Poll: Favorite James Bond film

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by marke, Mar 22, 2014.

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  1. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Your thinking of the FaceOff machine in SPY, huh? :)
    Lazenby gave Bond fresh blood.
    Not a bald tired old bloke, can't see the same screen chemestry with Connery and Rigg that George Lazenby had.
     
  2. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    Good God! No FrankenBonds please!!!
     
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  3. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    I wish Sean Connery had stayed on for OHMSS. I agree if he had played Bond in OHMSS he would have invested the romance with gravitas and a heartbreaking poignancy. Did you know that after meeting Connery and conferring with him about the character on the set of Dr. No, filming right there on the island near Goldeneye where Ian Fleming was writing the next one, that Fleming not only accepted him in the role, but wrote OHMSS with Connery in mind. He invested the character with Connery's ancestry and characteristics. Further, Maibaum wrote the script for Connery. In fact, the original casting in 1966 included Connery, Brigitte Bardot as Tracy and Yul Brynner as Blofeld. But the production was delayed for lack of snow, so the producers went ahead with the Japanese project. I think it's a tragedy Connery didn't stay on. But the monetary dispute had grown too big to ignore. The film is so well written and so well made, it makes all the films that came after it seem like baby talk.


    I agree. It's simply amazing. And George Lazenby makes a fine Bond. Although he's a little inexperienced, he's also a natural. It's a performance with integrity and sincerity and aptitude to spare. He understands the character instinctively. In a way, Lazenby got the best one. It's probably a good thing that he entered and left on the highest note rather than get stuck in the inferior films that followed it.

    Somebody should have come up with an action-spy series for Lazenby in the 1970s. He was born to lead.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2015
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  4. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    Can I vote for the '67 Peter Sellars "Casino Royale"?
     
  5. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    No.

    But you can vote for Woody Allen if you want to.
     
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  6. Rocker

    Rocker Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    This is a pretty entertaining little parody (from Animaniacs) that references quite a few of the older Bond flicks:

     
  7. alchemy

    alchemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sterling, VA
    My favorites are Sean Connery films. Funny thing is that don't hold up all that well to me today. But ny memories of them when I was a kid in the sixties is so strong and they were so cool and cutting edge back then.

    Too bad Sean Connery was in OHMSS

    Roger Moores are fun, but most almost seem like cartoons. Sorry don't like Sheriff Buford character. Didn't care for Jaws either.

    I like the Timothy Dalton one's, but they are almost too nuts and bolts.

    Pierce Bronsan are fun above Roger Moore's, don't care for the super sized larger than life villians.

    The Daniel Craig ones are probably the best. Took me to long to warm up to Daniel Craig. But the movies are well made.

    It stuck me watching the Matt Damon Jason Bourne movies, that I almost want James Bond movies to be like him. By that I mean, you have a highly trained smart guy fighting the bad guys in a very entertaining and almost realistic situations.

    But that would be James Bond would it?
     
  8. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident


    When Thunderball was released in December 1965, Sean Connery was still committed to playing James Bond and the role was his when On Her Majesty's Secret Service was to start filming in the fall of 1966. Yul Brynner was to play Blofeld and Brigitte Bardot was to play Tracy. But there wasn't enough snow, so the project had to be postponed until the weather cooperated. EON had to roll over their financial edifice or lose money, so they went ahead with a hastily cobbled-together script for You Only Live Twice by outsider Roald Dahl and script doctor Harold Jack Bloom. Meanwhile, Brynner and Bardot moved on to other commitments. Connery got into a financial dispute with United Artists and EON that made returning after YOLT impossible. They really were taking advantage of him. But if the weather had cooperated, Connery would have starred in OHMSS in the summer of 1967.

    As an aside, Connery is the only actor to undertake the role who had the advantage of an acquaintance with Ian Fleming. They met on the set of Dr. No, which actually filmed within walking distance of Fleming's house in Jamaica. Fleming was initially opposed to Connery being cast, but after discussing the character with the actor, and seeing the performance on set, and listening to the reactions of others, Fleming changed his mind. When he was writing OHMSS he made a few adjustments to the character to reflect Connery's background and personality. He went even further into Connery's personality when writing The Man With the Golden Gun. Those books were written with Connery in mind. For his part, Connery consulted with Fleming on the sets of Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. But he's one of those old-fashioned actors who keeps methods and processes to himself, and has never talked about his relationship with Fleming.

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    Craig is best? You must be kidding. He's clueless. Clueless and oblivious. He's lent himself to a deconstruction of James Bond and a violation of Fleming's very concepts. His films are really about Barbara Broccoli's agenda, not James Bond.

    I would agree that the Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne are better action movies than Craig's Bond films. Craig's Bond gets all the worst writing and the poorest action sequences.
     
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  9. Paper Wizard

    Paper Wizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    Thunderball with From Russia With Love a close second.
     
