The James Bond Film Discussion Thread (With Bonus Lazenby!)

[Starkers]

I think that's a good point about the extra years making Brosnan a better Bond, you're right, he was far more comfortable in 95 than he would have been in 87. I think you have to factor in Cassandra Harris' illness and death around this time, how that might have factored into his tenure because it would have happened smack dab in the middle of it. Her death affected him a lot and he may even have had to step back from the franchise (I know he was continuing to work but Bond is a whole other level of commitment to the kinds of films he was making at the time.)

It's even possible he does The Living Daylights then has to resign, Dalton may still have ended up Bond in the follow up, the question then is whether Tim sticks around during the gap years or not, if he doesn't you have a nightmare scenario of two one off Bonds, likely putting even more pressure on Goldeneye and whoever the new guy was (And I think Fiennes would have been superb)

Re Dench I think timing would have been everything. I don't know if Brown retired around that time anyway, or whether the lack of a Bond film on the horizon prompted his retirement. If there had been a film circa 1991 and Brown wasn't available, they may have hired a new male M, so even with Rimmington's arrival shortly after they might decide to keep faith with that actor (for the sake of argument and with a nice pivot from Dench, let's say Geoffrey Palmer) rather than change again. I still think we'd have got our female M, but it might not have been till the 2000s and I suppose it may not have been Dench.

Re the future Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are supposed to be getting an award on November 17 and there's rumours there'll be an announcement then. This might just be wishful thinking of course.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I'm not really good at hypotheticals, so, I'll let someone else speculate on what happens - but I'm going to throw this out there.

Let's say EON/MGM decide to move 'License to Kill' from its July release date to later in the year, say the Fall?

I've looked at the various movies released in Fall 1989 and late October-early November seems to be a good spot for it. October 20th saw the release of 'Look Who's Talking'. The next major release is Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' on November 17th and 'Back To The Future, Part II' on November 22nd. That's three weeks, or so, where there's no major competition.

So, the movie gets released on October 27th and is Number One for three weeks before 'The Little Mermaid' knocks it out of the top spot. 'Back To The Future, Part II' adds another dent, however, the movie stays in the top ten for the rest of the year and earns moderately more than had it been released in July.

Now, EON/MGM have to decide. The thirtieth anniversary is approaching, and do they want to capitalize on that; and, if so, how? Does Albert Broccoli want to produce one more film before handing off the reigns to his daughter, Barbara? Does John Glen want to come back as director for the anniversary? Dalton is contracted for three films. Do they bring him back to fulfill the contract, then recast after that with Brosnan? What kind of Bond film would it have been? Would it have continued in the same hard edge as 'License to Kill,' or would they have tried for a spectacle, like 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' or 'Moonraker' and brought back some familiar elements.

 

[Captaindemotion]

There was supposedly a treatment/plot for a 3rd Dalton Bond film https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/james-bond-timothy-dalton-third-movie/

 

[Starkers]

It is interesting how many things talked about for that film wound up in Brosnan's films.

In a way I'm kinda glad it didn't happen. I always think the robot stuff sounds like it could have been terrible and really dated the film.

 

[Tallguy]

It is interesting how many things talked about for that film wound up in Brosnan's films.

In a way I'm kinda glad it didn't happen. I always think the robot stuff sounds like it could have been terrible and really dated the film.

Oh, come now. Rocky IV is a timeless classic!

Sorry, with all the "what could have been" talk I'm still a bit stuck on how terrible Caroline Bliss' Moneypenny is in Living Daylights (she's sliiiightly better in License to Kill) vs. how amazing Samantha Bond was.

Something that gave Brosnan a leg up in Goldeneye are the MI:6 scenes. He's terrific with everybody and they're terrific with him.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Edward Berger is denying any involvement with the next Bond film

Edward Berger gives license to kill rumors he's directing next Bond film

All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger is denying he is involved with the next James Bond picture.

www.joblo.com

 

[The Realist]

Sorry, with all the "what could have been" talk I'm still a bit stuck on how terrible Caroline Bliss' Moneypenny is in Living Daylights (she's sliiiightly better in License to Kill) vs. how amazing Samantha Bond was.

