69 replies to this topic

[00Twelve]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

[Aris007]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

[00Twelve]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

No, his first gunbarrel is Thunderball. Bob Simmons (the stunt man) is the one doing the DN-GF gunbarrels. I rather like his. No, Connery's own gunbarrels are TB-DAF, and when he swivels to fire, arm graciously[?] held out to the side, he barely keeps his balance. He can be clearly seen teetering for just a moment. Anyway, it looks the least natural to me.

[Aris007]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

No, his first gunbarrel is Thunderball. Bob Simmons (the stunt man) is the one doing the DN-GF gunbarrels. I rather like his. No, Connery's own gunbarrels are TB-DAF, and when he swivels to fire, arm graciously[?] held out to the side, he barely keeps his balance. He can be clearly seen teetering for just a moment. Anyway, it looks the least natural to me.

I never got that! Why a stuntman? Where's the danger in this scene?

[Jeff007]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

No, his first gunbarrel is Thunderball. Bob Simmons (the stunt man) is the one doing the DN-GF gunbarrels. I rather like his. No, Connery's own gunbarrels are TB-DAF, and when he swivels to fire, arm graciously[?] held out to the side, he barely keeps his balance. He can be clearly seen teetering for just a moment. Anyway, it looks the least natural to me.

I never got that! Why a stuntman? Where's the danger in this scene?

It was probably something that Connery just didn't have time to shoot during Dr. No and they ended up using the same gun barrel till Thunderball when Maurice Binder came back.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Overall, mine's still OHMSS. Swagger + badass kneel + Barry's music = winner.

After that:

QOS - Arnold's best gunbarrel music to date, sticking like glue to the traditional sound. And Craig has a great purposeful walk. When he fires, it catches the viewer slightly off guard because it's so sudden. Which is kind of the point. Then he walks off! I'd be happy to see this one again in future movies.

LALD - Love Moore's first stance and the last gunbarrel style with a plain suit until QOS. I picked this one over TMWTGG for Martin's funky Bond theme.

LTK - All about Kamen's scoring here. Great ominous atmosphere.

I agree with you on these, but I've got to throw in Thunderball and The Living Daylights for good measure.

[DR76]

Roger Moore's second gunbarrel sequence and George Lazenby's gunbarrel sequence are my favorites, along with Daniel Craig's first from "CASINO ROYALE".

[JimmyBond]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Binder thought of it late in production, after Connery had filmed all his stuff and was off on another job. They didn't switch gunbarrels until they decided to shoot in a wider aspect ratio for Thunderball.
Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

No, his first gunbarrel is Thunderball. Bob Simmons (the stunt man) is the one doing the DN-GF gunbarrels. I rather like his. No, Connery's own gunbarrels are TB-DAF, and when he swivels to fire, arm graciously[?] held out to the side, he barely keeps his balance. He can be clearly seen teetering for just a moment. Anyway, it looks the least natural to me.

I never got that! Why a stuntman? Where's the danger in this scene?

[Mr. Blofeld]

The worst in my opinion is from Quantum Of Solace. At first I thought that Bond was throwing something and not shooting! It's too fast as well!

That's the point, friend. He wouldn't want the assassin aiming at him to know he's about to turn and fire, would he? He's quick as a whip. It's one of the very few GB sequences that serves its functional purpose in that way.

Moore's and Lazenby's are slower, but they look better in my opinion. You have a point, though!

Hey, I love Laz and Moore's (first) gunbarrels, too! Both look classic and they seem like they could actually be surprising the man behind the gun.

Least favorite might actually be Connery's. It looks the most staged to me, especially the pose that he was obviously told in which to freeze once he'd fired the Walther. He teeters slightly, and it's always distracting for me.

He teeters until Thunderball, where he stands better that in any other gunbarrel! In general, though I neither like his gunbarrels!

No, his first gunbarrel is Thunderball. Bob Simmons (the stunt man) is the one doing the DN-GF gunbarrels. I rather like his. No, Connery's own gunbarrels are TB-DAF, and when he swivels to fire, arm graciously[?] held out to the side, he barely keeps his balance. He can be clearly seen teetering for just a moment. Anyway, it looks the least natural to me.

I never got that! Why a stuntman? Where's the danger in this scene?

It was probably something that Connery just didn't have time to shoot during Dr. No and they ended up using the same gun barrel till Thunderball when Maurice Binder came back.

So, if they hadn't changed the aspect ratio, the other three or so Connery films would've used the Simmons gunbarrel, as well?

