45 replies to this topic

[dogmanstar]

Hitchcock's Vertigo is a masterpiece and if you can't take the pace you need to mature more.

And Omar Sharif gets a full minute of entrance approaching the waterhole in Laurence of Arabia - its called suspense.

Whoah, guys! Read my post carefully, I was just describing a difference in pace--not criticizing Vertigo. I thought the emoticon tipped my hand there. Isn't that what this means?

[Mr. Blofeld]

Since I can't find a general Thunderball thread elsewhere on these boards, I'd like to point out a quick reference to another Connery film in one of Bond's lines; when Pat asks him if she'll ever see him again, 007 quips, "Another time, another place", referring to the title of the 1958 film in which Connery co-starred alongside Lana Turner.

[dogmanstar]

Hey, that's cool, Mr. Blofeld! Is the movie any good?

[Mr. Blofeld]

Hey, that's cool, Mr. Blofeld! Is the movie any good?

I wouldn't know; I only read about it on [url="http://"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Time%2C_Another_Place_%281958_film%29"]Wikipedia[/url].

[dogmanstar]

There's a fascinating tidbit on Wikipedia: That Sean Connery beat up Lana Turner's husband, who was a reputed Mobster! Is Sean the real deal or what?

[Mr. Blofeld]

There's a fascinating tidbit on Wikipedia: That Sean Connery beat up Lana Turner's husband, who was a reputed Mobster! Is Sean the real deal or what?

Lana Turner's daughter killed him with a knife a few years later.

[Turn]

There's a fascinating tidbit on Wikipedia: That Sean Connery beat up Lana Turner's husband, who was a reputed Mobster! Is Sean the real deal or what?

Lana Turner's daughter killed him with a knife a few years later.

It wasn't actually her husband, but her boyfriend. It's one of the great Connery stories. The guy got in his face and Big Tam clocked him, like a moment out of a Scorsese flick.

The daughter was only 14 and there's actually been some speculation that it was Lana herself who stabbed the guy. I don't think her career was ever the same from that point on.

[WC]

Thunderball has some of the best lines, some of the best scenes and 2 of the most beautiful Bond girls in the series. However, I do personally find that the underwater scenes can be a bit slow at times. I personally preferred the way the pacing was done in NSNA. I think if it had that pacing, then it would be an absolute masterpiece of a movie, as it is a really good film. I still have to put the rest of it above NSNA again though. Domino as portrayed by Claudine Auger is far more beautiful and sensuous than Kim Basinger ever was, and Fiona Volpe is one of the best villainesses ever.

[DaveBond21]

Yes, the underwater scenes (especially hiding the Vulcan) do slow the movie down a little, but we should always remember that, back in 1965, these underwater scenes were like nothing seen before on the big screen.

[RJJB]

Yes, the underwater scenes (especially hiding the Vulcan) do slow the movie down a little, but we should always remember that, back in 1965, these underwater scenes were like nothing seen before on the big screen.

Good point. When I saw TB back in 1965 on the big screen, the underwater scenes were mesmerizing, especially the scene of hiding the Vulcan. It felt as though you were in the thick of the action. Naturally it suffers somewhat on the small screen, but what movie doesn't?

[sark]

and Fiona Volpe is one of the best villainesses ever.

She's enough to get to me watch it. Perhaps she's the source of my predeliction toward auburn-haired girls

I've never found the pacing of the underwater scenes dull. However, I have only rarely thought a film was too long. That is, if I like it generally. I do remember seeing the Da Vince Code in theatres. There was about four times I thought it was over and started to get up, but it just kept going...

My opinion is biased because of the fact that TB is my favorite Bond film. It makes me want to live like Bond more than any other film.

[Marc-Ange Draco]

The underwater scenes are still quite impressive to me, and I'm a product of the 90s--to me, the pacing of the first four Connery films (and OHMSS) is part of what makes them so good.

My best friends at school prefer the Bourne movies and 24, and won't even sit through Goldfinger and OHMSS--they're not flashy/fast-paced enough. The pacing of the early movies allowed not only for plot development, but also helped to fit in/explain some important characters such as Kronsteen, Prof. Dent, Vargas, etc. Thunderball took this perhaps a bit to the extreme with the underwater scenes, but the score really made them click for me.

[DaveBond21]

The underwater scenes are still quite impressive to me, and I'm a product of the 90s--to me, the pacing of the first four Connery films (and OHMSS) is part of what makes them so good.

Hear hear!

[RazorBlade]

I love TB and everything about it. I, too, learned to SCUBA dive because of TB. yes, the underwater action scenes go on too long but as has been said earlier, it was new tech and they wanted to show off. Nowadays things would move more crisply but with the obvious CGI effects. At least the more natural scenes in TB are charming because they are more natural.

[Brian Flagg]

Anyways, what are your opinions on the underwater scenes in Thunderball? From what I read in various threads, it seems that most people think that there are too many and that they really slow the pace of the film down. It is probably the most common criticism I hear about Thunderball. It appears the underwater scenes are the main reason a lot of people don't rank this film above Goldfinger.

I must say that I have the exact opposite opinion. I don't think the underwater scenes in Thunderball slow the pace down at all. There is plenty of action on land as well to make up for it. It is my favorite of the Connery films.

TB has always been my favorite Bond film of all time, so I naturally LOVE the underater sequences...All of them. I still do! As a nine-year-old growing up here in Miami, anything in movies or TV taking place in the ocean, especially underwater, was a thrill for a kid like me who could just go to the beach or a friend's swimming pool anytime and pretend I was 007 in THUNDERBALL. The only qualm is the sloppy editing, but I can and have "dealt with it" without any ill effects for nearly thirty years now, thank you!

[Aris007]

The underwater scenes should have been shorter. Especially the scene where the plane is hidden should have lasted at about 30 seconds max. It makes you feel bored and the movie becomes a little ''tired'' after that compared to the beginning.