James Bond In Skyfall - - Part 11

[regwec]

I would really like to see an adaptation of Devil May Care. That was a great swan song for 007.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Yeah, that was bad, but he already looked too old as Bond as early as For Your Eyes Only. I feel Brosnan had the same issue in Die Another Day. Part of it was their hair. Brosnan and I presume Moore's bad dye jobs had the opposite effect of making them look older. It drew your attention to the disconnect between their perfectly free of grey hair and their wrinkled features. In contrast, I feel Dalton could have convincingly played an older Bond well into his fifties. He has just aged very differently. Age just made him look more rugged and experienced. I feel Craig will age more like Dalton.

Dalton in 2000 at age 55:

Dalton certainly did age gracefully and probably the best of all the guys who played Bond before Craig. Seeing Connery in Dr. No and then seeing him in Diamonds, you notice a huge difference that 9 years made for him.

 

[DKDetective]

Speaking of an aging bond and the TDK comparisons. Do you think they would want to depict craig's bond coming full circle from his beginning to him retiring or his last mission?

That for sure would be a very unique take for the character on film.

I really do not think EON will go for that. They, as well as Fleming, treat Bond like Batman and other heroes are treated in the comics, contemporary characters who roughly the same age in perpetuity. In the later Fleming novels, Bond was always just over the hill, never really degrading further other than for specific story reasons that would reverse themselves.

Also,

Spoiler

in Skyfall, they have just made the long-term investment of re-imagining key characters in the Bond "mythology" as well as hiring top notch, younger actors to play them. Based on how long they kept Dench around, I don't think they let Fiennes, Whishaw, or Harris go after only 3 films.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Thunderball is great, but it has serious pacing issues that hurts the movie.

Thunderball is about 30 minutes too long. In addition to the infamous water scenes (I like the final battle, but not much happens in the others), it also takes too long to get going. The plot doesn't really get going until SPECTRE steals the nukes which takes place far too deep into the film's running time.

I actually like You Only Live Twice better than Thunderball. Yes, Connery wasn't the same (although he was better than in DAF or NSNA) but except for a brief bit during the stupid 'Bond turning Japanese' segment it is simply more exciting and the final assault on Blofeld's volcano is up there with TSWLM as one of the best finales in the series.

I just wrapped up the series so these are my current rankings:

1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
4. Casino Royale
5. Goldeneye
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. You Only Live Twice
8. Thunderball
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
10. Dr. No
11. Octopussy
12. Licence to Kill
13. Tomorrow Never Dies
14. The Living Daylights
15. Live and Let Die
16. The World is Not Enough
17. The Man with the Golden Gun
18. Moonraker
19. Quantum of Solace
20. Die Another Day
21. A View to a Kill
22. Never Say Never Again
23. Diamonds Are Forever

 

[DarkKnight88]

Dalton certainly did age gracefully and probably the best of all the guys who played Bond before Craig. Seeing Connery in Dr. No and then seeing him in Diamonds, you notice a huge difference that 9 years made for him.

Connery looked better when he grew his beard and stopped wearing those hair pieces. Still had the best career post-Bond.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I honestly didn't think Brosnan looked too old until Die Another Day. Moore was starting to look old after Moonraker but wasn't bad until Octopussy and the plastic surgery before View made him look even worse.

As others said, I don't think Craig will have that problem because his face is so rugged and wrinkly now. It's not like he smooth faced like Brosnan or Moore.

Technically, Moore probably aged the best. It was just that he got the role so late. He looked good right through the 70s, by which time he was into his 50s. He was 52 when Moonraker came out. Connery looked older than that by Thunderball. It was only from FYEO onwards that Moore's age caught up with him.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I really do not think EON will go for that. They, as well as Fleming, treat Bond like Batman and other heroes are treated in the comics, contemporary characters who roughly the same age in perpetuity. In the later Fleming novels, Bond was always just over the hill, never really degrading further other than for specific story reasons that would reverse themselves.

Yeah you're probably right, although it would be interesting to see james bond progress through his whole career and come full circle from casino royale to whatever name they come up for his last film.

WB for example wasn't against depicting a retiring batman, so maybe a final mission bond is not out of the question. They certainly have taken a different approach for craig's bond, first time depicting a fresh out of the gate bond, first bond to appear in a direct sequel..

 

[Gold Samurai]

Dalton in 2000 at age 55:

Why are we going back that far? Take a look at him during 2009 while filming doctor who

He could have played James bond till 2002 at the latest

 

[Octoberist]

Connery looked better when he grew his beard and stopped wearing those hair pieces. Still had the best career post-Bond.

It's funny how Connery rapidly aged between You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever. It was like only 4 years and he was only 42 when 'Diamonds' came out.

But then he stopped aging in the mid 80's and ironically looked younger and sexier looking with the beard.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Yeah you're probably right, although it would be interesting to see james bond progress through his whole career and come full circle from casino royale to whatever name they come up for his last film.

WB for example wasn't against depicting a retiring batman, so maybe a final mission bond is not out of the question. They certainly have taken a different approach for craig's bond, first time depicting a fresh out of the gate bond, first bond to appear in a direct sequel..

