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Station VH


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#1 Kara Milovy

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Posted 19 July 2003 - 01:08 AM

Does anyone know why Rio de Janeiro is called Station VH?

#2 4 Ur Eyez Only

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Posted 19 July 2003 - 10:20 PM

what is this even from?? is this a roger subject???

#3 Blofeld's Cat

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 02:59 AM

Yes it is. Manuella is Bond's local assistant in Moonraker when he goes to Rio. Hence the question.

As to an answer Kara, I need to pop in the DVD and see if there is a reasoning for VH, which I think is the MI6 designation for Venezuela.


#4 License To Kill

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 02:59 AM

Yah, where are you reading this?

#5 Blofeld's Cat

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 03:06 AM

What do you mean, LTK?

#6 Jeff007

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 04:16 AM

I always wondered that two, Kara. You'd think it would be Station R for Rio or something.

#7 DLibrasnow

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 04:22 PM

Originally posted by Jeff007
I always wondered that two, Kara.  You'd think it would be Station R for Rio or something.


I am assuming Station R would be for Rome, Italy. :)

#8 Ed King

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Posted 20 July 2003 - 06:33 PM

Originally posted by Blofeld's Cat
Yes it is. Manuella is Bond's local assistant in Moonraker when he goes to Rio. Hence the question.

As to an answer Kara, I need to pop in the DVD and see if there is a reasoning for VH, which I think is the MI6 designation for Venezuela.

But Rio is in Brazil, not in Venezuela...

#9 Kara Milovy

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 04:33 PM

Well, does anyone speak Portuguese? Maybe it stands for something pertinent in Portuguese?

Curiousity is killing me.

#10 Jaelle

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 05:07 PM

Originally posted by Kara Milovy
Well, does anyone speak Portuguese? Maybe it stands for something pertinent in Portuguese?

Curiousity is killing me.


Portuguese is my native language and "VH" doesn't stand for anything I can think of that would be relevant. I'm wracking my brains for something. I wonder if the "V" stands for "via" something. By the way, Moonraker is one of those films that proves how a film can be almost ruined for you if you know too much about the location or subject.

I actually like a lot of stuff in Moonraker and love to see my city in it, and Bond in it. I was born in Rio. But there are a couple of things that as a Brazilian you KNOW are just totally WRONG. The film was popular in Brazil but also I know that many audiences in Brazil laughed or got annoyed at certain things the filmmakers got flat out wrong.

There are little things you can explain away, like Manuela's name. That's not a Portuguese/Brazilian name but you can just explain that away by saying she was the daughter of hispanic parents. There's no "San Pietro" airport in Rio -- and if there were, it would be called "Sao Pedro." "San" is Spanish, not Portuguese. "Pietro" is not Portuguese either. But that's minor. And kudos to Roger for saying "va para esquerda" to the taxi driver ("go to the left") and "obrigado" ("thank you") pretty well. I was just waiting for him to say "gracias" as so many old Hollywood films did whenever there was a story set in Rio.

But there are two things that I absolutely CANNOT forgive and it takes me completely out of the film. There's a moment when the camera pans over to the cable car at the Sugar Loaf mountain, and you see a bunch of people partying and playing music. What music are they playing? Bossa nova, batucada, carnival songs, samba? Nope. MEXICAN TRUMPETS AND BEAT!!! You should see the reaction of Brazilians when they see this, tho it's something that Hollywood does all the time. This is like, say, playing Nashville country & western during a major Scottish holiday where the tradition is to play the pipes. We're not Mexicans, we don't wear sombreros or salsa.

Then there's the sight of Bond wearing that bullfighter's (or landowner's) hat together with that poncho! Oy vey! That hat is minor. It's that poncho! That belongs in Mexico or Central America, not Brazil. And the music in the background is totally unBrazilian.

Sorry, just ranting... If I think of something for "VH" I'll let you know.

#11 DLibrasnow

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 05:13 PM

Hollywood always has a habit of messing up locations in the movies....prime examples off the top of my head include "Patriot Games" and "The Mummy Returns". Geographically both of those pictures screw around with the London location and to any one that has been to London its obvious....
Still..what was the general, overall reaction to "Moonraker" in Rio Jaelle?

