The Best James Bond Film...

[Soft Pillow]

I always thought OHMSS was Bond's finest hour! Why? It's the only one in the entire series that exposed his humanity. George Lazenby did not have much acting skill in 1969 but the story always intrigued me. I believe Sean Connery was very weary of Bond by this time while Catherine Deneuve was simply not interested in the role of Tracy. The biggest myth of all is that the James Bond that we loved at theatres is not the same man in Ian Fleming's novels...

Cheers,
SP

http://img234.imagevenue.com/loc234/th_34506_binder_ohmss3_122_234lo.jpg (http://img234.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=34506_binder_ohmss3_122_234lo.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sEmwvBN47Q

[Hard Nard]

I'm partial to the early Bond movies, "Thunderball" and "Goldfinger" to be exact. Never cared much for OHMSS, but I don't think it was the worst of the series.

IMHO I feel both Timothy Dalton Bond movies were the worst of the lot. Both had lousy plot lines and the Bond girls in both left a lot to be desired.

I'm fond of the Brosnan Bond in "Tomorrow never Dies" and "Die Another Day" - both had good stories and female interests.

The last Bond movie "Casino Royale" was better than I expected and surprisingly it's the only Bond movie that my wife enjoyed. I only hope the "sophomore jinx" doesn't hit the next movie.

[gunner]

The weird thing is that the films makers seem have forgotten that we have all seen the earlier films. If they wanted to show how Bond became a '00' they should have set the film in the '60s' rather than being set now. It's a bit like Dallas, where they wiped out the prevoius series as a dream.

[hoyya]

If they wanted to show how Bond became a '00' they should have set the film in the '60s' rather than being set now. It's a bit like Dallas, where they wiped out the prevoius series as a dream.

You forget one thing, gunner: Casino Royale was Flemings FIRST Bond Shortstory; that was the beginning of the Bond series!






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[gunner]

I know that casino Royale was the first story but what I meant was that the previous films all show Bond as an established '00'. It is silly to now show how he became one, set in the present, when we've all seen hs exploits on missions that were set in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.

[hoyya]

Casino Royale was indeed the beginning of Bond although Fleming only used the character in order to write these stories. He wanted David Niven or Cary Grant as Bond especially after viewing the 1959 Hitchcock materpiece namely North By Northwest. In any event, I doubt he would have approved of the later films as they were comic books! Bond was transformed around the time of Goldfinger to this Superman type of character which was at odds with the novels. I leave you with the late Harold Sakata best remembered as Oddjob in a hilarious cough remedy commercial.


I know that casino Royale was the first story but what I meant was that the previous films all show Bond as an established '00'. It is silly to now show how he became one, set in the present, when we've all seen hs exploits on missions that were set in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.

I understand your point, gunner!
For the “true” novel lovers, a movie can’t be near enough by the original story. Me for example, I love the Harry Potter books, but the movies in my view are mickey mouse-I feel no danger!

I know, a movie is a different medium and has only 2 hours to tell the story-that’s why the script leaves a lot of details and eventually some characters from the novel. And it reflects the time of its creation, because the producers want to attract young people and make money.
Fleming used his war memories for the novels, but at the time of the movies the cold war was going on, the russians have been, as a real shock for the west, the first in space with Gagarin and technical competition was very present. At the same time the british empire, contrary to the books, lost its greatness. What else was left, especially for Moore, to be ironical and to do as if the empire still was better than all the others (the superman type)?
Today we see heros and women differently than Fleming wrote. A lot of young people liked Casino Royale. The script writers did their homework and producers got their return.

I made my conclusion about all this a long time ago:
-don’t expect a movie to be as good as the book
-don’t expect the same story in the movie, as in the book
-don’t see your favorite books movies, it’s allways a disappointment
-a good movie needs a good story, but not every good story(book) makes a good movie




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[Greenman]

FRWL is on sometime next week if the football is not shown on ITV1. Best scene in that is the fight scene on the train bathed in blue light with Connery & Shaw.

[Staffsyeoman]

I love the fact that in FRWL Connery rumbles Shaw as the baddie - because he had red wine with the fish!! Shawwwking... simmmply shawwking... (as he says in another one).