From Russia with Love was a direct sequel. The reason SPECTRE is after Bond is for revenge for Dr. No's death.

 

[DKDetective]

Technically, Moore probably aged the best. It was just that he got the role so late. He looked good right through the 70s, by which time he was into his 50s. He was 52 when Moonraker came out. Connery looked older than that by Thunderball. It was only from FYEO onwards that Moore's age caught up with him.

Completely disagree about Connery. I'll admit he always looked older that he was. I still find it hard to believe that he was actually in his early 30s during his original run as Bond. However, I think he looked like he was in his early 40s at most in Thunderball. There is no way that Moore looked the same age in Moonraker. Moore argubly looked like he was in his mid-40s by TSWLM. I don't think it can be said that he looked younger than Connery in Thunderball at that point.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I personally felt that it looked like Connery aged a lot between Goldfinger and Thunderball even though they were only a year apart.

Compare this

to this

 

[Bruce Malone]

From Russia with Love was a direct sequel. The reason SPECTRE is after Bond is for revenge for Dr. No's death.

Really? Because it's always reported everywhere that quantum is the first direct sequel in the series.

"Quantum of Solace" made history as the first direct sequel in the franchise, picking up almost directly where "Casino Royale" left off.

Quantum of Solace is out today, and as it is the first direct sequel to a Bond film (2006's Casino Royale),

It's the first direct sequel to a Bond film, with QoS picking up minutes after Bond shot Mr White in the leg at the end of CR.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...-the-latest-issue-of-empire-magazine-20120426

http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/casino-royale-refresher/

 

[protocida]

I believe "direct sequel" means it's a continuation of the storyline from Casino Royale, not a particularly new plot that references previous events.

 

[DKDetective]

I personally felt that it looked like Connery aged a lot between Goldfinger and Thunderball even though they were only a year apart.

I will agree with you about that. i think it was the hair. The flatter, sidepart hairstyle in Thunderball made Connery's face look wider, whereas the more upward and back styling of Connery's hair in Goldfinger made his face look narrower and more youthful. As well, I think Connery stopped plucking his eyebrows as much between films. The bushier eyebrows make him look older.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Really? Because it's always reported everywhere that quantum is the first direct sequel in the series.





http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...-the-latest-issue-of-empire-magazine-20120426



http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/casino-royale-refresher/

That was a marketing gimmick. Kronsteen mentions Dr. No by name as being the reason he came up with his plan that spans the whole movie. Also Sylvia Trench complains about Bond running off to Jamaica on her which also happened in Dr. No. From Russia with Love takes over pretty much immediately from the end of Dr. No.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I believe "direct sequel" means it's a continuation of the storyline from Casino Royale, not a particularly new plot that references previous events.

Yeah that would be my definition of direct sequel as well. I do know the first few bonds had a number of references to past events.

I believe that ended with DAF when bond made no mention of his supposedly dead wife from the last film.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

That was because EON was so fed up with Lazenby leaving they tried for a short while to ignore the events of OHMSS.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

In FRWL though it isn't just a reference to past events. The events of DN directly led to the events in FRWL. FRWL would never have happened if DN didn't occur first.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Yep, and FRWL leads not to Goldfinger, but to Thunderball through Diamonds are Forever, which ended SPECTRE as a threat.

 

[Hunter Rider]

cheers mate - shame he's banned from the thread he is very knowledgeable on Bond (I can see why he was though)

No problem.

Btw Spidey you have seen Skyfall right?

Spoiler

IS there a car chase on the neon freeway in Hong Kong?

I didn't realise Chickenscratch had been banned from this thread. It's a shame there's not a Novel Bond thread. Remember when Bond had his own section like Batman and other comic heroes have, those were good times.
Anyway I pretty much agree with what Hunter Rider has recommended here but I would also add The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill as well as I love those two films and Dalton is the closest Bond to the book.

You can start one for the novels in the book section if you wish.

 

[Doc Ock]

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/video/skyfall-clip-quartermaster-084527411.html
New extended clip of Q and Bond's first meeting in the National Gallery. Wonderfully acted and the writing is sharp as a knife.

OH man I love that! Getting more pumped as the days go by! So glad to have Q showing up.

 

[AnneFan]

Just watched the Bond meets Q clip. Very nice dynamic.

 

[Octoberist]

Completely disagree about Connery. I'll admit he always looked older that he was. I still find it hard to believe that he was actually in his early 30s during his original run as Bond. However, I think he looked like he was in his early 40s at most in Thunderball. There is no way that Moore looked the same age in Moonraker. Moore argubly looked like he was in his mid-40s by TSWLM. I don't think it can be said that he looked younger than Connery in Thunderball at that point.

I would argue that Moore looked damn good until he really hit the mortal brick wall with Octopussy. He looked at least 10 years younger than he was when he did LaLD. I had no idea he was 45 back then.

Even then he looked good for being in his mid 50's with his later films though the stunts made it obvious it wasn't Moore.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

cheers mate - shame he's banned from the thread he is very knowledgeable on Bond (I can see why he was though)

I enjoyed his insight in the novels as well but he just got too pushy with his "The movies are all wrong and the novels are god" belief, which always made me wonder why he's in the thread in the first place when he could make a Bond novel thread and go crazy there.