76 replies to this topic

[Skylla]

 

 

I was quite impressed at the time. Being 14 mind you. I think I saw THE SOLDIER in a self-styled double-feature with either WHO DARES WINS or MEGAFORCE, so I was probably overdosed on action, adrenaline and massive surges of juvenile testosterone. If I remember correctly THE SOLDIER played its flimsy plot with dead-straight face, even more so than WHO DARES WINS, and that - supposedly grown-up - seriousness impressed me endlessly.

Surprisingly I never got around to properly revisit this childhood favourite; I only zapped through channels some years ago and accidentally happened upon it. What I saw was cheap-looking direct-to-video action that I cannot for the life of me associate with what hazy memories I had of this. It's probably a bit unfair to only judge it by the final action pieces (set at the Berlin Wall if memory serves).

The story is without surprises, straightforward as some 12-year-old might think up, only with less imagination. Check it out, only don't go out of your way to do it. It's pretty much forgotten, and for a reason. Kinski at the time did various forgettable mercenary vehicles, this is probably the start of that run, only without jungle as backdrop. Interesting ideas (threatening to cut the world from a vast supply of oil; force the US into military action against an ally) are largely thrown away without making proper use of them. Instead a dour and unremarkable series of events culminates in some car chase with various black Porsches (in the GDR, where chances to see a Porsche - let alone a pack of them - was significantly lower than to observe a flock of flying pigs).

Still, tabloids picked this up as a bid for Bond.

Yeah, it really didn´t age well. But I think Willy Bogner did the awesome ski-stuntwork, and I still watch this part of the movie when it´s on TV.

That must have been before I switched to it, don't remember ski scenes. I really will have to revisit that one, if only to justify my verdict.

 

Just had a look at IMDB: no mentioning of W. Bogner, but the famous John Eaves (he was the leading man in the films Fire & Ice and Fire, Ice and Dynamite of Willy Bogner and he did the big ski-jump for RM in the PTS in AVTAK) did the ski-stuntwork for Ken Wahl. Really cool stuff!

[Dustin]

Ah, yes! FIRE AND ICE, I remember that one, 90 minutes of stunts and extreme sports cinematography.

[glidrose]

I was quite impressed at the time. Being 14 mind you. I think I saw THE SOLDIER in a self-styled double-feature with either WHO DARES WINS or MEGAFORCE, so I was probably overdosed on action, adrenaline and massive surges of juvenile testosterone. If I remember correctly THE SOLDIER played its flimsy plot with dead-straight face, even more so than WHO DARES WINS, and that - supposedly grown-up - seriousness impressed me endlessly.

Surprisingly I never got around to properly revisit this childhood favourite; I only zapped through channels some years ago and accidentally happened upon it. What I saw was cheap-looking direct-to-video action that I cannot for the life of me associate with what hazy memories I had of this. It's probably a bit unfair to only judge it by the final action pieces (set at the Berlin Wall if memory serves).

The story is without surprises, straightforward as some 12-year-old might think up, only with less imagination. Check it out, only don't go out of your way to do it. It's pretty much forgotten, and for a reason. Kinski at the time did various forgettable mercenary vehicles, this is probably the start of that run, only without jungle as backdrop. Interesting ideas (threatening to cut the world from a vast supply of oil; force the US into military action against an ally) are largely thrown away without making proper use of them. Instead a dour and unremarkable series of events culminates in some car chase with various black Porsches (in the GDR, where chances to see a Porsche - let alone a pack of them - was significantly lower than to observe a flock of flying pigs).

Still, tabloids picked this up as a bid for Bond.

Yeah, it really didn´t age well. But I think Willy Bogner did the awesome ski-stuntwork, and I still watch this part of the movie when it´s on TV.

That must have been before I switched to it, don't remember ski scenes. I really will have to revisit that one, if only to justify my verdict.

Yep, "The Soldier", another one I remember. Rather poor as I recall, but I enjoyed the ski chase which I enjoyed. Amazed Dustin's forgotten that as it's the film's highlight.

It's on youtube. Not sure I should link to it, even though it's not Bond, but search for "The Soldier Ski Sequence TANGERINE DREAM".

Mod note: decided to remove the actual YouTube insert; even though it's Tube's turf, you never know.

Edited by Dustin, 09 September 2013 - 05:55 AM.

[Dustin]

Thanks for pointing to this, I really forgot about that sequence. Interesting similarities with FYEO's.

[Guy Haines]

Fiennes would have been too young for the role when Dalton got it for The Living Daylights.  He would have still been fairly young when GoldenEye came around (he would have been 33 in 1995), but I think he could have pulled it off then.  And, I agree that GoldenEye would have had to have been a different film had it starred Fiennes (or Dalton, for that matter).  Less focus would have had to have been paid to some of the sillier aspects of the film, such as the tank chase, but there are a lot of interesting, darker angles to be explored in Trevelyan's backstory as well as the idea of two Double-oh agents going head to head against each other, a concept which GoldenEye absolutely failed to capitalize on.

I agree with you about the 00-v-00 aspect being underplayed. I think it was because Trevelyan went from "loyal ally" in the GE PTC scene, via embittered ex-agent in the statue park scene, to standard brand super-villain complete with underwater base in the film's final part. I've posted elsewhere on Cbn that I'd have preferred 007-v-006 to have been more along the lines of Bond-v-Scaramanga, with Trevelyan using his skills against Bond as an ex-agent and as his equal, rather than as a button pushing bad guy.

Dick van Dyke is James Bond.

 

Yes, absolutely sure that EON would have wanted that.

 

 

Say what you like about Dick Van Dyke - at least his role in "Mary Poppins" would have qualified him for the PTC scene in For Your Eyes Only. Sending "Blofeld" to his doom would have lent a whole new meaning to the song "Chim-Chimeney"!

