55 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

Of the three James Bond films that Terence Young directed, which is your favourite?

While all three are ranked fairly high by myself, Thunderball still remains my favourite of his three--and all of Sean Connery's--Bond films.

[The Dove]

I'd have to agree with you Qwerty. Thunderball is definitely my favorite of the Terence Young films.. Then I would put Dr. No and then From Russia With Love, but hey, I love them all!!

[Skudor]

Impossible choice really. Thunderball is to me Connery at the height of his powers, although the film drags on a bit. From Russia With Love is simply a classic. Between the three I'd probably have to settle for a tie between From Russia With Love and Thunderball - Dr No will lag, mainly due to the cheaper production.

[MarcAngeDraco]

I'm sure to be in the minority again on this one... but it's Dr. No for me.

(Although I really love all of Young's films!)

[Santa]

To me these are it, this is Bond, and it's very hard to rank them. My first thought was FRWL, then Dr No, then TB, then they just started moving around in my head so I'm not bothering to rank them at all. I like all the Bond films for different reasons for each, but these are the classics.

[scottright]

I'd have to go with "From Russia With Love" as Young's best Bond. Connery really sets his stride as 007 and Young deftly brings out the sly humor ("red wine with fish - that should have told me something") without losing the movie's edge. "FRWL" is tense, it's lively, and full of great characters and great locations. And you can't really say enough about the cast - Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Pedro Armandariz, and certainly Daniela Bianchi. Under Young's direction they're easily the best ensemble cast of any Bond movie.

"From Russia With Love" isn't just Young's best Bond - it's one of the best Bonds.

[JimmyBond]

I'll side with those who name Thunderball as the best. The investigation of the missing bombs is I think simply the best mission Bond has ever been on. We know Bond is in a hurry to locate the Bombs and we see that in the films quick pace (ok, the water sequences do drag a bit, but still exciting), add to that Barry's score (one of his best) and Young's direction hit a peak, this truly is Young's best, and probably the series best film.

Wish Young would have done some more, but it's probably good he went out on top.

[Shaun Forever]

FRWL.

[Qwerty]

I've added in a poll.

[Tiin007]

I'd have to go with "From Russia With Love" as Young's best Bond. Connery really sets his stride as 007 and Young deftly brings out the sly humor ("red wine with fish - that should have told me something") without losing the movie's edge. "FRWL" is tense, it's lively, and full of great characters and great locations. And you can't really say enough about the cast - Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Pedro Armandariz, and certainly Daniela Bianchi. Under Young's direction they're easily the best ensemble cast of any Bond movie.

"From Russia With Love" isn't just Young's best Bond - it's one of the best Bonds.

I completely agree. It seems strange to me that almost everyone (including myself) ranks FRWL as one of the best Bond movies of all time, yet it has thus far received the least number of votes.

[Daddy Bond]

1. FRWL
2. DN
3. TB

Although I really like them all.

[Turn]

This is a nice one to debate because they are all different but similar in they are all excellent Bond films, unlike a Guy Hamilton or John Glen. Perhaps Young himself put it best when he said "I directed the first one, the best one and the one that made the most money," or something similar to that.

Since the topic is favorite, then I have to go with Thunderball, although FRWL is my highest climbing film in terms of respect in recent years. I just love the mix of the epic and spectacle with the grit and action of the earlier films it brings. Not to mention the best mix of beautiful women.

[Flash1087]

Thunderball, without a doubt. My favorite Connery-era movie in general, so it gets the nod here by default.

[Qwerty]

Wish Young would have done some more, but it's probably good he went out on top.

I recall him saying once that if he did another, he would want it to be the last Bond film.

[Kingdom Come]

Dr No didn't make the most money!!! I dislike all of Young's Bond films and all his other films. He was, to me, a dreadful director.

