322 replies to this topic

[Mr. Blofeld]

Connery was at real ease in the role by then; a shame he resorted to sleep walking through the next one.

I agree; that's why, to the admitted astonishment of several users on these boards, I unabashedly hate YOLT with a passion... and why, despite its slow nature, I like Thunderball so much.

[honeyjes]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

[Major Tallon]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

The Disco Volante was supposed to be capable of much higher speeds than anyone imagined, allowing it to sail much farther than anyone expected to the Vulcan's landing zone/ concealment point. Even so, the speed depicted in the film was too exaggerated. Instead of ramping up the suspense of the final battle, it's so overdone as to distract from the brutality of the fight.

And it is a brutal fight, nicely done in the confined space of the yacht's cockpit. I don't see a "Keystone Cops" aspect to it at all.

Nor do I mind Bond being saved by Domino. That's what happens in the novel, and I think it's effective to have him facing inevitable death only to be saved at the last minute by the girl's intervention. In the book, Domino escaped from Largo's captivity on her own; in the movie, Kutze (spelled "Kotze" in the novel) frees her. I don't think the change makes any difference. I certainly don't want Bond to free her, as he's got the more important matter of the atom bombs to concern himself with.

As for "Kutze" himself, my own interpretation is that he was drowned, and again Bond had more important matters at hand than searching a few hundred square yards of ocean in a likely-futile attempt to save him.

I can't defend the pink shorts. I wonder if the shop that sold them also dealt in neckties?

[DR76]

THUNDERBALL, in a way, reminds me of OCTOPUSSY. Both movies have its share of minor silliness and camp. But both also have a first-rate story that rose above its weaknesses.

[jrcjohnny99]

There's a whole lot to like in Thunderball, but there's also a whole lot of frustrating stuff; For me, it marked the start of the trend of Bond films trying to be "Bond films" (OHMSS excepted); Much like "Octopussy" or "Die Another Day"; I can always watch it, but I'm also almost always frustrated by it.
It's still a world better than DAF, but not as entertaining as any of Roger's first four...

[honeyjes]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

The Disco Volante was supposed to be capable of much higher speeds than anyone imagined, allowing it to sail much farther than anyone expected to the Vulcan's landing zone/ concealment point. Even so, the speed depicted in the film was too exaggerated. Instead of ramping up the suspense of the final battle, it's so overdone as to distract from the brutality of the fight.

And it is a brutal fight, nicely done in the confined space of the yacht's cockpit. I don't see a "Keystone Cops" aspect to it at all.

Nor do I mind Bond being saved by Domino. That's what happens in the novel, and I think it's effective to have him facing inevitable death only to be saved at the last minute by the girl's intervention. In the book, Domino escaped from Largo's captivity on her own; in the movie, Kutze (spelled "Kotze" in the novel) frees her. I don't think the change makes any difference. I certainly don't want Bond to free her, as he's got the more important matter of the atom bombs to concern himself with.

As for "Kutze" himself, my own interpretation is that he was drowned, and again Bond had more important matters at hand than searching a few hundred square yards of ocean in a likely-futile attempt to save him.

I can't defend the pink shorts. I wonder if the shop that sold them also dealt in neckties?

Can't say I can buy into this plot hole

As some are so quick to point out the books are separate from the cinematic incarnation, therefore, him sitting there perfecting his goldfinger pose and unable to kill the main protagonist just makes the finale flat for me.

Re; Kutze, and your logic that if the mission comes first, shouldn’t he have also left Domino to fend for herself too. Bond gave Kutze a life ring and shoved him overboard and followed thereafter, and since Kutze couldn’t swim he wouldn’t have drifted too far. The ending seems too contrived to me, why didn’t someone just kill him on the boat. I just think he was conveniently forgotten, as he can’t be seen playing gooseberry in the dingy, it would spoil the ending of the usual Bond with the girl scenario.

[blueman]

TB makes for a nice consolation prize, but it's a buttinski in my mind that took the series down a different road... ah well.