[Odd Jobbies]

It's on youtube. Not sure I should link to it, even though it's not Bond, but search for "The Soldier Ski Sequence TANGERINE DREAM".

 

 

Oh lord, that was bad!

 

Thanks for that, gildrose, i'll now stop complaining about the quality of Bond movies in the early 80s...

 

However, the handheld POV camera was nice and Tangerine Dream are always great - would've been an interesting experiment for them to have scored a Bond movie.

[SecretAgentFan]

Hmm.  Until the last part of the clip I didn´t think it was too bad. A solid chase. But why does the hero only at the end consider using his machine gun (which must have been extremely uncomfortable hidden under his ski anorak, especially during the chase). And why didn´t he use it BEFORE the chase began?

 

Always funny, too, when the dying bad guy is interviewed by the hero: who is behind this, the Russians or the terrorists? And the bad guy tells everything.

[Dustin]

Well, it's not using the dramatic potential of the scene. It starts off with scenery shots that don't give this the necessary urgency, they just depict great skiing in a great mountain scenery, nothing screams 'spectacular' in this, as it rightfully should. They had a camera operator capable of moving with the chase, yet that potential is only introduced 3 minutes into the chase and is overall not made enough use of, so there is no real feeling of suspense and speed. It's further dragged down by the slow-motion inserts, just to better show-off the - pointless - artistic elements. High jumps don't help a skier's pace and pirouette-shooting is not recommended if one wants to hit a target.The sound effects when the three figures use the hut's roof (jets?) are too heavy, almost bordering on TMWTGG's satirical slide-flute.

 

Logically - though such scenes should never be judged by the sense they make - it must also have been awkward getting the bazooka atop that ski slope. And while it's certainly nebulous why the good guy doesn't use his mini-mp earlier to me it's even more baffling why the bad guys don't shoot sooner; after all they want to kill that guy, don't they? The real reason must of course have been the fact it's much more difficult shooting the little sfx explosions with the desired effect on a moving chase scene. Such is the difference between Bonds and less ambitious productions.  

 

The way this was shot it could have been an episode of THE FALL GUY, solid but not overly impressive TV fodder.

 

Compare to this similar scenes in Bond films. I haven't got the DVD at hand right now but I'm fairly sure FYEO's ski chase started with a shot by the East-German KGB sniper/athlete/killer Kriegler. Bond is nailed down somewhere, loses gun and one ski pole and has to move fast to escape. Right from the start there is made use of the moving camera. Later motorcycles come into the mix, plenty of use of bullet holes blown into the snow while the chase - at times with the camera - is on. Obviously FYEO had more funds to spend on this, but I'd argue it's not just the money that's missing with this piece from THE SOLDIER, it's also craftsmanship.       

[SecretAgentFan]

Absolutely right.

 

I´m still wandering though whether Ken Wahl could have taken over from Roger Moore successfully. He certainly looked the part, could have been a tough, young, ruthless Bond. But would he have been able to pull of the finesse and elegance Bond needs? At that point in time, I believe the outrage would have been even bigger than a few years ago with Daniel Craig ("just a brute, no class...").

[glidrose]

I agree the slow motion is hokey and I can understand most of the objections but I still like the chase a lot, much better than TWINE's misbegotten ski sequence.

 

If I do have one major complaint it's those bloody boring blue ski outfits.

[quantumofsolace]

http://uk.movies.yah...-140700782.html

[Revelator]

Haven't we had this thread before?

Anyway, another excuse to nominate Jeremy Brett.

 

Amen! He would have been a very dashing Bond. The great Michael Gambon was apparently one of many considered for the part in 1969. He was taken to an office in Mayfair to meet Cubby and Albert Broccoli:

 

'I was given a smoked-salmon sandwich and a glass of champagne and Cubby said, "We're looking for a new James Bond," and I started laughing. I said, "James Bond, me? I'm not the right shape." He said, "Well, we have ice bags for Sean's chest and that thing there [Gambon points to his jowls] that doesn't take more than two days and the recovery period's a week. Teeth, well we can do that in an afternoon. And Sean wears a piece." I said, "I know that." He said, "I'll get a toupee for you."'

[Dustin]

Brett hands down. Gambon I can't picture as Bond, escapes me.

[dtuba]

Sorry to resurrect this ancient thread, but...

 

Was Jason Isaacs ever considered for the role back in the day? Physically, he seems like he would have been a great Bond - he looks a bit like Dalton and Craig both to me. At least these days. I have no idea if he would have been suitable as a younger actor.

[Dustin]

I've read about Isaacs on some threads. But officially considered - no, can't say I remember any hard evidence pointing towards this. Interesting idea nonetheless.

[tdalton]

No idea if he was officially considered, but Isaacs would have made a great Bond.

[Double-Oh Agent]

No idea if he was officially considered, but Isaacs would have made a great Bond.

I agree. I think Jason Isaacs would have been really good, but I don't know if he was ever considered either.

 

As for those that were considered for the mantle of James Bond 007, the three that top my list are Cary Grant (curious to have seen), Sam Neill (between curious and wished for), and Hugh Jackman (really wanted him as 007). Grant would have been interesting but probably not as good a James Bond as Sean Connery (and certainly wouldn't have lasted as long in the role). Neill would have been an interesting alternative to Timothy Dalton, but ultimately, he probably would have been as equally good and effective as Bond. And while Daniel Craig is a good 007, I still would have preferred seeing Jackman don the tuxedo. Whether or not he would have been better than Craig is debatable (and I'm sure most on these boards would say not), but I'm pretty certain I would have liked Jackman's second and third 007 outings over what Craig's turned out to be.