#12 Jaelle

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 05:31 PM

Originally posted by DLibrasnow
Hollywood always has a habit of messing up locations in the movies....prime examples off the top of my head include "Patriot Games" and "The Mummy Returns". Geographically both of those pictures screw around with the London location and to any one that has been to London its obvious....


Oh sure, it's just something you learn to live with. It's just that *music* is the most central thing about Brazilian culture, even more than soccer. You go to Brazil and you're never far away from it---people are always just casually singing or humming. It's at work, at home. It's just a very, very pervasive part of the culture, much more than, say, the US. When anyone asks me what Brazil is all about, I just say "go to the music." So it just really stands out when you see a big movie like a Bond film get it not just wrong, but REALLY wrong.


Still..what was the general, overall reaction to "Moonraker" in Rio Jaelle?


I've collected various reviews of the Bond films from the Brazilian press from as early as the late 60s. Every review of Moonraker I've seen is generally positive, but always mentions the stuff the filmmakers get wrong. They say things like "a film that reaches the imagination in a new way. Just forgive the Mexican music." Tho some reviewers really skewer the mistakes. The reviews also mention that the film had the longest lines of all the Bond films in Brazil, and that it was held over the longest out of all of Roger's films. Obviously because of the location of the film. Even the more crotchety members of my family rate the film as just a fun, enjoyable romp. I know they all went wild for the special effects at the time, which were still pretty new to people. And Roger's always been loved in Brazil, no matter what he does.

#13 Kara Milovy

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 08:52 PM

Jaelle, thank you for your very informative response. I can at least write that VH isn't an abbreviation for a Portuguese place name, and that is helpful.

I was very interested to learn about the music problems, and I agree it's a whole different sort of problem than, say, that the Taj Mahal is about 200 miles from Udaipur, yet it is used as a background shot as Udaipur is approached. Scenery is one thing and music/culture is another.

Then there's the sight of Bond wearing that bullfighter's (or landowner's) hat together with that poncho! Oy vey! That hat is minor. It's that poncho! That belongs in Mexico or Central America, not Brazil. And the music in the background is totally unBrazilian.

The background music in that scene is from The Magnificent Seven, a movie joke like having the Lawrence of Arabia music play while Bond is in the desert in TSWLM. Of course, The Magnificent Seven also deals with Mexicans, not Brazilians. :)

#14 Jaelle

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 09:05 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kara Milovy
Jaelle, thank you for your very informative response. I can at least write that VH isn't an abbreviation for a Portuguese place name, and that is helpful.[/QUOTE]

I'm still trying to figure out if it stands for anything. Absolutely nothing comes to mind.

[QUOTE]I was very interested to learn about the music problems, and I agree it's a whole different sort of problem than, say, that the Taj Mahal is about 200 miles from Udaipur, yet it is used as a background shot as Udaipur is approached. Scenery is one thing and music/culture is another.[/B][/QUOTE]

There *is* a geographic problem in Moonraker too. When Q points at the map of Brazil to show Bond where he's going to go next, he points at the *north* of the country, in the Amazon region ("Amazoco"). A little later we see Bond at the Iguacu Falls area. And that's WAY down south, straddling the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. I know Iguacu Falls well (absolutely BEAUTIFUL place!), I've led tours of Americans and Europeans there while a grad student. I also led tours of environmentalists and journalists to the Amazon. So I know Bond is not in the north of the country, as Q directs him to go. *shrug* I can forgive that tho, it's not that big of a deal. And the Falls only appear very briefly, unfortunately.


The background music in that scene is from The Magnificent Seven, a movie joke like having the Lawrence of Arabia music play while Bond is in the desert in TSWLM. Of course, The Magnificent Seven also deals with Mexicans, not Brazilians. :) [/B][/QUOTE]

Oh that's right, I forgot! Forget my remark on that. For some reason I momentarily spaced out and still had that Mexican/Central American music in my head and placed it at that scene while typing my reply. Actually, I think the Lawrence of Arabia and Magnificent Seven music is a great, *funny* reference. That did work for me.