You think so? If only they had kept on course after OHMSS, instead of going back down the GF-YOLT path; the series probably would have been better lauded critically over the years, rather than being dismissed as "oh, it's the formula; just another Bond movie".

Well, that's kinda my point - why create the formula in the first place? Guess I'd like to think Bond has more to him than that, jumping from the great caper film that is GF to OHMSS gives EON the chance to come back and do a proper YOLT for Connery's 5th film, and wouldn't that have been awesome? Different, probably not as successful at the BO, but more Bond, definitely (that is if one defines Bond by what Fleming wrote, and not what EON vamped up).

Anyways, we got what we got, and TB has a lot to like in it: Fiona, Schrublands, Palmyra, great PTS, fun Barry score, and Connery having a blast in just about every scene.

[Major Tallon]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

The Disco Volante was supposed to be capable of much higher speeds than anyone imagined, allowing it to sail much farther than anyone expected to the Vulcan's landing zone/ concealment point. Even so, the speed depicted in the film was too exaggerated. Instead of ramping up the suspense of the final battle, it's so overdone as to distract from the brutality of the fight.

And it is a brutal fight, nicely done in the confined space of the yacht's cockpit. I don't see a "Keystone Cops" aspect to it at all.

Nor do I mind Bond being saved by Domino. That's what happens in the novel, and I think it's effective to have him facing inevitable death only to be saved at the last minute by the girl's intervention. In the book, Domino escaped from Largo's captivity on her own; in the movie, Kutze (spelled "Kotze" in the novel) frees her. I don't think the change makes any difference. I certainly don't want Bond to free her, as he's got the more important matter of the atom bombs to concern himself with.

As for "Kutze" himself, my own interpretation is that he was drowned, and again Bond had more important matters at hand than searching a few hundred square yards of ocean in a likely-futile attempt to save him.

I can't defend the pink shorts. I wonder if the shop that sold them also dealt in neckties?

Can't say I can buy into this plot hole

As some are so quick to point out the books are separate from the cinematic incarnation, therefore, him sitting there perfecting his goldfinger pose and unable to kill the main protagonist just makes the finale flat for me.

Re; Kutze, and your logic that if the mission comes first, shouldn’t he have also left Domino to fend for herself too. Bond gave Kutze a life ring and shoved him overboard and followed thereafter, and since Kutze couldn’t swim he wouldn’t have drifted too far. The ending seems too contrived to me, why didn’t someone just kill him on the boat. I just think he was conveniently forgotten, as he can’t be seen playing gooseberry in the dingy, it would spoil the ending of the usual Bond with the girl scenario.

My usual reaction to the oft-repeated statement that the films are different from the novels is to snarl a bit and tell myself "more's the pity," but I concede that's just me. Even within the world of the films, however, I like the idea that Bond isn't the invincible superman, that he's fallible and really stands in danger of failure and death. I also like the idea that the film heroines represent more than mere decoration or someone who's in the film just to be rescured, but that they're smart, resourceful, and brave. In "Thunderball," it's totally appropriate that Bond (who has in any event more than held his own against a gang of SPECTRE thugs) is facing inevitable death until Domino intervenes. I don't think it makes Bond any weaker, and it shows us that Domino, who previously was well under Largo's thumb, has grown to hate Largo enough to dispatch him herself. It's a better movie as a result.

I obviously can't substantiate my theory that Kutze drowned, but I don't think that having a life ring thrust into his hands proves otherwise. A panic-stricken man, hurled off a speeding boat (let's say it was making fifty knots) just before a shattering explosion might easily have lost his hold on it and gone under. Of course, at the speed the hydrofoil was travelling, he could have been several hundred yards from where Bond and Domino wound up, so I suppose he might simply have been out of the shot. His drowning is just my own thought, but that's my take.

