the island cottage setting, the old-fashioned Jamaican tunes, and the classic image of Bond playing solitaire while he awaits his own executioner with silencer fitted to his pistol)

    3. Bond meets Trench (broadly considered one of the all-time classic movie moments and for good reason: every element here is in top form, from the camera sweeping across the smoke-filled casino floor to Connery and Gayson bantering as naturally yet as charismatically as can be to the slow yet confident build of the James Bond theme as Connery delivers that classic line)

    4. Dinner with Dr. No (it's difficult to say who owns the scene more—Wiseman with his cold yet passionate defense of SPECTRE or Connery with his effortless barbs—but it's wonderful to watch, and every detail from crushing the golden Buddha to palming the dinner knife heightens the scene's tension that much more)

    5. M's briefing (the dynamic between Connery's Bond and Lee's M would be rivaled but never bettered by all combinations that followed—a dynamic perhaps nowhere better exemplified than in M's ordering Bond to leave the Beretta through pipe-clenching teeth and Bond playfully yet obediently pushing the weapon across to him; some credit may also be due Peter Burton for not even the absence of Desmond Llewelyn detracts from how well the scene works)

    6. Bond meets Honey (for how cold Connery plays Bond through much of the film, always a frown in his hard-set features, it's refreshing seeing him smile and break into song in his charming Scottish accent; but it's the reaction of Andress, whipping around, hand to her knife, and the ensuing conversation about the importance of her shells that instantly make Honey an intriguing and endearing character—of particular importance given the brevity of her screen time)

    7. Bond fights Dr. No (the life-and-death grapple between Bond and Dr. No, while the platform lowers them toward the boiling radioactive pool, is as thrilling as any climax in the series, and there's even a strange sense of pathos as you watch the mad doctor try to close his metal fingers around one of the struts before disappearing below)

    8. Photographer at Puss-Feller's (just some great interplay between Bond, Quarrel, and Leiter amidst a happening scene, and the photographer's refusal to give up information further characterizes Dr. No as a figure of great, fear-inducing power)

    9. Honey's story (another moment where Andress's performance shines—and equal credit to the voice work of van der Zyl—we see Honey shift from reliving her horror to expressing satisfaction in her revenge to seeking Bond's approval for the murder by black widow, and Connery's reaction is perfect here as well)

    10. Entering the lair (the contrast between the marshy island swamp and the horrific torching of Quarrel with this pristine interior, full of bustling technicians and accommodating crew, particularly the overpoweringly sweet Sisters Lily and Rose, adds one more dimension to Bond's stepping into the unknown and to leaving the viewer with no idea what to expect next)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited November 2020 Posts: 4,378
    Another great description of your favourite moments, thanks @Some_Kind_Of_Hero

    I definitely love all your moments listed.

    My top 5:

    1. Dinner with Dr. No
    2. The first Moneypenny and M scene
    3. Casino scene (because of the famous line but also because of the dialogue with Trench after leaving the table)
    4. Beach scene (Honey emerging from the sea is great but I mainly love it because of the beautiful and exotic location).
    5. Tarantula room

    Honourable mentions:
    Trench playing golf...;)
    There are so many other great moments!
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Any other last votes before we move on to the next movie?
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    No.

    Doctor No.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited November 2020 Posts: 45,489
    I wonder if there is some symbolism to Dr. No crushing the Buddha.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,758
    1. Bond introduction
    2. Spy tricks
    3. Chez Miss Taro
    4. Leiter introduction
    5. M briefing
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    5 moments/scenes got many appreciation. Here is the "average" top5 of your mentions:

    1. Bond introduction in the Casino
    2. Dinner with Dr. No
    3. Waiting for Dent / Kill Dent
    4. Tarantula room
    5. In M's office


    It's time for a newer entry of our beloved spy series:
    The shortes of them all:

    Round 5: QOS - Part 1: Suggestions and discussion

    One of my favourite moments is one of the fewer calmer moments where the movie gives us time to breathe:
    Bond and Camille walk through the desert while we see thirsty inhabitants in front of an empty water tank. Perfectly combined with the great score of Arnold.

    What are some of your favourites (and why)?
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    So many great little moments in this film.