[Double-Oh Agent]

With a little time on my hands, I went through the various gun barrels and reviewed all of them all based on the following criteria: 1) gun barrel appearance, 2) music, 3) 007 walk, 4) 007 pose, and 5) gun barrel location in the film. (With many of the gun barrel appearances, walks, and poses often being similar, I found that the music had a big influence on my rankings. I particularly seemed to like the sequences that featured a strumming guitar and had a bass beat in the background.) Anyway, here are my rankings of the gun barrel sequences:

1. For Your Eyes Only
2. Licence To Kill
3. Tomorrow Never Dies
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. The Spy Who Loved Me
6. Live And Let Die
7. Goldfinger
8. The World Is Not Enough
9. You Only Live Twice
10. Die Another Day
11. Moonraker
12. Thunderball
13. The Living Daylights
14. Octopussy
15. GoldenEye
16. Diamonds Are Forever
17. The Man With The Golden Gun
18. A View To A Kill
19. From Russia With Love
20. Dr. No
21. Casino Royale
22. Quantum Of Solace

[staveoffzombies]

Roger Moore did the same gunbarrel for LALD and MWTGG and then a new one that was used for every other one of his films because of an aspect ratio change. Is that correct?

[Mr. Blofeld]

Roger Moore did the same gunbarrel for LALD and MWTGG and then a new one that was used for every other one of his films because of an aspect ratio change. Is that correct?

Yes; the same goes for Connery's films, but not for Craig's films (because the aspect ratio stayed the same).

[DaveBond21]

I like MHarkin's youtube video of the QOS PTS with the gunbarrel at the beginning.....

[Mr. Somerset]

Just saw a print of OHMSS on the big screen. Classic walk by the Laz.
I must say, seeing these in a theatre really is the way to go when the opportunity arises. Not a digital projection, but a print of the actual film. No matter how many verions of the dvds, vhs, (I have yet to see the Blu-Rays) etc that have been released, none seem to get the blood colors right on the GB.
All the Binder gunbarrels had a deep primary red hue. Vivid, but not too bright and unmistakably red. The dvds all seem to vary in pinkish, or more often, orange like hues to the blood.
The print I saw of OHMSS was very clean, but even an old worn out print of TB I've seen still has that particular "perfect" shade of red.

[Publius]

Licence to Kill. Dalton's walk is by far the best, a mix of stylish gravitas and believable professional killer that none of the others comes close to matching, and the music for this one is shockingly urgent. It might be the only traditional gunbarrel that actually sets the tone for the movie to come.

[tdalton]

Licence to Kill. Dalton's walk is by far the best, a mix of stylish gravitas and believable professional killer that none of the others comes close to matching, and the music for this one is shockingly urgent. It might be the only traditional gunbarrel that actually sets the tone for the movie to come.

Completely agreed. The film had a great gunbarrel sequence, easily the franchise's best.

[DaveBond21]

Licence to Kill. Dalton's walk is by far the best, a mix of stylish gravitas and believable professional killer that none of the others comes close to matching, and the music for this one is shockingly urgent. It might be the only traditional gunbarrel that actually sets the tone for the movie to come.

Completely agreed. The film had a great gunbarrel sequence, easily the franchise's best.

Not sure which is the best, but LTK's certainly stands out as one of the better ones. Love the variation on the theme by Michael Kamen, too.

[Mr. Somerset]

Licence to Kill. Dalton's walk is by far the best, a mix of stylish gravitas and believable professional killer that none of the others comes close to matching, and the music for this one is shockingly urgent. It might be the only traditional gunbarrel that actually sets the tone for the movie to come.

Completely agreed. The film had a great gunbarrel sequence, easily the franchise's best.

Not sure which is the best, but LTK's certainly stands out as one of the better ones. Love the variation on the theme by Michael Kamen, too.

Glad to see some love for the LTK gunbarrel. I recall when the film came out it was one of the elements that seemed to be trashed. Besides, how can you go wrong with Vic Flick on guitar?

[Cruiserweight]

QOS

[The Shark]

FRWL - Loud, bombastic, ultimately badass.

GF - Jazzy variation, with vibraphone, harp, rim knocking snare drums, ride cymbals, and dissonant brass.

YOLT - Whole tone higher, but another great alteration. This time with piccolo and muted guitar.

OHMSS - More dissonant brass and woodwinds, along with sliding bass guitar before offbeat brass accents.

[tim partridge]

I love the Connery ones after Thunderball, the Moore gunbarrels tha arent scored by John Barry, Dalton's for LTK and all of the Brosnan ones minus the music.