[DaveBond21]

Bond gave Kutze a life ring and shoved him overboard and followed thereafter, and since Kutze couldn’t swim he wouldn’t have drifted too far

Glad you've confirmed that for me, I was about to check the ending myself. I always thought that he was given a life ring at that point. It always reminds me of the fact that Bond also threw a henchman overboard in FRWL, asking him briefly "Can you swim?" before throwing him into the water.

[honeyjes]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

The Disco Volante was supposed to be capable of much higher speeds than anyone imagined, allowing it to sail much farther than anyone expected to the Vulcan's landing zone/ concealment point. Even so, the speed depicted in the film was too exaggerated. Instead of ramping up the suspense of the final battle, it's so overdone as to distract from the brutality of the fight.

And it is a brutal fight, nicely done in the confined space of the yacht's cockpit. I don't see a "Keystone Cops" aspect to it at all.

Nor do I mind Bond being saved by Domino. That's what happens in the novel, and I think it's effective to have him facing inevitable death only to be saved at the last minute by the girl's intervention. In the book, Domino escaped from Largo's captivity on her own; in the movie, Kutze (spelled "Kotze" in the novel) frees her. I don't think the change makes any difference. I certainly don't want Bond to free her, as he's got the more important matter of the atom bombs to concern himself with.

As for "Kutze" himself, my own interpretation is that he was drowned, and again Bond had more important matters at hand than searching a few hundred square yards of ocean in a likely-futile attempt to save him.

I can't defend the pink shorts. I wonder if the shop that sold them also dealt in neckties?

Can't say I can buy into this plot hole

As some are so quick to point out the books are separate from the cinematic incarnation, therefore, him sitting there perfecting his goldfinger pose and unable to kill the main protagonist just makes the finale flat for me.

Re; Kutze, and your logic that if the mission comes first, shouldn’t he have also left Domino to fend for herself too. Bond gave Kutze a life ring and shoved him overboard and followed thereafter, and since Kutze couldn’t swim he wouldn’t have drifted too far. The ending seems too contrived to me, why didn’t someone just kill him on the boat. I just think he was conveniently forgotten, as he can’t be seen playing gooseberry in the dingy, it would spoil the ending of the usual Bond with the girl scenario.

My usual reaction to the oft-repeated statement that the films are different from the novels is to snarl a bit and tell myself "more's the pity," but I concede that's just me. Even within the world of the films, however, I like the idea that Bond isn't the invincible superman, that he's fallible and really stands in danger of failure and death. I also like the idea that the film heroines represent more than mere decoration or someone who's in the film just to be rescured, but that they're smart, resourceful, and brave. In "Thunderball," it's totally appropriate that Bond (who has in any event more than held his own against a gang of SPECTRE thugs) is facing inevitable death until Domino intervenes. I don't think it makes Bond any weaker, and it shows us that Domino, who previously was well under Largo's thumb, has grown to hate Largo enough to dispatch him herself. It's a better movie as a result.

I obviously can't substantiate my theory that Kutze drowned, but I don't think that having a life ring thrust into his hands proves otherwise. A panic-stricken man, hurled off a speeding boat (let's say it was making fifty knots) just before a shattering explosion might easily have lost his hold on it and gone under. Of course, at the speed the hydrofoil was travelling, he could have been several hundred yards from where Bond and Domino wound up, so I suppose he might simply have been out of the shot. His drowning is just my own thought, but that's my take.

Sorry, still too many variables. I'l leave you to clean your rose tinted specs.

[Turn]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

This post feels like baiting, but I'll gladly take it because as many holes as you claim here I find in some of your points where Major Tallon hasn't already done so.

First of all, you complain about Domino rescuing Bond, but in another post you mention the novels. Domino kills Largo in the novel of TB when he has Bond at a disadvantage. Bond is also saved by Tanya in FRWL, who shoots Klebb dead, is that any worse?

Also, how are any of the scenes in the TB finale meant to portray Bond as suave and sophisticated anyway? The man just fought off death how many times and still has the upper hand on Largo and his men until the Disco lurches and he loses his balance.

