Need help in compiling an essential James Bond movie collection on DVD

Need the help of you fine forum members.

First, as far as James Bond goes...the first three Sean Connery titles are a must have (Dr. NO, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger).

How many and what films should I add to these to make an essential Bond collection?

The box sets combine good titles with weaker ones, with the third box being the weakest of them all, and are not cheap by any means....

Your input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian

 

Don't buy ANYTHING yet! You are one of the lucky ones, as new hi-def transfers of all the movies are supposed to start rolling out around the end of the year. YOU won't have to re-buy all those discs---I WILL!

 

Thanks, Larry!

 

Cool, I only own Goldfinger and Moonraker on DVD, but I do have both of the Connery Boxes on Laserdisc. Larry--thanks for the warning, so I don't panic when they go out of print.

As for 007 films, though, I'm too biased: there's Connery, then there's everyone else. You can skip "Never Say Never Again" for sure, even though it's Connery, as it was never part of the official 007 franchise. (I couldn't even begin to watch it.) But those first six Connery films are my own "essential" collection. To me, Roger Moore is "OK" (especially the earlier films), but I never have liked the newer Bonds. Few agree with me, but I thought Connery nailed the part of Bond on film, and was the prototype for all that followed. What's ironic is that some who have seen "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" say that Lazenby was a good Bond, and that the screenplay was one of the few to most closely follow the book.

To each his own, though--opinions on 007 vary wildly and widely, I've found!

 

Rudy, did you like OHMSS?

Also, what do you think of Live and Let Die? There was no Q and some have criticised the boat chase for dragging on way too long. Yet, IMHO...it featured the best Bond song! Love Macca's contribution.

Brian

 

I've actually never watched much of either film, probably just bits and pieces of each on TV many years ago. But with all these new DVDs coming out, I can probably pick up the old ones from someone really inexpensively. (Ooooh Laarrrryyyyy...! ) I couldn't stand Roger Moore for awhile, but I'm at the "I can just about tolerate him" phase right now...so I never bought anything but Moonraker for my own collection. (There's that ol' bias again. )

 

OHMSS is my favorite 007 film by far. As Rudy says it's the one that's most faithful to Bond as Fleming conceived him: no campiness, no lame jokes (well except the cute little "in-joke" just before the opening credits), no silly gadgets. Just a compelling story, superb action sequences, great location scenery, a stunning leading lady (Diana Rigg), a believably menacing villain (Telly Savalas), and IMO the best music score of the series. Only the absence of Connery keeps it from being perfection, but Lazenby was hardly a flop in the role.

If Never Say Never Again isn't part of the canon, I guess the same holds true for Casino Royale, huh?

 

The question I have is this: will the 'upgraded'(I use that word with hesitation--the current DVD's look fine enough to me)packages have all the extras of the current ones? If not, then maybe it isn't such a bad idea to invest in this current batch while you've still got the chance to get them cheap.

While Connery may not exactly be Bond as Fleming envisioned him, he was the first, had the charisma and panache, and the best directors and plots of the entire series.

Best bond film: GOLDFINGER. The first three are fairly raw, wired, and fascinating....as soon as Bond went Panavision and ultra-gadget, with THUNDERBALL, the fun remained but the rawness, the feral Bond nature, diminished. Moore was a good Bond, but lacked the screen charisma and testosterone of Connery. Dalton never grew into the role, and Brosnan, while good enough, is saddled by a certain...modernity and predictability the older films--even the Moore's--do not have, thankfully. As for OHMSS, the story is fine--if downbeat at the end--but Lazenby is a cipher as Bond, who came alive in the books, and then by Connery, the perfect visage of James Bond. Lazenby, without any significant acting experience, is simply flat, no matter how good the rest of the film is.

Best Bond song: "Goldfinger," thanks to John Barry's great arrangement,and Shirley Bassey's piercing vocal. Runners-up: "Live And Let Die," followed by "Thunderball" and "You Only Live Twice."

 

Bond. James Bond. My father is a huge Bond fan so I saw all of these movies growing up, and I keep up with them now.

Here's what I would recommend:

Dr. No
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger <- No, Mr. Bond, I don't expect you to talk. I expect you to die!
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Diamonds Are Forever (kind of on the fence on this one, but I love Connery's films)
The Man with the Golden Gun
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies

 

I like all the early Bond movies with Connery and Lazenby, although Connery is far better in the role if you ask me - he conveys much more class in my opinion.

