11 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

It's Thunderball vs. Thunderball!

Which do you prefer? Ian Fleming's 1961 novel or the 1965 film, and why?

I'll be adding in my reply soon.

[Mr. Somerset]

I love both. I certainly love the feel of the book, though it's been awhile since I read it. The film captures the style of the novel IMO, and was well cast. Domino was blonde and Italain in Fleming's interpretaion. Claudine is my all time fave Bond girl, but I envisualized someone along the lines of Daniela Bianchi in the book strangely enough.
The film TB is the last film to truely inhabit the feeling and period of a Fleming novel to me (with the exception of OHMSS), and was Connery's last time somewhat resembling the novel OO7 as he started to look older afterwards.
Funny that NSNA would seem to have more scenes from the novel than the film version of TB.

[TheSaint]

I prefer the movie-I found it pathetic in the book that the US Navy had to cobble together broomsticks with knifes tied to the end to combat the SPECTRE frogmen.

[Byron]

It's Thunderball vs. Thunderball!

Which do you prefer? Ian Fleming's 1961 novel or the 1965 film, and why?

I'll be adding in my reply soon.

I haven't finished the book yet but i enjoyed it. I also recall liking the movie even though it went on for a bit too long. I may re-evaluate the film after finishing the book.

[Qwerty]

I have regarded Thunderball as Sean Connery's best James Bond film by far for many reasons. It clearly is one of the most outlandish and epic in scope, the box-office numbers alone show how popular and financially successful this magnificent movie is. Sean Connery is on the ball as Bond. Even though at the time he wasn't always as enthusiastic for the films as he was a few years earlier, his performance in Thunderball is spot on, and doesn't show obvious signs of boredom.

The plot itself is terrific. The idea, in 1965, to steal two nuclear warheads and then hold countries for ransom is massive and very effective. Comparing to most likely From Russia With Love and You Only Live Twice, in this film, you really see the entire SPECTRE organization at work with one of their most powerful operations.

The characters are excellent as well. Nearly all of them stand out as being some of the best. I've always thought Emilio Largo to be sometimes overlooked in favor of Auric Goldfinger, but he is just as ruthless and cruel. His torture sequence of Domino most certainly shows this. Fiona Volpe is without a doubt, one of the very best femme fatales in the series. Her chemistry with Connery's Bond is spot on and the dialogue between the two of them (in the car, bed, and during the chase for example) is riveting. Damsel in distress Domino is one of the best Bond girls in the series as well. She's beautiful, essential to the plot, and very important in bringing down Largo.

John Barry composes a master score for this film, with the blasting 007 theme used very effectively and many of his other cues as well. I like Tom Jones' title song, but I equally enjoy Dionne Warwick's version of the alternate theme just as much.

A negative aspect of the film is perhaps a few (much less than what some say) slow scenes underwater, the SPECTRE crew covering up the Vulcan underwater being the main culprit. Other than that, this film takes you on a ride and doesn't let up until the end.

The novel is a solid one from Fleming, but I think it's just a case of the film outshining it here.

[hcmv007]

I agree with Qwerty. Yes the film's underwater scenes were a bit goofy, but there were also a few errors (Check out Felix when Bond spots the plane, he goes from shorts to pants! Seriously, check it out!) But Thunderball is my favorite film off the bunch. I loved the book, but my only gripe is that if Blofeld ran SPECTRE why in the hell did he call himself Number 2 and Largo Number 1? As far as Largo, the film should have taken his character from the novel, make him a paralell of Bond, like Yaphet Kotto so brilliantly would do later as Kananga in Live and Let Die. All things said, I love them both equally, but asking me to choose a definite favorite, I'd have to say the film, only because I saw the film first, when I was 10.

[Qwerty]

I agree with Qwerty.  Yes the film's underwater scenes were a bit goofy, but there were also a few errors

More than a few. Thunderball has quite alot last time I checked. But then alot of the Bond films do.

[Bon-san]

The film seems to take less departures from its source novel, than any other Bond (save perhaps, OHMSS).

I went through a phase in which I was greatly annoyed at the fact that a few of the underwater scenes slowed things down unnecessarily (can't believe Peter Hunt let it go! Guess it was so novel to see such underwater photography that they threw in the lot). But that irritation has receded to the point that I really appreciate Thunderball as one of the great cinematic statements of Bond-dom.

The novel is not so similarly placed among it's literary counterparts. It's OK, but not top-notch Fleming IMO.

As such, it's an easy nod to the film.

[Max Zorin]

Thunderball the movie is my all time favorite Bond film, and I do prefer it to the book. I like the climax of the movie a lot better. I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the climax of Never Say Never Again is closer to the book's finale, but I just don't feel it works as well on screen.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

I prefer the movie-I found it pathetic in the book that the US Navy had to cobble together broomsticks with knifes tied to the end to combat the SPECTRE frogmen.

I thought that was awesome!

[B007GLE]

I'll go with the book.

The movei is pretty terrific but bon'd blackmailing Patricia Fearing into sex has always creeped me out.

[Streetworker]

It's Thunderball vs. Thunderball!

Which do you prefer? Ian Fleming's 1961 novel or the 1965 film, and why?

I'll be adding in my reply soon.

Definitely the book, which I am convinced he wrote without outside help, despite what illness compelled him to say in court...

The movie is, for me, the weakest of the Eon-Connery Bonds.