UNCLEagent
11-09-2008, 06:21 PM
Holds up well.
Better than most, actually.
Other than CR, it's been a while since I watched a Bond film in its entirety these past few years. I still do my periodic pilgrimage to GF - it never fails to thrill me.
That said, many of the films carry a dated quality to them that goes beyond fashion and politics. They just look.... old or tired.
Blasphemy? I don't know. I am still, and always will be a Bond fan.
But lately, they don't all look or feel the same as they did when viewed in my past. Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through?
Last night, Blade and I were playing with the TV remote. While not a huge Bond fan, she can certainly appreciate the genre and all that it has meant to me. As we were flipping through the channels, we stumbled across DAF. We stopped our surfing and proceded to watch.
Something strange happened. As I was watching it with her, trying to experience it as a first-time viewer (as her) we couldn't help but to frequently burst out laughing or groan. She kept turining to me:
"You've GOT to be kidding!"
Granted, it's no 'Casablanca' nor does the franchise pretend to be, but sharing the experience with one who is a true cinema afficeianado left me seeing the film with a more critical eye. Not that I ever was a big DAF fan - I always placed it towards the middle or lower half, just a notch above the Moore films. Still, it truly had more than it's share of 'groaner moments.'
Wanting to salvage whatever interest she may have had left in the Bond franchise, I did a quick mental inventory of the films.
Normally, I myself would be drawn to the Holy Trinity - FRWL, GF, and TB as the epitome of true Bond-mania, as I personally experienced it. But I think you maybe had to have a bit of that mania in your blood to really, REALLY appreciate it or get it all these years later.
With an emphasis on story, plot, character development, direction and true production values - I found myself, without reservation, pointing to OHMSS.
OHMSS was the second Bond movie I had seen. GF was my first - when it first came out in the theaters. I was only seven and it took a while to hit the army base theater. Maybe it was a second run. Anyway - it hooked me! I later saw OHMSS first run in 1969 on base with my dad and my fate as a Bond fan was sealed.
As I experienced each and every one of the Bond films as they were released, OHMSS kept getting pushed further and further back on my list of favs. I never denied that it was one of the most beautiful Bond movies ever filmed, nor did I ever deny its emotional appeal.
I was instead, too critical of its standing in the franchise. No Connery, No Moore - just a one-note player; a wasted opportunity.
Lazenby was (and still is) a weakness in this otherwise great film. He's not a bad guy. He's not horrible. He simply was thrust into a situation that demanded more than his capabilities for the time.
Still, I felt that despite this one shortcoming (IMHO), OHMSS could impress upon the casual Bond viewer, all that is truly wonderful and magical about Bond without the detractions of the groaning and OTT eye-rolling moments.
Not trying to be harsh or critical of Bond.
It's just that OHMSS - when all is said and done - stands as a far, far better and stronger Bond film than it has been given credit for in its forty year history, surpassing many of the 'standards'.
I'm not suggesting anything new here. I know it's been said before.
It just surprised me, that when I searched to a Bond film to fit the bill - OHMSS stood and delivered. And watching it all last night, it truly felt fresh again.
Better than most, actually.
Other than CR, it's been a while since I watched a Bond film in its entirety these past few years. I still do my periodic pilgrimage to GF - it never fails to thrill me.
That said, many of the films carry a dated quality to them that goes beyond fashion and politics. They just look.... old or tired.
Blasphemy? I don't know. I am still, and always will be a Bond fan.
But lately, they don't all look or feel the same as they did when viewed in my past. Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through?
Last night, Blade and I were playing with the TV remote. While not a huge Bond fan, she can certainly appreciate the genre and all that it has meant to me. As we were flipping through the channels, we stumbled across DAF. We stopped our surfing and proceded to watch.
Something strange happened. As I was watching it with her, trying to experience it as a first-time viewer (as her) we couldn't help but to frequently burst out laughing or groan. She kept turining to me:
"You've GOT to be kidding!"
Granted, it's no 'Casablanca' nor does the franchise pretend to be, but sharing the experience with one who is a true cinema afficeianado left me seeing the film with a more critical eye. Not that I ever was a big DAF fan - I always placed it towards the middle or lower half, just a notch above the Moore films. Still, it truly had more than it's share of 'groaner moments.'
Wanting to salvage whatever interest she may have had left in the Bond franchise, I did a quick mental inventory of the films.
Normally, I myself would be drawn to the Holy Trinity - FRWL, GF, and TB as the epitome of true Bond-mania, as I personally experienced it. But I think you maybe had to have a bit of that mania in your blood to really, REALLY appreciate it or get it all these years later.
With an emphasis on story, plot, character development, direction and true production values - I found myself, without reservation, pointing to OHMSS.
OHMSS was the second Bond movie I had seen. GF was my first - when it first came out in the theaters. I was only seven and it took a while to hit the army base theater. Maybe it was a second run. Anyway - it hooked me! I later saw OHMSS first run in 1969 on base with my dad and my fate as a Bond fan was sealed.
As I experienced each and every one of the Bond films as they were released, OHMSS kept getting pushed further and further back on my list of favs. I never denied that it was one of the most beautiful Bond movies ever filmed, nor did I ever deny its emotional appeal.
I was instead, too critical of its standing in the franchise. No Connery, No Moore - just a one-note player; a wasted opportunity.
Lazenby was (and still is) a weakness in this otherwise great film. He's not a bad guy. He's not horrible. He simply was thrust into a situation that demanded more than his capabilities for the time.
Still, I felt that despite this one shortcoming (IMHO), OHMSS could impress upon the casual Bond viewer, all that is truly wonderful and magical about Bond without the detractions of the groaning and OTT eye-rolling moments.
Not trying to be harsh or critical of Bond.
It's just that OHMSS - when all is said and done - stands as a far, far better and stronger Bond film than it has been given credit for in its forty year history, surpassing many of the 'standards'.
I'm not suggesting anything new here. I know it's been said before.
It just surprised me, that when I searched to a Bond film to fit the bill - OHMSS stood and delivered. And watching it all last night, it truly felt fresh again.