Feeling a bit ambivalent about the movies lately; I tend to like some of the ones others don't rate (I love Moonraker; Tomorrow Never Dies and the Timothy Dalton ones for example) but even I can't raise enthusiasm for "For Your Eyes Only". I even have a sneaky liking for the Peter Sellers 'Casino Royale'; a complete and utter mess but some funny stuff, Ursula Andress and Burt Bacharach. And Ronnie Corbett.

Very impressed with Daniel Craig thus far; they made Bond exciting again.

And the women are improving again - apart from Madonna's turn. Sheesh, I've seen less wooden trees...

[RjG57]

Any Bond films with Sean Connery are my fav. Never got the hang of the other Bonds, the others took it too seriously or like a comedy.
I did love the original Casino Royale send-up with Sellers, Niven and the rest. I doubt if many people have seen or even know of it.

[Greenman]

Any Bond films with Sean Connery are my fav. Never got the hang of the other Bonds, the others took it too seriously or like a comedy.
I did love the original Casino Royale send-up with Sellers, Niven and the rest. I doubt if many people have seen or even know of it.


The original of Casino Royale a muddled waste of actor's time-some of our finest actors and actresses demeaned themselves in that absolute dross-it wasted Orson Welles, David Niven and Deborag Carr, and even Sellers looked like he didn't want to be in it, and although there were some funny moments, the end result(and lets face it you are on a hiding to nothing with 6 directors) was a mess-the end sequence is so lame-brained it looks like they couldn't decide how to end it. The final straw for me was the ludicrous ending with the Indians and Cowboys-what idiot thought that up??
I bet if were alive then Ian Fleming would have been furious.:)

[marlon]

Agreed, the original Casino Royale when seen today is/was awful, complete waste of time for what was an incredible cast. Having said that, it was a send up and was never meant to be taken seriously. When I first viewed it as a boy,like RjG57,I absolutely loved, but I was only in primary school.

The best for me was From Russia with Love, Sean Connery is almost universally acknowledged as the best, and I think he would have been even if he had come after Roger, Timothy, etc. Having said that I thought the second Casino Royale was a breath of fresh air to the series, with more depth to the role in terms of script, direction and acting, so things look promising for the future - pity the books have run out, does anyone agree that it would be interesting to see some remakes rather than trying to come up with new stories, or do posters think leave the originals well alone?

[40plus]

Another vote for any of the Sean Connery films (except NSNA although Kim Basinger made up for it).

Watched FRWL yesterday and it struck me that the shot of the Pan Am 707 landing at Istanbul (allegedly) might in fact be the same clip as the plane landing at Kingston in Dr No - including the shot in the control tower.

Any officianados confirm or refute?

40+

[Greenman]

Another vote for any of the Sean Connery films (except NSNA although Kim Basinger made up for it).

Watched FRWL yesterday and it struck me that the shot of the Pan Am 707 landing at Istanbul (allegedly) might in fact be the same clip as the plane landing at Kingston in Dr No - including the shot in the control tower.

Any officianados confirm or refute?

40+


As stated elsewhere NSNA can't be classed as a Bond film because many elements were missing due to copyright and the fact that Kevin McCrory fell out with the producers-after "Thunderball" that also was a shambles but not as bad as CR.

As to the above I would say it was probably a stock footage shot reused-as was the wont of most directors-its the "car over the cliff" syndrome-many of you might remember that the same car goes over a cliff in a lot of tv programmes esp ITC productions-and always the same sort too-a S-Type Jaguar! Another instance of the same car was used in 'Knight Rider' the series when it was first seen in the film "The Car"-stock footage of that film was used by director for KRider when the rogue KITT or KARR as it was known drives off a cliff in a game of 'chicken' with KITT-self preservation you know. :)

[hoyya]

the second Casino Royale was a breath of fresh air to the series, with more depth to the role in terms of script, direction and acting, so things look promising for the future
- pity the books have run out, does anyone agree that it would be interesting to see some remakes rather than trying to come up with new stories, or do posters think leave the originals well alone?

