My five favourite Bond films
1 On Her Majesty's Secret Service
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| SKI! SKI FOR YOUR LIFE! |
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| Only Blofeld could fill a mountaintop base with beauties and think of nothing but global domination. |
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| Best Bond girl outfit ever. |
3 From Russia With Love
If anyone was going to walk into a honeytrap, it would be James Bond, so the SPECTRE's attempt to lure him with a lady sort of makes sense. Fortunately for his bait, he's prepared to escort her and her valuable cipher machine across Eastern Europe to defect, leading to escapades in Turkey, an adventurous train journey, and a boat to Venice. Features the entire Bond series' most memorable female villain, knife-shoed Rosa Klebb.
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| I'd take this trip over a Great western commute... |
With a theme song so cheesy it causes trouble for the dairy-intolerant viewer, Christopher Lee stars as the assassin of the title. He's one of the few villains with a base to rival Blofeld's best: a luxurious villa on a Thai island. A lot of people don't like this one, and I admit I tend to forget things like the dreadful sheriff on holiday and Goodnight retrieving the Solex in her bikini. I'm not sure if this or Live And Let Die is my favourite Roger Moore outing; the latter scared me silly as a kid, but Christopher Lee is prime crumpet.
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| Aieee! That jacket. The 70s was not a good era for menswear. |
This is a modern film, but of all the 21st century ones, to me it feels like an old Bond film. That's probably intentional, as Casino Royale effectively reset Bond, and Skyfall starts putting classic elements from the early films back in place, at the same time as it plays with them. While it's got gadgets and girls and explosions, those things aren't the heart of the story. The relationships between the characters, and what it means to be an agent, are the real meat of the film, and Skyfall is all the better for it.
Got a favourite Bond film? Or can't stand any of them?
*And Christmas albums. I have mislaid my Herb Alpert Christmas CD. TRAGEDY.
They're all entertaining,it's the soundtracks I really love though! All great to sing along to - badly - in the car. I like Walken as the baddy in A View To A Kill.
ReplyDeleteI love the soundtracks - that's my Friday afternoon listening, along with stuff like Bobby Darin and Julie London.
DeleteBlofeld's International House of Hotties ... Oh that cracked me up! Favourite Bond film, um, I liked Dr No, Diamonds are Forever and I enjoyed Skyfall too. I don't like Roger Moore as Bond, but will watch The Man With The Golden Gun, for obvious reasons. In my opinion, Moore just got in the way of all the Francisco Scaramanga goodness. I could have happily watched Christopher Lee do terribly mundane things for the entire duration of the film. Scaramanga makes a cup of tea. Scaramanga puts the milk bottles out. Scaramanga irons his own shirt.
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Yup, Lee is just plain watchable.
DeleteI do like Moore as Bond, but I can see why my mother-in-law always preferred him as the Saint; he's much better suited to playing Simon Templar.
I liked him in The Persuaders but we have yet to watch The Saint, despite having the box set on DVD for years. Love his car in The Saint though ❤
DeleteGoldfingahhhhhhhhh!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't beat that soundtrack nor the swingin' 60's wardrobe!
From Russia with Love is my other fave. Love the gypsy scene & Istanbul (not Constantinople,)
Sean Connery was & is the ONLY James Bond. (He looks so uncannily like my dad too.)
If he'd had a spy date in Constantinople, she'd be waiting in Istanbul...
DeleteMy OH is a Bond fan and will watch them again and again if they are on the TV. I don't bother with them but I do love the costumes; especially the older Bond movies!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week,
Veronica
The costumes are fab. I wonder where they all ended up?
DeleteI love a bit of James Bond especially on Her Majesty's Secret Service. I know, a bit controversial, but I thought George Lazenby was the best Bond until Daniel Craig came along.
ReplyDeleteWhen we've had a few we always get into a furious debate about who'd make a brilliant new Bond, Jon thinks David Harewood would be good (a Brumnmie Bond!) whereas I'd love too see a Sikh Bond in the form of Waris Ahluwalia. xxx
I'm always baffled as to why, when most people suggest a person of colour should be the next Bond, they never, ever name an Asian actor. After seeing him in The Tractate Middoth (MR James story adaptation) a couple of years ago, I've thought Sacha Dhawan would make a great Bond.
DeleteI can't think of a favourite Bond film, but I tend to keep watching when I come across them when channel hopping, especially the older ones, as they're simple irrisitible. xxx
ReplyDeleteThey just suck you in, don't they? Entertainment guaranteed.
DeleteI love Bond we used to get parked at the cinema on a Saturday by the parents to watch the Children's Film Foundation and then a Bond film! I absolutely love Skyfall, what a film. Other than that no favourite really.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, CFF. I remember those from being shown on the BBC. I wonder whether anyone shows them any more?
DeleteArgh, and now thinking of those long-ago Saturday mornings, I thought of the Red Hand Gang, and now I'm going to have the theme tune in my head ALL DAY. Thanks a bunch ;-)
Love a Bond film (give or take Moonraker...) and it's been fun to introduce the kids to a series of films spanning so many years and styles, but which are still being made now. xx
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating which ones people *don't* like - most people seem to have one they're really not into.
DeleteI like Bonds - both films and the Agents. :)
ReplyDelete(one did not "ring the bells" to me, and it was Daniel Craig's first one - it did not have the "Bond, James Bond" feel to it) - but they got better now :)
We share two in our top 5 (OHMSS and Skyfall) I like the other three though. My top five is pretty much OHMSS, Goldeneye, The Living Daylights, The Spy Who Loved Me and Skyfall. I’m shocked you hate Goldeneye though!
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