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The Living Daylights


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#1 Xenobia

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 09:43 PM

I would like to start this off, by stating my shock that I am here, in the Timothy Dalton section, talking about one of his movies. Honestly, I never thought I would be here.

I would also like to offer up an apology (just to cover my behind metaphyically) to the Goddess Cassandra Harris: My lady I am sorry. I really would have liked to spend my life having never seen the two Daltons, but I did...and...God help me...I liked "The Living Daylights."

Page is right....the best moments for me was Bond's one woman phase in this movie. I loved the chemistry between Dalton and D'abo. That for me was the best part of the movie.

The scenes in Vienna are classic. I think every girl dreams of having a dashing man show her around a city in a horse drawn carriage, and then buying her a pretty new dress for the opera. If I was Kira, I think I would have mentally dumped Gorki right there and then. (Ah, but isn't that what James Bond hates about women -- our fickle hearts?)

I really enjoyed watching Bond with Kira in the amusement park; they seemed like two people falling love. I loved watching them on the coaster, on the big wheel...and I loved the man behind the shotgun booth begging Bond to stop! That was great!

I also think Bond's reaction to Saunders' death was perfect. It sets the tone for Kira's "betrayal" of Bond: Kira's no longer sure of what this Bond wants from her, vis a vis his sudden mood change, and Bond's not sure what Kira is up to, given that she keeps pushing him for some word from Gorki.

I really expected Dalton to be three shades darker than Connery, but in actuality, he isn't. At least not to me. In fact, he smiles a lot more than Brosnan in TLD than Brosnan does in all three of his movies combined!

But yes...the scenes with cletched teeth were very effective. "Let M. fire me, I will thank him for it." *THAT* is the literary Bond, and that is what I was waiting for. But there wasn't too much of that, thank God, because I really don't like the literary Bond.

I was impressed with how very real the scenes with Mujadeen were....frighteningly so now that the Mujadeen / Taliban have come to great public attention. I think the warriors were used quite effectively in the last section of the movie.

I was equally impressed by Saunders' growth in the movie. He goes from not understanding Bond, to understanding him completely. Bond, for his part, knows the risks that Saunders is taking, and moreover, knows that Saunders has done a 180 in his opinion of 007. That simple "Thank you" spoke volumes and made the next moment -- Saunders' death -- ever more poignant.

I definately think that Kira stands as one of the stronger Bond girls -- yes she was naive, but at least she is not annoyingly so. Her naivte seems very appropriate, and works well with Bond's cyncism: she makes him brighter, and he makes her face up to reality a bit more than she usually does.

Yes, I could see the moments that were meant for PB (the dress shoppe scene, perhaps the delivery of the hamper of goodies), but TD does make the scenes his own.

I guess what I am saying this, there is no one scene that I can point to and say "This is really bad, there is no redeeming this." Every scene had a good point to it.

So yes....I...*sob, sniff, sorry Cassie* liked TLD.

Please be gentlemen and try not to gloat too much.

-- Xenobia

#2 JimmyBond

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Posted 17 April 2002 - 04:40 AM

Actually you did misread it. Without spoiling it, Bond is on a boat with several bad guys and he's hiding in her room.

#3 Blofeld's Cat

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Posted 17 April 2002 - 05:06 AM

Well done, Xen.

Just can't wait for your review of Licence to Kill.

If anyone can put a positive spin to it, you can.

#4 James Page

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Posted 17 April 2002 - 11:21 AM

JimmyBond (17 Apr, 2002 05:40 a.m.):
Actually you did misread it. Without spoiling it, Bond is on a boat with several bad guys and he's hiding in her room.



I think you both misread it :-P

This is the Taliso Soto (Lupe Lamora) scene, not Carey Lowell (Pam Bouvier).

But there is another scene at the hotel after Bond has seen Bouvier talking to Heller, where he pins her down and forces her to talk.

Good stuff.


#5 JimmyBond

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Posted 17 April 2002 - 12:32 PM

I did misread it...sorta. Xen mentioned a knife, and the only time Bond has a knife to a girls throat, is the boat scene. I completely skipped over the fact that the scene I was talking about featureas Talisa Soto and not Cary Lowell.

#6 Xenobia

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 08:49 PM

First, please excuse me while I do a happy dance that Zencat loved my take on the subtext of TLD.

::Xenobia happy dances to "Goldeneye"::

OK...second...why I have missed watching TLD and LTK until now.

Victor, when I was a little girl, my mother and I used to watch "Remington Steele" together...I played Laura and Remington with my Barbie and Ken...and my mom loves Pierce.

So...when Pierce lost the role in 1986, not only were TD's movies banned in my house, so was the last season of RS -- in protest. (I am not saying that last bit made sense, it just is.)

Out of respect for PB, I never watched the "evil two" as I have previously called them. Now that I have, I might tune again, if absolutely nothing else is on. I intend to sell my TLD and LTK DVDs when I finish viewing them.