I agree with you-I'd like to see Goldfinger, Dr No and Thunderball adapted in the "new" Casino Royale way. My favorite novel is Thunderball, altough Fleming mentioned it is too long and that's why only bearable with a sexy cover:); favorite movie is Goldfinger (Gerd Froebe is worldclass).
Despite I like the classical look of these movies and Connery's smartness, I wonder how these movies would be today. With todays special effects, for example the diving scenes in Thunderball or the Shark attack on Felix Leitner would be much more realisticly. Or Bond in Dr No's killing labirinth could be great! And who else than Jack Nicholson could play Auric Goldfinger?:) (only Marlon Brando, if he still was alive)





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[marlon]

Agreed, whole heartedly. A few remakes with today's production values, while retaining the quality of the storylines, would be fantastic.

[goldfinger]

Guess my screenname kinda gives away my affection for the franchise...

A few points:

Watched FRWL yesterday and it struck me that the shot of the Pan Am 707 landing at Istanbul (allegedly) might in fact be the same clip as the plane landing at Kingston in Dr No - including the shot in the control tower.

Any officianados confirm or refute?

I checked that -- different shots of the planes landing, probably different airports. The tower in DN in a small one with a Jamaican on the mike; the tower in FRWL much larger, higher, and overlooking a huge airport (I'm betting Heathrow).

Sean Connery will always be James Bond for my generation! Sean never really received good reviews for playing Bond until subsequent actors adopted the role as the critics never fully realized how difficult it was.

I agree, he is for me too. Here's something interesting: Occasionally someone will mention that they've never seen a James Bond film. "I can fix that'" sez I, and hand them a copy of Goldfinger, generally regarded as the quintessential Bond film. If they are under 30, they hate it. Dated. Ecch.

As for the reviewers, they almost always give Bond a bad review (CR the exception). They have their idea of what a Bond film is (always cliched); the reviewed movie gets bad marks because it strays too far from the formula, or it gets bad marks because it stays too close to the formula (same old same old).

As stated elsewhere NSNA can't be classed as a Bond film because many elements were missing due to copyright and the fact that Kevin McCrory fell out with the producers-after "Thunderball" that also was a shambles but not as bad as CR.


Technically speaking, both the original film CR (there was a TV version) and NSNA are legit 007 films; the producers had the rights to those books at the time. Thunderball started as a film project; McClory wrote the script with Fleming and Jack Whittingham and retained the rights after a court battle when Fleming published the book version alone (many of Fleming's Bond stories started out as unused scripts for film and/or TV at the time.). McClory co-produced Thunderball with Saltzman & Broccoli to be able to use Connery and all the Bond trappings, crew, music, etc. Later, another court ruled he could remake Thunderball as many times as he wanted, thus NSNA (it's also generally believed that Connery did NSNA just to piss off Broccoli).

A few remakes with today's production values, while retaining the quality of the storylines, would be fantastic.

Siskel & Ebert were reviewing some OZ film back in the 80's and said something I've never forgotten: "Don't remake good movies -- remake bad ones." Don't go back and re-make the classic Bond films. They are what they are, leave em alone. BUT, I've long felt that the books have only occasionally been given proper treatments. I'm talking about an HBO grade series of 2 hr TV movies - done in period (50's thru early 60's). A straightforward print-to-film transliteration. There are precedents: Holmes, Poirot, Marple have (for the most part) all been successfully staged. Up the budget, lock in your cast for the whole ride, shoot em all at once, make your money back on endless airings and DVD sales.

Obviously, I could go on for hours. I guess I already have. :D

[hoyya]

something I've never forgotten: "Don't remake good movies -- remake bad ones." Don't go back and re-make the classic Bond films. They are what they are, leave em alone. BUT, I've long felt that the books have only occasionally been given proper treatments

First: It's good we favour the same Bond movie as the best!:)

Secondly: Marlon and I are not talking about a REMAKE in the style of the latest Indiana Jones, making for example Dr No in a manner that it looks like a 60'ies movie.
We are talking about an up to date ADAPTION of a 50'ies story. This means a transformation of the main ideas of the story into todays postcommunism/asymmetrical war, world. AND a modern interpretation of the hero and the female role in an emancipated society.
As a provocation I would even ask: Why not letting play a woman the Bond character?
And for Dr No and Goldfinger there would be a lot of good plots in our globalized/financialy dominated world. I would say, there is a wide field open for new, good action movies!






