Top 5 best-looking Bond films...

What Bond films look the best?

1. Dr. No
2. From Russia With Love
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Thunderball
5. The Spy Who Loved Me

In no particular order

FRWL
Spy
MR
CR
OHMSS

1. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Freddie Young OBE, BSC)
2. MOONRAKER (Jean Tournier)
3. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (Michael Reed BSC)
4. GOLDFINGER (Ted Moore BSC)
5. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (Ted Moore BSC & Oswald Morris OBE, DFC, AFC, BSC)

Runners up: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (Ted Moore BSC), OCTOPUSSY (Alan Hume BSC), GOLDENEYE (Phil Meheux BSC), QUANTUM OF SOLACE (Roberto Schaefer ASC).

1. Moonraker - The dreamiest Bond escapade with some of the most gorgeous locations and spectacular sets courtesy of Ken Adam. The French influence (Tournier's lensing and the interiors) is felt strongly, even though the film doesn't "take place" in France. Overall, MR is the finest eye-candy of the Bond canon.

2. You Only Live Twice - Yes, it's got eye-popping locations and cinematography as well, but I have to mention that part of YOLT's beauty is that it's the best-sounding Bond film too. EON today could sure use a Lewis Gilbert or Freddie Young (not to mention a John Barry).

3. Casino Royale - After the relatively cold-looking Brosnan-era, CR harkens back to the Connery era of sea, sun and sand. It looks too saturated and travelogue-ish at times, but one can't deny how fantastic Lake Como and Karlovy Vary look in the film.

4. Thunderball - The most recent Bond film I've seen, so the beauty of the Bahamas and TB's bevy of Bond girls are still fresh in my mind. I've come to admire the underwater sequences even more nowadays.

5. From Russia with Love - I just can't get enough of old Istanbul... and Tanya.

Dr. No, OHMSS, Spy, and QOS are also right up there as some of the best-looking Bond films.

QOS looks good when the camera actually pauses more than a nanosecond, and when it is not focused on poverty and squallor. Alas, this is all too rare.

Ed Tom Kowalsky wrote:

QOS looks good when the camera actually pauses more than a nanosecond, and when it is not focused on poverty and squallor. Alas, this is all too rare.

Even when it's lensing poverty and squalor, it still looks damn good. Alas, that smug 'tastefulness' is probably more of a by-product of its liberal sanctimony.

Quote :

3. Casino Royale - After the relatively cold-looking Brosnan-era, CR harkens back to the Connery era of sea, sun and sand. It looks too saturated and travelogue-ish at times, but one can't deny how fantastic Lake Como and Karlovy Vary look in the film.

I like the exterior shots of Karlovy Vary and all that, but I'm not big on the digitally-graded studio stuff inside the hotel and casino, with the sepia overload. Miami/Prague escapade could've a looked a whole lot better, I'll say that.

Also, am I alone in finding the sinking house sequence under-lit?

Sharky wrote:

Quote :

3. Casino Royale - After the relatively cold-looking Brosnan-era, CR harkens back to the Connery era of sea, sun and sand. It looks too saturated and travelogue-ish at times, but one can't deny how fantastic Lake Como and Karlovy Vary look in the film.

I like the exterior shots of Karlovy Vary and all that, but I'm not big on the digitally-graded studio stuff inside the hotel and casino, with the sepia overload. Miami/Prague escapade could've a looked a whole lot better, I'll say that.

Also, am I alone in finding the sinking house sequence under-lit?

Yes, in terms of grading, tone and light, CR is a mixed bag even to my untrained eye. I thought the sinking house was lit alright though, both at the cinema and in DVD viewings.

In any particular order:

OHMSS
YOLT
QOS
DN
TB

Runners up:
FRWL
TND
TWINE
MR
DAF

OHMSS - Beautifully evoked sense of time and place throughout, as well as gorgeous Swiss Alps.

TB - The first really big-looking Bond film, beautiful Miami vistas, nice use of colour throughout.

MR - Very big sense of globetrotting travelogue, very welcome French involvement. How "Bond as spectacle" should look.

YOLT - Okay, I'll base this mainly just on the rural Japan stuff in the second half, but that stuff is beautiful despite my utter hatred of most of this film.

FYEO - Controversial call perhaps, as the cinematography's hardly the stuff of legend, but the locations just do it for me. The cliff face location was unique in a Bond film, as was the chase down winding country roads, Cortina is beautiful, snowy vistas always look nice (unless directed by Michael Apted) plus there's beaches, seascapes and even good old Blighty gets a look in during the PTS. Very easy on the eye Bond film for me.


