Before and After the Re-Watch: The Bond Films

Films
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The one big weakness of TMWTGG in my view has always been that Bond isn’t actually in any danger until way into the plot. He gets the golden bullet - but no actual attempts at him happen, no enemy action, nada.

We later learn it was Andrea who sent it to trick Bond into killing Scaramanga. But it would have been more interesting had Scaramanga really been after Bond right at the start. Possibly interfering with Bond getting hands on the Solex, which would then lead to M taking him off the Solex case and replacing him with 008 - who’s then killed by Scaramanga who also pockets the Solex; something along those lines.

Which brings me to my second gripe: we see only very little of Scaramanga doing evil or of his superior marksmanship. The Pleasure House is no more than an elaborate training ground, the killing of Hi Fat a nice trick but not something that would justify a one million dollar price tag. Scaramanga should do more and with less gadgets.

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I thought so, too. Luckily, it falls out when he falls onto the bed.

And luckily for Bond and Goodnight that all those wine bottles apparently were empty when they get trashed…

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I’m not going to pretend TMWTGG is perfect because to be underrated to this degree there must be underlying issues. I understand it’s always going to be hard to rehabilitate its reputation and opinions seem set. The 1974 reviews were mixed and those from the current day aren’t much better. TMWTGG has a particular vibe that most of the other films don’t and there’s much more I like than dislike.

Here’s what I said about five years ago:

Scaramanga’s island is just about as good as it gets in terms of a James Bond location. Remote exoticism is always the best, and the visual of Bond and Scaramanga doing their ‘pistols at dawn’ duel is borderline iconic to me.

The similarities TMWTGG provides to LALD are interesting to observe. Two openings that don’t feature Bond. Using wardrobes to hide women. Boat chases. JW Pepper. The film ending with a surviving henchman facing the camera, and I’m sure there are other examples. The first two Moore films are very much companion pieces to each other before TSWLM’s template took over, which I think is pretty cool.

The Queen Elizabeth base is excellent and the interior gives off an Alice in Wonderland vibe.

Lulu’s lyrics are juvenile but I can’t help but find the song catchy, and Barry’s renditions of the theme are all great - be it styled in an action or romantic setting. I’m eager to dig in to the expanded score which I eventually ordered after MR.

I’ve got a soft spot for this film and find myself appreciating the low key ambience of it all. There’s grumpy tension, rivalry and a Fleming flair if you can give it a chance through the elements you dislike.

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Great post! I will brace myself for being repeatedly and brutally shot down, but I would add that in my opinion TMWGG is actually Roger’s finest performance as Bond.

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He does deliver a supremely confident and cold hearted Bond here - I would even say that the completely unapologetic way he behaves here is a lot tougher than Dalton´s quietly suffering Bond or Craig’s just-being-blunt instrument.

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I’ve fallen behind in this thread, but:

LALD was my introduction (at age 11) to Roger’s James Bond, albeit 3 years late and only thanks to the ABC Sunday Night Movie. I’d seen most if not all the earlier Bonds that were aired, and liked them a lot, but Roger put me over the top into “Rabid Fan” territory.

What I’d liked about the Connery films was the atmosphere they created; a world where villains hung out in volcanoes, henchman threw deadly hats, cars were filled with lethal gadgets, etc. I liked the idea that unlike Superman or Batman with their garish costumes, spies walked around in normal clothes with weapons disguised as normal objects. It was fun pretending my boring, small town existence might have another layer beneath. Maybe that guy across the street is a spy, or maybe that mailbox on the corner is a bomb, etc. But Bond himself, in the person of Connery, didn’t make a huge impact on me with his greased-up hair, swarthy looks and narrow lapelled suits. I “got” that he was the hero, but he didn’t move me. In fact, for a while I didn’t catch on that Connery and Lazenby were two different guys! But Roger? He was contemporary; he dressed like real adults around me (okay, better, but much closer than those 60s suits) and he had what I considered more “conventional” heroic good looks, like the heroes I’d seen in lots of TV shows. He was “my kind of Bond.”