Having watched all the early ones recently on the UK Special Edition DVDs I was particularly struck with how much better "You Only Live Twice" looked aesthetically compared with the others. Once I discovered that Freddie Young was behind the lens it made perefct sense .

You can get the 20 DVD set at half price in the UK at the moment and I just couldn't resist. It normally sells for £200 but is currently only £100 at most places. That comes out at £5 per disc which ain't bad for the UK. The individual titles are still priced at £19.99 each in most stores at the moment!!

I know there are plans for a new set of upgraded discs but I'm glad I got the set with the original soundtracks. I gather that the new sets have all been remixed in 5.1 surround. I don't hold out too much hope for the original mono and stereo tracks being included as an option on the new discs.....

Personally, I like to watch a film with its original soundtrack - call me old fashioned but I don't see the attraction of seeing a film from 1962 in 5.1 surround .

I am a huge fan of 60's TV and film themes from the spy genre and I just love hearing the mono mixes of great tracks like "You Only Live Twice" etc on these DVDs - I think I'm going to have to track down some mono vinyl.....

I am about to get onto the Roger Moore era - hope they're better than I remember.....

 

First,

Can't thank everyone enough! Ask for help, and you fellow members always come through! This is much appreciated!


Ascot,

What was the deal with one line in YOLT: "Vodka Martini stirred not shaken..." ? Nobody caught that?

Malc, what Roger Moore titles might you consider getting?

Brian

 

Brian,

glad to be of help - having just bought the 20 DVD Bond collection you've caught me on a big James Bond revival! I saw most of the Bond movies on TV when I was a kid but now watching them in widescreen makes a huge difference .

I noticed that reference to "stirred not shaken" and was wondering if it was an intentional reversal although couldn't figure out how it could make sense!

I also noticed a reference to Smirsh (spelling?) in one of the early Bonds (presumably the first - "Dr. No"). I understand that in the books the enemy is Smirsh but the name was changed to Spectre for the films (is that correct?). If so, was the Smirsh reference from a scene filmed before the switch was made?

As for the Moore movies, it's been too long since I last saw them to give you any reviews and anyway that was in full screen (pan & scan ) on TV. I'll be watching them all over the next few weeks - I'll let you know my opinion on them once I've seen them in widescreen!

Malc

 

I had to watch the scene again.

Bond meets his contact, Mr. Henderson, in Japan whom he has never met before. After verifying Henderson's identity by whacking his right leg with his cane (it was a false leg), Bond sits comfortably while Henderson prepares drinks.

Bond politely approves the drink after Henderson says "That was stirred, not shaken. That was right, wasn't it?" "Perfect," Bond answers.

 

Ascot,

Does your insert talk about that bit of dialog? Sounds like a blooper to me.

Brian

 

What do you mean by "hi-def". Will they be playable on current dvd players?

 

Right now, here in Toronto at HMV (and for awhile now) most of the Bond films are part of their 2 for $30 promotion (that's about 11 bucks US per disc). I never bought the box sets (partial to Connery, a couple of early Moore's, and Goldeneye) but I'm sure I paid close to 30 bucks Canadian _per_ disc.

Cliff

 

My favorites of the Bond films are:

From Russia With Love
Goldfinger - Connery's best, and quite possibly the best Bond ever made.
Thunderball
OHMSS - Great film. Love the ending. I still get teary eyed when I see it. Lazenby is under-rated
Live and Let Die - Slightly racist but not a bad movie
Octopussy - This and FYEO are Moore's best films
For Your Eyes Only
Goldeneye - Brosnan's first and best Bond film. Die Another Day also real good.

Worse films?

Moonraker - Hate this movie ...seriously
Diamonds are Forever - the gay hitmen were funny, but otherwise
You Only Live Twice - Do the math...How could Sean Connery + Hot Asian Women + ninjas + Blofeld= The movie math just doesn't add up!
The World is Not Enough - Denise Richards was horrible. So was the plot. I'm not sure which was worse.
The Man With the Golden Gun - What more can I say other than

Honorable Mentions:
Tomorrow Never Dies - Not a bad film. Not one of Brosnan's best
Both Timothy Dalton films have a good story, unfortunately they also have Timothy Dalton.