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[Greenman]

No you are wrong-in order for it to be a genuine Bond film it must be sanctioned(or was unless this has changed) by DANJAQ, S.A. who also held the rights to the Bond logo and the 007 character. This was not allowed in NSNA and suffered because of it-also the famous gunbarrel was not allowed to be used either.

[hoyya]

No you are wrong-in order for it to be a genuine Bond film it must be sanctioned(or was unless this has changed) by DANJAQ, S.A. who also held the rights to the Bond logo and the 007 character. This was not allowed in NSNA and suffered because of it-also the famous gunbarrel was not allowed to be used either.

I'm not talking about rebellion or something-it's more like "substance over form".

I like for example the latest adaption of the "the compte de Monte Cristo". There the son from Mercedes, Albert, has Edmond as his father. This gives the fight for death between them, Edmond and his son (protecting Fernand, who he THINKS is his father), and them not knowing it, a very dramatic element.
In Dumas original story is Fernand, Mercedes cousin, the father from Albert and the duell is cancelled.
Here the screen writer asked himself: what is the core of the story and how to tell it in the visible language. The core is betrayed friendship, vengeance and love and it's all culminating and deciding in this last fight. This makes you feel very strongly with the hero, and thats what makes your heart beat!

what is the core of a Bond story?
a dangerous situation, a smart, gambling hero, an oponent or a terroristic organisation, the hero wins against all odds.

I'm open for any different opinion:)






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[goldfinger]

No you are wrong-in order for it to be a genuine Bond film it must be sanctioned(or was unless this has changed) by DANJAQ, S.A. who also held the rights to the Bond logo and the 007 character. This was not allowed in NSNA and suffered because of it-also the famous gunbarrel was not allowed to be used either.

Well, I see your point. And it's true that the fans/scholars do not consider CR or NSNA part of the series as they were not made by EON Productions or their team. But what I said was not wrong: both of these films were legitimate 007 pictures in that their producers owned the rights to their respective books at the time they were filmed.

Casino Royale was Fleming's 1st Bond book -- who knew there would be a series? -- and sold the film rights early on as he didn't think there would be any better offers. Later, Saltzman & Broccoli bought the rights to everything -- titles, characters, etc -- except Casino Royale. Those rights languished in the hands of producers who couldn't get anything done with them, until finally sold to producer Charles K Feldman. He decided to make CR an all-star send up -- and it failed miserably. EON didn't own it (and didn't own the book rights until fairly recently) and couldn't have been able to stop its production (and I don't know if they tried).

NSNA was also "legit" -- It's producer, Kevin McClory, was a co-writer of Thunderball, and retained the rights to the film version. He owned it when Thunderball was made -- he struck a deal with EON, who didn't want the competition back in 64 -- and he owned it when NSNA was made. The deal was a one-shot thing because Thunderball was all he had. He signed off with the proviso that he couldn't make another Bond picture for another (I believe) 10 years -- evidently EON thought they'd be done with Bond by then. Starting in the 70's McClory went to court to get Warhead made, the project that eventually became NSNA.

Nobody considers either film to be part of the series. In retrospect, NSNA had the opportunity to prove that the character was stronger than and could entertain without the trappings of the EON series but IMHO came up short. The new CR intentionally did away with all those trappings (or gave them slight nod) and was totally successful.

(By the way, Blofeld's white cat -- an invention of the EON filmmakers in FRWL as it does not appear in the book Thunderball, but the non-EON NSNA uses it too -- who owned that??)

[marlon]

First: It's good we favour the same Bond movie as the best!:)

Secondly: Marlon and I are not talking about a REMAKE in the style of the latest Indiana Jones, making for example Dr No in a manner that it looks like a 60'ies movie.
We are talking about an up to date ADAPTION of a 50'ies story. This means a transformation of the main ideas of the story into todays postcommunism/asymmetrical war, world. AND a modern interpretation of the hero and the female role in an emancipated society.
As a provocation I would even ask: Why not letting play a woman the Bond character?
And for Dr No and Goldfinger there would be a lot of good plots in our globalized/financialy dominated world. I would say, there is a wide field open for new, good action movies!




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Hoyya, how are you? Long time since I spoke to you, hope you are well.