Years before “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” LALD had the most action scenes I’d seen in any movie, and the whole thing played out like an old silent comedy with chase after chase in cars, planes and boats, with crocodiles and hook-handed henchmen and zombie death lords tossed in for good measure. Plus a rock and roll theme song and the least somnambulant score I’d heard to date. I was hooked.

Years later, some of the racial elements can be cringe-inducing and other cracks have appeared, but I doubt I’ll ever lose my fondness for this one.

MWTGG, as I recall, I was fine with when I first saw it (again on TV), because it was a James Bond movie. The more claustrophobic, smaller feel to it didn’t bother me since I was watching it on TV, anyway. Roger may have looked his best in this film, even if neither he nor much of anyone else seems happy to be involved. Everyone is in a bad mood and yelling at each other throughout, so it’s little wonder Christopher Lee shines so much, as he’s obviously having a grand old time chewing the scenery.

Also, gotta love that plaid jacket Roger wears to Scaramanga’s island, having picked it up for a song at Joe Mannix’s garage sale.

It’s adequate, overall, but I’m glad I didn’t plunk down money to see it at the theater (he said, after buying it on VHS, DVD and Blu Ray).

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It’s very good, and the upper class elitism gives it menace. This type of performance works well when he’s ‘younger’, 47 years old at the time of release but new to the role. It’s groundwork. A demonstration of how ruthless he can become if he feels genuinely threatened.

I like that Moore’s Bond evolved though, and those harsher moments became fewer, even if it was ebbing under the surface. My favourite example is when he watches with bemused disgust as the pilot shoots out the plane controls in MR. He’s seen and done all this before and he’s beyond caring that much now. He’ll find a way out like he always does.

Also interesting to note that Jaws eventually went on to emulate the formula of Sheriff JW Pepper, too. A returning character that became less antagonistic to Bond to the point of becoming an ally.

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It does make you wonder how things might have turned out if he’d gotten to play “The Jackal” as he’d hoped.

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And he doesn’t even sit up or uncross his legs: he just relaxes, knowing that in his grey slacks, cream roll neck and navy blazer, his style is supreme. An absolute icon at the peak of his powers… Moonraker is Roger’s imperial phase!:man_shrugging:

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It is a great performance.

It had to, since it was a dead end series wise.

Agreed. A perfect meshing of actor and role.

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FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

Before:
As a teenager, starting with the double whammy of Gilbert/Moore extravaganzas and watching the previous ones for the first time, I thought FRWL was a bit… ordinary. Not the big fun spectacle. But I had read that it was considered to be the best one.

Later I did begin to love it dearly because it was a tight spy thriller with Connery being even better than in DN and Shaw being so scarily mean and dangerous. It always was in my upper ranking places. But having watched it so many times I was afraid I would be a bit bored watching it again.

After:
I wasn‘t bored at all. The film starts perfect, sets the tone and is such a fast paced adventure thriller I wonder why they never managed to emulate this that well again.

Maybe that boat chase and its conclusion is a bit too simple. But the whole train sequence is just perfect.

And ConneryBond is very fallible here, often out of his depth and in deep jeopardy. Which makes his Bond all the more interesting and effective.

Still one of the best films in the series.

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One more thing about TMWTGG:

Is Goodnight trying to speak in code to Bond at the dinner table or is her line as ill conceived as the stainless steel joke?

„The fried mushrooms look very interesting!“

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She’s trying to get his attention to the rock outside which actually looks a bit like a morel.

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That’s how I took it, though it could be her way of asking Bond to feed them to her. Poor little ninny never did master the use of a fork and knife, you know.

re FRWL:
As a lad, that one didn’t work well for me on TV where it was chopped up for commercial breaks. Unlike later Bonds that were basically a string of mini-movies you could have assembled in any order, making them interruption-proof, FRWL had a very “linear” feel and relied on the gradual buildup of tension. It works much better viewed in one go without interruption, which wouldn’t happen for me until the advent of VHS. At which point I decided it was the best one.

I agree Bond is quite fallible here, which is bound to have made it more fun for Connery and certainly makes Bond’s eventual victory more satisfying. The “perfect superman” angle of later films was much more limiting.

I think it helps to have read the novel before watching the film, not so much because the plot’s at all hard to follow, but because it’s wonderful seeing what a great job they did adapting it. This is in fact one of those rare occasions where the changes actually improve on the original.