Sean

 

I haven't watched the movie in awhile, but I thought it was intentional. At first I thought it was a slip-up by the Mr. Henderson character (who really wasn't who he was supposed to be), but I also notice the way in which Bond grudgingly says, "Perfect." (Look at his expression when he says it...as though Mr. Henderson made a significant social blunder. )

I'm just confusing myself now.

 

Casino Royale is in a world all its own. Come to think of it, I taped it a few years ago on S-VHS when it was running on one of the classic movie channels in widescreen, and have unsuccessfully tried about half a dozen times to watch it. Only thing good about it, IMHO, was the soundtrack. (But what do you expect from a rabid Bacharach fan? )

IIRC, Never Say Never Again was an attempt by Connery to remake Thunderball.

One comment to make about the Lazenby film vs. the Connery films: while OHMSS does faithfully follow the novel, it's apparent that Hollywood liked the formula of turning Fleming's novels into two hours of good entertainment. IOW, more people can relate to a suave, sophisticated agent with all sorts of high-tech toys fighting over-the-top villains. That's one reason I try not to over-analyze these movies: they're just entertainment, and I like them because I enjoy them for what they are. No doubt that they could have been good films if Lazenby made them (more subtle, more cerebral perhaps), but I doubt the franchise would have lasted as long. By making Bond into what he was, the studio created something entertaining that appealed to a lot of moviegoers. And in terms of box office success, the passing of the torch to Roger Moore certainly didn't hurt anything.

 

Guys,

Appreciate these reviews! Thanks so much! This is really helping me...a lot!

Sean, love the film by film thumbs-up or downs...what about The Spy Who Loved Me? You do list FYEO twice. Could one be that film?

Brian

 

Brian, I'm not sure what you mean about my "insert". If you mean my signature, it's completely unrelated to Bond.

The Spy Who Loved Me has its moments and Barbara Bach is hot. I don't care for it as one of the best Bond films though. I think the Bond character became too cartoonish in this one. The opening sequence is great, Bond's car is cool, I really like the disco version of the Bond Theme, and did I mention Barbara Bach is hot?

 

FYEO is For Your Eyes Only, which is the Moore-era film that comes closest to a straightforward, Flemingesque treatment of the character. Not too shabby, IMO.

Whether The Spy Who Loved Me is to be considered a good or a bad entry depends on whether or not you enjoy the campy '70s Bond, because for better or for worse, that film really represents the apotheosis of that style. (Its immediate followup, Moonraker, represents the nadir.) Richard Kiel's "Jaws" is an unforgettable character, like him or not, and there is a ski-action sequence at the beginning of the film that rivals the one in OHMSS.

Another one that Sean seems to have overlooked (and you will too, if you know what's good for you) is A View to a Kill. That was the first 007 film I actually went to see in a theater, and even as a dumb 12-year-old kid I was sorely disappointed. A plot that meanders all over the place, insufferable Moore mugging, a lot of especially cartoonish gags, a crummy villain (played by a badly miscast Christopher Walken), and the worst Bond Girl ever (played by the littlest Angel, Tanya Roberts). Oh, and the blood-chillingly androgynous Grace Jones.

 

Sean, I meant the booklet in the DVD. Usually they have little facts, background about the film, etc.

Brian

 

The best 007 site I have found
http://www.mi6.co.uk/mi6.php3

Looks like the next releases come out in Oct 05'

 

Essential Bond picks:

Goldfinger - my favorite Bond film of them all, easily one of, if not THE best

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - my second favorite. I don't think Lazenby is all that bad, given he was a model, not an actor, but everything else makes up for it. Especially the very well done ski chases and the music (which I have to agree is probably the best Bond music, especially the theme)

For Your Eyes Only - similar to OHMSS in that it's a more serious movie, especially when you consider that it followed the horrible, grade-A piece of $h!t they call Moonraker

Goldeneye - probably my third favorite. The Nintendo 64 game ain't bad, either

I have all the Bond films on DVD, so I won't be buying them again (for the record, isn't this the third or fourth time they're being re-released on DVD?!?! Some of the ones we have are the original DVD releases, prior to the box-sets being released. Never seen any reason to "upgrade", although most of ours are the newer ones (the ones identical to the box-set copies)).