Perhaps...I will auction them off. Oh Dave.....

-- Xenobia

#7 Evil Doctor Cheese

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 08:50 PM

I can't wait to hear what you think about LTK. I personally love it, I like the Bond girls, I like the teaser and I like the hard bastard Bond getting damn angry about a life long friend. The only problem I have with it is that I don't like drug plots in a Bond film but apart from that it's bloody good and I hope you enjoy it for the adult, gritty thriller that the Roger Moore era was no where close to creating. Bon apetite.

#8 RITZ

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 09:07 PM

Yes Dr. Cheese, absolutely! I'm glad someone thinks like me.
Dalton's Bond in LTK is mindblowing! No other actor has or will come close to potraying Fleming's superhero.

#9 RITZ

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 09:09 PM

Yes Dr. Cheese, absolutely! I'm glad someone thinks like me.
Dalton's Bond in LTK is mindblowing! No other actor has or will come close to potraying Fleming's superhero.

#10 Xenobia

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 09:19 PM

Wow...I get a snack as a reply:

Oh Ritz and Cheese!

I am not as afraid to watch LTK as I have been, but that being said, I did see a clip of it once, and I was not that impressed with Carey Lowell's funky green potato sack dress or the way Bond almost attacks her in one scene.

But...I will dutifully post my review of that movie too....while avoiding the heavenly arrows sent by Countess Lisel.

-- Xenobia

#11 General Koskov

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 10:17 PM

Xenobia (16 Apr, 2002 10:19 p.m.):

...or the way Bond almost attacks her in one scene.


Actually Bond does pretty much the same thing in From Russia With Love and The Man with the Golden Gun: twisting the girl's arm, shoving her down on a bed. So I suppose in that case, Dalton is no more cruel than Moore. That's a revelation! ;D

#12 Xenobia

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Posted 17 April 2002 - 03:42 AM

Hello General:

I didn't want to get into this...but there is a big difference between what goes on in FRWL and TMWAGG:

Dalton's Bond looks like he is about to rape Carey Lowell's character with her knife...or at least that is what I thought when I saw that scene. That's when I turned it off, and that is why I was disturbed.

If I misread that...I misread it...but that is how it struck me and why I think it is way more violent than the movies you mentioned.

-- Xenobia

#13 Xenobia

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Posted 18 April 2002 - 04:14 AM

Folks...I did not dream this....Dalton's Bond's storms into Lowell's room because he thought he saw her with the enemy...he pushes her down, reaches into her skirt, goes up the skirt pretty forcefully, and finds her knife....we are not sure what he is going to do with it, and just then Lowell's character decides to talk.

That's what I remember at least.

-- Xenobia

#14 Blofeld's Cat

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Posted 18 April 2002 - 04:23 AM

Xenobia (18 Apr, 2002 05:14 a.m.):
Folks...I did not dream this....Dalton's Bond's storms into Lowell's room because he thought he saw her with the enemy...he pushes her down, reaches into her skirt, goes up the skirt pretty forcefully, and finds her knife....we are not sure what he is going to do with it, and just then Lowell's character decides to talk.

That's what I remember at least.

-- Xenobia

Didn't she have a gun in her garter?

#15 Xenobia

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Posted 18 April 2002 - 08:15 PM

Patch...it could have been a gun...but it looked like a knife to me.

All I know is the level of violence in Bond scared me and I turned it off.

-- Xenobia

#16 Victor Zokas

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Posted 18 April 2002 - 08:49 PM

It was a gun. Bond takes it form her garter and hold her at gunpoint to question her as he thinks she is a double agent. As such she'd have been working against Felix, and bond was pretty p***ed off about that situation by then.

Nothing too scary there is there? I mean Bond does hold people at gunpoint.

#17 Xenobia

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Posted 18 April 2002 - 11:09 PM

It was scary for me Victor...but maybe it won't be as scary for me when I see the scene in context!

-- Xenobia

#18 Jeff007

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 09:48 PM

Xenobia you are right!

#19 RossMan

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 10:39 PM

As I've stated numerous times, it's my personal fav. of the entire series. :) This movie is underrated, probably because the villain does not want to take over the world or blow something up.

#20 Mister Asterix

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 10:45 PM

Cheers, Xen. I'm not completely surprised you enjoyed it. The Living Daylights has many elements that I thought you could relate to in a film. Now Licence to Kill, I'm going to guess you're not going to like that one, but hey, you never know.

#21 James Page

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 11:00 PM

Wow Xen, great review.

I am so glad you liked it, your review was extremly honest. I've known a couple of ppl who dreaded the idea of watching TD movies in teh past, and after they enjoyed them, were like "yeah, but it's still TD and they're still rubbish!". *ahem*

Anyways, highlighting Saunders is very sharp. It took a couple of views until I really apprecitaed this role.

What did you think of the Barry soundtrack?

