Moonraker: Your 3 Favourite Scenes

No end credits answers please…

1. Centifruge
Awesome scene. One of Moore's finest and a scene where we seem him possibly at his most vulnerable. Love the moment he takes out Goodhead's hand and tries to walk on his own.

2. Corrine's death
Brutal and haunting and beautifully shot.

3. Bond discovers Drax's Lair
Love the intrigue in this. Bond walking in a tropical location spots a girl and follows her. Then another one, etc. And the music and photography is great!

Honourable Mentions: PTS (despite Jaws trying to fly), Jaws in the alley way (the only time Jaws reaches the scary figure of TSWLM - it's great imagery too!) and any scene with Drax.

Space sex.

With Moonraker it always seems a case of contrasts to the more frivolous tone, so Corrine's death is particularly surprising and effective, as to is the scene in the lab where Bond watches the scientists die.....as a third choice for me its probably a case of representing the wonderful cinematography ie the approach to Drax's mansion or the superlative model work of Meddings with the Space Shuttle launches.

Centrifugue

as FM's reasoning.

Corinne's Death
Always chilling and Barry's music seals the deal

No.3 is a toss-up between the flight into space and Drax's death.

Then again Bond watching the scientists die has something going for it and even Bond and Goodhead in her hotel room. Though the latter probably slips on the cusp of a top

1. The Double-Taking Pigeon
Perhaps the greatest performance ever in a Bond movie. Why that pigeon didn't take home an Oscar is beyond me but alas some people can't spot talent when they see it.

2. Drax takes a step for mankind
Pretty good send-off for a classic villain who had some great lines.

3. The Pre-Titles Sequence
Classic Bond charm with some humor and action thrown in.

Honorable mention to Bond shooting the assassin in the tree during the hunt with Drax.

Strangways&Quarrel wrote:

1. The Double-Taking Pigeon
Perhaps the greatest performance ever in a Bond movie. Why that pigeon didn't take home an Oscar is beyond me but alas some people can't spot talent when they see it.

2. Drax takes a step for mankind
Pretty good send-off for a classic villain who had some great lines.

3. The Pre-Titles Sequence
Classic Bond charm with some humor and action thrown in.

Honorable mention to Bond shooting the assassin in the tree during the hunt with Drax.

Actually I'm going with your honourable for my no. 3. Great scene, and IIRC, the only time we see Bond shoot a proper gun in the film.

I believe you're right ... any other time it's the wrist dart-gun or a, erm, laser pistol.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

I believe you're right ... any other time it's the wrist dart-gun or a, erm, laser pistol.

Yep… The poor Walther doesn't get used at all…

Just gave Moonraker another watch as i haven't seen it in a couple of years but i have to say i really enjoyed it right up to arriving at Drax city in space, and then it goes quickly downhill.
My three fave scenes as follows...
1.Bonds discovery of Draxs hideaway, Barrys music lends a lot to this scene as he follows the femme fatale through the forestry where Drax is growing the black orchids, if you have heard "the girl with the sun in her hair" you will recognise the occasional nod to that tune.

2. The finale to the cable car scene as it crashes through the passenger loading bay, was this done with miniatures?...it doesn't look like it is so i hope they got it in one take!

3. Centrifuge, Wow what a heartpounding  scene this is, a genuine sense of dread as the speed dial is cranked slowly up and up. How did they get Rogers face to distort like that? he looked genuinely shaken when he exited the centrifuge and couldn't walk.

honourable mention.... when Bond walks into Moneypennys office and she says "your late" Bond replies "i fell out of a plane without a parachute" (pause)......you don't believe me do you?. nice moment which occurs again later into the film " i was on top of a cablecar when" , Bond senses that Moneypenny isn't having it and leaves

Not a bad selection. MR succeeds because it never demands its audience to take it seriously. I can't agree it goes quickly downhill in space, because Ken Adam's fantastic set design, Barry's majestic score and the exceptional model and practical effects work really cap off a film that's already quite bonkers.

Whether Bond should ever be in space is up for debate. But where it probably wouldn't have worked in YOLT (and it looks like it nearly occurred then!) it seems perfectly natural for him here to take a giant leap for the MI6kind.

Also, I have to say the Moneypenny scenes in TSWLM and MR are perhaps the flattest in the series.

It was riding on the coat tails of star wars and as far as the space scenes go what SW did so well MR did terribly. Sci-fi and Bond are not good bedfellows i'm afraid

silvertoe wrote:

1.Bonds discovery of Draxs hideaway, Barrys music lends a lot to this scene as he follows the femme fatale through the forestry where Drax is growing the black orchids, if you have heard "the girl with the sun in her hair" you will recognise the occasional nod to that tune.

I have heard that other Barry cue many times but never noted the similarity!

That scene is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, in all Bond. Hylas and the Nymphs. It's beautiful.

Quote :

3. Centrifuge, Wow what a heartpounding  scene this is, a genuine sense of dread as the speed dial is cranked slowly up and up. How did they get Rogers face to distort like that? he looked genuinely shaken when he exited the centrifuge and couldn't walk.

A great moment from Rog acting wise and also proved his Bond was the only truly unflappable Bond (even Connery is shown to panic in the spine stretcher scene during TB).

Bond arrives in Rio. I'd just been there two years earlier and the view of Copacabana is like a home movie for me.

The Tiperape boat chase. The Glastron Scimitar immediately became my second-favorite boat alongside the GT 150.

The Space marines and Draxites deploying towards each other outside the satellite. That was a gobsmack moment similar to the Disco Volante jettisoning its cocoon, or that first pan down into the rocket-base crater in YOLT.

Somerset wrote:

silvertoe wrote:

1.Bonds discovery of Draxs hideaway, Barrys music lends a lot to this scene as he follows the femme fatale through the forestry where Drax is growing the black orchids, if you have heard "the girl with the sun in her hair" you will recognise the occasional nod to that tune.

I have heard that other Barry cue many times but never noted the similarity!

That scene is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, in all Bond. Hylas and the Nymphs. It's beautiful.

One of the highlights of the film, for sure!

Somerset wrote:

Quote :

3. Centrifuge, Wow what a heartpounding  scene this is, a genuine sense of dread as the speed dial is cranked slowly up and up. How did they get Rogers face to distort like that? he looked genuinely shaken when he exited the centrifuge and couldn't walk.

A great moment from Rog acting wise and also proved his Bond was the only truly unflappable Bond (even Connery is shown to panic in the spine stretcher scene during TB).

Hard to fathom it's in the same film as Jaws falling in love!

AMC wrote:

Bond arrives in Rio. I'd just been there two years earlier and the view of Copacabana is like a home movie for me.

The Tiperape boat chase. The Glastron Scimitar immediately became my second-favorite boat alongside the GT 150.

The Space marines and Draxites deploying towards each other outside the satellite. That was a gobsmack moment similar to the Disco Volante jettisoning its cocoon, or that first pan down into the rocket-base crater in YOLT.

Interesting choices, AMC. I do think the Amazonian boat chase is underrated. Love the return of the 007 theme, too.

Bond falls out of a plane without a parachute
Bond tells Moneypenny he fell out of a plane without a parachute
Bond meets Drax