18 replies to this topic

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Amazon.com lists Raymond Benson's picks for the top 10 Bond films-

http://www.amazon.co...5073649-0182269

It was last updated 12/4/00. I would be surprised if Casino Royale did not make Benson's top 10(possibly even top 5)picks.

I find it fascinating that he picked Tomorrow Never Dies and not GoldenEye as Brosnan's best film, although I agree with him that TND is the best 1990s Bond film.

[Qwerty]

Tomorrow Never Dies is the best Brosnan Bond film.

[Loomis]

Hmmm.... for me, TOMORROW NEVER DIES is inferior to both GOLDENEYE and DIE ANOTHER DAY, although it's certainly better than THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. I'm surprised (but pleased) that LICENCE TO KILL is so high on his list, and I feel that implying that FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is Moore's best because "we actually see him get hurt" (not that we do, though - or, at least, I can't think of a single moment in which he's shaken up even half as badly as in, say, the centrifuge scene in MOONRAKER.... a film I believe Benson considers juvenile dross and nothing but) rather misses the whole point of Rog.

I'm very curious to know what Benson thinks of CASINO ROYALE. Has no one asked him for a review?

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I find it fascinating that he picked Tomorrow Never Dies and not GoldenEye as Brosnan's best film, although I agree with him that TND is the best 1990s Bond film.

To clarify, since GoldenEye and The World is not Enough get often called the "most Fleming-ish" or "best" Brosnan films, and Tomorrow Never Dies is more in the mold of the 1970s Moore films(need we say, The Spy Who Loved Me?) that Benson would pick it as the best.

Hmmm.... for me, TOMORROW NEVER DIES is inferior to both GOLDENEYE and DIE ANOTHER DAY, although it's certainly better than THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. I'm surprised (but pleased) that LICENCE TO KILL is so high on his list, and I feel that implying that FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is Moore's best because "we actually see him get hurt" (not that we do, though - or, at least, I can't think of a single moment in which he's shaken up even half as badly as in, say, the centrifuge scene in MOONRAKER.... a film I believe Benson considers juvenile dross and nothing but) rather misses the whole point of Rog.

Exactly, Mr. Benson doesn't get how much we loved Roger, the "fun" Bond. I'll be eternally grateful that Moonraker was the first Bond film I got to experience in the cinema as a child.

I'm very curious to know what Benson thinks of CASINO ROYALE. Has no one asked him for a review?

I would be surprised if it's not at least his #6. Perhaps we can write him. I think he has a website. I emailed him once and he very nicely wrote me back.

[Lazenby880]

Hmmm.... for me, TOMORROW NEVER DIES is inferior to both GOLDENEYE and DIE ANOTHER DAY, although it's certainly better than THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

For me Tomorrow Never Dies is inferior to GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough, whereas Die Another Day makes Brosnan's second outing look like the peak of expert acting and script-writing in comparison. In comparison, mind, as the 1997 enterprise is a thoroughly lacking film in my view.

I'm surprised (but pleased) that LICENCE TO KILL is so high on his list.

Agreed.

I feel that implying that FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is Moore's best because "we actually see him get hurt" (not that we do, though - or, at least, I can't think of a single moment in which he's shaken up even half as badly as in, say, the centrifuge scene in MOONRAKER.... a film I believe Benson considers juvenile dross and nothing but) rather misses the whole point of Rog.

Stellar point Loomis. I am beginning to think that Moonraker is a vastly misunderstood picture. The centrifuge scene is, in my opinion, a wonderfully executed scene in which Moore's Bond is placed in real danger: I enjoy the tension and suspense of the scene and Moore plays it brilliantly. In fact, there are quite a few dark moments in that film

Edited by Lazenby880, 14 January 2007 - 02:09 AM.

[Four Aces]

DAD actually puts me to sleep right after the fencing match at Blades. I think GE was the better of the Brozzie Bond flicks.

To be fair to PB, I don't think he was given the best material to work with. I think his acting is very good, however, and I like him in TCA the best. I hope there is a TCA 2.

[Loomis]

Laz,

Benson's BEDSIDE COMPANION is easily the best Bond book I know of, absolutely wonderful, must-have stuff (I take it from your post that you haven't read it). And I say that even though he knocks my fave Bond flick, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (but his points are, as always, well-made and interesting - it's just that I either disagree with them or don't view what he considers flaws as being damaging).

The lack of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME in Benson's top ten is very telling, since I imagine that it'd make it into most people's ten best lists, regardless of taste in Bondage. This indicates to me that our Ray is a real Fleming purist, and likes his "serious" Bond.

Anyway, friends of Benson here (you know who you are), why not ask him to write some thoughts on CASINO ROYALE, to be published on CBn? Obviously, it would be understandable if he were to decline, and I'm sure he's a busy man, and so on, but then again he was kind enough to be interviewed in-depth for this site a while back, and I'm sure that many of us here would be extremely interested in his thoughts on this, arguably the boldest, most acclaimed and most important 007 outing ever.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Laz,

Benson's BEDSIDE COMPANION is easily the best Bond book I know of, absolutely wonderful, must-have stuff (I take it from your post that you haven't read it). And I say that even though he knocks my fave Bond flick, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (but his points are, as always, well-made and interesting - it's just that I either disagree with them or don't view what he considers flaws as being damaging).

Agreed. He's always worth reading he though he trashes my beloved Moonraker.

