Main Title Sequences

Realized that while the pre-titles have been recently covered, there has yet to be a thread dedicated to the main titles. Until now.

The players: Maurice Binder, Robert Brownjohn, Daniel Kleinman and MK12.

What ranks up as your favorite? Least favorite? Why? What song do you think compliments the title visuals or vice versa? Will Thomas Newman contribute to the music for the sequence or will it be primarily he singer and her producer again?

The best:
A tie between Goldfinger (Robert Brownjohn) and Casino Royale (Daniel Kleinman).

GF- Having visuals projected onto a woman's body painted in gold is just brilliant, even a gag like the golf ball down her cleavage and the golden fire. It's a shame Brownjohn's Bond work was short lived.

CR - The most refreshing title sequence in a long time. Great visuals based on the original hard cover novel. If Kleinman does return, I hope we can get a sequence with the same quality.

Honorable mentions:
From Russia with Love (Brownjohn) - I dig the organ and the gipsy dancer's body having the names projected (especially Ted Moore's on her ass)
The Spy Who Loved Me (Binder) - Probably the last "great" Binder sequence.
For Your Eyes Only (Binder) - I'm fond of this one, because I like the tune and thought it was nifty to bring in Sheena Easton perform on the title.
GoldenEye (Kleinman) - Hell of a debut for Kleinman who goes with Binder's approach but adds foreshadowing symbols concerning the plot like Janus and the fall of the Soviets.


I was considering On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but for the most part I find it pretty dman lazy resorting to showing clips from previous Bond films, which is a shame because the music by John Barry is fantastic.

I love TB, YOLT, LALD, AVTAK and GE, but CR's take the prize. They'll be tough to top.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Robert Brownjohn should have stayed.

I'm torn between Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, but plumbed for the latter on balance.

Top 5

1. YOLT
2. TB
3. GE
4. FRWL
5. LALD

Thoroughly enjoyed Brownjohns work. Though ultimately preferred Kleinmann's use of subtext/textual thematics.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

You can't beat titles projected on dancing women. Barry's theme also made the sequence fantastic.

Other favorites: GF, AVTAK, TSWLM, OHMSS, DAF, DN

001) OHMSS
002) YOLT
003) TB
004) GE
005) CR'06

GE - The opening is bloody great, and the moment that gets me every time is just before and including "see them move, through smoke and mirrors" with the gun shot, and the colour rush through the girls.

Other favourites:

DN
YOLT
FRWL
TB
LALD
AVTAK
TND
TWINE
DAD
CR

I actually think the titles for OHMSS is the worst thing about that film. And Spy's doesn't do much for me either.

Some of the best include GoldenEye, Casino Royale, A View to a Kill, From Russia witb Love, Diamonds Are Forever, The World is not Enough, Live and Let Die, and The Living Daylights.

GoldenEye MIGHT be the best, but since TB's is the most iconic, I voted for that one. It was good enough for Weird Al to parody, too.

L&LD is probably one of the most stylish. OHMSS is ruined by the jittery mattework around the girls' crotches at the end of the sequence.

SPY is the best parody of a Bond title (if I'd ever finished my second Bond parody, Moonriver, it would have provided serious competition -- I had a whole array of Barbies painted black and shot against a frosted glass that I could change color on.)

FRWL due to its simplicity, elegance, style, pacing, score, and erotic quality. It's a truly Fleming-style title sequence.

OHMSS nearly got my vote as it is the only one to be actually thematic. Took me a long while ot get it, because I always thought the reprisal of the previous 5 was a silly gimmick-but instead it is a dramatic visual representation of Bond's past beginning to weigh heavily on him as evidenced by his struggles while hanging onto the reversing arms of the clock.

Still love LALD's with the skull and flames. GF is so elegant, cheeky and brilliant. TB is classic and YOLT is wistful lava.

1. GoldenEye
2. Casino Royale
3. Octopussy
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7. Diamonds Are Forever
8. Die Another Day
9. The World Is Not Enough
10. Licence to Kill

Actually the title sequences have always been that one part which was always good in a Bond film. The rest of the movie might have been mediocre but at least the title sequence was good. My favourite is Daniel Kleinman though I do appreciate Maurice Binder and Robert Brownjohn for their pioneering work.

1. GoldenEye
2. Casino Royale
3. Octopussy
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7. Diamonds Are Forever
8. Die Another Day
9. The World Is Not Enough
10. Licence to Kill

Actually the title sequences have always been that one part which was always good in a Bond film. The rest of the movie might have been mediocre but at least the title sequence was good. My favourite is Daniel Kleinman though I do appreciate Maurice Binder and Robert Brownjohn for their pioneering work.

Vesper wrote:

Though ultimately preferred Kleinmann's use of subtext/textual thematics.

I feel the same way. And the way Kleinmann carried on the story of DIE ANOTHER DAY in the titles (on mute, of course) is one of the very few highlights of the film.

The early Binder stuff was good, but I felt he got a bit repetitive as the series went on.

The best title sequence is quite clearly GOLDFINGER.

Diamonds Are Forever: diamonds, nude women, white cat, Shirley Bassey.
Live and Let Die: torches, skulls, nude women, Wings.
TMWTGG: the Golden Gun, nude women - even Lulu is easy to take.
TSWLM: Maurice Binder peaks. See Steve Coogan's 'Never say Alan Again' for full description.
AVTAK: not necessarily good, but quintessentially 80s - dayglo, blacklight & Duran Duran.
GoldenEye: enter Danile Klienman, who uses scale & middle distance and advances the plot.
Die Another Day: Ditto
Casino Royale: Klienman dares to be different.

My personal favorite: DAF - the first time I ever realized that music coukld be sexy.

AMC Hornet wrote:

AVTAK: not necessarily good, but quintessentially 80s - dayglo, blacklight & Duran Duran.

Words o' wisdom.

It would be a lot easier for me to vote for my least favourite title sequence because there are just too many good ones. My favourites in chronological order are YOLT, DAF, LALD, TMWTGG, FYEO and OP.

So you're the other one.

Sorry I do not understand, the other what?

The other one besides myself who likes those titles (esp. DAF, LALD & TMWTGG).

Oh yes definately, I didn't even realise that those ones were unpopular.

Underrated, anyway. You and I are the first and only ones so far to mention DAF & TMWTGG.

Apart from the nude girls, TMWTGG's tiles don't deserve a mention, IMHO.

Geez, you're hard to please.

Anyway, JB and I feel that GG's titles do deserve a mention.

Our work here is done.