Controversial opinions about Bond films

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  • Posts: 14,816
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.
  • MalloryMallory Do mosquitoes have friends?
    Posts: 2,055
    Bond films dont really use licenced music, its part of the appeal, the score and the title song are custom made for each film and that makes them that bit more special. Not too much of an issue when it is diegetic music (i.e. in the world of the characters), but non-diegetic (soundtrack) licenced music is a bit of a no-no for me in Bond. Hence I am not a huge fan of it in AVTAK.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2021 Posts: 14,930
    mtm wrote: »
    Oh I think you've got to embrace the gags: the corniness is what makes it fun sometimes. Roger exclaiming "this should shake them off" as the Tuk Tuk bounces down a staircase in Octopussy is a dreadful old joke, but I love it :)
    I can't imagine watching something so well-intentioned and made in the sense of fun and getting annoyed because it's not enough of a serious spy thriller. It's just not the point.

    Very true.
    Even in the sub-genre of Movies That Feature a Blimp, AVTAK is not particularly serious as a film.

    How about Black Sunday? :D
    The slide whistle is bad, very bad. Even John Barry said he regretted using it. Same with California Girls, I'm sure many of us would have rather had a bit of the Bond theme played over it

    No way, that makes it a different thing.
    But the Bond theme is also a joke at times: look at the tank chase in GoldenEye- the Bond theme blaring about makes you laugh because it accentuates the ridiculousness and also the lengths Bond will go to. It's funny.
    Mallory wrote: »
    Bond films dont really use licenced music, its part of the appeal, the score and the title song are custom made for each film and that makes them that bit more special. Not too much of an issue when it is diegetic music (i.e. in the world of the characters), but non-diegetic (soundtrack) licenced music is a bit of a no-no for me in Bond. Hence I am not a huge fan of it in AVTAK.

    Gosh there's loads of it in the films. We had a thread listing it all somewhere.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,021
    Mallory wrote: »
    Bond films dont really use licenced music, its part of the appeal, the score and the title song are custom made for each film and that makes them that bit more special. Not too much of an issue when it is diegetic music (i.e. in the world of the characters), but non-diegetic (soundtrack) licenced music is a bit of a no-no for me in Bond. Hence I am not a huge fan of it in AVTAK.

    Interestingly, there’s been lots of more licensed music in SF and SP. The difference is they used the licensed music smartly and in ways that complimented the scenes, such as in SF when Silva has music playing before Severine’s execution, and then in SP where we get source music playing in the motel in Mexico City, and the music Lucia plays as she’s walking across her home with the assassins approaching her. There’s other examples across both films. But when is let the end credits roll and I see all the credited music it surprised me, because Bond films don’t typically play a lot of licensed music throughout the films.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,786
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Yes, I can see your point there what with Bond visiting Tracy's grave, Blofeld in a wheelchair and neck brace and Bond finally exacting his revenge on Blofeld. Not quite the showdown in the YOLT novel but still better than nothing! Although it was largely conceived in jest (in response to a new impending Kevin McClory Bond film) it does at least tie up a few loose ends in an expedient manner at the start of the film.
  • Posts: 14,816
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Yes, I can see your point there what with Bond visiting Tracy's grave, Blofeld in a wheelchair and neck brace and Bond finally exacting his revenge on Blofeld. Not quite the showdown in the YOLT novel but still better than nothing! Although it was largely conceived in jest (in response to a new impending Kevin McClory Bond film) it does at least tie up a few loose ends in an expedient manner at the start of the film.

    Better than DAF too, and far more topical: the events of OHMSS were largely ignored in DAF. In FYEO Bond is seen grieving and avenging his wife, finally. And the rest of the film he mentors a woman about the dangers of self destruction in pursuing revenge. So thematically, it's still more relevant as a follow-up.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,930
    Mallory wrote: »
    Bond films dont really use licenced music, its part of the appeal, the score and the title song are custom made for each film and that makes them that bit more special. Not too much of an issue when it is diegetic music (i.e. in the world of the characters), but non-diegetic (soundtrack) licenced music is a bit of a no-no for me in Bond. Hence I am not a huge fan of it in AVTAK.

    Interestingly, there’s been lots of more licensed music in SF and SP. The difference is they used the licensed music smartly and in ways that complimented the scenes, such as in SF when Silva has music playing before Severine’s execution, and then in SP where we get source music playing in the motel in Mexico City, and the music Lucia plays as she’s walking across her home with the assassins approaching her. There’s other examples across both films. But when is let the end credits roll and I see all the credited music it surprised me, because Bond films don’t typically play a lot of licensed music throughout the films.