Agree with much of what you say, but a woman Bond? Hope you're being playfully provocative, if not you're going a bit too far.

In response to goldfinger especially his quote "Don't remake good movies -- remake bad ones" I agree, especially if you are just copying the original, but given some of the criticisms already mentioned regarding some of the interpretations (thinking especially of the Roger Moore era - I like Roger, but whoever was responsible for injecting 'comedy' into the role deserves the famous gunbarrel pointed at him) I think it would not be too hard to improve on them. I really did think, and still do, that it may be the long term plan. Given that they have started right back at the beginning with Casino Royale, showing how Bond starts his career and how his character begins to develop, the obvious course would be to revisit the original books and redo them in the style begun with Casino Royale - that's not to say that they will have the same titles, simply that the reinvention of the cinema Bond may use the threads of the original stories to make new(er) updated ones.

[hoyya]

Hoyya, how are you? Long time since I spoke to you, hope you are well.

Thanks for asking Marlon, I'm well:) I supose you're well too?

Agree with much of what you say, but a woman Bond? Hope you're being playfully provocative, if not you're going a bit too far.

It's kind of a mind opening statement, not meant completely serious. Sometimes you have to think the unthinkable to find the core of something. What was fascinating for me in the Bond novels as an adolescent-It was the danger, the hero and the sexual power, something you're very open for at this age.

Yesterday I watched some teenagers posing at the high-diving tower. Some boys made a header from 5m, then they went to 7,5m and jumped on the feet.
And then came a girl, went to 10m and made a header, she muscled them out with her courage!
Who is here the hero who faces the danger and who are the wimp?
In my time the boys would have made the header from 10m and the girls would have watched them with admiring looks. Times have changed and so the roles of the sexes.
I like this line spoken by Jack Nicholson in "A few good men" concerning women in militia:
"...promote them all, there is nothing better than a blowjob from your female superior."

In short: I like the Bond books, but I recognize that a commercially successfull adaptation has to reflect the time of its production.







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[40plus]

At the risk of stirring a hornets nest, I am of the view that both the Dalton pics and a couple of the Moore ones fall far short of the standard to be expected, and despite it's shortcomings, NSNA is better than either of the Dalton pics in my view.

Also, is TSWLM not a thinly veiled remake of YOLT, at least as far as the plot is concerned. Likewise DAD/DAF?

Sorry if this offends the purists.

40+

[pharoahegypt]

until the recent Casino Royale, i would have had a toss up between TMWTGG, GF, and TSWLM (first one i saw). But now its harder to decide. Do i go for the classic Bond style or the new and exciting 21st Century one? :confused:

While i hope the new Solace movie is as good as CR rumours dont sound too good, but then every critic and his auntie slated both the casting of Daniel Craig and CR itself before its release, and look how wrong they were about that..!!:confused::confused::)

a short question, and before anyone tells me off, no i havent read through all the previous postings yet. is this rumour true...? that while making 'chitty chitty bang bang' (another fleming book if im correct) the german actor gert frobe, aka auric goldfinger, hadn't learnt english so all his dialogue was dubbed? and im assuming he had learnt by the time GF was made...????

[goldfinger]

a short question, and before anyone tells me off, no i havent read through all the previous postings yet. is this rumour true...? that while making 'chitty chitty bang bang' (another fleming book if im correct) the german actor gert frobe, aka auric goldfinger, hadn't learnt english so all his dialogue was dubbed? and im assuming he had learnt by the time GF was made...????

Absolutely no one here would 'tell you off' as you are among friends. A fair question -- CCBB was filmed after GF. Gert was dubbed in GF as his accent was considered too thick. The Bond films featured a lot of dubbed performances: Ursula Andress, Daniela Bianchi, Gert Frobe, Adolfo Celi, Tetsuro Tamba (every one of the 'classic' first few Bonds had a major character with a dubbed voice). CCBB was made after YOLT, Frobe's accent had tamed somewhat by then -- I can't find a reference to him being dubbed in that film (but it wouldn't surprise me if he was).

[goldfinger]

The Spy Who Loved Me as a film has no connection at all with the late Ian Fleming.


Fleming insisted that, if and when TSWLM got filmed, the only part of the book that the producers could use was the title.