Almost all the films he directed after Bond were BOMBS. That is not the mark of any kind of 'good director'. I hated his directing - sooooooo bad; the terrible dubbing of the mask coming off Bond in FRWL - surely one of the great goofs in cinema history. The ending to FRWL tells us clearly Young was intoxicated when he shot those scenes. I could go on and on.

[DLibrasnow]

Tough choice between Dr. No and From Russia With Love for me, but I'll side with Dr. No for now since that had one overriding positive about it - Andress!

I recall him saying once that if he did another, he would want it to be the last Bond film.

I recall reading that in an interview also. I'm sure it would have been contractual too so if EON had decided to restart the series they would have had to pay out lots of Broccoli to Young (or his estate) for every movie.

As for Thunderball I much prefer Irvin Kershner's Never Say Never Again.

[OVERLORD]

"From Russia With Love" isn't just Young's best Bond - it's one of the best Bonds.

Agreed, but having recently watched them all again I think Thunderball just shades it. The biggest Bond of all

[TheCheat]

thunderball for me, although from russia with love is right behind it. both rank high on my list out of all bond films but i just enjoy watching thunderball more.

[Double-0-Seven]

I love them all, but I think Thunderball is the best.

[scottright]

Terence Young dreadful? Good God - I don't think you can possibly overstate Young's important to the series. More than anyone, Terence Young is the man who DEFINED the cinematic James Bond. Sean Connery's casting was a stroke of genius - but it was under the guidance of Terence Young that Connery went from the scruffy Scotsman to the elegant James Bond. More to the point, Young did it without watering down Connery's - or Bond's - steely confidence.

Technically, Terence Young's Bond movies are ingeniously shot - why, the train fight scene in "From Russia With Love" is practically a master class in how to shoot and edit action. All three of his movies are not just great Bond - they're the classic Bonds that every film save "Goldfinger" has had to live up to.
Even today, as we welcome the debut of Daniel Craig, EON's idea is to bring Bond back to earth in darker, straighter espionage stories...just like Terence Young used to make.

[Taro Todoroki]

Dr No didn't make the most money!!! I dislike all of Young's Bond films and all his other films. He was, to me, a dreadful director.

The first - Dr. No
The best - FRWL
The most money - Thunderball

[Qwerty]

Dr No didn't make the most money!!! I dislike all of Young's Bond films and all his other films. He was, to me, a dreadful director.

The first - Dr. No
The best - FRWL
The most money - Thunderball

I recall Young mentioning something along those very lines as well.

[ACE]

My preferences:

1) DN
2) FRWL
3) TB

I actually think that DN needs re-evaluation: it is arguable it set up the Bond formula more so than Goldfinger. FRWL was a wonderful aberration before the lava of creativity cooled to the crust of formula.

[Lazenby880]

A very difficult decision as FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL rank pretty much equally for me, however were push to come to shove I would go for the latter (marginally). All three are very good motion pictures, and arguably set the trend in so many respects for those that followed.

Terence Young:

[Genrewriter]

Thunderball gets the nod from me, it's as close to perfecton as a Bond film can get.

[Qwerty]

Dr No didn't make the most money!!!

But Thunderball definitely still has the crown...

[freemo]

Dr. No

Might even be the best film of the whole lot. Far more edgy and brutual than the others, not only for it's time, but even in an "unadjusted" measure. Just the sex and violence without any of the gimmicks or flab of later films. Actually has a genuine sense of danger about it. The shooting of Professor Dent, and then later on the stabbing of the guard in the swamp, that's what Bond should be.

Or it could just be that it's the one I watched most recently.

[Judo chop]

Yeah right. Which is the most important leg of a tripod, I ask you?

Still, with a gun to my head, I'd say Thunderball.

[Double-Oh Agent]

All are good, but I like From Russia With Love and Thunderball quite a bit more than Dr. No. Ultimately, however, my choice for favorite Terence Young Bond film would be Thunderball.

1. Thunderball
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No

[Byron]

Always a fine line between Dr No and TB with FRWL next.

Voted for Dr No due to its simplicity.