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How I feel this could have been the best Bond film

posted 7 years ago by you_savvy
8 replies | jump to latest

I really do feel this story had the potential to be the best Bond film, but there are enough missteps along the way to keep it out of the top spot. In my head, there is a perfect version of this movie that:

1. Makes the romance between Bond and Tracey more convincing. I'm open to the idea of a cad like Bond falling in love -- I love the idea, actually. But a sticky sweet montage that takes two people who barely know each other and two minutes later has them in love is not doing to do it. Not in any movie, and definitely not with a character like Bond! Later on, when they meet up again and are escaping from Blofeld, that is the kind of stuff that I feel could make Bond fall in love. But one car chase and a night in a barn isn't enough. There needed to be more of it beforehand, not Louie Armstrong and horse rides. I will confess I'm not sure how they could have done it without making the movie three hours plus, though.

2. Has an additional action scene in the second act. Or should I say, any action scene in the second act. This movie does have loads of action, and most of it is great, but it's poorly distributed. It starts off promising. The fight on the beach, then the fight with the guy in Tracey's room, then a few minutes later Bond knocks some of Draco's goons around for a few seconds before bursting into his office. This all happens in the first twenty minutes. And then... nothing for an entire hour. That's absolutely nuts. Sure, once Bond hits the slopes the action runs on all cylinders for the rest of the movie, but that middle hour really does drag. I read somewhere that they had originally planned on having Hilary's assistant be a Spectre agent, and there was to be some extended scene in which Bond chases after him. That would have been great, and would have split that hour of no action right down the middle.

3. Doesn't dub over Lazenby's voice for half a freaking hour! This is the first guy to try to take over the role. He has no acting experience. He has his work cut out for him. And he's doing... okay. About forty five minutes in, I'm starting to get used to this guy as Bond. And then he's got this goofy dubbed voice and it goes on and on and on. It's hard for us to accept the new guy as Bond when you're only letting him half-play the role!

4. Changed some of the specifics of Bond's time at the clinic. He's supposed to be in love with Tracey at this point, right? Then why is he jumping into bed with every woman he can get his hands on there? I can see him getting together with one of the women, as a way to get more information about what is going on. Keep the scene with him and Ruby in her room, where he finds out they're being hypnotized. But you don't need any more than that. In fact, you could have helped make his love of Tracey more convincing if he had turned down additional advances from the other girls because he feels guilty. Or hell, let him keep knocking boots with everyone he can, as he tries to get more information... but show that he has reservations about doing so.

They also should have changed the way Blofeld discovers he is Bond. I'm not a huge fan of the books, but this is my favorite of the ones I've read, and considering they stuck fairly close to it they really should have stayed faithful to how Bond is discovered. In the book, his ally (the blond guy) is dragged into Blofeld's office while he's meeting with Bond, who is still pretending to be Hilary. The guy is beat up and delirious. He sees Bond and mumbles something like "James help me..." and Blofeld instantly becomes suspicious of Bond, who escapes later in the evening right as Blofeld's goons are coming to his room to apprehend and probably torture him. It's a really cool series of events that builds up the tension better than "Oh Sir Hilary is bed hopping with all these girls and he got this one fact wrong I guess we better whack him on the head and tell him our evil schemes".

5. Is the fifth film in the series. I know that was the original plan, and it's a shame that it didn't happen. It would have made sense that way for Bond and Blofeld to have not recognized each other. And it would have been a neat way to introduce Blofeld, whose face had never been seen before. His character could have been introduced, and if they had done it right we could have genuinely not been sure if he was Blofeld for awhile.

6. Starred Sean Connery. Yes, some people will say that Connery's oversexed thug couldn't have worked in a movie where Bond falls in love. I completely disagree. I think Connery would have sunk his teeth into this. He was bored with the role by the fifth movie, but that was in large part because he thought it was getting silly. If he had seen a script like this, in which his character gets to grow and do something different, I think he would have been totally on board and given it everything he had. And after seeing him go through women like cigarettes for four movies, seeing him fall in love and get married would have had that much more impact. I'm not going to say Lazenby is a complete joke like some people claim, but he really isn't as good as Connery was, and this story was especially not the right time to change leads.