After watching it I always wander around the next day with a combination of "whhheeeeeeeere has everybody gone?" and "do doo do doo do doo dodododoo" from the classic hanging from the back of a plane on a cargo net sequence running aorund my mental walkman.

I really expected Dalton to be three shades darker than Connery, but in actuality, he isn't. At least not to me


::James rubs his hands::

Licence to Kill next Xen!!! :-P

#22 General Koskov

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Posted 15 April 2002 - 11:31 PM

Now all that's left, Xenobia, is finding the subtext of The Living Daylights! Of course this can only happen when one understands the text of The Living Daylights which, as most agree, is next-to-impossible! ^_^

#23 Xenobia

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 04:06 AM

Page: I liked the score...but Barry's part of it did not stand out. What stands out in my mind are the concert pieces...when Kira plays...when she and Bond are at the opera....

I guess in the end....it did it's job...but there is nothing that I come away humming. But then again, I ususally don't do that with a movie. (As an aside, the only time I did was "Jurassic Park.")

Now General....the subtext in "The Living Daylights?" There's something to a injured cellist playing an injured cello and still making beautiful music. In one sense, it's Bond: an injured man, still doing an excellent job with his job. In another sense it's all of us...a flawed race still capable of moments of great beauty. (Something for Bond to take pleasure in!)

I am sure that's the wrong subtext, but that's what caught my eye...especially since the cello is the Lady Rose, and a rose is a deadly thing of beauty. Like Bond. Like us.

-- Xenobia

#24 JimmyBond

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 01:48 PM

I'm glad you liked [LD] Xen :) Now Licence to Kill as a lot of people said is a bit more "love it or hate it" kinda film. There is no middle ground really. You mentoined you expected Dalton to be darker than Connery, well, I think its safe to say Dalton is pretty dark in LTK.

Then again, who knows, you may love Licence to Kill for what it is. A hard edged spy thriller. Cant wait to hear your thoughts on it.

#25 zencat

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 03:00 PM

Xenobia (16 Apr, 2002 05:06 a.m.):
Now General....the subtext in "The Living Daylights?" There's something to a injured cellist playing an injured cello and still making beautiful music. In one sense, it's Bond: an injured man, still doing an excellent job with his job. In another sense it's all of us...a flawed race still capable of moments of great beauty. (Something for Bond to take pleasure in!)

I am sure that's the wrong subtext, but that's what caught my eye...especially since the cello is the Lady Rose, and a rose is a deadly thing of beauty. Like Bond. Like us.

Wow. Sounds right to me. Very nice, Xen.

I agree with you this is a genuinely romantic Bond movie. I like the beat when Kara wants to go back for her cello and Bond barks, "No way!"...then they instantly cut to Bond waiting while Kara gets her cello (and the strains of the love theme plays softly on the soundtrack). This was the moment I knew I was in a very different Bond film, and very good one.

#26 rafterman

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Posted 02 May 2002 - 03:16 PM

glad you liked The Living Daylights Xen, it's a great film...

#27 D-Murda

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Posted 02 May 2002 - 09:09 PM

Xenobia (18 Apr, 2002 09:15 p.m.):
Patch...it could have been a gun...but it looked like a knife to me.

All I know is the level of violence in Bond scared me and I turned it off.

-- Xenobia


I love what you just said Xen, you sound just like my nine year old cousin. We both watch all James Bond movies but he tries to stay clear of that one because he refers to Dalton as "The mean James Bond" because of what he does to Pam Bouvier. But for me I loved TLD and LTK alot, but I am young and love everything that has to do with James Bond.

#28 Victor Zokas

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 05:01 PM

Xenobia - why have you not tried TLD before now?

#29 James Page

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Posted 16 April 2002 - 08:13 PM

Victor Zokas (16 Apr, 2002 06:01 p.m.):
Xenobia - why have you not tried TLD before now?


Are you new here Victor? :-P

I've tried to search for a thread that I seem to remember included an explanation but I couldn't find it :-( Hoep fully Xen will see this and fill you in

#30 Xenobia

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Posted 03 May 2002 - 01:27 AM

D-Murda (02 May, 2002 10:09 p.m.):

Xenobia (18 Apr, 2002 09:15 p.m.):
Patch...it could have been a gun...but it looked like a knife to me.

All I know is the level of violence in Bond scared me and I turned it off.

-- Xenobia


I love what you just said Xen, you sound just like my nine year old cousin. We both watch all James Bond movies but he tries to stay clear of that one because he refers to Dalton as "The mean James Bond" because of what he does to Pam Bouvier. But for me I loved TLD and LTK alot, but I am young and love everything that has to do with James Bond.


LOL! Just what I love to hear...I sound like a nine year old! :)

Well, I gotta admit, every Bond manages to have a moment that someone can point to and say, "You see! Bond is a Mysogynist!" Unfortunately, that moment is Dalton's.

Mind you, I am not saying that Dalton's Bond, or any of the others, are mysogynists. But they all have mometns when they treat the women very badly!

-- Xenobia
-- Xenobia