Who cares about a character like Kutze? He was redeemed and at least Bond gave him a life preserver. There were plenty of ships and aircraft in the area, the guy had a fighting chance. But then when you consider his fate, how about the others who may have been collateral damage in other films, the sailors in TSWLM, the beautiful people in MR, Sister Rose and Sister Lilly in Dr. No, etc.

Pink tight shorts? They seemed rather red to me, tight was the style then. He wears a pink shirt in YOLT as well and a pink tie in DAF. It's Connery, he can pull it off.

Which brings up the final point, the Connery films don't get "brown nosing", these films are "beloved" and have earned praise because the majority of us see them for what they are -- good, sometimes great, films. Perfect, no, but entertaining and well made.

So now you can hand me the glass cleaner for my rose-colored specs and perhaps I can offer you a pair of bifocals in return.

[Major Tallon]

All of this puts me in mind of what might have been the most astonishing ending ever filmed to a James Bond movie. The final battle is over, and the Disco Volante has been destroyed. Domino, beautiful and vulnerable, has saved Bond's life and is treading water on the surface, but Bond turns away. As the credits roll, we see him frantically surveying the waters calling out, "Kutze! Kutze! What's happened to Kutze?"

It could have been classic.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I always figured Kutze survived. All he had to do was hang on to the life preserver, kick his way to the abandoned inflatable raft (much like a little kid learning to do swim kicks by using buoyant foam things in a pool), climb aboard, and wait to be rescued. Not that hard really even if he doesn't know how to swim.

But really, finding out what happens to Kutze, isn't all that important. I certainly wouldn't have added anything more than a very brief clip of him clinging to the life preserver and kicking his way to the raft as Bond preps the arrow balloon. As has been mentioned, the American fleet wasn't far away and would no doubt arrive soon to investigate the wreckage and look for any possible survivors.

[honeyjes]

It's been awhile since my last post.

Not sure why this is so beloved I managed to catch the ending about a month ago and thought our hero wasn’t so sauve and sophisticated:

Keystone cops fighting
For a Yacht so big, how come it avoids all them rocks so easily.
Bond brawling on the Disco Volante
One of Largo’s turncoat rescues Domino
We have a defenceless Bond whose been knocked on his butt waiting for his enemy to put a hole in him
Bond is saved by Domino she kills Largo
Bond is so weak after the brawl he can’t even shift a dead body off the wheel as the yacht is now so hard to manoeuvre so has to jump ship
Shoves Domino’s rescuer into the sea and forgets about him and only hauls himself and the Domino into the dingy.
Mission accomplished!
Oh and what was up with those really tight pink shorts/trunks.
These older films because it’s Connery seem to get a lot of brown nosing

This post feels like baiting, but I'll gladly take it because as many holes as you claim here I find in some of your points where Major Tallon hasn't already done so.

First of all, you complain about Domino rescuing Bond, but in another post you mention the novels. Domino kills Largo in the novel of TB when he has Bond at a disadvantage. Bond is also saved by Tanya in FRWL, who shoots Klebb dead, is that any worse?

Also, how are any of the scenes in the TB finale meant to portray Bond as suave and sophisticated anyway? The man just fought off death how many times and still has the upper hand on Largo and his men until the Disco lurches and he loses his balance.

Who cares about a character like Kutze? He was redeemed and at least Bond gave him a life preserver. There were plenty of ships and aircraft in the area, the guy had a fighting chance. But then when you consider his fate, how about the others who may have been collateral damage in other films, the sailors in TSWLM, the beautiful people in MR, Sister Rose and Sister Lilly in Dr. No, etc.

Pink tight shorts? They seemed rather red to me, tight was the style then. He wears a pink shirt in YOLT as well and a pink tie in DAF. It's Connery, he can pull it off.

Which brings up the final point, the Connery films don't get "brown nosing", these films are "beloved" and have earned praise because the majority of us see them for what they are -- good, sometimes great, films. Perfect, no, but entertaining and well made.