#15 Jaelle

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 09:22 PM

By the way, lest I seem too critical, Moonraker definitely gets some things right in Brazil. Number one is the whole carnival atmosphere, the music at the carnival, the costumes and the dancing. Each time I see it I hear people singing recognizable carnival songs in the background in Portuguese.

#16 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 10:07 PM

"Then there's the sight of Bond wearing that bullfighter's (or landowner's) hat together with that poncho! Oy vey! That hat is minor. It's that poncho! That belongs in Mexico or Central America, not Brazil. And the music in the background is totally unBrazilian."

Funny. I think Roger was going for an Argentinian Goucho look here.

Jaelle, My half brother (and father ) is from Paraguay.One time My brother was visiting me in Southern California back in '85 or so and he remarked about how stupid Moonraker was since he watched it the night before in his hotel(he studied in Sao Paulo). I was reading Icebreaker at the time too so I was embarrassed momentarily to be such a fan. Anyway, He thought it was really silly that Bond would go to Rio and Carnival would be coincidentally in progress, since it's only 3 days a year! Did you think that was ridiculous too?

#17 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 10:10 PM

I've been to iquacu falls too. Incredible!

#18 DLibrasnow

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Posted 30 July 2003 - 11:25 PM

Tney certainly look breathtaking....One of these days I hope to be able to take a trip down to Brazil and see them for myself... :)

#19 Ed King

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 04:40 AM

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
I was reading Icebreaker at the time too so I was embarrassed momentarily to be such a fan. Anyway, He thought it was really silly that Bond would go to Rio and Carnival would be coincidentally in progress, since it's only 3 days a year! Did you think that was ridiculous too?

I'm gonna answer that one, too, if you don't mind. I don't bother. There was Junkanoo in TB afterall.

Jaelle, thanks for writing all that stuff. Since you live in USA, your English is much better than mine, what makes me feel unable to write long posts like that one you wrote. Very explanatory, this is exaclty how I fell about the Brazilian part of Moonraker.

Just one thing you forgot: There's no piramids in Brazil.

#20 [dark]

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 04:49 AM

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
Anyway, He thought it was really silly that Bond would go to Rio and Carnival would be coincidentally in progress, since it's only 3 days a year! Did you think that was ridiculous too?


No more so than 007 going into outer space. :)

#21 Blofeld's Cat

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 05:22 AM

Originally posted by Kara Milovy
Jaelle, thank you for your very informative response. I can at least write that VH isn't an abbreviation for a Portuguese place name, and that is helpful.

Many, many apologies Kara for not follwing up on my last post. Clean forgot to check out the DVD for any clues. :)

Your fellow posters over at AJB could shed no light on it either?


#22 Jaelle

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 01:00 PM

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
Funny. I think Roger was going for an Argentinian Goucho look here.


Hmm, a fair point Tarl. Didn't think of that. Tho my image of an Argentine gaucho isn't with a poncho that looks like that, or those pants. Gauchos have a definitely distinctive type of pants. But he could probably pass. Fair enough. I'm not an expert on the Argentine gaucho look. There are slight differences between the Brazilian gaucho and Argentine gaucho look.

Jaelle, My half brother (and father ) is from Paraguay.One time My brother was visiting me in Southern California back in '85 or so and he remarked about how stupid Moonraker was since he watched it the night before in his hotel(he studied in Sao Paulo). I was reading Icebreaker at the time too so I was embarrassed momentarily to be such a fan. Anyway, He thought it was really silly that Bond would go to Rio and Carnival would be coincidentally in progress, since it's only 3 days a year! Did you think that was ridiculous too?[/B]


Oh sure I noticed that too, but I can make a lot of allowances. So he just happens to be there during the week of carnival for his mission---oh well, stranger things have happened! :) It's true the most intense celebration goes on for about 3 days but it spills over into more like 4-5 days, around February or March, during the week of Lent.

I've been to iquacu falls too. Incredible![/B]


Oh have you? Isn't it a wonder???! Makes Niagara Falls look like a puddle! :) It's places like that where I feel like I'm suddenly close to God or something, and I'm not very religious. Another place I feel like that is when I've been in the North African desert. I wish they'd shown a bit more of the Falls in MR (yeah, yeah, I know they only have 2 hours of film, Jaelle!)

