44 replies to this topic

[sharpshooter]

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

[JimmyBond]

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

Now here's a man after my own heart! I love to see Moonraker being rated so highly as of late. When I first entered the online world 13 years ago, it seemed that the majority of Bond fans despised the hell out of MR.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

Now here's a man after my own heart! I love to see Moonraker being rated so highly as of late. When I first entered the online world 13 years ago, it seemed that the majority of Bond fans despised the hell out of MR.

It is nice to see MR getting more love. In many ways, it improves upon TSWLM for me with its John Barry score, stronger lead Bond girl, and Bond and the villain meeting earlier in the film. Still love both Lewis Gilbert directed Roger Moore films as well as YOLT. If Terence Young and Peter Hunt were the masters of faithfully adapting Fleming's Bond, then Gilbert was the master of sci-fi/fantasy "movie Bond."

[SpaceAgent]

SWLM has long been my favorite Moore film and in my top 3 or 4 of all the Bond films. It was also the first one I saw on the big screen. Every time I see it, I gain a new appreciation for it.

That said, does anyone else think it is a virtual remake of You Only Live Twice? The Bond producers were famously forbidden from using the Spy novel as a basis for their story, and in crafting their own, it seems they borrowed heavily from YOLT. Heck, the films even have the same director. It always struck me that much of the action is the same, particularly with a large enemy vehicle that "swallows" smaller craft.

I'll also add that I recently rewatched Moonraker on Blu-Ray, and couldn't get over 1) how great it looked, and 2) that it has been 30 years since this was released! Moonraker gets knocked a lot, but I will always maintain affection for it. Moore was at his best in 1977-1979.

[Aris007]

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

Now here's a man after my own heart! I love to see Moonraker being rated so highly as of late. When I first entered the online world 13 years ago, it seemed that the majority of Bond fans despised the hell out of MR.

It is nice to see MR getting more love. In many ways, it improves upon TSWLM for me with its John Barry score, stronger lead Bond girl, and Bond and the villain meeting earlier in the film. Still love both Lewis Gilbert directed Roger Moore films as well as YOLT. If Terence Young and Peter Hunt were the masters of faithfully adapting Fleming's Bond, then Gilber was the master of sci-fi/fantasy "movie Bond."

I agree with everyhting you said guys! The Spy Who loved Me is by far the best Moore film! I'm though a little doubtful about the 2nd one. I have to say that I've seen Moonraker twice in a month and it has rised significantly in my list! However there's The Man With The Golden Gun another wonderfull movie!

Fact is that Moore is the most hillarious Bond! Noone can and will never pass him! His humour is pure English and thing is that he doesn't try to be funny, he is! That's what seperates him from other actors!

[PrinceKamalKhan]

SWLM has long been my favorite Moore film and in my top 3 or 4 of all the Bond films. It was also the first one I saw on the big screen. Every time I see it, I gain a new appreciation for it.

That said, does anyone else think it is a virtual remake of You Only Live Twice? The Bond producers were famously forbidden from using the Spy novel as a basis for their story, and in crafting their own, it seems they borrowed heavily from YOLT. Heck, the films even have the same director. It always struck me that much of the action is the same, particularly with a large enemy vehicle that "swallows" smaller craft.

Oh, TSWLM is definitely a remake of YOLT. And TND is definitely a remake of both the 1967 and 1977 Bond films.

I'll also add that I recently rewatched Moonraker on Blu-Ray, and couldn't get over 1) how great it looked, and 2) that it has been 30 years since this was released! Moonraker gets knocked a lot, but I will always maintain affection for it. Moore was at his best in 1977-1979.

Indeed. Moore was in his prime then, EON was finally getting their confidence that the series could survive post-Connery, and Lewis Gilbert was the director who suited Moore the best.

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

Now here's a man after my own heart! I love to see Moonraker being rated so highly as of late. When I first entered the online world 13 years ago, it seemed that the majority of Bond fans despised the hell out of MR.