So now you can hand me the glass cleaner for my rose-colored specs and perhaps I can offer you a pair of bifocals in return.

Thanks for reminding me that certain films are sacrosanct on here. I think you need the bifocals more than I, I'm not seeing red mist.

[Safari Suit]

Thunderball is far from sacrosanct. A few threads down from this one you'll find a thread started by tim partridge which is heavily critical of a lot of Bond movies and Thuderball in particular, but which has been well recieved and provoked a fair deal of lively debate rather than reprimands. I would guess that was because it criticsed the films with a good deal of wit and insight rather than implying anyone who likes them is wearing rose-tinted glasses, too afraid to criticise them or "brown-nosing" the films.

How do you "brown-nose" a film anyway? How and indeed why?

[honeyjes]

I’m not known for calling a spade a digging implement, so as my plain speaking seems to have chafed, I’m sure you’ll be relieved that this is my last post on this forum.

I’ve not read every topic including Mr Partidges humorous writeup so to put things into context my brown nose comments and little dig re sauve and sophistication, and pointing out some things that in other films are crapped on but beloved because it’s a Connery film stem from the threads I have read and my interpretation of how the Bond actors are perceived and treated.

Lazenby was a novice and his single entry is arguably one of, if not the best in the franchise, but he seems to be ranked as a poor mans Connery.

Moore was encyclopedic Bond and with all 7 entries was the consummate professional, but is seems to be treated by some as a pariah.

Dalton infused the Fleming touch, but seems to be resented for actually wanting to represent that character.

Brosnan some say was the man for all seasons Bond and is now being pilloried for providing what the public wanted, they were happy with his rendition and were very vocal petitioning for his return when he was dropped.

Craig is being labelled Bourne Bond who lacks refinement and is a thug and yet,
the first set of films in the franchise highlight Bonds vulnerability, getting roughed up, not always perfectly groomed, in full control, gadget laden and fully prepared for all situations but instead using his initiative and wits. There seems to be a divide and a palatable anathema to the change back from the GQ, Gadget wielding, unflappable, perfectly groomed ladykiller.

Connery made six films and to me was a rough diamond in one, improved and perfected his style then started to get out of shape, and his sleep walking and bored alter ego turned up on set for two and yet his films are treated on the most part with deference while it’s open season on the Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan and Craig entries, perpetuating the myth that the one who came first has no feet of clay.

Agree, disagree, lambast, choke with fury or be dismissive, but hey that’s my POV.

Bye.

[Safari Suit]

Even though I disagree with many of your posts and often found your tone a tad unpleasant I am not "relieved" that you are leaving as I should imagine anyone with a genuine interest in Bond who can articulate their views has a place here, but it's your choice.

I suppose you wont read this but I do disagree with much of what you say.

Those criticisms of Lazenby and Dalton are perhaps the general perception of them among critics and the public, but I would say around here they are looked on fondly as good Bonds whose movies rank among the better enteries in the series and who should have made more.

There are a few who see Rog as a pariah, but on the whole I think he is viewed very fondly indeed, so fondly I think many are almost afraid to criticise him. If anything he almost seems to have become the untouchable Bond around here more so than Connery. I'm a huge Rog fan who has few grievances over his era, but I have to say I think it's not uncommon to read posters bending over backwards to excuse him for things they wouldn't excuse the others for.

Perhaps Craigmania isn't quite as fervent as it was prior to QOS' release, and there are a minority of people who carry the grudges you mention, but the majority seem to rate him very highly indeed. If any Bond film is sacrosanct around here I'd say it was Casino Royale.

I do broadly agree with what you say about how Broz is seen here, although by no means do I think all, or even most, of his critics are bandwaggon jumpers.

