1989-2019- Thirty Years of Watching the Birdie, You Bastard

hegottheboot wrote:

I disagree. The way Bond still catches it out of the air and then with a glance has such inherent pain-then manages a moment of rueful charm mixed with aching sadness-the demons of his past surfacing as they will. Little touches like this are ones I love and things that would happen to people in real life. I like when the later novels find ways to do this while making it intrinsic to that particular story moment. Gardner could do it and then got to the point later on where it seemed virtually anything would evoke memories of Tracy.

The we have just the simple: "He was married once but it was a long time ago." Perfect and exactly what Felix would say in that situation. Then immediately over the threshold and BAM-right back into the narrative and a complete 180 to make the audience be less complacent. (When have we last had a plot in the series develop that fast!!!) Plus the reminder of OHMSS is helpful in setting up the tragedy of Felix's plight in LTK and underlines Bond's whole vendetta. I've always felt the film does the story a major disservice in not highlighting how 007 is personally motivated not only by friendship but by the connections to his own doomed bride and how it must reignite some of the old emotions post-OHMSS. I think Dalton at least must have picked up on that and it could be read into a few scenes maybe. Parts of LTK could thus resemble the DAF man out for revenge Laz film we never got.

SKOH does finally confirm what I always suspected; LTK is pretty much concept by Maibaum and Wilson, but written by Wilson solo due to the WGA strike. This is why the film doesn't hold up as well for me. (That and perhaps the choice of the costume designer from Miami Vice. Though Pam's purple long/short dress is my favorite costuming between the 60's and Elektra's final dress.) I think it's a marvel Wilson did so well and that the film turned out so good with all of the setbacks-but it crucially needed the typewriter of the series brain.

One can hardly confuse the allusions to Tracy from a visual medium to the written word, though HGTB. As for Dalton in LTK, I still think he could have remained a little more poker faced, and this could well and truly be an example of how BAB member lachesis (who I miss around these parts. Hope everything is well with him) considers John Glen's handling of drama to be less than.

I agree about the rest. Leiter's excellent reply, the plot beat, and Bond's motivation, which as you and Hilly say, is sure to be at the back of Dalton's mind. I agree that perhaps a little more should have been made of it, but fans know that it's definitely the reason why Bond's doing what he's doing. Was OHMSS rising in estimation amongst fans and the general movie-goer's perception in the '80s? Perhaps there was public chatter about Bond not getting the revenge mission in DAF which could have contributed to the inclusion of Felix's wedding day and bride.

Hilly wrote:

I often find myself (since the anniversary started for LTK) wishing I could ask Dalton so many questions. Many more than I ever got to ask Lazenby.

If only we could conduct our own interviews... Couldn't be too hard to set up...

Oh dear, that would quickly devolve into me going into total gushing mode.
Of course if Sean was always asked to say the immortal introduction, I'd be the guy asking Tim to say virtually anything from the films because the conviction level is such that it makes any hardcore fan swoon. Sean was asked I think during The Rock to say it once at a dinner to which he acquiesced. To Tim I'd eventually ask perhaps if he might let one "I work for the British Government" slip out etc.

I'd argue the OHMSS reevaluation didn't really get rolling until the rise of the Internet. No one knew Laz's name or the film's name just that it was the one weird darker one from the 60's. I once heard a dinner party in a restaurant musing on this topic as a kid on vacation once and they couldn't recall Lazenby's name and named every other actor. So I couldn't resist walking over and saying: pardon me, but you're talking about George Lazenby in OHMSS. They all suddenly go-THAT'S IT! THANK YOU...and all suddenly turn in puzzlement to me as I was only about 7 at the time.

hegottheboot wrote:

Oh dear, that would quickly devolve into me going into total gushing mode.
Of course if Sean was always asked to say the immortal introduction, I'd be the guy asking Tim to say virtually anything from the films because the conviction level is such that it makes any hardcore fan swoon. Sean was asked I think during The Rock to say it once at a dinner to which he acquiesced. To Tim I'd eventually ask perhaps if he might let one "I work for the British Government" slip out etc.

Hmm don't know what I'd ask Brosnan to say. I'd know better not to ask Connery.

hegottheboot wrote:

I'd argue the OHMSS reevaluation didn't really get rolling until the rise of the Internet. No one knew Laz's name or the film's name just that it was the one weird darker one from the 60's. I once heard a dinner party in a restaurant musing on this topic as a kid on vacation once and they couldn't recall Lazenby's name and named every other actor. So I couldn't resist walking over and saying: pardon me, but you're talking about George Lazenby in OHMSS. They all suddenly go-THAT'S IT! THANK YOU...and all suddenly turn in puzzlement to me as I was only about 7 at the time.

Brilliant.

Stop getting Bond wrong!

That's one erudite seven year-old Boots and well done for it!

I have shaken that man's hand. That's my claim to fame.

I'd ask Brosnan about DAD, the fallout. I'd ask Dalton how much of the Fleming Bond he took on, did he miss Bond after in the sense he never got to fill out his era...

I know what I would've asked Sir Roger had I ever met him.

Hilly wrote:

I know what I would've asked Sir Roger had I ever met him.