    One scene I really like is when Bond says to the lady at the sales desk she's going to get a phone call in a minute and asks if she could tell them he's gone to Cairo... 😁
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    Bond nicks the photo of Vesper and covers his movement by grabbing the Picardie glass.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    The teacher gag is good. And I do like the little bit where Bond evades the MI6 guys by running on the outside of that little balcony in the hotel.

    Also, is this the first film where we see Bond actually a bit pissed? When he's at the bar on the aeroplane.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    mtm wrote: »
    The teacher gag is good. And I do like the little bit where Bond evades the MI6 guys by running on the outside of that little balcony in the hotel.

    Great scene. Craig did his own stunts there.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,758
    Some excellent stuff in this one:
    Opening car chase, Siena foot chase, opera scene, at Mathis's place, flight to Bolivia, Gemma Arterton, ....
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    Mathis tells the cabbie to shut up.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Any other moments you're looking forward to when you start this movie?
    I'm a big fan of the opening shot: The camera comes closer and closer to the tunnel while we see some brief close-ips of the car. The accompanied score increases the tension. I'm not a huge fan of the fast editing that follows (the PTS action is alright but probably not a top5 moment for me) but the first 30 seconds are perfect. And I love Arnold's "Time to get out". It's easily one of the best action scores of the series.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    QBranch wrote: »
    Bond nicks the photo of Vesper and covers his movement by grabbing the Picardie glass.

    I never gave this moment too much thought but reading your comment, I have to admit that it is a good character moment.
  • Posts: 6,682
    One of my favourite moments is one of the fewer calmer moments where the movie gives us time to breathe:
    Bond and Camille walk through the desert while we see thirsty inhabitants in front of an empty water tank. Perfectly combined with the great score of Arnold.
    This is one of my favorite moments, for sure, in combination with the previous scene-- the conversation between Bond and Camille in the subterranean lake. Nothing like a pause in a story to make the more intense parts hit harder.

    Another moment I really like is Camille and Greene's conversation in the docks regarding the geologist, while Bond is outside trying to gather information. I enjoy the tension and duplicitousness between the two characters.
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    Posts: 2,608
    - fire & explosion in Perla de las Dunas
    - cars driving through construction site; car falling down a cliff (PTS)
    - plane fight
  • Posts: 631
    - Mathis’s girlfriend
    - The walk through the desert
    - “Everything he touches seems to wither and die.” Love the venom that Greene delivers that line with
    - “Well Tosca isn’t for everyone.” That was my IMDB signature back in the day. Mr White is too intelligent to get up and walk out like the others.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    - Mathis’s girlfriend
    - The walk through the desert
    - “Everything he touches seems to wither and die.” Love the venom that Greene delivers that line with
    - “Well Tosca isn’t for everyone.” That was my IMDB signature back in the day. Mr White is too intelligent to get up and walk out like the others.

    Fantastic picks. :) Amalric is no doubt a very talented actor and Mathis' girlfriends wine comment is fun. And every second of Mr. White in QoS is brilliant. He deserved a better story arc in a later film and not be showed that weak, like we see him in SP.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I have seen that many here dislike the main title sequence. For me, it is among the very best.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    I have seen that many here dislike the main title sequence. For me, it is among the very best.

    I warmed to it a bit over the last years. But I certainly prefer others.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited November 2020 Posts: 4,416
    Car chase
    The chat with Mr White and Empty chair*. (Everthing from under the horse track, Bond and Mitchell from start to Bond is back but M and Mr White are gone.)
    I Never Left *
    Lottery ticket
    Mathis’s chat - Burn Notice / girlfriend
    Mathis chat in the airplane
    The walk through the desert
    Mathis, Fields and Bond at the airplane aka introduction of Fields
    Taxi ride
    A Man om your side aka phone call traiter (before camile and Bond take airplane)
    Tanner hates M. In couple of seconds he can walk in to her office, but no he must call her.
    Tosca
    Bond said goodby to Camille. Sadley enough a moment that give feeling she wil return, but never did.

    *Symbol of M death.


  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Good list @M_Balje. Why do you mean that Tanner hates M? Which scene is this?
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