[–] thylacine80 7 years ago

Makes the romance between Bond and Tracey more convincing

I think the romance is very convicing, and it is not only by showing the love montage with the music.
We're lead to believe their romance by having Bond saving her life, and later by having Bond showing interest in her despite the fact he already has the information he was looking for.
Then it's Tracy's turn to save Bond's life when he's desperate and alone.

So I think it's very strongly built and really believable.

Has an additional action scene in the second act.

Well,this movie is more realistic than most other Bond films.
And in real life, action doesn't happen all the time.
This film takes time to show the investigation leaded in Piz Gloria, without feeling the need to entertain at all costs with explosions, chases and fights.
And I think it's a good thing.

Doesn't dub over Lazenby's voice for half a freaking hour

I AGREE 100% !!!!!!!!!

Changed some of the specifics of Bond's time at the clinic

He's in love with Tracy when he's in the clinic but I think he truly realizes this when she saves him and they end up at the barn.
And don't forget he's on a Deadly mission, so he has to sleep with women to get information.
Hard work.

They also should have changed the way Blofeld discovers he is Bond.

I agree because I think the book's version is way better.
But the way Blofeld discovers Bond is a spy in the film is all right, and doesn't ruin the movie.

Is the fifth film in the series

I AGREE 100 %.
Blofeld is supposed to recognize Bond 'cause he already met him in YOLT. He doesn't, but it's Ok because we're having 2 different actors there (Savalas and Lazenby Vs Connery and Pleasance).
If Connery would have returned, the sequence would have been very weird.

[–] buddyboy28 7 years ago

Blofeld is supposed to recognize Bond 'cause he already met him in YOLT

Whenever I watch this, I just pretend that Bond never took off his Japanese make-up in YOLT before going into the volcano lair. It always made sense to me, and let's face it, they were never going to have Connery in disguise in the big action climax of the movie. I suppose then you could say why did the old Japanese guy recognize him then, well the make-up wasn't very good, and he'd seen him previously without it lol.

Connery's Bond would not fit in a weak and scared Bond

I disagree. It shows he could in Thunderball when he's running in fear for his life. He's even startled like Lazenby is when he runs into someone when he's not looking in front of him. Connery's the ONLY Bond to actually shout for help in a panic in the same movie where he's being stretched.

[–] thylacine80 7 years ago

I just pretend that Bond never took off his Japanese make-up in YOLT before going into the volcano lair.

That's actually a really good idea, and that's gonna help me make the leap of faith, even if I had very few difficulties doing so already.

[–] Cult_of_Kibner 7 years ago

...they really should have stayed faithful to how Bond is discovered [in the book].

I disagree. In the book the whole thing depends on the coincidence of them capturing a guy who knows Bond while they just so happen to have Bond as a guest, and dragging him in at the just the right moment to recognize Bond and blow his cover. In the movie they fix that by making the guy Bond's shadow and he gets captured while trying to get up there to assist him. He's then given some enhanced interrogation before being killed and that's how Bond's identity is uncovered.

Really the only thing I agree with you on is that OHMSS should have come before YOLT.

[–] austin-pearce 7 years ago

It would've been even better if George had at least stayed on for Diamonds Are Forever.

[–] Benjatron26354 7 years ago

I really wish Connery would have done this and then called it quits. OHMSS is a much better film than Diamonds are Forever.

[–] thylacine80 7 years ago

I really wish Connery would have done this and then called it quits.

If Connery had played Bond in OHMSS, I don't think it would have been as good as it is the way Lazenby made it.

1- Lazenby was nervous and inexperienced, and it shows. That's a good thing considering that Bond, in that particular movie, is human, weak and in love.

2- They cast Diana Rigg to balance the inexperience of Lazenby. With Connery available for the film, it would habe been somebody else. And that defenitly would have altered the quality.

3- Connery would not agree to show a weak and scared Bond (can you imagine Connery shouting for fear at the sight of a fake polar bear ???).

4- Blofeld is supposed to recognize Bond 'cause he already met him in YOLT. He doesn't, but it's Ok because we're having 2 different actors there (Savalas and Lazenby Vs Connery and Pleasance).
If Connery would have returned, the sequence would have been very weird.

[–] The_Furry_Menace 7 years ago

Wow, I actually agree with every point. Some of those things don't bother me that much, but I'd say every one of those changes would have made this movie better. None more so than having had it come before YOLT. It would have been interesting to see how Connery would've responded to a meatier story.