As for Connery, the notion that he sleepwalked through his later films is a common one. Diamonds Are Forver is one of the most frequently maligned on this site, Never Say Never Again is too when it's not ignored. You Only Lived Twice comes in for criticism as frequently as most of the other films, as to a lesser extent do Thunderball and even Goldfinger. The only film of his I would say bordered on universal adoration was From Russia With Love, but isn't it possible that there will just be one or two Bond films most people like on a Bond site?

Indeed on the whole I'd say it's surprising how few Bond films are universally well-recieved around here, so I have to say your comments don't ring true to me. But that's just how I see it.

[Turn]

This is the second time recently a poster has said their "goodbyes" because of how they perceived to be treated. But the way you stated your views, you invited opposing views, which wasn't anything uncivil as far as I could tell. That's the purpose of a forum.

You came into a thread celebrating Thunderball and decided it was the appopriate place to put your views, which were negative and read like they invited debate. When you got that debate, you condescended when your views weren't met with agreement.

You claim up in the previous post you don't read every topic. Neither do I, but if you at least scanned some you'd may be surprised to not find universal praise for Connery and all his Bond films.

I like all the Bond actors, but I come to a Bond forum to debate the merits and deficiencies of each in my own views, including Connery. As I stated in a previous post, there are reasons some of his films and his portrayal are held in high regard and I'm not alone in those views. But if you read closely you'll find a lot of criticism for TB, YOLT, DAF and NSNA. You'll also be amazed to find not everybody here shares the general sentiment that Goldfinger is the best Bond film ever.

I defended Dalton on this forum in the dark days when Brosnan was viewed as the the only other Bond and Dalton killed the series. I championed Craig when many others damned him to failure before he had filmed a frame. I've seen Moore and Lazenby earn high praise upon reevaluation of their films. For a while, the Moore forum had the most posts and replies of any on CBn, if I'm not mistaken.

I never advocating anyone leaving a forum, but I also don't advocate people who want to post and want to run away when their views aren't met with agreement.

[Scottlee]

Just to say, Thunderball is still my favourite Connery movie. On the subject of Kutz, I've always believed that he survived. As somebody else said, all he would have had to do was cling onto the rubber ring until the navy came into the area. There were even tons of rocks around - the ones the Disco Valente swerved around - if he wanted to climb onto one of those whilst he waited.

Despite my love of the film, the end fight is the weakest part for me. It feels unrealistic that the boat could swerve around all those rocks. I'd rather Largo have stopped the boat once they'd escaped the navy, and then Bond could have appeared for a fight on a static boat.

[DaveBond21]

Just to say, Thunderball is still my favourite Connery movie. On the subject of Kutz, I've always believed that he survived. As somebody else said, all he would have had to do was cling onto the rubber ring until the navy came into the area. There were even tons of rocks around - the ones the Disco Valente swerved around - if he wanted to climb onto one of those whilst he waited.

Despite my love of the film, the end fight is the weakest part for me. It feels unrealistic that the boat could swerve around all those rocks. I'd rather Largo have stopped the boat once they'd escaped the navy, and then Bond could have appeared for a fight on a static boat.

I agree, Scottlee. I'd have preferred the end fight to have maybe taken place after the boat had crashed into some rocks, leaving everyone dazed but still able to carry on the fight.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Despite my love of the film, the end fight is the weakest part for me. It feels unrealistic that the boat could swerve around all those rocks. I'd rather Largo have stopped the boat once they'd escaped the navy, and then Bond could have appeared for a fight on a static boat.

I agree, Scottlee. I'd have preferred the end fight to have maybe taken place after the boat had crashed into some rocks, leaving everyone dazed but still able to carry on the fight.

I dunno; I like how frantic the whole thing looks, what with the ship veering, and Bond clunking heads... it's a real whiz-banger of an ending.

[00Twelve]

Just watched TB last weekend during the Syfy marathon, seeing it for the first time in HD with 120Hz true motion.

Long story short, it was amazing. Particularly, though, the oft-maligned climactic fight looked (brace yourself) fluid. I couldn't believe my eyes. Really blew me away. It's all in the true motion technology. If any of you haven't seen the movie presented this way, I highly recommend it.