I also agree that after the climax on the train, everything else feels tacked on even if it does get us out of that cramped train car and into the open. The boat chase and (derivative) helicopter bit are impressive in their way, but nowhere near as engaging as the hand-to-hand combat between Connery and Shaw.

It’s not my “favorite,” but it is IMHO the “best” Bond film. At the very least it’s the most perfectly cast.

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Absolutely. Along with OHMSS this is the most faithful Fleming adaption, and my second favourite Bond movie overall. I can’t think of anything I’d change about it, to be honest.

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I noticed by the way that the Q training camp which became a staple of the later films is introduced as a Spectre idea in FRWL…

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GOLDFINGER

Before:
If you ask anyone (who isn’t a diehard fan like us) to name the title of a Bond film, I guess you still would hear “Goldfinger” first.

The word iconic is thrown around these days and has lost its meaning. But for Bond films “Goldfinger” still is the most famous film. So many scenes which still tower over later ones. The laser. The hat. The car, of course, with the ejector seat. The golden girl.

Watching it for the first time when I was a teenager I also was thrilled and entertained, and I always loved it. The older I got the more I also appreciated how it set up everything which came after and how it built on the qualities of its predecessors and injected a bigger dose of humor and daring into it.

Yet, "Goldfinger"´s reputation suffered through the last decades on fan forums. The biggest accusation: Bond is spending half the film captured and doesn’t do too much! And then… he rapes Pussy (never thought I would write that sentence but here we are).

I have seen “Goldfinger” countless times but I was not sure how I would react to the film now, after many years have passed.

After:
Hah, I still love it. Even more than I remembered. I think it´s one of the most entertaining Bond films, with perfect pace, inventive ideas and top notch contributions from everybody involved.

It has Connery´s best performance as Bond, I believe, because he really is having fun here and playing many facets of Bond: cocky, shocked, demure, flirty, panicked, hopeless, self-assured, brutal, sardonic and tough.

Also, this film has what every Bond film needs: an absolutely terrific and terrifying villain with an ingenious yet despicable plan. After the fun PTS and the remarkably effective title sequence (Robert Brownjohn again!), Goldfinger is introduced and powers through the film with no scruples. Fueled by greed and amused recklessness, he is such a strong opponent that Bond really has problems thwarting his march towards power.

This is why I don’t think his capture at the middle of the film is a bug - it´s a feature! It shows how much influence Goldfinger holds over him and others. And it really makes us fear for Bond although we should know that he will win. It also is just not true that Bond doesn’t do enough in that second half: he tries a lot, everything he can, really, but Goldfinger prevails again and again, until the end.

And let’s look at the facts of the Bond and Pussy scene, not what many have made of it these days.

Yes, Bond forces a kiss on Pussy at the end. But you can clearly see that she gives in to his kiss rather quickly, even embracing him fondly. This is not rape.

The whole barn scene begins with Pussy throwing Bond over her shoulder. Then he pulls away her feet. It´s a playful “battle of the sexes”. But let’s not forget: Bond is at the end of his tether here, Goldfinger has prevailed and will start Operation Grand Slam. Pussy will take part in it, gassing and killing thousands of people. And Bond is supposed to die in the nuclear explosion at Fort Knox.

So Pussy is an opponent here, a henchwoman, actually. Of course, Bond now uses force to turn her. This is his last chance.

And yes, the scene uses the tradition of the romantic comedy kiss, making the hesitant woman fight at first, before giving in to the intimacy forced on her because, well, for once the man is just such a magnificent kisser, and because she actually wants this after all, right?

I understand and I agree that this trope is problematic. Yet, it is also a trope known from classical literature. The taming of the shrewd indeed.

And again, in Goldfinger, Bond needs to succeed with Pussy. We know he is great with pussy anyway. So… appealing to maternal instincts, waking the woman in her, yeah, that’s what actually saves him, Fort Knox and the world from financial disruption. Is that too big a price to pay?