Honourable mentions: FRWL, DN, some of TSWLM, some of OP, bits of CR.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Along with QoS, this film has the most "creative" and interesting look to it. I love it when Bond throws the knife at Draco's calender, which prompts the camera to go out of focus. As Draco lowers his glasses and examines the calendar, it returns to focus. It's little details like that which make OHMSS such a visual treat to experience.

Quantum of Solace - Sleek, clean, and just plain cool. The film oozes visual style, which is something that Bond movies have been missing for so long. It's big and bold when it needs to be, but also offers enough dreary and gritty images when appropriate. The handheld work is also well done. The problem with QoS visually is not how it looks, but rather how over-edited it is.

You Only Live Twice - A lot of fun to look at, mostly due to it's grandiose nature. Very effective photography. The helicopter shot as Bond fights the baddies on the roof is one of my favorite moments in the series.

Dr. No - Nearly 50 years later, and it still looks modern and impressive. The exterior shots of Crab Key get me every time.

Goldeneye - The visual work here is quite restrained, so much so that sometimes the films visuals can be taken for granted. Yet, it perfectly conveys that cold, lifeless, "cold war" style.

Honorable mention goes to TSWLM.

Not a bad call on FYEO, Lazenby. I've always thought Cortina a terribly underrated locale. Actually wish a bit more of the film had been situated there.

OHMSS
YOLT
TB
DN
FRWL

Runners-up: QOS and MR

In no particular order on looks alone and nothing else:

001) YOLT
002) TB
003) MR
004) CR
005) GE

Sharky wrote:

Also, am I alone in finding the sinking house sequence under-lit?

Nope. But maybe it just looks dark to me because when my eyelids droop, they let in very little light. =p

My list, not in any order:



YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Some bad special effects don't ruin the fantastic photography and sets.




ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

dr. strangelove wrote:

It's little details... which make OHMSS such a visual treat to experience.

This. It's also very evocative.




MOONRAKER
Nothing need be said... besides 'beautiful all the time, in every way, no matter what'. Which is also something I chant to myself every morning.




GOLDENEYE
It's all in the lighting. Oh and the camera work in the action scenes is great.




QUANTUM OF SOLACE

dr. strangelove wrote:

Sleek, clean, and just plain cool.

After Skyfall, one may want to change their preferences...

In no particular order

YOLT
SF
OHMSS
QOS
DN

I'd think SF would make any rational Bond fan's top five in this category.

Absolutely, Khanners. Bond in the vertigo-inducing swimming pool, everything that goes on in the skyscraper, the aerial shot of Macau, Bond's approach to the casino on the boat, Bond and M's journey to Skyfall, the Scottish moors lit up by Skyfall in flames ... it's all utterly stunning. :)

YOLT
SF
MR
OHMSS
TMWTGG

Controversial perhaps, but I love the look of GUN. The legendary Oswald Morris's presence can be surely felt.

Least-favourite looking Bonds:

CR
LTK
TND
TSWLM
FYEO

In order of release:

TB, YOLT, OHMSS, QOS, SF.

Interestingly, seems there's a big gap between the 60's films and the recent ones.

No order:
LALD, YOLT, OHMSS, FRWL, GF

DN narrowly misses, but you can see the trend for me is that I prefer flat to scope for 007. The first three are really the best.

TB needs the widest screen possible. When they went scope they went WIDE!!!!!

Thunderball
Moonraker
Skyfall
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Lush is the word here....

TB
YOLT
OHMSS
DAF
TSWLM

Many looked great, but these sparkled IMO.

Moonraker and You Only Live Twice.

The model work in YOLT is shit - I made better-looking Airfix kits when I was 10.

Moonraker is good, though. Some of the shuttle takeoffs are excellent, and the scene where Drax's dog severs Corinne's jugular is terrifying, though that's only in the Japanese edit, of course. Blood all over the shop. (Goes for big money on eBay.)

The five best-looking Bond films?
1,2 and 3. The Terence Young stuff. He could make a lot out of very little.
4. Skyfall
5. Dunno - maybe Goldfinger? Most of the Bond films looked a bit impoverished after the 1960s ended.

Erica Ambler wrote:

The model work in YOLT is shit - I made better-looking Airfix kits when I was 10.

Think Santa's means Freddie Young's cinematography.