Which is?

Being the chap I was, I'd like to have known a bit more about his mate Kenneth More and their friendship. Not in a snoopy way but just what he was like. I was born three years after Kenny More died and yet I grew up with his films. Plus, I'd likely pepper with questions about Persuaders and Saint. As far as Bond went, maybe what he thought about Bibi in FYEO.

Good call on Bibi. One thing I'd love to get cleared up, whether it had been from Moore or (now more realistically) someone else, is if Robert Brown's M was intended to be the same character as Lee's, another character, or a promoted Hargreaves.

Good question. It never was made clear.

I always treat him as a separate M. If not Hargreaves promoted. There was a vague recognition between the two as apparently Bond served under him on Ark Royal (presents more questions, personally. Strictly speaking, if we go by the books, Bond is reserve -RNVR as it was in WWII, RNR now). I think Brown does enough between Octopussy and LTK to warrant his M being his own and not Messervy. To the point when Bond in GE mentions that "your predecessor..." (in reference to the cognac), I instantly think of Brown.

Similarly, I like to think of Brown as Hargreaves, or at the very least, different to Miles, but if there was anything thinking behind it from filmmakers it would be interesting to hear it.

No appropriate thread or worth it but when watching the MI/Bond mashup trailer thingy, I was reminded of something that sometimes come to mind. Just how known is Bond's naval past? In this I mean, whathisname from the DEA says in the hospital room: "Let it go, commander."

Now alright, his RNVR/RNR past is less secretive than his SIS one but surely it wasn't advertised when he went out to Leiter's wedding (after all, he was en route to the wedding before it all kicked off). Would Bond introduce himself as Commander Bond or is he that well known anyone would know? It's not the first time nor the last time.

Perhaps that it came up in conversation with people at the reception. Bond now works for Universal Exports but he served in the navy. Would kind of make more sense why a man in the imports/exports has such a thirst for adventure which incited his parachuting to a wedding.

Or maybe Leiter's friends were in Japan the day James Bond died, and saw his photograph in the papers.

Or the DEA ran a background check after Leiter's mauling, which is perfectly understandable.

Sound points, Fields. Standing back and looking, it is quite funny how a man is said to be from Universal Exports does all that he has done (in the name of that company). Not only jumping from a chopper but wielding a gun so well.

I think the DEA check would, er, check out. The various Bond's have all had the navy connection in some way but modulated over time (Moore's apparently serving in carriers)- it always fascinates me the naval past for Bond. In the books he'd have been in the Wavy Navy during the war of course when so many were in the RNVR during that war, most in the navy itself but some would have been special forces of course. Whereas the post-war Reserve Navy has a different purpose of course (one of our government ministers is RNR and could be called up at any time of course and even missed a vote once as she was on deployment). Without looking into it, the RNR hasn't got that large a presence in the regular service after the war.

I am tickled therefore that Moore's apparently served on the Ark Royal under Hargreaves (one assumes, the 1950s...perhaps), Craig was in the Falklands or maybe I misremembered that.

Anyway.

Craig-Bond served? Could have fooled me. Thought he graduated from school then got a job as a junior 00 agent at MI6 in 2006.

As far as I remember, Craig-Bond's history is meant to be military-to-SAS-to-MI6.

There we go, thanks Blunty- I clean forgot the details on him. Be a while before I revisit CR

Can you imagine the Craig characterization ever in the RN? Perhaps military prison for disobedience etc.

I think that'd be in line for Craig. His Bond likely would've been sent to the Falklands not to recuperate but as some sort of punishment -as much distance between himself and Portsmouth as possible. Or for punching the CO of the ship or something.

Or indeed punching the ship itself. Or running through its wall, leading to a sinking.

"I thought one less ship was a good thing".

in full Richard Attenborough mode, a la Jurassic Park, (as he watches Jeff Goldblum badger the CCTV): "I really do hate that man."

Wow...I never thought of Attenborough as a Bond villain. That could have been interesting! I've always pictured Hopkins or another renowned thespian tackling someone like Anton Murik from LICENCE RENEWED, but come to think of it Attenborough would have done well with that type of character.

Dickie as a villain would've been alright in the sixties when he did that sort of thing in roles. By the 90s he was mostly in director-mode. Spielberg was incredibly lucky to get him out of 'acting retirement' twice.

I share my review here:
https://boxd.it/zpoUR

All in all, LTK is among my favourites. TLD has better style and is perhaps closer to my favourite topics (Fleming inspired story, Cold War thing all around) but I very much prefer LTK's straightforwardness and action development. And Robert Davi is my favourite villain of the whole series. I mean, the one guy one would really be afraid to confront!

Very good write up! Succinct and very accurate in your appraisal. Must say I'm very surprised that you regard it as highly as you do. While I can't disagree with your assessment of Davi's Sanchez (he's certainly in my top 10), I wasn't expecting you to rank him as your favourite villain. I thought surely Alec would have been (but then you did manage a cheeky reference to 006 in your review anyway!)

Great poster to accompany the review, too.

Sanchez has an edge compared to Trevelyan. The whole Cossack thing doesn't help. Not massively, but it's there.