The lack of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME in Benson's top ten is very telling, since I imagine that it'd make it into most people's ten best lists, regardless of taste in Bondage. This indicates to me that our Ray is a real Fleming purist, and likes his "serious" Bond.

Exactly. He also puts TND which borrows from TSWLM and YOLT both ahead of the 1977 film in his rankings. I think Benson just considers the 1970s the worst decade for Bond films. He even seems to like AVTAK better than most of the 1970s Bond films!

Anyway, friends of Benson here (you know who you are), why not ask him to write some thoughts on CASINO ROYALE, to be published on CBn? Obviously, it would be understandable if he were to decline, and I'm sure he's a busy man, and so on, but then again he was kind enough to be interviewed in-depth for this site a while back, and I'm sure that many of us here would be extremely interested in his thoughts on this, arguably the boldest, most acclaimed and most important 007 outing ever.

Please do. In fact, can anyone talk him into updating his James Bond Bedside Companion. It was last updated in 1988 and I want to read LTK, GE, TND, TWINE, DAD & CR go thru the Benson wringer.

[Turn]

Anyway, friends of Benson here (you know who you are), why not ask him to write some thoughts on CASINO ROYALE, to be published on CBn? Obviously, it would be understandable if he were to decline, and I'm sure he's a busy man, and so on, but then again he was kind enough to be interviewed in-depth for this site a while back, and I'm sure that many of us here would be extremely interested in his thoughts on this, arguably the boldest, most acclaimed and most important 007 outing ever.

That may be difficult. Remember the interview Zencat did with Benson back in 2004? Below was one of the questions:

Zencat: Are you still a Bond fan?

Benson: Of course! But it's different now. I'm on the other side of it. I look back at Bond with fondness. I will still see the films as they come out and probably read the books if and when they are published. But the days of me writing fan-ish articles and critiques are long gone. I like to think I've moved on. There are plenty of other things that keep me engaged. I'm a huge fan of many different things, from various types of music and films to other authors and genres.

Sadly, that list on Amazon may be the last public list of Benson's thoughts on Bond. Although, I'll admit I would really enjoy knowing his thoughts as well considering the impact he's had on the world of Bond.

[terminus]

I find it fascinating that he picked Tomorrow Never Dies and not GoldenEye as Brosnan's best film, although I agree with him that TND is the best 1990s Bond film.

Don't you contradict yourself? You suggest that GE is the best Brosnan film but that TND is the best Bond film of the 90s. How can this be? If GE is better than TND as you propose, then surely GE, and not TND, would be the better Bond film of the nineties?

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I find it fascinating that he picked Tomorrow Never Dies and not GoldenEye as Brosnan's best film, although I agree with him that TND is the best 1990s Bond film.

Don't you contradict yourself? You suggest that GE is the best Brosnan film but that TND is the best Bond film of the 90s. How can this be? If GE is better than TND as you propose, then surely GE, and not TND, would be the better Bond film of the nineties?

No contradiction. Personally speaking, I do not think GoldenEye is the best Brosnan Bond film. However, I find that it seems the general consensus says GoldenEye is Brosnan's best and Tomorrow Never Dies is Brosnan's worst(at least his worst 1990s Bond film). From previously reading previous Benson reviews, I would have thought Benson would have preferred GoldenEye as his favorite since it contains more spying and less action than Tomorrow Never Dies. Also, GE was originally written for Dalton's Bond and with Benson being a Dalton fan I would have thought he would have liked GE better. I was just surprised that Benson would agree with me in preferring TND to GE and not the "general consensus", that's all.

[Agent 0015]

That is nice to see that Goldfinger is not number one.

[Miss Miranda Frost]

That is nice to see that Goldfinger is not number one.

Very True.

[Qwerty]

That is nice to see that Goldfinger is not number one.

Agreed.

[zencat]

Looks like the list has been updated with Casino Royale at #4, with very high praise from RB:

Raymond Benson says:
"In many ways it's the first "real" James Bond film, the first one that truly and faithfully captures the Bond of Fleming's novels. If it weren't for the nostalgia factor of the original three Connery pictures, which were of a time and place that cannot be reproduced, "Casino Royale" would be the best Bond film ever."

[Loomis]

Excellent.

All the more so as Benson (going by his "Bedside Companion") seems a chap who's very careful with his praise (this is, of course, a good thing). And like I say, he appears to be a true purist.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Looks like the list has been updated with Casino Royale at #4, with very high praise from RB:

Raymond Benson says:
"In many ways it's the first "real" James Bond film, the first one that truly and faithfully captures the Bond of Fleming's novels. If it weren't for the nostalgia factor of the original three Connery pictures, which were of a time and place that cannot be reproduced, "Casino Royale" would be the best Bond film ever."

Fascinating. He even put CR ahead of OHMSS(which I know from his writing was one he really loved) and TB. He must have been getting a lot of email requests.
I'd also like to read his full report on Craig as Bond vs. Dalton as Bond.
I'd like to see his full 21 list rankings. Also, interesting that he added some more details to earlier comments like on TND. Disagree with him on the overrated Bond/Wai Lin team(a dull recycling of the similar and more fascinating Bond/Agent Triple X one in TSWLM).

[TheREAL008]

"GoldenEye" also has some credibility issues but it is still great stuff."

What does he mean by that?

Edited by TheREAL008, 21 April 2007 - 03:34 PM.

[Publius]

Wow. My list is actually almost exactly the same (although not precisely in that order).