    Here's that thread: Richard does a great job of listing the non-original music as part of these movies:

    https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/17816/existing-songs-as-part-of-bond-soundtracks/p1
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    I've often liked to imagine that as well. We have Bond visiting Tracy's grave, neck brace 'Blofeld', the theme of revenge in the film and the digging 2 graves speech, Bond empathising with Melina having lost her parents.
    Yeah it works quite well, certainly better than the throwaway nonsense of the DAF pre credits.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,778
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Yes, I can see your point there what with Bond visiting Tracy's grave, Blofeld in a wheelchair and neck brace and Bond finally exacting his revenge on Blofeld. Not quite the showdown in the YOLT novel but still better than nothing! Although it was largely conceived in jest (in response to a new impending Kevin McClory Bond film) it does at least tie up a few loose ends in an expedient manner at the start of the film.

    Better than DAF too, and far more topical: the events of OHMSS were largely ignored in DAF. In FYEO Bond is seen grieving and avenging his wife, finally. And the rest of the film he mentors a woman about the dangers of self destruction in pursuing revenge. So thematically, it's still more relevant as a follow-up.

    Agreed, it's a nice back-to-back watch for sure.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I'm going to definitely give that a try
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,021
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.
  • Posts: 14,816
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.

    Well DAF has its defenders (not me), FYEO its detractors (again, not me) so I thought it could at least be potentially controversial.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Just another great talking point to discuss @Ludovico
  • Posts: 14,816
    Just another great talking point to discuss @Ludovico

    Might deserve its own thread actually.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited July 2021 Posts: 17,786
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.

    Well DAF has its defenders (not me), FYEO its detractors (again, not me) so I thought it could at least be potentially controversial.

    It's potentially controversial only really because it suggests that DAF is not the follow on film to OHMSS in terms of release order and that, instead, FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS. That theory could be said to be counterfactual when it is confronted with the release order. The thing is, such rigidity is not really displayed in a series of films that historically never had any firm conception of continuity. That is, until the Craig era came along and put the emphasis on story and character arc over multiple films, thereby making connected sequels and continuity much more of a creative issue.

    I've also seen fans say that there could just as easily be a sense of continuity between DAF and FYEO as we last see the Charles Gray Blofeld being bashed into the side of his control room in his Bath-o-Sub. They contend that he could easily have have had his neck broken or hurt severely as we never see the outcome of what happens to him. One point not in their favour is that when we next see Blofeld in FYEO he's reverted back to his more usual bald head and Gray's full head of hair is nowhere to be seen. I think it's a rather contrived fan theory and the direct link from FYEO back to OHMSS is an easier one to sustain without having to jump through so many hoops, the film dates and order of release notwithstanding.
  • FatherValentineFatherValentine England
    Posts: 737
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.

    Well DAF has its defenders (not me), FYEO its detractors (again, not me) so I thought it could at least be potentially controversial.

    It's potentially controversial only really because it suggests that DAF is not the follow on film to OHMSS in terms of release order and that, instead, FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS. That theory could be said to be counterfactual when it is confronted with the release order. The thing is, such rigidity is not really displayed in a series of films that historically never had any firm conception of continuity.

    I've also seen fans say that there could just as easily be a sense of continuity between DAF and FYEO as we last see the Charles Gray Blofeld being bashed into the side of his control room in his Bath-o-Sub. They contend that he could easily have have had his neck broken or hurt severely as we never see the outcome of what happens to him. One point not in their favour is that when we next see Blofeld in FYEO he's reverted back to his band head and Gray's full head of hair is nowhere to be seen. I think it's a rather contrived fan theory and the direct link from FYEO back to OHMSS is an easier one to sustain without having to jump through so many hoops, the film dates and order of release notwithstanding.

    When you see the way Contessa is dressed on the beach in FYEO and the way it resembles Tracy at the start of OHMSS it does seem to deliberately hark back to the earlier film.

    A little bit like the way Elektra is dressed in the skiing scenes in TWINE.

    It's a nice little touch.
  • Posts: 14,816
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.

    Well DAF has its defenders (not me), FYEO its detractors (again, not me) so I thought it could at least be potentially controversial.

    It's potentially controversial only really because it suggests that DAF is not the follow on film to OHMSS in terms of release order and that, instead, FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS. That theory could be said to be counterfactual when it is confronted with the release order. The thing is, such rigidity is not really displayed in a series of films that historically never had any firm conception of continuity. That is, until the Craig era came along and put the emphasis on story and character arc over multiple films, thereby making connected sequels and continuity much more of a creative issue.

    I've also seen fans say that there could just as easily be a sense of continuity between DAF and FYEO as we last see the Charles Gray Blofeld being bashed into the side of his control room in his Bath-o-Sub. They contend that he could easily have have had his neck broken or hurt severely as we never see the outcome of what happens to him. One point not in their favour is that when we next see Blofeld in FYEO he's reverted back to his more usual bald head and Gray's full head of hair is nowhere to be seen. I think it's a rather contrived fan theory and the direct link from FYEO back to OHMSS is an easier one to sustain without having to jump through so many hoops, the film dates and order of release notwithstanding.

