18 replies to this topic

[Mrs. Iona Havelock R.I.P.]

Licenc/se To Kill was originally titled Licence Revoked but studio executives from MGM/UA thought that American cinema audiences might have difficulty understanding the meaning of the word revoked!

[Blue Eyes]

zencat (28 Dec, 2001 08:14 p.m.):
Revoked?

Isn't that the word that the judge-man used when he done take away my drivers license for drinkin' too much of the moonshine...

Signed,
An American

Oh God I'm in stitches!

[R]

Remember that it wasn't that American audiences wouldn't understand "revoked", but that American movie executives who thought that American audiences wouldn't understand revoked.

[zencat]

Blofeld's Cat (29 Dec, 2001 07:24 a.m.):
Wasn't there some complaint in the US as to whether "licence" should be noted as "license" instead?

Yeah, there was a big stink about the fact that license was going to be spelled with a "c" on the US posters. Mothers were afraid their children would be permanently twisted and forever "misspelling" license. Typical nonsense. But every review mentioned it in some snide way -- somehow it was just another in a series of bad breaks that movie got in the US.

But even after the movie was released it continued. I remember when I bought my Armchair Detective editions from the publisher in NY -- I asked him why license was spelled with an "s" on his books. He snapped back at me, "Because that's how I spell it!" Whatever.

[mccartney007]

zencat (29 Dec, 2001 04:22 p.m.):
But even after the movie was released it continued. I remember when I bought my Armchair Detective editions from the publisher in NY -- I asked him why license was spelled with an "s" on his books. He snapped back at me, "Because that's how I spell it!" Whatever.

This is off-topic but it made me recall something from second grade. I remember my second grade teacher telling us about traveling to England. The thing that sticks out in my memory is that she said "the Brits are still angry at the Americans for the whole Revolutionary War thing. They are totally rude, etc..."

Yet another pointless story from McCartney007!

[level007]

hi everyone
i have a picture from the set of "license revoked".

courtesy of the club james bond 007 (french) (the best club in the world !!) :-)

[Dr. Tynan]

I really do not want to offend anyone, but I think all this stuff about whether "Licence/License" should be spelt with C or an S, is a load of nonsense.

I mean, does it really matter?

[mccartney007]

"Revoked?"




HUH?

[Evil Doctor Cheese]

mccartney007 (29 Dec, 2001 05:38 p.m.):

This is off-topic but it made me recall something from second grade. I remember my second grade teacher telling us about traveling to England. The thing that sticks out in my memory is that she said "the Brits are still angry at the Americans for the whole Revolutionary War thing. They are totally rude, etc..."

I think that most of us don't care about the war of independance. We don't get tought about that in high school... we are taught about wars we won! Anyway what was the whole deal with the war of independance? I know that there was some tea invloved in it at some point! (I'm really showing my ignorance here).

Oh and the reason Americans think that the English are rude is because they only tend to come into contact with Londoners!!! The rest of us don't go around in a bubble and often - don't be shocked at this - smile!

[Only Bond]

I think the neatest title of all comes from our very own Fan Art Section............

Licence To Kill - REVOKED

[Blofeld's Cat]

zencat (29 Dec, 2001 05:05 a.m.):

Mister Asterix (29 Dec, 2001 03:09 a.m.):
I remember the rumour at the time when the movie was to be called Licence Revoked was that it was to be followed by a movie adaptation of Licence Renewed.

I remember being amazed that Eon would use a name so similar to License Renewed and I often wondered if the title change had something to do with this. I always found that "Americans wouldn't know what Revoked means" too idiotic to be true. But of course, there was much about the LTK ad campaign that was baffling to me.

Wasn't there some complaint in the US as to whether "licence" should be noted as "license" instead?

[Evil Doctor Cheese]

I think that License to Kill sounds far more Bondian than License Revoked. It's in the On Her Majesty's Secret Service/For You Eyes Only stable of Bond titles... phrases to do with the service that the audience recognise. License to Kill is regularily used in the Bond films but the word "revoked" does not automatically say "Bond". It's better that it was called LTK in the end IMO.

[zencat]

Revoked?

Isn't that the word that the judge-man used when he done take away my drivers license for drinkin' too much of the moonshine...

Signed,
An American

[White Persian]

I have to disagree with my Cheesy colleague. By 1989 "License to Kill" had passed beyond Bondian catch phrase to lame cliche.
"License Revoked" was intriguing and a bit provocative. It signalled the fact that this Bond movie was going to depart from the formula. "License To Kill" sounds like "the same old stuff" - after all Bond has been exercising his licence to kill since he first appeared. I think the lame title is one factor in the films comparatively disappointing performance.
If test audiences were confused by "Revoked", what the hell did they make of "Octopussy" or "GoldenEye"?

And welcome Mrs Iona Havelock R.I.P. Glad that your untimely demise hasn't prevented you from paying us a visit.

[Mister Asterix]

As I understand it, the audiences were not confused by the word revoked, but by the title as a whole. Apparently, many thought a movie called Licence Revoked would be about someone who has lost their driver's licence.

[mrmoon]

I agree 'Licence Revoked' would have been a more suitable and less contradictory title to use. 'Licence to Kill' is a completely unoriginal title and contradicts the plot of the film, for the main Bond does NOT have a licence to kill, as it has been revoked.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Then, of course, there would have been some confusion with Gardner's "Licence Renewed", released 8 years earlier.

Bond has his licence renewed, then revoked....ugh....what's going on over in the "00" section!?

[Mister Asterix]

Blofeld's Cat (29 Dec, 2001 02:34 a.m.):
Then, of course, there would have been some confusion with Gardner's "Licence Renewed", released 8 years earlier.

Bond has his licence renewed, then revoked....ugh....what's going on over in the "00" section!?

I remember the rumour at the time when the movie was to be called Licence Revoked was that it was to be followed by a movie adaptation of Licence Renewed.

[zencat]

Mister Asterix (29 Dec, 2001 03:09 a.m.):
I remember the rumour at the time when the movie was to be called Licence Revoked was that it was to be followed by a movie adaptation of Licence Renewed.

I remember being amazed that Eon would use a name so similar to License Renewed and I often wondered if the title change had something to do with this. I always found that "Americans wouldn't know what Revoked means" too idiotic to be true. But of course, there was much about the LTK ad campaign that was baffling to me.