FRWL vs OHMSS vs CR vs SF

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Comments

  • If I'm not mistaken the score is currently 13 apiece.
  • Posts: 1,452
    If I'm not mistaken the score is currently 13 apiece.

    OHMSS is my fav Bond film, with FRWL and CR following as very close joint second place.

    So it's 14 to OHMSS now and 13 to FRWL.
  • Posts: 7,653
    If a poll is added can there be an option "Too close to call."

    But of the two OHMSS is the best Christmasfilm easily.
  • Posts: 562
    OHMSS.
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    OHMSS.
  • 002002
    Posts: 581
    FRWL FTW

    honestly i dont see why people get excited over OHMSS- it was absoutely boring, padded out, Lazenby was terrible, the romance with tracy feels unnatural. the only good things were the music (particulary the gunbarrel) and the ending in which Lazenby finally does "acting"
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,889
    This is tough. I love both but cinematography, there is a richness to the look of the film, and Connery in his prime give FRWL the edge
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    Posts: 1,812
    FRWL is one of the best Bond films ever! OHMSS is great Bond film and I like it more and more everytime I watch it, but I think it's still highly overrated. In my opinion, even tho most would disagree, it would have been a much better film if Connery would have been in the role.
  • Toughest call between two Bond films for me. Before CR came out FRWL and OHMSS would switch between first and second spots for me; I finally resolved this by calling OHMSS as my "favourite" but conceding that FRWL was the "best" Bond film (mind you, that's by an incredibly slim margin).

    So now my favourites are CR, OHMSS, and FRWL. But I rank the best Bond films as CR, FRWL, and OHMSS.
  • From Russia With Love.
  • OHMSS although the acting in FRWL was better.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 11,189
    I also noticed that FRWL doesnt feel quite as dated. Majestys looks and feels very "60s" at times (the colours, the costumes and the "psychedelic" atmosphere).
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,371
    FRWL for me.
  • Posts: 3,333
    They're both neck and neck as far as I'm concerned. I call it a draw as I can't decide.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 11,189
    bondsum wrote:
    They're both neck and neck as far as I'm concerned. I call it a draw as I can't decide.

    One has Robert Shaw facing off with Sean Connery ;)
  • Posts: 1,052
    FRWL by quite some distance for me, it's just a tigher film all round, OHMSS is indeed a tad sloppy in places.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 12,837
    OHMSS.

    EDIT- I've already voted, sorry.
  • OligarchOligarch Banned
    Posts: 110
    FRWL by far is my choice. No hard feelings for OHMSS, but FRWL is Connery's finest hour as Bond. The cast , story, writing and cinematography fit perfectly together like a glove. The chemistry between Kerim Bay and Bond was phenomenal, Rosa Klebb and Red Grant were awesome. The Orient Express scenes were filmed beautifully. Bond vs Red Grant in the small compartment was legendary. The introduction of Q . The PTS was eerily suspenseful and one of its own. Theres just so many original moments in FRWL . Perhaps the best Bond movie of the franchise, and why is that? because it FOLLOWED FLEMINGS FORMULA. It didn't rely on silly action,big over the top stunts and fantasy.
  • Posts: 1,497
    OHMSS is better, here's why:

    Bond Girl: Daniela Bianchi is not very convincing as a Russian Agent. Yes, they give her an accent, and she doesn't do anything too offensive. But she comes across more of a University girl than an agent. She also becomes more of the damsel in distress near the end. Her lines in bed are good though, very seductive. In terms of beauty, she is no question one of my favorites. Tracy on the other hand, has more sass and strength in her character. She and Bond share more of a modern relationship; more equals, than Bond the domineering man. I particularly like their shared action scene in the car on the ice. She proves she can hold her own.

    Action: OHMSS pushed the envelope with state-of the art action sequences, plus Lazenby looks great in the hand to hand combat. I'm not usually an action guy, but the finale of OHMSS always has me at the edge of my seat. FRWL, has the excellent Red Grant fight, but the shoot-out in the Gypsy camp feels more 50's western than a Bond film.

    Ending: OHMSS builds to an epic climax, starting with the descent down mountain on skis, and culminating with the breathtaking raid on Piz Gloria and bobsled escape. No action film has topped it. Plus the dialogue between Tracy and Blofeld, reciting the poetry, while the raid comes in is perfect for the moment. FRWL has a great climax with the Red Grant fight, but the escape afterwards doesn't feel as necessary. The helicopter sequence is a nice reference to North by Northwest, but the boat sequence could have been cut-short. Also, the 'foot' combat scene with Rosa Kleb is a bit campy, and I'm surprised more people don't make an issue out of it.