I liked Bliss a lot in TLD. Minority opinion, probably.

 

[Tallguy]

Minority opinion, probably.

Good question. Not my opinion, but now I'm curious.

 

[cardinal biggles]

I'm also curious; other than her being younger than Lois Maxwell, what makes her performance stand out to you? (I wonder if Dalton having to flirt with an actress 20 years his senior would have triggered Sextette flashbacks? )

I didn't think Bliss' performance was that good in either film. It wasn't necessarily bad, either, it was just there. For me, part of what was lacking was any chemistry between her and Dalton. Connery and Moore had it with Lois Maxwell, and Brosnan definitely had it with Samantha Bond, but for these two films it just wasn't there.

 

[The Realist]

Honestly? I could probably come up with something more high-minded than this, but I think it's largely because 1987 me found her sexy, and that positive reaction remains baked in (like my love for TLD, my favorite Bond film, in general).

 

[cardinal biggles]

The Living Daylights definitely has a lot to recommend it, including a good intro for Dalton, good performances from Maryam d'Abo and John Rhys-Davies, and an absolute scene-stealer from Jeroen Krabbé. The songs and John Berry's score are excellent, and I love the whole chase sequence involving the Aston Martin. But the Afghanistan section of the film has aged like a fine bottle of milk left in a hot car for a week, given what some of the Mujahideen would go on to become (hindsight is 20/20).

 

[Starkers]

Bliss wasn't very good, but it's hardly her fault. Horribly miscast. Too generically pretty and at 26 way too young. Every other Moneypenny has been in her mid thirties at least in her first appearance. Hell, Maxwell was several years older than Connery, around twelve years older than Lazenby and even older than Moore by a few months. Even setting aside Bliss' woodenness she's just way to young to be executive assistant to the head of MI6.

I don't think TLD has aged that badly. The Mujahideen aren't necessarily portrayed as noble white hats, after all they're involved in a major drug smuggling operation. They help Bond but there's a degree of self interest there, and it's obviously relevant that Kamran Shah is English educated. I think Rambo has aged worse.

The only weak link in TLD is Whittaker (Joe Don Baker is much better as Jack Wade and I wish they'd bought him back for DAD) and Koskov and Necros make up for any shortcomings in the villain department (and the film does give us the best fight not to feature Bond in the whole damn franchise--in fact let's be honest one of the best fights full stop)

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

The film does give us the best fight not to feature Bond in the whole damn franchise--in fact let's be honest one of the best fights full stop)

Ah, yes......the kitchen incident. The good agent just may just have survived that with his skin-teeth. It's slightly similar to that security guard fight with William Windom in DOOMSDAY MACHINE in that TV show whose title keeps escaping me.

I would also claim that Necros kitchen fight was a major inspiration for Spoon's final fight in DOG SOLDIERS.

 

[cooleddie74]

The song Necros is listening to just slaps. One of the best pop tunes ever inserted into a Bond film.

 

[cardinal biggles]

The love theme that The Pretenders did for TLD is damn good, too.

@Starkers you're correct in pointing out the shades of grey involved with TLD's depiction of the mujahideen. Nowhere close to as cringe-worthy as Rambo III.

And the expression on Koskov's face when he finds out he's going back to Moscow via the diplomatic bag is *chef's kiss*

 

[cooleddie74]

John Rhys-Davies kills it in almost any role. He's probably THE most British Soviet official in the franchise but I can totally buy he's General Gogol's successor as head of the KGB.

 

[Starkers]

Koskov got me thinking, how many Bond villains/henchpersons survive their brush with Bond? Various Blofelds obviously, Jaws, Nick Nack, Mr White and Koskov...and possibly there's Baron Samedi, but he's a special case.

I can't think of any others off the top of my head?

 

[Starkers]

Adding Bambie and Thumper to the list!

 

[cooleddie74]

Irma Bunt. The actress herself died before Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 but it's darkly ironic that the person who actually pulled the trigger and killed Tracy Bond survived her film and then vanished into the ether of the canon, never again to be seen or even mentioned.

 

[Starkers]

Good catch!