    Maybe Blofeld suffered brain damage that caused him to lose his hair again or something? No but more seriously, it was not only McClory they were exorcising with the PTS, it was also DAF. In spite of the silliness.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,958
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Why is that controversial?

    I'm pretty sure even John Glen has been pretty explicit about FYEO serving as a spiritual follow up to OHMSS. For what it's worth, it's a much more worthy follow up than TWINE.

    Well DAF has its defenders (not me), FYEO its detractors (again, not me) so I thought it could at least be potentially controversial.

    It's potentially controversial only really because it suggests that DAF is not the follow on film to OHMSS in terms of release order and that, instead, FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS. That theory could be said to be counterfactual when it is confronted with the release order. The thing is, such rigidity is not really displayed in a series of films that historically never had any firm conception of continuity. That is, until the Craig era came along and put the emphasis on story and character arc over multiple films, thereby making connected sequels and continuity much more of a creative issue.

    I've also seen fans say that there could just as easily be a sense of continuity between DAF and FYEO as we last see the Charles Gray Blofeld being bashed into the side of his control room in his Bath-o-Sub. They contend that he could easily have have had his neck broken or hurt severely as we never see the outcome of what happens to him. One point not in their favour is that when we next see Blofeld in FYEO he's reverted back to his more usual bald head and Gray's full head of hair is nowhere to be seen. I think it's a rather contrived fan theory and the direct link from FYEO back to OHMSS is an easier one to sustain without having to jump through so many hoops, the film dates and order of release notwithstanding.

    Also, in FYEO it seems like they are harkening back to Savalas' voice more than the other Blofelds.
  • Posts: 1,394
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Yes, I can see your point there what with Bond visiting Tracy's grave, Blofeld in a wheelchair and neck brace and Bond finally exacting his revenge on Blofeld. Not quite the showdown in the YOLT novel but still better than nothing! Although it was largely conceived in jest (in response to a new impending Kevin McClory Bond film) it does at least tie up a few loose ends in an expedient manner at the start of the film.

    Both movies work pretty well as a double bill.I did that once.

  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    edited July 2021 Posts: 12,988
    Another fine suggestion I recall: the Revenge Trilogy.
    • From Russia With Love
    • On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    • For Your Eyes Only
    Three Bond actors. SPECTRE seeks revenge, gets revenge, and still pursuing it Blofeld meets his end. Also matches the dig two graves ethos for the rest of that third film.

  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Nice suggestion @RichardTheBruce I'll give it a try.
  • Posts: 230
    echo wrote: »
    J.W. Pepper in tourist shorts is more offensive to me than the slide whistle.

    The slide whistle is only mildly annoying compared to what came DIRECTLY before it ("I sure am, boy"), and what came DIRECTY after it (up close crotch shot of Pepper bouncing around in the car.)

    The whistle was the LEAST of the issues in that scene.
  • Posts: 207
    Another fine suggestion I recall: the Revenge Trilogy.
    • From Russia With Love
    • On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    • For Your Eyes Only
    Three Bond actors. SPECTRE seeks revenge, gets revenge, and still pursuing it Blofeld meets his end. Also matches the dig two graves ethos for the rest of that third film.

    Great suggestion. Three top tier movies!
  • Posts: 7,500
    STLCards3 wrote: »
    echo wrote: »
    J.W. Pepper in tourist shorts is more offensive to me than the slide whistle.

    The slide whistle is only mildly annoying compared to what came DIRECTLY before it ("I sure am, boy"), and what came DIRECTY after it (up close crotch shot of Pepper bouncing around in the car.)

    The whistle was the LEAST of the issues in that scene.

    Exactly! I am actually a bit infuriated when I hear prople suggest Johh Barry and the slide whistle was responsible for ruining that stunt. The slide whistle is not the main issue. The main reason the stunt itself doesn't make more of an impression is that the entire car chacee is staged as a joke, and a quite cringy one at that...
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2021 Posts: 14,930
    One bit I always enjoy in that chase is when Bond is driving along the side of the river and just puts his foot down. It's something car chases don't often to seem to feature: pure speed!

    One thing about car chases which may count for this thread is that I'm not too keen on how the DB5 chase in NTTD looks in terms of the amount of sliding around the Aston is doing. Bond is supposed to be an expert driver: he shouldn't be getting massive oversteer like a cop car in the A Team- see also the silly driving in the Spectre Aston/Jag chase. I much prefer to see perfect powerslides like a rally driver would do. See the wonderful BMW chase in Mission Impossible Fallout for some expert driving.
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    jobo wrote: »
    STLCards3 wrote: »
    echo wrote: »
    J.W. Pepper in tourist shorts is more offensive to me than the slide whistle.

