Need advice from other James Bond aficionados!

[Invictus Maneo]

Like many of us here I LOVE James Bond movies! A big reason I got into Rolex, is when I saw "Thunderball" as a kid! Had no idea what the watch was but I knew I wanted one and about 30 years later I got my 16610.
Over time I've acquired most of the movies. There are two that I don't have and I don't believe I've ever even seen them.
1. On Her Majestys Secret Service- with George Lazenby as Bond
2. The Living Daylights- with Timothy Dalton as Bond.

I know eventually I will need to get them to complete my collection but in the meantime I was looking for some feedback from you guys/gals about the movies? Are they must-have really good movies, so-so, bad, etc.?
Sean Connery will ALWAYS be my favorite Bond but I'm really , really liking what Daniel Craig is doing with the roll! Can't wait for November 2015 when SPECTRE is finally released !
In retrospect I'm regretting not just buying the box set years ago and avoiding this minor dilemma.
Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

[cop414]

Ken, I haven't seen either myself but I agree with the regret about not just purchasing the entire set.

[Old Expat Beast]

Ken, OHMSS is a lot of people's favourite Bond movie, and I would say definitely in the top five. Required viewing for any Bond fan!

[JohnAndrew]

Ken,
I'm also a huge Bond fan. On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby was my favorite Bond film until Craig did Casino Royale. And I really liked Sean Connery as Bond. For me, Lazenby was perfect, as Bond. He was rugged, very suave and his fight scenes were gritty, and realistic, kinda like Craig's. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was an excellent Bond film. It also, was the Bond film, where he fell in love and got married.
The Living Daylights is worth seeing, but is so, so.
I know I'm in the minority on Lazenby, but watch it and you'll be impressed.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Invictus Maneo

Like many of us here I LOVE James Bond movies! A big reason I got into Rolex, is when I saw "Thunderball" as a kid! Had no idea what the watch was but I knew I wanted one and about 30 years later I got my 16610.
Over time I've acquired most of the movies. There are two that I don't have and I don't believe I've ever even seen them.
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service- with George Lazenby as Bond
2. The Living Daylights- with Timothy Dalton as Bond.

I know eventually I will need to get them to complete my collection but in the meantime I was looking for some feedback from you guys/gals about the movies? Are they must-have really good movies, so-so, bad, etc.?
Sean Connery will ALWAYS be my favorite Bond but I'm really , really liking what Daniel Craig is doing with the roll! Can't wait for November 2015 when SPECTRE is finally released !
In retrospect I'm regretting not just buying the box set years ago and avoiding this minor dilemma.
Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was undoubtedly one of the best Ian Fleming, James Bond Books.

Then you add Diana Riggs -Emma Peel of the Avengers, how can it lose?

Well, I guess if you put a cold fish like George Lazenby as Bond, a great meal was made into a two day old fish pie. He was horrible.

I grew up reading the books before I saw the movies, so my views are colored by the familiarity of Fleming's Books at the time.

[Invictus Maneo]

Thanks for all the great feedback! I just clicked away at Amazon and ordered OHMSS! Really looking forward to seeing it! I suspect I might have seen it years ago, possibly as a kid???? The memory banks are not what they used to be, unfortunately:).

[zama]

Whether you like the move or not Lazenby received and took some of the worst career advice in history. After he finished the movie the producers offered him a contract for 3 more movies. His manager and advisers told him he would become stereotyped as James Bond, he knocked it back and got only a handful of gigs after that.......

In many ways Dalton best represented what Bond was supposed to be, but it never seemed to work.

[flw]

Both films are required viewing. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a fine film, and one of the closest and most faithful adaptations of an original Fleming novel. Lazenby wasn't great, but it was supposed to be his first film of several, and he was young (30) at the time it was made. The idea was that he would grow into the role, but as was mentioned, his agent was opposed to him continuing and he left suddenly. The rest of his career was a dud.

The Living Daylights is also well worth it, not least because even though its plot is hard to follow in places, it was Timothy Dalton's first outing as Bond after more than a decade of Roger Moore (who I think was less believable as Bond since he was nearly 60 when he filmed A View to a Kill). Dalton was a huge fan of the literary Bond character, and played the role in a very serious tone (by comparison with Moore). A definite must for the canon.