[Mr. Blofeld]

00Twelve, define for the class "true motion".

[crheath]

Young's direction and Hunt's editing. Just perfect in about every scene.

Hunt's editing is especially good in the opening fight scene between Bond and Jacque Bouviard...

[volante]

For its time. Brilliant.
Today the story stands the test of time.

[00Twelve]

00Twelve, define for the class "true motion".

It's the feature on newer HDTVs that causes the image onscreen to look as if you're watching a live program. Everything moves fluidly as in "true" life. Next time you're in Best Buy, go check out their flat screen displays with a movie showing, and I guarantee it'll be a Blu-ray with the true motion feature turned on. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. Or google it.

[Mr. Blofeld]

It's the feature on newer HDTVs that causes the image onscreen to look as if you're watching a live program. Everything moves fluidly as in "true" life. Next time you're in Best Buy, go check out their flat screen displays with a movie showing, and I guarantee it'll be a Blu-ray with the true motion feature turned on. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. Or google it.

How new are we talking about, here? Does this feature cause the picture to look slightly sped-up? If it does, I think I know a TV at my school that has this feature.

[00Twelve]

It's the feature on newer HDTVs that causes the image onscreen to look as if you're watching a live program. Everything moves fluidly as in "true" life. Next time you're in Best Buy, go check out their flat screen displays with a movie showing, and I guarantee it'll be a Blu-ray with the true motion feature turned on. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. Or google it.

How new are we talking about, here? Does this feature cause the picture to look slightly sped-up? If it does, I think I know a TV at my school that has this feature.

Probably just the last couple years. Typically there are a few settings-- low, medium, and high-- and the high setting can sometimes make the film appear a little unnaturally fast. The lower two, though, make older movies like TB look pretty amazing without making them appear sped up.

[Mr. Blofeld]

It's the feature on newer HDTVs that causes the image onscreen to look as if you're watching a live program. Everything moves fluidly as in "true" life. Next time you're in Best Buy, go check out their flat screen displays with a movie showing, and I guarantee it'll be a Blu-ray with the true motion feature turned on. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. Or google it.

How new are we talking about, here? Does this feature cause the picture to look slightly sped-up? If it does, I think I know a TV at my school that has this feature.

Probably just the last couple years. Typically there are a few settings-- low, medium, and high-- and the high setting can sometimes make the film appear a little unnaturally fast. The lower two, though, make older movies like TB look pretty amazing without making them appear sped up.

Is there a reason why the high setting makes it do this?

[00Twelve]

It's the feature on newer HDTVs that causes the image onscreen to look as if you're watching a live program. Everything moves fluidly as in "true" life. Next time you're in Best Buy, go check out their flat screen displays with a movie showing, and I guarantee it'll be a Blu-ray with the true motion feature turned on. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. Or google it.

How new are we talking about, here? Does this feature cause the picture to look slightly sped-up? If it does, I think I know a TV at my school that has this feature.

Probably just the last couple years. Typically there are a few settings-- low, medium, and high-- and the high setting can sometimes make the film appear a little unnaturally fast. The lower two, though, make older movies like TB look pretty amazing without making them appear sped up.

Is there a reason why the high setting makes it do this?

The setting corresponds to the speed in which it looks "sped up." It's about refreshing the rate of the frames as they pass by so that there's no motion blur. We don't have motion blur in real life, so the feature therefore makes the image look more true to life. The high setting, though, is catching the image so fast that when it's a fast pan or movement onscreen, you can see the image stablilization happen and so it may look like it's speeding the image up because it's a sudden change in the smoothness of the image.

Again, setting the feature to medium is probably the best bet for an older movie such as THUNDERBALL. Watching the fight at the end with the image smoothed out by a fast frame refresh rate (true motion) changes it considerably. It looks much more like it was meant to, naturally fast and furious, instead of looking obviously sped up in the editing room and resembling to some folks a Keystone cops fight.