The definitive James Bond film ?

For those interested, the banned commentaries (and some background) can be found here: The Forbidden 007 Commentaries Are Now Free For Your Perusal

 

Instead of linking from AV it's easier to go directly to

Banned James Bond Commentaries – The 007 Dossier

 

I wish EON would put the trimmed footage back into FRWL.
I want to see the rest of that fight on the train.

 

11 reasons why On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) is my favorite Bond film

I thought this an interesting read and I mostly agree that On Her Majesty's Secret Service or Casino Royale are the best Bond films.

 

I still think the beginning and unfolding of the ski chase sequence is one of the coolest moments in all of the bond films. Very masterfully handled by the director and editor.

 

The music drives it along,with pulsating bass.

 

My compliments on your literate film blog.
I couldn't I agree with you more about OHMSS.
But there is no common ground between OHMSS and CS. None.

 

OHMSS has got better music for starters. For fifty year old film it’s still got that classic appeal. Eva Green gave CR class, but that’s about it.

 

You found something positive in CR. I agree Eva Green is appealing, but I
don't like the changes to her character nor the dialog they put into her mouth.
I would like to have seen her play the part differently, but that would require
a rewrite.

 

Good observation. Character dialogue. Pity she was killed her off, immortalized now. Very effective in Penny Dreadful I thought.

 

Agree...but I'd include Goldfinger and From Russia With Love in that elite status.

Loved the article, also. Glad to see On Her Majesty's Secret Service being given the reverence it deserves and as Bond's black sheep or the stock answer to a trivia question.

 

Not my blog, just one I am referencing.

 

If Connery had done it, that would be the best one by far. It's still one of my absolute favorites.

 

Bond girls... they are part of the formula...
Top 5 stunning looking women/I can't believe they really exist types

1. Claudine Auger
2. Daniela Bianchi
3. Ursula Andress
4. Barbara Carrera
5. Caroline Bouquet

Top 5 actresses of impact more than or absent babeness

1. Lotte Lenya
2. Judi Dench
3. Diana Rigg
4. Honor Blackman
5. Lois Maxwell

special mention to the Masterson sisters in goldfinger, the allergy sufferers of OHMSS and Maud Adams for double duty!

I won't blame the actresses but the writers and directors for wasting Britt Eklund, Maryam D'Abo, Denise Richards, Teri Hatcher, Lea Seydoux, whoever was in Quantum and Skyfall( though kudos to Judi Dench for pulling a second Maud Adams and transitioning from M, to Bond girl in distress, to dead sacrificial Bond Girl in the same film)!

 

There is a great clip on YouTube with all the Bond credit sequences back to back, you can really hear the music production and see the effects tech change over time.

 

The one thing I see that Connery truly has on Craig is that Connery makes a convincingly condescending sadist.

And without that Bond feels a bit too human and slightly neutered.

 

That's it? That's all you see?

Connery doesn't play on sadism. He brings a lot more than that to the role.
There are more dimensions to Connery's performances than you give him
credit for. He had the benefit of consultation with Ian Fleming, whom he
knew.

Judy Dench excoriates Bond in her first and second scenes in CR.
Bond was neutered there & then and has remained neutered ever since.
This was Daniel Clueless's idea of "taking care of the character" as he said.
So long as the check cleared the bank Daniel Clueless was fine with it.

 

Well, he had just reeked havoc at an embassy while shooting to death the bomb-maker targeted for questioning, and then broke into M's home and hacked her laptop. Her anger was understandable, and the scenes were more to underline the fact that Bond was acting on info she didn't have.

Totally disagree. He defied her directly after that, continuing to investigate his leads in the field and on the system using M's log-ins.

He played it so that it appeared he stayed loyal to M while also being defiant of her to go above and beyond in doing his thankless job. He played it just right. And he didn't ham it up like Connery and the others, which was a nice change.

 

I bought the complete blu ray set a few weeks ago for $20 (it was missing The Spy Who Love Me though). Never seen any of the movies beforehand and I'm slowly working my way through the series. I've watched all of them up to Diamonds are Forever, and so far, Dr. No is my favorite.

 

Where did you manage to get it for $20? even second-hand I have never seen it go for that low and even the old DVD boxsets from 2002 and 2006 still manage to go for close to $100 on eBay here.

 

It was during a Half Price Books sale where your highest priced item was 50% off. The normal price was $40, but they had a complete copy for $90. Weird how one missing disc made such a huge price difference!

 

Yeah, I guess a missing disc is going to drop the price quite a bit.

 

You can also buy the Spy.... separate and slip into vacant allotted space.

 

......and Jill St. John and Lana Wood and Rosamund Pike and Eva Green and Gemma Arterton and Lea Seydoux and.........

 

Well they're all pretty stunning!!! I'd put Eva Green or Rosamund Pike up there with the best of them. Lea Seydoux doesn't stand out personality wise and isn't given much to do as a bond girl. She is edging into the too perfect category. There's something about the best bond girls that makes them dangerous, impossible, and flawed. The bond villainess are sometimes more alluring than the leading lady a la lucianna paoluzzi in Thunderball and of course Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never.