[locutus49]

Lazenby was superb and fashion notwithstanding, it was one of the better bond movies. My favorite is From Russia With Love. In Dr. No Connery wore a Gruen dress watch in addition to the Sub.

[AK797]

Timothy Dalton is the closest to the true Bond but is distant and not easy for an audience to warm to. As for On Her Majesty's you've got all the time in the world...

[Fabrice M]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Ken, OHMSS is a lot of people's favourite Bond movie, and I would say definitely in the top five. Required viewing for any Bond fan!

I couldn't agree more. The most important Bond imo. lazenby was the best bond, no one ever came close or as natural. It seems that all the other actors tried to play Bond, Lazenby was The essence of Bond.

[GerardoG]

Originally Posted by flw

Both films are required viewing. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a fine film, and one of the closest and most faithful adaptations of an original Fleming novel. Lazenby wasn't great, but it was supposed to be his first film of several, and he was young (30) at the time it was made. The idea was that he would grow into the role, but as was mentioned, his agent was opposed to him continuing and he left suddenly. The rest of his career was a dud.

The Living Daylights is also well worth it, not least because even though its plot is hard to follow in places, it was Timothy Dalton's first outing as Bond after more than a decade of Roger Moore (who I think was less believable as Bond since he was nearly 60 when he filmed A View to a Kill). Dalton was a huge fan of the literary Bond character, and played the role in a very serious tone (by comparison with Moore). A definite must for the canon.

Big Bond fan here, and I agree with above comments.

[SUPERDOC]

As I was watching OHMSS...I kept thinking that if Connery had held on for this one, it would be the ultimate Bond...

There were moments of sublimity there...but for me...Lazenby just fell flat...

My least favorite Bond...

Dalton was ahead of his time...Licence to Kill is one of the best...everything for which he was criticized, Daniel craig was praised...

At the same time...Living Daylights was unwatchable for me...so long and drawn out, and boring....and the 'Jack Wade' Actor from Brosnan's Bonds as the villain...I just can't get into it...

[Boothroyd]

OHMSS is one of the best of the series, as they followed the best of Fleming's books as the script. The cinematography was groundbreaking at the time, especially the air cameras used in the ski-chase.

TLD is a bit contrived, but remember that was John Barry's last Bond score, and is one of the most sought after soundtrack recordings. It has it's moments. Certainly not as poor as some of the Moore offerings (Moonraker, anyone?).

Both are well worth having, IMHO.

[landroverking]

Both great and musts for your collection.

[gulfstream69xr7]

OHMSS is a great Bond movie. As has already been said, Lazenby is a natural as Bond.

OHMSS also has the all time best Bond car. This is me and one of the two cars used to make the movie.

[Boothroyd]

Is that the Ford Museum? Always wanted to visit there. That Merc was very cool in that movie. I remember how cool the turn signals were on those models.

[Invictus Maneo]

I actually owned a 1968 Cougar XR-7 when I was about 18. It was pretty beat but man oh man do I wish I still had that car! Your right, Daniel, the turn signals were really cool the way they sequenced!

[AK797]

Originally Posted by gulfstream69xr7

OHMSS is a great Bond movie. As has already been said, Lazenby is a natural as Bond.

OHMSS also has the all time best Bond car. This is me and one of the two cars used to make the movie.

For me it was the white Lotus submarine... maybe that's why I love subs...

[RollieVerde]

The DB5 was it. All others are just product placement.

[Boothroyd]

How about Connery's 30's Bentley in FRWL? The car was at least 30 years old when it appeared in the movie..hardly a product placement. Or the Sunbeam Alpine in Dr. No?

[BLACKHORSE 6]

Originally Posted by Boothroyd

How about Connery's 30's Bentley in FRWL? The car was at least 30 years old when it appeared in the movie..hardly a product placement. Or the Sunbeam Alpine in Dr. No?