  10. Paper Wizard

    Paper Wizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    I still enjoy all the old movies.
    Connery to me is the best Bond.
    Then, Craig and Lazenby (underrated IMO).
    Dalton, Brosnan and Moore.
     
  11. Paper Wizard

    Paper Wizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    I agree. By Diamonds Are Forever, he seemed really old. Moore hung on way too long as well.
     
  12. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Craig.
    Casino Royale 9/10
    QOS 6/10
    Skyfall 6/10
    Spectre 5/10

    Connery.
    Dr No 6/10
    FRWL 8/10
    Goldfinger 8/10
    Thunderball 6/10
    YOLT 6/10
    DAF 7/10

    Lazenby.
    OHMSS 10/10
     
  13. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    I went with You Only Live Twice. Great opening sequence - I love practically all of John Barry's scores but his Adagio Maestoso (sic!) SPECTRE theme that accompanies the American spacecraft being nabbed (and the horrible, indifferent way the astronaut's lifeline is snipped) beats the rest. Donald Pleasence is the BEST Blofeld and Charles Gray nearly steals the whole film in less than two minutes.

    Plus, I like Japanese girls.

    I honestly don't like any of the non-Sean Connery films: I can watch some of the Roger Moore outings for nostalgic reasons but the tone, and Moore's performance, are too camp for my liking. No Dalton or Brosnan film has ever held my attention sufficiently for me to watch it all the way through. Not seen any of the Daniel Craig films, only glimpsed a couple of them when they were on television. I find it hard to accept any but S.C. as Bond.

    However, the books are country miles better than the films: nobody would have dared film them as written, even (perhaps especially!) today.
     
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  14. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    Dr. No is a vastly under-rated film. It's an innovative, breakthrough work, apart from being the first James Bond film. The way Sean Connery makes an entrance or exit to the pulse of a male-strip tune that is the James Bond theme is so transgressive in 1962. The way he sniffs the air when he enters a room, or winds a towel around his hands as if he's going to strangle the girl with it. He's intelligent yet blunt and conveys the mindset that Ian Fleming put on the page. It's a darker, edgier characterization than we'll see again. Connery may be a little rough around the edges, but he hammers that nail in.

    From Russia With Love may be a little too tongue-in-cheek for its own good, otherwise, it's a perfect film, one of the best films ever made in England.

    So my favorite Bond films are, and I think the best Bond films are:

    Dr. No
    From Russia With Love
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Thunderball


    For Your Eyes Only and Licence to Kill have much to recommend them. They started out with excellent scripts by Richard Maibaum that were badly screwed up in the rewrites by Michael Wilson, and both films are ineptly directed by John Glen. They could have been much better films.
     
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  15. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    Dr. No is my favorite too.
     
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  16. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    OHMSS.
    Fourth place, pretty good.
    And I believe his next two or three Bond films would have been also excellent.
     
  17. daca

    daca Currently on Double Secret Probation

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Tomorrow Never Dies, 1 vote and Die Another Day with 3. That's 4 more than I thought they would have received.

    Although Sean Connery was the best Bond, I have enjoyed the reboot and Daniel Craig has done a fantastic job as 007
     
  18. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    OHMSS in 3rd poll place at the moment. My word is my Bond. :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2016
  19. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Surprised there's no
    Casino Royal(1967)
    in the poll, lovely rich color pallet...not to mention Peter Sellers.
     
  20. Stratoblaster

    Stratoblaster A skeptical believer....

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I'm going to have to revisit OHMSS soon as I've not seen it in many, many years and it's getting some good props in this thread...am curious to see it again.

    It's either Goldfinger on the newer Casino Royale I'd have to pick as my favourite Bond film. I liked CR since it dropped a lot of the really over the top, cheesy aspects/elements that became worn out for me, big time....a lot of the films (especially post Connery) were guilty of this, particularly the Brosnan ones. Some of those films were just too unbelievable and campy at times, whereas CR put an edge and realness back into the series.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2016
  21. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

    From Russia with Love, hands down. Requires much less "suspension of disbelief", not overstuffed with gadgets, etc, and a much more "real world" plotline.
     
  22. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I picked Goldfinger. (Love the Aston Martin)

    I recently sold my BOND 50, since I didn't think I'd be watching it much anymore. (sold it for more than I paid :righton:). Then this Black Friday I picked up the James Bond Collection (w/Specter inc.) Blu-ray for $60. Now I have been binge watching them ever since......

    Connery is still my Fav. OHMSS & Spectre are a close 2nd
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2016
  23. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    OHMSS has got a Christmas feel to it, also John Barry's best score. CR/DC is amazing, high octane action...though it was never repeated.
     
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  24. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    The World Is Not Enough....Bronsan was my favorite Bond. Craig is the worst.
     
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  25. Jonboy

    Jonboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape Town
    From Russia With Love. The boot stiletto and briefcase complete with gold sovereigns (LOL :D) clinch it for me...
     
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