From DLibrasnow:

Tney certainly look breathtaking....One of these days I hope to be able to take a trip down to Brazil and see them for myself...[/B]


Do go! :) You don't have to go to Rio to enjoy Brazil, and Rio is pretty dangerous these days. It's a huge country with so many different regions, you can spend weeks just exploring the very south where the Falls are. Ok, Jaelle the tour guide will now shut up!

From Ed King:

Jaelle, thanks for writing all that stuff. Since you live in USA, your English is much better than mine, what makes me feel unable to write long posts like that one you wrote. Very explanatory, this is exaclty how I fell about the Brazilian part of Moonraker.[/B]


You're quite welcome. I'm sure that people from other countries where the Bond films have been filmed have similar issues. None of this is meant to bash MR. Yeah it's one of Roger's weaker films but it's a lot of fun, has great scenery, and has one of the best villain lines in the series: "Take care of Mr. Bond. See that some harm comes to him." It also has one of Roger's best moments of sheer controlled anger, when he gets out of that centrifuge. And I enjoy any film where I can see my beloved Rio.:)

Just one thing you forgot: There's no piramids in Brazil.[/B]


Oh that's right! That's one of the more glaring issues too. When my mother first saw Moonraker and she saw that pyramid, she went into her whole Portuguese spiel "What the hell is that??" and "What is it with these Americans????" and fell on the sofa laughing hysterically. Of course I corrected her and told her the Bond films are made mostly by Brits. That pyramid still makes me laugh. I don't get annoyed by it, I just think it's funny. I figure that Drax was taken in by some locals who built that thing for him and told him it had been there for centuries. :)

Of course I could *really* be picky and say that Bond doesn't need to tell that cab driver to "go to the left" because he can't go to the right. That's Avenida Atlantica and if the driver goes to the right, he'll wind up on the sidewalk and on to the sands of Copacabana Beach but that would *really* *really* *really* be picky, so I won't do that, I tell you! :)

#23 Jim

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 01:43 PM

VH stands for Very Horny

I think

Perhaps it stands for Vadge Hairs

Verucca Head?
Volatile Hedgehog?
Vauxhall Hastra?

Could be worse - they could have called it Station Bra

Which would have been just silly.

#24 DLibrasnow

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 01:57 PM

Originally posted by Jaelle

Do go!  :)  You don't have to go to Rio to enjoy Brazil, and Rio is pretty dangerous these days.  It's a huge country with so many different regions, you can spend weeks just exploring the very south where the Falls are.  Ok, Jaelle the tour guide will now shut up!


Always wanted to, actually one of my best friends in High School was from Brazil and he was always talking about how beautiful the country was.

#25 Kara Milovy

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:15 PM

Originally posted by Blofeld's Cat

Many, many apologies Kara for not follwing up on my last post. Clean forgot to check out the DVD for any clues. :)

Your fellow posters over at AJB could shed no light on it either?

No apologies necessary. Haven't been to AJB lately. both AJB and CBn have load problems for those of us with dial-up; very slow pages. Usually I do only one visit a week. I do much better with the Cinescape forum, since the page background is white and doesn't require extra load time.

However, no one at Cinescape has been able to shed light, nor have any of my other sources (and I do have several).

#26 Jim

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:29 PM

...Valerie Harris?

#27 Xenobia

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:36 PM

Can anyone look at a map...perhaps a nautical or aviation one, and maybe we will find that the longitude and latitude is marked by letters, and V&H are where Rio is.

It's a guess.

-- Barbara

#28 Jim

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:45 PM

Van Halen?
Von Hammerstein?
Vincent Hanna?
Vulva Hurt?

#29 Xenobia

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:48 PM

Originally posted by Jim
Van Halen?
Von Hammerstein?
Vincent Hanna?
Vulva Hurt?


"Names are for tombstones baby."

-- Xenobia

#30 Jim

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Posted 31 July 2003 - 02:51 PM

The more I think about Station Vulva Hurt, the more I [deleted because it is utter filth]