It is nice to see MR getting more love. In many ways, it improves upon TSWLM for me with its John Barry score, stronger lead Bond girl, and Bond and the villain meeting earlier in the film. Still love both Lewis Gilbert directed Roger Moore films as well as YOLT. If Terence Young and Peter Hunt were the masters of faithfully adapting Fleming's Bond, then Gilber was the master of sci-fi/fantasy "movie Bond."

I agree with everyhting you said guys! The Spy Who loved Me is by far the best Moore film! I'm though a little doubtful about the 2nd one. I have to say that I've seen Moonraker twice in a month and it has rised significantly in my list! However there's The Man With The Golden Gun another wonderfull movie!

Fact is that Moore is the most hillarious Bond! Noone can and will never pass him! His humour is pure English and thing is that he doesn't try to be funny, he is! That's what seperates him from other actors!

Sir Rog was and is wonderful. The series would've been much poorer without his contributions.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

SWLM has long been my favorite Moore film and in my top 3 or 4 of all the Bond films. It was also the first one I saw on the big screen. Every time I see it, I gain a new appreciation for it.

That said, does anyone else think it is a virtual remake of You Only Live Twice? The Bond producers were famously forbidden from using the Spy novel as a basis for their story, and in crafting their own, it seems they borrowed heavily from YOLT. Heck, the films even have the same director. It always struck me that much of the action is the same, particularly with a large enemy vehicle that "swallows" smaller craft.

Oh, TSWLM is definitely a remake of YOLT. And TND is definitely a remake of both the 1967 and 1977 Bond films.

I'll also add that I recently rewatched Moonraker on Blu-Ray, and couldn't get over 1) how great it looked, and 2) that it has been 30 years since this was released! Moonraker gets knocked a lot, but I will always maintain affection for it. Moore was at his best in 1977-1979.

Indeed. Moore was in his prime then, EON was finally getting their confidence that the series could survive post-Connery, and Lewis Gilbert was the director who suited Moore the best.

Now that we've digested all 22 movies, how would people rank TSWLM?

Pretty highly. I think it's Roger's best Bond film, followed by Moonraker.

Now here's a man after my own heart! I love to see Moonraker being rated so highly as of late. When I first entered the online world 13 years ago, it seemed that the majority of Bond fans despised the hell out of MR.

It is nice to see MR getting more love. In many ways, it improves upon TSWLM for me with its John Barry score, stronger lead Bond girl, and Bond and the villain meeting earlier in the film. Still love both Lewis Gilbert directed Roger Moore films as well as YOLT. If Terence Young and Peter Hunt were the masters of faithfully adapting Fleming's Bond, then Gilber was the master of sci-fi/fantasy "movie Bond."

I agree with everyhting you said guys! The Spy Who loved Me is by far the best Moore film! I'm though a little doubtful about the 2nd one. I have to say that I've seen Moonraker twice in a month and it has rised significantly in my list! However there's The Man With The Golden Gun another wonderfull movie!

Fact is that Moore is the most hillarious Bond! Noone can and will never pass him! His humour is pure English and thing is that he doesn't try to be funny, he is! That's what seperates him from other actors!

Sir Rog was and is wonderful. The series would've been much poorer without his contributions.

[Eric Stromberg]

"Oh, TSWLM is definitely a remake of YOLT. And TND is definitely a remake of both the 1967 and 1977 Bond films."

That's an interesting observation for me personally. These are exactly the last 3 Bond films I was drawn to and have watched recently. I loved revisiting them all, especially TSWLM (to my surprise as I am not a Moore fan).

Funny, I have to admit that I'm always talking up how I love the grittier, Fleming version of the character, but when it comes right down to it there is a part of me that craves the bigger, cinematic version of JB!

[PrinceKamalKhan]

"Oh, TSWLM is definitely a remake of YOLT. And TND is definitely a remake of both the 1967 and 1977 Bond films."

That's an interesting observation for me personally. These are exactly the last 3 Bond films I was drawn to and have watched recently. I loved revisiting them all, especially TSWLM (to my surprise as I am not a Moore fan).