Also, is TSWLM not a thinly veiled remake of YOLT, at least as far as the plot is concerned.

No question -- there are dozens of similarities between YOLT and TSWLM; turn 'Little Nellie' into a Lotus submersible and it's the same movie.

[Greenman]

I am sure I mentioned it here somewhere but Ursula's singing was dubbed by British actress/singer Diana Coupland(also played Sid's wife in Bless this House comedy series)
NSNA better than Dalton's films? Oh come on, thats ridiculous they were ten times better than that-you knew there was something up when you got a character called Nigel Small-Fawcett(Rowan Atkinson), the ludicrous sex scene with Bond & Fatima Blush(Barbera Carrera), the dreary computer game which was so obvious it was painful what would happen, or the crass dialogue like "I do hope there is going to be some gratutious sex and violence Mr Bond" Even Q was changed to Algy for heavens sake.

Licence to Kill with Dalton is one of the best Bonds because it finally shows him getting beaten up and suffering for a change-this was toned down for many of the films and yet it got panned by the critics-still what do they know eh. :)

You know a number of you should consider joining the Bond groups in Yahoo-BondGirlsUnlimted for one(where I happen to be joint Moderator too) and you will also find a quiz by moi :D as well as loads of exclusive scans and pics.

[hoyya]

Thought I clean here up a bit for those who have not that deep expertise:

List of the Bond movies:

Not official
-Casino Royale CR I (Nelson, 54)
-Casino Royale CR II (Niven, 67)
-Never say never again NSNA (Connery, 84)

EON Productions by Saltzman/Broccoli
-Dr No (Connery, 62)
-From Russia with love FRWL (Connery, 63)
-Goldfinger GF (Connery, 64)
-Thunderball TB (Connery, 65)
-You only live twice YOLT (Connery, 67)
-On her Majesty’s secret service OHMSS (Lazenby, 69)
-Diamonds are forever DAF (Connery, 71)
-Live and let die LALD (Moore, 73)
-The man with the golden gun TMWTGG (Moore, 74)
-The spy who loved me TSWLM (Moore, 77)
-Moonraker MR (Moore, 79)
-For your eyes only FYEO (Moore, 81)
-Octopussy (Moore, 83)
-A view to a kill AVTAK (Moore, 85)
-The living daylights TLD (Dalton, 87)
-Licence to kill LTK (Dalton, 89)
-Golden Eye GE (Brosnan, 95)
-Tomorrow never dies TND (Brosnan, 97)
-The world is not enough TWINE (Brosnan, 99)
-Die another day DAD (Brosnan, 02)
-Casino Royale CR III (Craig, 06)
-Quantum of solace QOS (Craig, 08)






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[Greenman]

Those of you who want to comment on Bond in general and find some exclusive scans and pics consider joining the BondGirlsUnlimited group on Yahoo-you are more than welcome to make comments, post messages and pics and if you come over now you will find my James Bond Ultra Quiz running. We are up to FRWL. Type in BondGirlsUnlimited (all one word) and come and join in. Oh by the way I am co-owner/Moderator there and posted loads of pics already.

[Adam West]

Here's my top five:

1 You Only Live Twice (Connery)
2 For Your Eyes Only (Moore)
3 Thunderball (Connery)
4 The Living Daylights (Dalton)
5 Goldfinger (Connery)

[Greenman]

FYI OHMSS is being shown on ITV1(England) this Saturday.

Just seen the latest trailer for "Quantum of Solace" and its looks REALLY good-of course it would help if you saw the last one "Casino Royale" because then you will understand the plot a bit more. To see the trailer goto www.msn.co.uk (http://www.msn.co.uk) or www.msn.com (http://www.msn.com) which ever applies.

[thyguy]

C'mon, Goldfinger - no brainer and no contest. The opening credits for Goldfinger is better than 90% of the other Bond films. Best villain, Best "Heavy" (Obb Job), best theme song, best "girl villain" name (okay, not the best girl, but the best name), best crime - robbing Fort Knox.