This was the car of the Flemming novels. His personal car was a Bentley that was supercharged. FRWL was like Dr. No in that the only thing try had to go off of were the novels, rather than the Bond forum and precendents that were largely established by Goldfinger.

OHMSS is one of the best Bond films of all time, IMHO. I thought that Lazenby was great (even if his voice was dubbed over) and the film was less campy than a few of those that came before and certainly less than the Moore films that followed. Lazenby's real problem was that off screen he acted like a jerk, didn't get along with anybody, and fought the studio and producers about everything. When he backed out on the advice of his agent, Broccoli and everyone else associated with the films were happy to see him go.

[Rock]

You simply couldn't leave either of those out of your collection.
I thought Lazenby was a real surprise package in the role and suited it very well. Dalton was expected to be good and he was.
The only Bond I could never take seriously was Roger Moore and maybe that was because the scripts he had to work with were so bad.

[bondtoys]

OHMSS is considered by most of the long-term fans to be one of the best, imo the best 007 movie.

Best Fleming book, closest movie adaption and 2 different Rolex watches on Bond's wrist - what else do you need? Diana Rigg and Savallas the best Blofeld actor by far!

TLD gets some praise - some really hate it and his (Dalton's) performance and I am in that camp.

[THC]

My own ranking as Best Bonds
1) S Connery (by far)
2) current one
3) R Moore (very smooth, classy)
4) P Brosnan (has the look, too little in physique Dept)
5) R Dalton (too little of a sample to like him more)
6) G Lazenby

[gulfstream69xr7]

Originally Posted by Boothroyd

Is that the Ford Museum? Always wanted to visit there. That Merc was very cool in that movie. I remember how cool the turn signals were on those models.

That was in the Beaulieu Museum outside of London. It was the 50 years of Bond exhibit. They had every major bond car there. It is one of the most amazing auto museums in the world. It was very similar the the Prince Albert Auto Museum in Monaco.

I have owned several Cougars. I've had the Gulfstream Aqua XR7 convertible in my Avatar for 25 years. And yes, it has the sequential turn signals. The red Bond cougar is the holy grail for cougar collectors.

[Mr. Greene]

I appreciate the movie much more after reading the novel (OHMSS) definitely watch them and enjoy them. For me Dalton was one of my top Bonds he was closer to the novel Bond. And make sure you have a martini while watching, it just feels right.

[Piloto]

Originally Posted by Mr. Greene

For me Dalton was one of my top Bonds he was closer to the novel Bond.

Agreed. Dalton was/is so under-rated. He was very believable in the role, unlike Moore or Pretyboy-Brosnan.

Connery so far is still best IMHO, but Craig is on his heels and getting very close to an overtake. I honestly believe that Dalton could have been the best Bond, had he been given another movie or two to prove it. Craig is there now. Lets see how he does in the new SPECTRE movie.

[locutus49]

I believe the DB5 is in The Spy Museum in Wash. D.C. They have a nice collection of Bond objects. I don't recall what watches were on display, if any.

[Challenger Deep]

Well. This is a thread i like.


OHMSS was never my favorite movie. Personally speaking. I thought it was enlightening however, to some of the things that M says to Bond in later movies and little bits here and there. I've watched it once, and i was not disappointed. It's good, it's just not my favorite. Thunderball is.

I can't tell much about the movie from memory, so to better serve this this thread, i'll watch it tonight and then post about it.



Now, with Timothy Dalton. I always liked his movies. I always thought that they were the "outlaw" Bond films. How Ian Fleming actually wanted Bond to act and be portrayed. I love "The Living Daylights." I love that Aston Martin he has. I love the Gibraltar scene. That was the first time i ever heard of Gibraltar. The cellist, Kara Milovy. One of my favorite Bond girls.
The assassin who changes voices on the fly, he's cool too. This movie was also the first time i had seen an Audi...in the 21st century.

I think you'll enjoy both. I prefer "The Living Daylights" more than OHMSS. George Lazenby, unfortunately after i watched it, i discovered some things about the filming and beefs with the directors and writers that i did not like and that is why, perhaps, i don't consider that to by a very good one.


But, rest assured. When you watch both, it's best to do with a glass of fine scotch and your Rolex.