For Your Eyes Only is a top 5 Bond film. Easy.

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by omikron, Jul 27, 2021.

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  1. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    • No gimmicks
    • Intense and inventive ski sequences in Cortina
    • Tough and resourceful Bond girl
    • Bond displays some cold-blooded killer missing from the films for so long
    • An unorthodox but satisfying score despite a few tacky disco moments
    • Clean, smart directing without a bunch of needless flair
    • Excellent supporting cast
    • Heart-stoppingly suspenseful mountain climbing scene at the end

    This is a no frills, intense and satisfying Bond on all fronts.

    Top 5 in my book up there with the likes of Goldfinger, the Dalton films and Goldeneye. And yes I know that statement is going to raise a bunch of eyebrows on its own.
     
  2. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I would say it's the best of the Roger Moore films, because it's not as "jokey," you can believe him as a cold-blooded spy, and it gets away from the crazy comedic Bond films of the 1970s. Director John Glen really keeps the camera moving and it's visually a very entertaining film. I can remember the eye-catching poster when it went up along Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, and it caused a lot of near-miss car wrecks.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. finslaw

    finslaw muzak to my ears

    Location:
    Indiana
    It makes sense you would place it with the Dalton films in your top 5, seeing how it is a "grounded" entry. I personally have it as my least favorite of the Moore films. Yes, the much derided TMWTGG, Moonraker, OP and AVTAK just seem so much more inviting to me to watch because of the overall coked out weirdness of those films, not to mention some great villains. FYEO seems so uneventful in comparison, which kinda places it with The Living Daylights in my eyes. I do love the ski chase scenes though.
     
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  4. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Is this part of your movie-chat series?
    If not, I'm not responding.
     
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  5. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Does that matter? No one was responding to the Movie Chat Series anyways. Haha.

    Fine. It's Movie Night Chat #8!
     
  6. wondergrape

    wondergrape Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio
  7. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    I do have a fondness for the coked-out Bond films too.
     
  8. finslaw

    finslaw muzak to my ears

    Location:
    Indiana
    Yeah, great poster to be ripped off literally dozens of times by raunchy teen comedies, I even had it on my wall as a teen. Plus it probably is Glenn's best directed Bond film, with car chases, skiing, rock climbing, helicopter flying and underwater shenanigans. Quite a potpourri of action. But we have to contend with subpar villain, meh climax, revenge hypocrisy, Bibi and that damn convenient parrot. I'd take a double taking pigeon over that parrot.
     
  9. Doctor Worm

    Doctor Worm Romans 6:23

    Location:
    Missouri
    It's a solid film and one of Moore's finest outings. I do find much of the action to be just "okay"; not much stands out but it's all shot well and can be fun for what it is.
     
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  10. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    I remember really liking it when I saw it back then and need to revisit it one day.
     
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  11. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    The problems with FYEO include the helicopter comedy for the pretitle,
    the Olympic skier with the school-girl crush on 007, the superfluous biker
    hit in the town square, the ridiculous hockey fight and Margaret Thatcher
    impersonation at the end. Cut these things -- it's easily done -- and tighten
    the ski / bike chase and you've got a stronger, more balanced film. Replace
    the inappropriate and distracting jazz score with old John Barry cues and
    some cues from his remake of King Kong (1976) to arrive at the right tone.
    Put the sinking of the trawler and the assault on the yacht back into the
    pre-title where they belong. Then, after the opening titles and song, segue
    into Bond being summoned from his wife's grave to the office. Again, easily
    done.

    The one thing you can't fix is the transition from snow in Cortini to the
    blue water in Corfu because the linking murder of Ferrara either wasn't
    shot how Richard Maibaum wrote it or because it was cut from the final
    print. Further, the whole premise that Bond feels spooked that he will
    not survive the mission -- a fear established at the beginning at his wife's
    grave and reinforced by events throughout the film -- was effectively
    eliminated by Broccoli's idiot stepson Michael G. Wilson who preferred
    to impose his own infantile exposition. It was, therefor, never properly
    emphasized by the first-time director.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2021
  12. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    That having been said, I agree with the OP. For Your Eyes Only is almost
    a top 5 Bond film. When you do the fan-edit it gets better and better with
    each viewing. It's my personal favorite of Roger Moore's Bond films.
     
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  13. cdcollector87

    cdcollector87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    My only problem is the opening sequence didn't make sense. Why didn't they ever conclude the "Blofeld" thing in any of the films and just slip this opening sequence in there where he got dumped down some smokestack?
     
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  14. clayton

    clayton Senior Member

    Location:
    minneapolis mn
    Not in my top 5 but it's my favorite Roger Moore bond film.
     
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  15. Its a good one, but the flirtation with the young skater is just embarrassing as Bond is old enough to be her grandfather (and looks it).
     
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  16. Rocker

    Rocker Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I believe there were legal complications preventing them from using the Blofeld name, hence the reason he had been absent from the series for a decade and why the character in FYEO is never actually referred to by name, and why we never see his face.
     
  17. Rocker

    Rocker Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    In Bond's defense, he does reject her advances... I think it might be the only time in the entire series! :p
     
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  18. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    It's in my Top Five of Roger Moore's 007 films for sure, possibly #1! :D

    It does have to compete with Live And Let Die, (1st 007 film I ever saw & therefore a personal favorite for that reason), & The Spy Who Loved Me for the top honor though. I do think it's the best Bond film with Roger however, & one of the best in the entire series. Of all the 007 films combined, it's certainly in my Top Ten.

    Get rid of the creepy scenes with Lynn-Holly Johnson & Roger, (not only are they creepy, but she's just awful, extremely wooden & unconvincing), or cast someone better in her role & it would be a far better film.
     
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  19. :agree::laugh: What was preposterous was her infatuation with him.
     
  20. Big Jimbo

    Big Jimbo Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    basically lawsuits over the creation of SPECTRE/Blofeld and EON productions using it in “Dr No” without knowing/permission of Kevin McClory, who helped Fleming create the freelance terror organization for the novel “Thunderball” when Fleming had writer’s block. McClory ended up with the rights to SPECTRE/Blofeld and to remake “Thunderball” so EON stopped using them once the settlements happened. FYEO dropping Max von Snydow in a smokestack was their way of telling McClory we don’t need your properties.
     
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  21. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni

    Location:
    USA
    I love For Your Eyes Only.
    The Spy Who Loved me is my favorite Moore Bond.
     
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  22. cdcollector87

    cdcollector87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I think Live And Let Die is my favorite Moore Bond followed closely by For Your Eyes Only. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is definitely my favorite Bond film.
     
  23. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Which Moore Bond film has him running around dressed as a clown?
    You wouldn't see Sean Connery dressed up as one. Or Daniel Craig for that matter. Definitely not George Lazenby.
     
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  24. It certainly has its moments but Top 5? Not for me - probably somewhere in the lower middle of the pack.
     
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  25. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    The one about eight........umm...........cats!!!!
     
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