Take the james Bond free association test:

Q) "James Bond"
A) "Goldfinger"

[Greenman]

Hmm you sound like a fan, ever thought of joining us at the ultrajames bond group-its discussions like that we thrive on, as well as posting some top notch, never seen before scans of Bond girls, and page 3 girls that were also Bond girls. Just do a search through Yahoo and you will find us-for reference the Owner's name is Mike Livsey & Greenman(yes me! :D)

[svea4]

my opinion

the worst: the one before Casino Royale (D. Craig)

the best: the one after the worst:)

[kingkoenig]

Best: From Russia with Love

Worst: A View To A Kill

[zenkarma]

Call me a heretic but I've always been fond of the 67' Casino Royale. Yes the one with David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress and pretty much anyone else who was anybody at that time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061452/

For the best real Bond film probably Goldfinger. I always liked Connery as Bond and that one had good selection of gadgets and gimmicky villains.

For the worst anything with Roger Moore. I just never cared for him as an actor.

[Greenman]

Yup, you're a heretic :D
Best one- You Only Live Twice-for the fabulous set design alone
Worst one-NSNA & Casino Royale(mentioned above) Both a total waste of the talented actors & actresses.

[ballantines]

Goldfinger has my vote. Come on people; 'Pussy' Galore...

[carter75]

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby

Has to be OHMSS it had everything music, girls, skiing and the gadgets were toned right down.


http://img104.imagevenue.com/loc552/th_26020_ruby_122_552lo.jpg (http://img104.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=th_26020_ruby_122_552lo.jpg)http://img192.imagevenue.com/loc176/th_26023_nancy_122_176lo.jpg (http://img192.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=th_26023_nancy_122_176lo.jpg)http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc1170/th_26026_10048362_122_1170lo.jpg (http://img18.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26026_10048362_122_1170lo.jpg)




Wow just discovered that Nancy (Catherine Schell) was the actress that played the shapeshifter in Space 1999

[gunner]

Dr. No, because it was the first one, it also had the archytypal James Bond in Sean Connery. There were no silly gadgets and Joseph Wiseman who played Dr.No was probably the most sinister of all Bond villains. The film is also the closest one to the original book.

[spitalhouse]

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby

Has to be OHMSS it had everything music, girls, skiing and the gadgets were toned right down.


http://img104.imagevenue.com/loc552/th_26020_ruby_122_552lo.jpg (http://img104.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=th_26020_ruby_122_552lo.jpg)http://img192.imagevenue.com/loc176/th_26023_nancy_122_176lo.jpg (http://img192.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=th_26023_nancy_122_176lo.jpg)http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc1170/th_26026_10048362_122_1170lo.jpg (http://img18.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26026_10048362_122_1170lo.jpg)




Wow just discovered that Nancy (Catherine Schell) was the actress that played the shapeshifter in Space 1999

I agree with you about OHMSS. This film had the potential to be one of the very best Bonds. It was just a pity they chose Lazenby for the lead. I think they should certainly consider a re-make.

If anyone is at all interested, the actress featured in the first photo is Angela Scoular. She had a fantastic nude scene in 'Adventures Of A Taxi Driver'. She also appeared nude in one of the 'Confessions' series - I think it was 'Confessions Of A Driving Instructor'. One last piece of trivia: she played the rather sexy role of a fashion model in the 60s comedy 'Doctor In Trouble' starring Lesley Philips, who happens to be her husband.

Regards

[carter75]

Maybe we can all agree on the best opening sequence

My vote would be Tomorrow Never dies, has to steal a jet fighter to prevent a nuclear explosion. Plus some great lines like "enough plutonium to make chernobyl look like a picnic" and " ask the admiral were he would like his bombs delivered"

Worst would be Casino Royale, jumping on the parcour bandwagon. It was already old hat before the movie came out thanks to comercials and Madonna.

[Greenman]

Best one on its return was Goldeneye-That dive off the dam was fantastic-Wayne Michaels must have had nerves of steel to attempt it.

[carter75]

Sorry but wasn't that just an update of Roger Moore skiing off a cliff at the begining of the Spy Who Loved me (1977). Not a great improvement in 18 years.

Both are great starts though.

Speaking of the Spy who loved me, deja vu. http://img179.imagevenue.com/loc566/th_76707_quantum-of-solace-20080509114307982_123_566lo.jpg (http://img179.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=76707_quantum-of-solace-20080509114307982_123_566lo.jpg)

[Greenman]

Well sort of but he was more patriotic with the Union Jack flag parachute whereas Michaels was just diving in black over a dam. :)

[27cows]

Live & Let Die. Hated Connery as Bond, never understood his appeal.