The QOS gunbarrel to me felt like they just ran out of time and shot anything, like it was a last minute decision to include it or something. No effort made to make it look pretty or even correctly proportioned. In such a generally visually controlled looking movie it really does stick out (along with the action scenes).

[PrinceKamalKhan]

The Man with the Golden Gun. Really like Barry's take on the theme here.

Thunderball. Connery's first and the first in Panavsion. Big and spectacular like the film itself.

You Only Live Twice. Cool take on it reflecting the exotic Asian themes in the film.

Die Another Day. Very underrated. A welcome return to the "BOND IS BACK!" ones of the 1960s.

[FredJB007]

There's only one for me....
DAF- Classic Connery and John Barry's music....that electric guitar riff...simply the best!

[O.H.M.S.S.]

There's only one for me....
DAF- Classic Connery and John Barry's music....that electric guitar riff...simply the best!

I agree, Diamonds Are Forever does have one of the best gunbarrels.

[Quincy]

My top 5 in no order.
*Quantum of Solace - Because it's got the original music and represents Craig becoming Bond. The way he walks away after is plain awesome.
*From Russsia With Love - Great music.
*For Your Eyes Only - The music is different.
*Live and Let Die - What an epic way to introduce Moore. Everything fits, the music, speed of which he fires, and stance are all great.
*You Only Live Twice - The music sells it.

Honorable Mentions:
*Licence to Kill
*GoldenEye
*On Her Majesty's Secret Service
*Casino Royale
*Dr.No

[Dan Gale]

I guess most posters here know this but most of the footage of Bond turning and firing is the same from movie to movie. It was only reshot if the aspect ratio of the movie was going to be different. I only say this as some people here were being very specific about a certain film's walk or pose when it was infact the same bit of footage as the previous movie's!
In all cases, the music is different everytime and the circle often opens out in different places on the screen. Only Dr. No and OHMSS had the producers' names appear midway through the White dots.
For the record:
Dr. No - GF all used stuntman Bob Simmonds as Bond. No doubt it was thought up after Sean had left the production or it was envisioned as being unimportant who played Bond in what is essentially a silohuette. It was filmed in black and White, flat 35mm. Exact aspect ratio, I couldn't say (1.85:1 perhaps) but it's been cropped somewhat on DVD to 16:9 or thereabouts.
TB - DAF used same Panavision (2.35:1) footage of Connery. only TB was in colour, the others were not. The barrel itself changes, in TB it was blue tinted, in DAF it had light reflections inside it.
OHMSS was obviously a one off for Lazanby, also featurIng the light reflections. Also the blood obscures him completely; in other films, it is transparent.
LALD and TMWTGG were identical, shot in flat 35mm. All films were anamorphic after this.
Spy -AVTAK are identical except FYEO which doesn't allow for the circle to open into the film proper; it vanishes with a jump cut.
Both of Dalton's were the same, too.
All of Brosnan's were the same except for the addition of the CG bullet in DAD.
Craig's two were created especially for each film. It'll be interesting to see how they appear from now on.

Anyone any idea why Moore's first two were shot in non-anamorphic 35mm? A budgetary reason? Was it Guy Hamilton's preferred format (even though he made several films, including DAF in scope)?

Edited by Dan Gale, 04 October 2009 - 08:43 PM.

[Stuart]

LTK for the best combination of walk, stance, music and GB appearence.

QOS was way too fast in terms of walk and music.

[Gabriel]

For all its technical weaknesses, I like the Dr No one the best. Rather than having James Bond walk into shot outright, we're presented with a striking graphic and weird sound FX with a nameless suited, hatted figure (not even Connery) walking into shot and firing his gun before segueing into the main theme music.

Similarly, I love the gunbarrel in Casino Royale. I wish they'd have kept Craig in similar clothing for the QoS gunbarrel sequence and had the same dripping blood.

Also, why does he always have to wear a ing tux? He didn't in the early days. Tuxes look really poncy!

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

Anyone any idea why Moore's first two were shot in non-anamorphic 35mm? A budgetary reason? Was it Guy Hamilton's preferred format (even though he made several films, including DAF in scope)?

There is a whole thread devoted to this question.

[DaveBond21]

For all its technical weaknesses, I like the Dr No one the best. Rather than having James Bond walk into shot outright, we're presented with a striking graphic and weird sound FX with a nameless suited, hatted figure (not even Connery) walking into shot and firing his gun before segueing into the main theme music.

I agree. In fact, it's quite an eerie start to the first Bond film. I really like those weird sci-fi sounds.