I know, I know. She also is introduced as a lesbian, with her Flying Circus gals (oooh, Pussy and her Flying Circus… Octo-Pussy has a whole circus of Amazons… coincidence?). Of course, we know how preposterous it is that a man could turn a lesbian into a heterosexual woman, especially by just making her appreciate his kiss. But it´s Sean frigging Connery, damn´t it. So let’s just go with that.

Phew, too many words for all of this. Sorry.

One last thing. Two, really. One: John Barry’s score and title song are absolutely amazing, after all of these years. The music is so well spotted, leaving many scenes unscored which today would be plastered with wall to wall accompaniment. When it´s there it´s so atmospheric and building tension. Just perfect.

And two: I had forgotten how shaken Bond is by Jill’s death. So much, in fact, that M reminds him that this cannot turn into a personal vendetta. Bond demurely asks then whether he may still conduct this mission in a manner M sees fit. - So, that’s a big difference between then and now, and a big difference between James Bond as he was and as the Craig era transformed him into.

In conclusion: I love Goldfinger and consider it my favorite ConneryBond. It also shot way up again in my ranking…

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Hear, hear!!! :clap:

Agree on all counts. Well done. :+1:

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I need to watch GF again. It’s a great performance, and it blows my mind Connery could’ve been beheaded during FRWL’s helicopter sequence, making his legendary tenure very short indeed.

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THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

Before:
There is a special excitement for the first film of a new Bond actor. I certainly remember being very interested in Timothy Dalton´s first turn, especially after having been (at that time) underwhelmed by Moore´s last film. The younger and different Dalton promised a breath of fresh air, and I enjoyed the film immensely. A lot more than the follow-up. “Daylights” was a globetrotting spy story and adventure, with every Bond trope thrown in, too. I absolutely loved it. And this continued through the years.

After:
But, after a longer “Daylights” hiatus, I thought I would enjoy this… a lot more, I’m afraid.
But despite Dalton giving Bond a new seriousness, sometimes bitterness even, this time I thought: did he maybe really lack the personality needed for Bond? Dalton is a very fine actor, and he really sells the drama and the tension. But whenever he has to turn on the charme as a romantic lead, he suddenly seems a bit… well, too nice. Sure, the late 80´s and the new HIV-threat demanded Bond to become a more romantic guy, leaving the womanizer behind. But while I immediately believe that Connery, Moore and Lazenby could arouse any woman’s interest, I feel Dalton would not even want to do that. Maybe that’s due to the barely concealed anger in his performance. He does not seem to enjoy his job. And that opens up a hole in the spectrum of his Bond´s range. He also almost seems personally offended by the villains and does not show the cocky arrogance the other Bonds put on display to provoke villains and put them in their place.

Also, “Daylights” has the typical John Glen-schtick (the broad comedy in the “big breasted woman distracts old engineer”-scene, for example, and the “woman sulks immediately when she thinks Bond does not like her anymore”-scene). I also thought the whole “Bond has a car full of gadgets”-sequence did not work as well as it could have because Glen shows the soldiers in pursuit only helplessly reacting to one gadget after the other. There is no jeopardy for Bond, he just goes through the motions. And the introduction of a new Moneypenny is a complete misconception: in the late 80´s she is collecting Barry Manilow? Did Glen and Wilson really think that is what those young gals now listen to? And yes, DaltonBond should even slap her behind, but off-screen, just get the sound effect for that, it will be so funny…

It also is a missed opportunity to have the assassination of Pushkin not be a surprise - since we know it´s a fake, it robs its effect. And while Koskov is a hateable villain, he disappears for too long stretches. Whitaker is just a buffoon with some toys, however, and it would have been more interesting if we had seen Koskov manipulating him. Once again, a Bond film lacks tension when the opponents aren’t scary and powerful enough.

However, the finale on the Afghan airbase and the fight on the net filled with opium packages and one time bomb, hanging outside of the plane, is terrific and the best part of the film. And John Barry’s final Bond score is absolutely wonderful.

One last gripe: the Vienna location is just used for postcard backgrounds. It should have been used for a gripping “Third Man”-variation, especially in a story about a Russian defector.

So, to my big surprise, I was disappointed in “Daylights” this time. And despite my criticism of LTK after this year´s rewatch, I must even say that despite the advantage of adventure and location work, I actually enjoyed TLD less.

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