Did you feel like you watched the same film 3 times? Bond also wears his naval officer uniform in all 3 films. If my memory is serving me correctly, I believe they're the only 3 films this occurs in.

Funny, I have to admit that I'm always talking up how I love the grittier, Fleming version of the character, but when it comes right down to it there is a part of me that craves the bigger, cinematic version of JB!

It's good that the series gives us variety. I love the grittier, back to Fleming espionage films like The Living Daylights and Casino Royale(my picks for the 2 best Bond films made post-1970) yet I also love the wonderful OTT sci-fi/fantasy of Moonraker and You Only Live Twice, (my 2 favorite Bond films as a child).

[RazorBlade]

I thought TSWLM was a remake of GOLDFINGER. But that's just me. I don't much of a similarity to YOLT.

My favorite bond film? They haven't made it yet and won't if EON doesn't stop rehashing old plots!

[Skudor]

I thought TSWLM was a remake of GOLDFINGER. But that's just me. I don't much of a similarity to YOLT.

My favorite bond film? They haven't made it yet and won't if EON doesn't stop rehashing old plots!

There are lots of TSWLM vs YOLT similarities - starting with the space rocket eating space rocket vs the submarine eating oil tanker.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I thought TSWLM was a remake of GOLDFINGER. But that's just me. I don't much of a similarity to YOLT.

My favorite bond film? They haven't made it yet and won't if EON doesn't stop rehashing old plots!

There are lots of TSWLM vs YOLT similarities - starting with the space rocket eating space rocket vs the submarine eating oil tanker.

In The James Bond Bedside Companion, Raymond Benson does a great job with a chart showing the similarities between YOLT and TSWLM.

Some other similarities include:

The film opening with Bond in a tryst with a duplicitous beauty,

The villain feeding a female employee to his pet fish while his partners-in-crime stand by,

The villain's main plot being to escalate Cold War tenstions between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. to start World War III,

Bond first spotting his female ally at huge public event(Aki at the Sumo Wrestling Match, Anya at the Pyramids show),

Bond showing up at the villain's office under an assumed name followed by the villain ordering his execution and a car chase,

Bond meeting a male ally who has a harem of beautiful women who attend to him.

In retrospect, I'm surprised Roald Dahl didn't sue Christopher Wood for plagiarism when TSWLM was released.

[Eric Stromberg]

Did you feel like you watched the same film 3 times? Bond also wears his naval officer uniform in all 3 films. If my memory is serving me correctly, I believe they're the only 3 films this occurs in.


As far as recognizing the connection between the 3 films, no I didn't see the similarities beyond ships swallowing smaller ships. It's obvious now there are many shared characteristics. I definitely didn't feel as if I had watched the same movie 3 times over.

I do like to see Bond in uniform. Here's one vote for seeing it in the next installment! Is it too soon given the recent reboot?

[Mr. Blofeld]

I actually felt that I had watched the same movie, but not after viewing YOLT and TSWLM; that wasn't the order I watched them in.

Instead, after YOLT, I was shocked to watch Dr. No and find that the two movies's plots dovetailed significantly: For instance, when Bond gets to a foreign country (in one film, before an ally dies, but, in the the other film, after he dies), he is driven around by a driver under false circumstances (dressing up as the driver's friend in one, pretending to be from Government House in the other); after a moment where the falsehood is revealed, Bond and the driver fight, and, at the end of each scene, the driver ends up dead.

Also, Felix Leiter and Tanaka serve identical roles, as do Quarrel and Aki, Honey and Kissy, Professor Dent and Mr. Osato, Ms. Taro and Helga Brandt, Dr. No and Blofeld, and the Three Blind Mice and the car full of goons that gets dropped into the ocean. There's even a scene where a woman whose allegiance is uncertain attempts to covertly deliver information on Bond as soon as he visits the foreign country in both movies!

Considering all this, I'm surprised that Berkeley Mather, Johanna Harwood, and Richard Maibaum didn't sue Roald Dahl in 1967 for plagiarism.

[scaramunga]

Was there a new trailer done for this special screening? What about a new poster for the special release? Thanks!