Favourite scene in SPECTRE

Even those who've rated it 3/10 must still have at least one favourite scene?

After a 3rd and final view for at least the next 2 weeks, my favourite has to be the torture scene. Getting a needle drilled through (his jaw?) and neck was awesome.

Both Mendes and Craig should have realised a scene like that would have Bond pissing his pants.

There's a few standout scenes… My absolute favourite would probably be Lucia arriving home from the funeral. Very moody!

Should we make this three favorite scenes, keeping up with FM's threads?

I'll offer three:

1. PTS - Simply fantastic. It's nice to see the Craig run go bigger with this. Easily the best part of the film and among the best in the whole series.

2. Bond's break in on the SPECTRE meeting. Great use of silence, Blofeld's introduction silencing everyone before he speaks, and Hinx's introduction as a worthy henchman.

3. Bond and Madeline's journey to Blofeld's base. The arrival of 1945 Silver Wraith is a nice touch of benign bizarre that make Bond films unique from other blockbusters.

Doesn't really matter… People seem to only offer 1 for some of the films!

If I were to do 3 for this:

1. Lucia arrives back from the funeral
Beautifully shot and lit, and the music is a nice touch. Seeing the assassins in the background adds a touch of danger. Very Bondian and moody.

2. The PTS
Craig's best PTS. The opening shot is great, a good helping of colour and culture, and the helicopter stunts are great. The music is good here too.

3. Bond vs Hinx
Brutal and Bond uses his wits a couple of times in this which I like. Helps secure Hinx as one of the best henchman!

Honourable mentions: MP's 3rd option and Bond seduces Lucia. Maybe even Bond's first scene with Madeleine.

bitchcraft wrote:

Even those who've rated it 3/10 must still have at least one favourite scene?

After a 3rd and final view for at least the next 2 weeks, my favourite has to be the torture scene. Getting a needle drilled through (his jaw?) and neck was awesome.

Both Mendes and Craig should have realised a scene like that would have Bond pissing his pants.

Interesting selection. Personally, I found this scene extremely difficult to watch, and far more disturbing than the ball bashing in CR. I don't mean that as criticism necessarily. Torture scenes SHOULD be hard to watch. But I wonder if this scene may be just a bit TOO grisly and grotesque for a Bond film. I've asked the same thing about the S&M sex scene with Onatopp and Farrell in GE, and Vesper's drowning in CR. These are the scenes that really would have stuck with me if I had seen them as a li'l shaver aged 4-8.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Bond and Madeline's journey to Blofeld's base. The arrival of 1945 Silver Wraith is a nice touch of benign bizarre that make Bond films unique from other blockbusters.

FieldsMan wrote:

Bond vs Hinx
Brutal and Bond uses his wits a couple of times in this which I like.

These two.

Not much else comes to mind immediately. Well, perhaps there's the arrival at Blofeld's house of love with Bond being greeted by whoever-the-fuck-that-was and handing his Walther over on a silver platter. Perfectly Benign Bizarre.

I'd have to go with the torture scene. I thought it was pretty great, I was genuinely squirming in my chair. I think it worked as a moment of characterisation as well - setting aside the Oberhauser shit - it showed us exactly how fucked up in the head Blofeld is in a way I think they rarely have with other villains, but that Fleming really excelled at.

I liked quite a lot of scenes actually, I think one of the strengths Mendes brings from the theatre is his ability to stage a scene. I liked the scene with the meteorite, with Blofeld in complete darkness. I liked the scenes in L'Americain, the scene with Belucci non-chalantly preparing for death, Bond in his flat.

FYI: We're using this as the 3 favourite scenes of SPECTRE for those who've returned to HQ. :)

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

1. The Train Fight
It was great seeing the return of an old staple. Hinx might have been in and out of the film a bit too fast but at least it was a satisfying last battle.

2. M's verbal spar with "cocky little" C
Ralph Fiennes was on top form for this film and it was especially gratifying to see him channel a bit of the classic M here. Andrew Scott was a bit too obvious but I guess one can't help it with his mannerisms.

3. The Pre-Titles Sequence
Had the right amount of spectacle and action.

Honorable mentions to Bond and Madeline being driven to Blofeld's lair in a Phantom III and Bond chasing after Hinx's convoy with a plane.

1. Bond meeting Madeleine in the clinic

2. Bond and Madeleine at L'Américain.

3. End credits

2 of dalton's picks there have some examples of Craig handling humour really rather well ... telling the barman at the clinic who serves him the 'health cocktail' to 'pour it down the toilet and cut out the middleman' and then shortly afterwards, the 'Stay!' to the clinic security henchman who moves to apprehend him.

