15 replies to this topic

[sorking]

It's been a pleasure to go through the bonus material on the new CR DVD (or indeed Blue-Ray). While it's rare that the cautious, often too-complimentary, documentaries these days rarely reveal anything new, I've been quietly impressed by the titbits that have appeared this time.

So - instead of bemoaning the lack of trailers and incomplete set of deleted scenes (such a shame!), I thought people might like to flag up the 'Ooh, I didn't know that" moments.

For me, the changes to the airport sequence are fascinating. The changes made there really show the nature of the process. Dragging behind the tanker, diving across the wing of a plane as the vehicle passes underneath (both storyboarded), blowing it up with its trail of fuel, the potential ending of the bomber killing the guards that have Bond at gunpoint...fascinating.

Bonus points, too for including deleted scenes/shots within the documentary - it's great to see the dead bomber, the explosive being put in the fuel tank before the ending was changed, and the tanker ploughing through the underside of a plane.

I'm also pleased to see all three screenwriters on the crew commentary, and Wilson and Campbell discussing the writers' roles a little on theirs. It should help diffuse discussions that too easily attribute the whole thing to Haggis while rejecting Purvis and Wade.

So - what have you discovered from the new DVD?

Edited by sorking, 26 October 2008 - 02:31 PM.

[DamnCoffee]

Great to hear! I cannot wait to get this!

Hmmm... Blowing it up with its trail of fuel? That's a bit too Die Hard 2 isn't it?

[JADSTERSDAD]

I'm loving the docs. Kudos to John Cork. The extra/behind-the-scenes etc. footage on the free running is simply superb. The Venice sequence.... I could go on.

Anyone know of any easter eggs yet?

[sorking]

I was also stunned to discover that the shower scene in CR was edited after a test screening!

As explained on both commentaries, they only show Bond sucking two of Vesper's fingers, but actually shot him sucking all four. (Which women in the test audiences found went beyond 'emotion' and into 'fetish'...the curse that things on screen always weigh differently to how they would seem in real life.)

The edit was made despite the scene taking place in a single shot, which required some impressive digital trickery to morph past those frames. I stand aghast at the quality of the work - looking closely, over and over, I still can't tell.

[bond 16.05.72]

The Road to Casino Royale Doc is interesting, Ian Fleming's Incredible Creation and the Road to Casino Royale most enjoyable and interesting.

I found James Bond in the Bahama's to be enjoyable and the linking of it to many entries, definitely very important to the legacy of the series.

Indeed kudos to John Kudos who seems just the right guy to work onthis kind of material considering his work on the excellent UE docs.

The Death In Venice was a most detailed and well put together document of the conception and filming of the exciting and emotional climax of Casinon Royale.

I'm yet to savour the commentaries but usually find them the feature I most enjoy.

Yes impressed with the content, it does seem a shame they didn't finally release the uncut version and omit the DTS track but I have my region 3 and that the one I'll be watching with my Wife tonight to get me set up for Quantum of Solace.

[Mr_Wint]

Will get mine in a couple of days. Is there a new menu design?

[sorking]

Will get mine in a couple of days. Is there a new menu design?

Indeed. An appropriate playing card motif.

[Publius]

Hmmm... Blowing it up with its trail of fuel? That's a bit too Die Hard 2 isn't it?

Don't you mean a bit too LTK?

[stamper]

Connect your player to the web.

Insert your CR disc.

Go BD-Live

Wop, here's come the CR trailer downloadable to your hard drive in full 1080p... ;-)

On other news, Martin Campbell and Michael G Wilson commentary is differently edited on the DVD than on the Blu-Ray... In the first 10mn, there are different recollections on both.

[sorking]

Connect your player to the web.

Insert your CR disc.

Go BD-Live

Wop, here's come the CR trailer downloadable to your hard drive in full 1080p... ;-)

You forgot to put 'buy Blu-Ray player' at the start of that list...

On other news, Martin Campbell and Michael G Wilson commentary is differently edited on the DVD than on the Blu-Ray... In the first 10mn, there are different recollections on both.

Is that due to them being in vision?

[Mike00spy]

That is was silly to ever doubt their approach to CR.

[HH007]

One thing about the DVD commentary that makes me feel vindicated: I got into it with tdalton a while back because he felt that the dialogue and the acting in the scene where Bond first meets Vesper was too stitled. I argued that it seemed to be deliberately stylized, and Paul Haggis confirmed that for me. He said that he wanted their first conversation to be a HIS GIRL FRIDAY-like exchange, and I always felt like that's exactly what it was. (If you don't know what that means, then go rent HIS GIRL FRIDAY)

[dinovelvet]

I enjoyed the deleted scenes, as well as all the other snippets of deleted material that showed up in the various documentaries. As well as the aforementioned Miami airport stuff, there are some interesting bits of the parkour chase that were cut, including one awesome looking shot where Sebastian Foucan flips a ladder from one girder to another, its hard to describe but it just simply looks cool.

In the film-maker's profiles section, on Chris Corbould, they show another deleted bit of Bond standing at the window in his hotel room, this was briefly shown in one of the tv spots.

[Joe Bond]

I know some people were complaining about the CGI plane in QoS but after listening to the Director commentary I found out that there were CGI planes in CR during the airport sequence where you see the planes taking off while Bond is running. Along with other visual effects in the film like the TV screen inserts to make it look like there is video on the screens when there really is not, changing the shower sequence from Bond sucking 2 of Vesper's fingers instead of 4 during a continuous shot, and having a model for the airbus plane during the airport sequence. The fact a Standford professor thought they had really destroyed a Venetian House just for a movie. Craig's stunt double makes an appearance in the film as well as the director of photography. One of the more interesting thing I learned from the commentary was that the fight at the body worlds museum was intended to take place in a closet but Campbell thought that Hitchcock would do it in plain sight so he did it that way and the elevator at the hotel in Venice just before Bond and Vesper kissed for the last time was a closet. Purvis and Wade came up with the sinking house scene and Campbell did not storyboard the scene and just did it and he was glad it turned out so well.

[Simon]

I was also stunned to discover that the shower scene in CR was edited after a test screening!

As explained on both commentaries, they only show Bond sucking two of Vesper's fingers, but actually shot him sucking all four. (Which women in the test audiences found went beyond 'emotion' and into 'fetish'...the curse that things on screen always weigh differently to how they would seem in real life.)

The edit was made despite the scene taking place in a single shot, which required some impressive digital trickery to morph past those frames. I stand aghast at the quality of the work - looking closely, over and over, I still can't tell.

Yes - this was beyond impressive.

Like you, try as I might, I am damned if I can spot the joins.

Very clever.

..........., there are some interesting bits of the parkour chase that were cut, including one awesome looking shot where Sebastian Foucan flips a ladder from one girder to another, its hard to describe but it just simply looks cool.

Yes, very cool.

[Mr. Arlington Beech]

Connect your player to the web.

Insert your CR disc.

Go BD-Live

Wop, here's come the CR trailer downloadable to your hard drive in full 1080p... ;-)

Do you know if I can get the CR TV Spots through this same BD-Live way??