The definitive James Bond film ?

Objectively the answer is Goldfinger, I think its the one that most people tend to think of when they think about the cinematic Bond film and its the most iconic film in the series as well. A lot of the films that followed in the series tried to re-capture the essence that Goldfinger had.

 

Never Say Never Again.
Even with plucked eyebrows. That darn hairpiece was noticeable.

 

Then he reappeared in his early 50's aside/astride Barbera Carrera!

 

In Diamonds? its pretty noticeable in that one and looks nothing like the ones he was wearing from FRWL through YOLT.

 

Although I like the the humorous lines and Connery’s delivery of them, Craig was a more realistic looking spy.
In fact, he looked to me like he could even be a double-agent, which is also a reality in the wonderful world of espionage.

 

I don't argue with Casino Royale being a good action movie, but it is the worst
James Bond film ever made. In subtext and meaning it betrays the entire Bond
universe. It ridicules the concept, belittles the character, and takes the position
of insulting the audience for being too stupid to realize how Ian Fleming's intent
is being subverted. The film is really a glorification of his mother, M. In the film
M's mother follows him around the globe lecturing him on how to be a better
man and excoriating him for doing stupid things. How does anyone sit through
this crap? To me Daniel Clueless is eternally and perpetually unacceptable as
James Bond. He's NOT playing Bond. He has no idea who Bond is. He's playing
some other character, newly written, using the same name. Craig is NOT Bond.
He's playing his mother.

 

Goldfinger is by far my favorite entry in the series, as well as it's theme song...hands down.
Not only is the arrangement is top-notch, but Bassey had the perfect tone and enunciation for it.
My only pet peeve is a minor one, and that is I think she went just a smattering of a tad overboard on the vibrato throughout the song, instead of leaving me wanting more, which would have made her performance a 10+ instead of 10.
I know I’ll catch hell for that comment, but it’s only my opinion.
YMMV.

My favorite Moore contribution is A View To A Kill.

 

I've read all of Fleming's books and couldn't disagree with you more. Had this been a review of Moonraker, I might be inclined to agree (it's a guilty pleasure, I'll admit) but Casino Royale?

Explain this further, please.

 

Goldfinger gets my vote for the definitive Bond film, it set the template that all future Band films have followed.
I don't think it is the best though, that is either Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me or GoldenEye, depending on my mood.

 

It‘s got the glamour that FRWL didn’t have. Goldfinger has to be the big box office hit in 1964.

 

Too much Judy Dench /M, if you ask me.

 

When I heard M. would be changed to a woman and that Judy Dench was
going to play her, I thought they'd made exactly the right decision. I thought
the Bond films would finally take a soulful bounding leap into the modern
world. But I could not have been more disappointed. EON took the low road,
turning her into a scold and a nag, and turning every scene into an equation
of making the male stupid in contrast to the smarter female. The female M
becomes more extreme and shrill in each film, eventually popping up all
over the world to make sure Bond does his job in the field, never letting him
forget that he's just the hired help. When they get to Vesper, same thing.

By the time they get to Skyfall, Bond is completely useless. His fistfights go on
forever, but he never wins. He is supposed to protect M, but she is left to face
her murderer alone while Bond fights uselessly outside in the lake. He keeps
dropping his gun; it falls off the train, into the mouth of a komodo dragon, into
the lake. The most painful scene I ever witnessed in a Bond film is when he
fails to protect Severine. She is tied to the post, the villain invites Bond to a
target practice. She has looked to Bond to save her, but he doesn't call in the
helicopter until after the villain shoots her while Bond stands by watching. In
Skyfall Bond fails at everything. When it all comes out right in the end, it's not
because of anything he did. This is a sickening perversion of the James Bond
concept. I think poorly of Dench and Clueless for lending themselves to Barbara
Broccoli's agenda. Some actors -- like Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes -- stick
up for the author and demand fidelity to the spirit and intent of the writing.
Dench and Clueless just throw it under the bus.

 

Going to see a Bond film was usually a joyous thing. Now it’s a endurance test. Hopefully the next Bond actor /script will be less PC .

 

An exec at Lowry Video showed me the 4K restoration for Diamonds Are Forever about 15 years ago, and I laughed out loud seeing the toupee webbing at the edge of Connery's head. There is such a thing as an image that's "too sharp."

Note that Roger Moore was older than Connery when he was hired for the Bond series, and was 57 at the time they shot View to a Kill in 1985.

 

True and his birthdate was earlier too so no other eventuality was possible but I get the gist of what you are trying to say.

 

OHMSS opening scene “this never happened to the other fellow “ looked like a 1969 tv commercial. Ironic as Lazenby was spotted doing a similar earlier type scene for Big Fry tv commercial.

Aside..almost in DAF, he had the script

 

From Russia With Love

 

I believe that is the same restorations they are using for current Blu-Ray reissues of the films. There is a mini documentary on the Dr.No about the restoraiton process for the earlier films. Blu-Ray wasn't good in some ways for those earlier films.

Amazing that 45-year-old Roger Moore looked way better in 1973 than 41-year-old Connery did in 1971.

 

Heck Roger Moore looked better in 1973, than he did 10 years earlier.

 

There are two definitive Bond films. Dr. No and From Russia With Love
are different kinds of films, but so are the novels on which they're based.

 

Didn't they delay offering him the Bond role due to his very youthful "Babyface" look for his age?

 

Strange they haven’t filmed Colonel Sun( Kingsley Amis 1968)least used the title.

 

I don't think they would use any of the non-Fleming titles or stories.

 

He was told to loose weight and droopy quiff from the persuaders ..hair cut.. also ..not raise his eyebrow(.ala The Saint).

 

Sun? Will they used a bit of the story for something.