    The slide whistle is only mildly annoying compared to what came DIRECTLY before it ("I sure am, boy"), and what came DIRECTY after it (up close crotch shot of Pepper bouncing around in the car.)

    The whistle was the LEAST of the issues in that scene.

    Exactly! I am actually a bit infuriated when I hear prople suggest Johh Barry and the slide whistle was responsible for ruining that stunt. The slide whistle is not the main issue. The main reason the stunt itself doesn't make more of an impression is that the entire car chacee is staged as a joke, and a quite cringy one at that...

    I do feel the slide whistle cheapened the stunt. Didn't ruin it as such, but it certainly took some of the shine off it in my opinion.
    My reasoning is that in real life that stunt was clever, skillful, brave and cutting edge having been one of the first to be calculated on a computer.
    In story it was audacious, unique (unless you'd seen it in the Thrill Show previously, the general audience hadn't) and pure "only Bond could have done that"
    Then, and I say this as a fan of Barry's work, John Barry comes along and thinks "I know what this needs, a cheap throwaway sound effect to reduce it to a joke"
    It's rubbish and unnecessary.
  • Posts: 1,882
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Here's one: FYEO is the true sequel to OHMSS, albeit accidentally.

    Yes, I can see your point there what with Bond visiting Tracy's grave, Blofeld in a wheelchair and neck brace and Bond finally exacting his revenge on Blofeld. Not quite the showdown in the YOLT novel but still better than nothing! Although it was largely conceived in jest (in response to a new impending Kevin McClory Bond film) it does at least tie up a few loose ends in an expedient manner at the start of the film.

    Better than DAF too, and far more topical: the events of OHMSS were largely ignored in DAF. In FYEO Bond is seen grieving and avenging his wife, finally. And the rest of the film he mentors a woman about the dangers of self destruction in pursuing revenge. So thematically, it's still more relevant as a follow-up.

    I really don't see how the FYEO teaser works any better really than the DAF one does as far as Bond getting his revenge on Blofeld for the events of OHMSS, aside from the direct reference to Tracy. Now had there been another callback later in the film such as the one in TSWLM where Anya obviously hits a nerve, it would make it more understandable. Aside from a revenge plot being part of the film, it just feels out of place and fans have pointed to it being one of the weaker pretitles for a while. The humor sure doesn't help. if anything, the humorous Blofeld and his silliness harks back more to the DAF portrayal of the character, not OHMSS.

    I've also read the reason that was even written into the FYEO script was because the creators were thinking Moore wasn't coming back and it was a way to link the new Bond to create a continuity with the past. Take that, code name theory.
  • Posts: 14,816
    It works better insofar as 1)Bond is seen grieving (something DAF completely ignores) and 2)does effectively kill Blofeld. A Blofeld who is a shadow of himself, but given the time gap between movies,it's at least understandable. And at least he feels genuinely antagonistic towards Bond, rather than mildly annoying.
  • Posts: 2,895
    I think the FYEO pre-credits sequence has a great start but falls apart at the end: Blofeld is reduced to a panicky ninny and Bond is a little too detached and jokey with the man who murdered his wife.

    The DAF pre-credits sequence lacks any reference to Tracy's death but presents Bond as relentlessly tracking Blofeld worldwide, attacking every informant. Would Bond have been as brutal if he didn't have a score to settle?

    And when Bond gets his hands on "Blofeld," he remains brutal, clocking the "real" Blofeld with a lamp before strapping him into a gurney and rolling it into a pit of boiling hot mud. The deep satisfaction of Connery's "Welcome to hell, Blofeld" is far more suitable to a character finally achieving vengeance than anything Bond says in FYEO.

    DAF was designed so that audiences who'd skipped or didn't want to remember OHMSS wouldn't be left out, and it's clear that most of the film pays no attention to its predecessor. And for most of the film Bond and Blofeld don't act as if they have any personal grudge between them.

    The teaser is the exception--it's almost like a bone thrown to audiences who remembered OHMSS. Bond's relentless brutality can't be explained by saying he's miffed that Blofeld got away from him in YOLT. I think DAF's teaser is meant to resolve the personal grudge of OHMSS by getting it out of the way so the camp can take over.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2021 Posts: 14,930
    It’s a good point: seems odd to actually establish that Tracy is dead by showing her gravestone only for Bond to be making ‘keep your hair on’ quips a few minutes later. He’s probably at his cheeriest in the whole film there, which is a bit weird considering.

    Also a bit later in the film he’s warning Melinda against taking revenge (“first dig two graves”) even though we’ve just watched him murder his wife’s killer! Then a bit later he’s avenging Ferrara by kicking cars off cliffs. It’s all over the place :)
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