And then at L'Americain as he stays awake (while sippin' on beers) watching over Madeleine, the 'Who sent you?' and 'Who are you working for?' to the intruding mouse are chucklesome. I like the sweeping shot of night-time Tangier that precedes it, too.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

2 of dalton's picks there have some examples of Craig handling humour really rather well ... telling the barman at the clinic who serves him the 'health cocktail' to 'pour it down the toilet and cut out the middleman' and then shortly afterwards, the 'Stay!' to the clinic security henchman who moves to apprehend him.

And then at L'Americain as he stays awake (while sippin' on beers) watching over Madeleine, the 'Who sent you?' and 'Who are you working for?' to the intruding mouse are chucklesome. I like the sweeping shot of night-time Tangier that precedes it, too.      

I liked the "stay" moment quite a bit. That was the one moment of attempted humor in the film that got a laugh out of me.

Pretty much the only thing in Spectre that worked for me was Lea Seydoux. Even though she's basically given a stock character to work with, her performance elevates it into something that, for me, carries the film. I love the moment in Tangier where she mimes shooting him through the curtains on the bed. Thought that was a great, albeit minor, moment in the film.

Those scenes at L'Americain feel so empty in my opinion. Nothing of note really happens aside from a contrived plot point.

FieldsMan wrote:

Those scenes at L'Americain feel so empty in my opinion. Nothing of note really happens aside from a contrived plot point.

True, but, at least for me, the whole plot is garbage, so all I'm left looking for are some decent moments between characters in order to get any enjoyment out of it.

People asked me why does the colour look so washed out in the pre-title and I don't know what to say. Maybe the $300m budget forgot about it?

The PTS. Love the tracking shot of Bond going to his vantage point and ths Bond theme blaring away.

bitchcraft wrote:

People asked me why does the colour look so washed out in the pre-title and I don't know what to say. Maybe the $300m budget forgot about it?

As much as I love the opening, I do wish that it wasn't graded with that yellow tinge.

Off the top of my head in no particular order

M versus C, towards the end -largely on the basis of Ralph Fiennes. "We all know what the C stands for." M's barely veiled contempt for this jumped up little shit.

The aforementioned PTS, probably Craig's best though I'm quite keen on Skyfall's.

The SPECTRE meeting, liked how it looked and Bond ghosting into it. Though the trailer sort of robbed Blofeld's presence (how it looked in silohuette), it still felt a good moment.

Yellow Pinky wrote:

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

The Blofeld reveal didn't bother you?

I like your first two choices, though.

Yellow Pinky wrote:

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

Or rather Amis-esque in this case. Overtly using continuation Bond material like this is a significant development for the film Bond and my favourite scene in the film, Blofeld reveal aside.

Secret Files wrote:

Yellow Pinky wrote:

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

Or rather Amis-esque in this case. Overtly using continuation Bond material like this is a significant development for the film Bond and my favourite scene in the film, Blofeld reveal aside.  

I haven't read any of the continuation novels... Which book is the torture scene lifted from?

The pts tracking shot is a wonderful mechanism for drawings the viewer in and really works well....but that aside I find the PTS a mess, disjointed and stupid in the way it pretty much makes Bond more of a danger to innocent lives than his enemies (even moreso when put in context of the pathetic 'message from the past' that got him there). The final shot of Mr Craig pre titles is uncomfortable to say the least. SF has a much more engaging and diverse pts imo.

FieldsMan wrote:

Secret Files wrote:

Yellow Pinky wrote:

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

Or rather Amis-esque in this case. Overtly using continuation Bond material like this is a significant development for the film Bond and my favourite scene in the film, Blofeld reveal aside.  

I haven't read any of the continuation novels... Which book is the torture scene lifted from?

Colonel Sun, although it's so good it feels like a Fleming novel (hence Yellow Pinky saying it felt Fleming-esque).

Walecs wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

Secret Files wrote:

Yellow Pinky wrote:

1) The PTS: I agree with everyone else that it's Craig's best to date.

2) Lucia arrives back home following the funeral. Moody and some great direction (or maybe misdirection on the Bond reveal).

3) The torture scene. It felt properly sinister and Fleming-esque.

Or rather Amis-esque in this case. Overtly using continuation Bond material like this is a significant development for the film Bond and my favourite scene in the film, Blofeld reveal aside.  

I haven't read any of the continuation novels... Which book is the torture scene lifted from?

Colonel Sun, although it's so good it feels like a Fleming novel (hence Yellow Pinky saying it felt Fleming-esque).

I'll have to get onto this continuation novels soon, methinks.

lachesis wrote:

The pts tracking shot is a wonderful mechanism for drawings the viewer in and really works well....but that aside I find the PTS a mess, disjointed and stupid in the way it pretty much makes Bond more of a danger to innocent lives than his enemies

But is it any different to the tank chase in GE?

I think you're right though in that SF's PTS is much more engaging. But I still think rather highly of the SP PTS, even if you have to suspend your disbelief a bit more. The flaws have become more apparent on repeated viewings. Still, better than what comes after it.