    OHMSS also benefits from so many other great moments: Bond breaking the 4th wall in the opening, Bond resigning, the emotional core to the story, the fantastic John Barry score, the nod to Bond's heritage: "The World Is Not Enough", Blofeld's background, Blofelds Angels of Deaths, the pyschedelic element, the breathtaking establishment shots of the Alps....and even the little details like Bond reading the Playboy magazine, or reaching for the caviar after an intense scuffle.

    FRWL is great too - excellent introduction to Bond, Kerim Bey, the romantic backdrop of Istanbul and Venice, and of course Sean Connery, but OHMSS just offers much more in my book, and is the pinnacle of the series.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 11,189
    JBFan626 wrote:
    OHMSS is better, here's why:

    Bond Girl: Daniela Bianchi is not very convincing as a Russian Agent. Yes, they give her an accent, and she doesn't do anything too offensive.

    You make a great case for OHMSS but this is the main point I'm not sure I agree with. I've recently listened to the audio-books of each andTatiana and Tracy are fundimentally different characters with different personalities and each were cast well in my view. Tatiana was a bit more "innocent". She comes across as quieter and more timid (she's terrified when she is called to see SMERSH and there is a long passage when she is desperately trying to recall anything bad she may have done) has had relitively few lovers and, to be honest, seems more the "university girl" type. In the novel Fleming said she was about 23 or 24 (can't remember which exactly) so that doesn't put her that much past "university age" She has a playfulness and sassiness but is somewhat "girly" throughout the whole story (she giggles when she is hiding from Bond under the covers in his hotel room) and has to rely on Bond to guide her rather than the other way round.

    Tracy, on the other hand, starts off as a lot more self reliant, cold and sexually promiscuious. It's only towards the end that she warms up and becomes more "feminine". Actually Diana Rigg probably made her even more "ballsy" in the film than she is in the book.

    My point was that (IMO) each actress suited the character well. Bianchi for her innocence and Rigg for her self-reliance.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 1,497
    Good point BAIN, it's been a while since I've read FRWL, so I may need to revisit it. If she is playing to the character than I suppose then it's down to personal preference of what kind of gal you like. She was my favorite Bond girl as a university student in my early 20's, but now I'm a bit older, maybe I prefer the more independent, self-reliant kind of lady. However, maybe it's more of a story question, why would the Russians place a younger, less experienced agent for such an important job? At the end of the day though, I find the Bond-Tracy relationship more intriguing as a true love story. The vulnerable look on Bond's face as Tracy skates up to him is priceless and signifies a bit of a role reversal for Bond: for the first time, Bond really, truly needs his woman both for his own survival and for his own emotional transcendance. The camera perfectly demontrates this by showing Bond's POV and looking <i>up</i> to Tracy.
  • edited February 2013 Posts: 11,189
    I personally prefer Diana Rigg/Tracy a little too but I think Daniela did a great job and was gorgeous as hell. She suited the character - a young woman somewhat out of her depth.

    I suppose SMERSH would use her because she was young, beautiful and relitively naive. She could be manipulated easily by those above her and would be too scared to question the situation.
  • Posts: 12,506
    Both great films! But will go for FRWL.
  • Posts: 140
    It's awfully close, but count my vote for FRWL.

    Both have terrific Bond Girls, excellent villains, interesting plots, exciting set pieces, etc.
    For me, however, Sean Connery makes all the difference. Nothing against George. He just doesn't quite measure up to Sean, that's all.

    In fact, Lazenby has always been a bit of a cipher to me. It's as if Connery didn't show up for principal photography, so Hunt decided to shoot the whole thing with the stunt double.
  • Posts: 1,497
    00Ed wrote:
    It's as if Connery didn't show up for principal photography, so Hunt decided to shoot the whole thing with the stunt double.

    Haha =)) That's a funny way of putting it, but you could have a point there. Afterall, Laz is great in the action sequences.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    OHMSS
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    00Ed wrote:
    In fact, Lazenby has always been a bit of a cipher to me. It's as if Connery didn't show up for principal photography, so Hunt decided to shoot the whole thing with the stunt double.

    Brilliant way of putting it, old boy! :))

    Both brilliant movies, so close- I'll have to go with OHMSS if only because the action in it way more off the hook than in FRWL. :-c
  • From Russia With Love, but only as it's probably the closest you'll ever get to seeing James Bond as Fleming truly intended. And that's with Dalton in mind

    Bianchi makes a better Bond girl than Rigg, but at least we actually get to see Blofeld in OHMSS. But with characters like Kronsteen, Grant and Klebb, it makes for a great viewing. They're actually not that far apart for classic Bond, but Russia wins here
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    ; I finally resolved this by calling OHMSS as my "favourite" but conceding that FRWL was the "best" Bond film (mind you, that's by an incredibly slim margin).
    This is pretty much how I feel. FRWL is probably the better film but I prefer OHMSS
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