Posted 28 December 2009 - 03:10 PM
In 2008 I watched all the Bond movies and wrote a series of reviews for another site. The aim was to watch them in order in the run up to the premiere of QOS. I succeeded and the reviews were well received.
However, subsequently, I have re-read my reviews and re-watched a number of the movies (the BFI had a whole 007 season earlier this year and I saw quite a few on the big screen again!).
This is my updated review for Thunderball.
THUNDERBALL
REVISED REVIEW 26/12/2009
Thunderball was a massive success in 1965/66. It was an event film, a world wide smash everywhere it opened. For a time it even out grossed The Sound of Music. It has left a lasting legacy on the Bond franchise and while not the best film in the series it certainly has the biggest influence. James Bond could never be the same again once the Korean had been spewed from the ejector seat in Goldfinger, but by Thunderball he could never be small-time again. Thunderball was conceived as a big film from the off: a big budget, big stars, big sets, big fights and big battles. It is a rollercoaster ride of thrills and excitement.
Yet, despite Thunderball being the most successful and, possibly, the most quintessential entry into the series, it doesn’t quite work. Most of the blame for this must lie fairly and squarely with Richard Maibaum and John Hopkin’s script, which while retaining much of the novel, doesn’t add anything new to the Bond character or to his world, and Terence Young whose direction is listless and disjointed. The driving force in the previous films had always been the interaction between the characters, but here everyone is drawn in crayon not water colour.
The potentially colourful Emilio Largo, as played by Adolfo Celi, comes across as nothing more than a gangster and a bully, albeit a rich one. The beautiful Claudine Auger is Domino, the heroine of the piece, but after a bright start in two classic scenes with Sean Connery, the writers lose faith in her relevance to the plot, she has little to say or do until the denouement of the film. The henchman Vargas is a low-grade Grant, and Count Lippe is a disappointing early foil, their encounters with Bond are mostly played for laughs. There are insignificant supporting roles for Rik Van Nutter, Martine Beswick, Molly Peters and Earl Cameron.
On the plus side the marvellous Luciana Paluzzi wonderfully fleshes out the sexual predator and deadly assassin Fiona Volpe. She is almost the best actor in the film and her scenes with Connery have an extra bite and attitude missing from much of the movie. I say “almost the best actor” because undeniably this is Sean Connery’s finest hour as James Bond. Yes, he coasts a little, but that adds to the charm and the subtlety of his performance. He has learnt so much since Dr No, even down to the way he walks, like a cat, on the balls of his feet: in the pre-title fight Connery prowls the floor, stalking his prey before the ultimate kill. If there is too much humour, it isn’t his fault and he handles the now customary one-liners with the appropriate grace or disdain they deserve. His reward is to be billed above the title. It isn’t just Ian Fleming’s James Bond anymore, it’s Sean Connery’s.
Despite the abundance poor characterisations Thunderball isn’t all bad. The fight scenes are well done, the chases are brilliant, the special effects are of Oscar winning standard, John Barry’s music is one of his best scores, Maurice Binder supplies his definitive title design and Lamar Boren’s underwater photography is of high quality. So why does it all feel so unsatisfactory?
Possibly for one reason only: it has a long winded and dull climax. Thunderball happens at breakneck speed and the audience is along for the ride for first hour and a half. Then, at precisely the moment the film needs to build on its excitement, we are subjected to two lengthy underwater sequences, the latter an interminable battle which never seems to end. Peter Hunt’s editing can’t save it and neither can Barry’s music. If the final fist fight on board the Disco Volante is well executed, the back projection error is simply unforgivable, making the scene laughable when it should be tense.
Yet, despite these problems, Thunderball is still an outstanding example of Bond-age, displaying everything the Bond fan has come to know and love about the films. I have a hard time criticising it, because, being the first Bond film I watched, it has special memories for me and in many ways I want it to be so much better than it is.
Perhaps, ultimately, one shouldn’t argue with the balance books. Eon took a risk allowing Kevin McClory to produce Thunderball under their banner. It was a risk well worth taking as Thunderball ensured the 007 phenomenon escalated into absolute international mania. James Bond was never going to be so big again.
RATING - 7 from 10