[27cows]

How can anyone hate Sean Connery as Bond? He was quite simply the best actor that defined James Bond. Roger was equally fine in the role as I enjoyed his wonderful style but he was best as Simon Templar in The Saint.

Bond wasn't Scottish. The closest anyone came to being the Bond of Ian Fleming was Dalton...but I could never quite take to him.

Connery was and remains a great actor but an appalling Bond, IMHO.

[gunner]

Fleming wrote a short biography for Bond, he is supposed to be 37 years old, his father was Andrew Bond a SCOTTISH army officer, his mother was Monique Delacroix, who was Swiss, both were killed in a climbing accident in the Alps. So you see he could claim to be a Scot. He certainly wasn't a blond psychopath as played by Daniel Craig. Also remember, he is supposed to be a Commander in the Royal Navy, no mention of that in the new Casino Royale.

[27cows]

Fleming wrote a short biography for Bond, he is supposed to be 37 years old, his father was Andrew Bond a SCOTTISH army officer, his mother was Monique Delacroix, who was Swiss, both were killed in a climbing accident in the Alps. So you see he could claim to be a Scot. He certainly wasn't a blond psychopath as played by Daniel Craig. Also remember, he is supposed to be a Commander in the Royal Navy, no mention of that in the new Casino Royale.

OK, I stand corrected. Still don't like Connery as Bond, though ;)

[hoyya]

Is it possible to make a poll with all 27 Bond movies?






_

[manicart1]

I really liked the two Timothy Dalton Bond films. To me they were the precursor to the grittier style of Casino Royale. Generally I can find something to enjoy in just about every Bond movie though.

[Greenman]

Here is something that confuses me-in the recent cartoon series "James Bond Junior" it would suggest that his 'Uncle James' had a sister, now I have not seen anything that suggested he had a sister so how could he have a nephew? I must confess to never having read any of Fleming's books(except his children's book "Chitty Chitty,Bang Bang") but perhaps someone can put me right on that. I do remember reading that Bond was expelled from university for sleeping with a (maid?) and his parents were killed in a climbing accident. Also it turns out that he had a son with Kissy Suzuki (You Only Live Twice).
Best bond film is very hard to define, how do you do it? By actor, by special effects? by storyline? Not easy.

[brausch]

It has to be purely personal, I think from Moonraker onwards Sir Rog's films became increasingly embarrassing and just plain bad but they took a ton of money so plenty of other people liked them. Best for me is Goldfinger - car, Shirley Eaton, Gert Frobe, best double-entendre name, though From Russia With Love runs it close and improves on Fleming by adding the faux-pas with the fish. OHMSS was the best script but ruined by Lazenby who had zero chemistry with the wonderful Diana Rigg who loathed him. Daniel Craig I'm not keen on mostly because the first rumour I heard for Casino Royale had Christian Bale as Bond and Brian Cox as Le Chiffre which would have been perfect. The product placement is getting nauseating, will anything in QoS top CR's Omega advert? Best Bond who never was? Patrick MacGoohan who turned down the part three times

[Greenman]

Apparently Ford signed a three picture product deal with the Bond people so you'll have to put up with it for one more film(Quantum of Solace)

[Patchy The Pirate]

Well, I'd say the best Bond starring Sean Connery is THUNDERBALL!

While GOLDFINGER was the first of the more gadget-oriented Bonds (with an excellent villain played by - then - non-English speaker Gert Froebe), THUNDERBALL really has more to offer! Much of GOLDFINGER is restricted to his mansion whereas the fourth Bond shows you a lot more beautiful settings. Especially the underwater sequences are some of the best ever filmed! The weak remake NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN never (again) comes close to that one in this respect. And Adolfo Celi is simply fantastic as the evil Emilio Largo.

The best Bond - storywise - is ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. Diana Rigg really makes the perfect partner to Lazenby's Bond - and their chemistry works to this day! And I have no problem at all with Lazenby, he does a great job. A shame that he never returned to the role, just because some idiot talked him out of signing the next contract. The music deserves special credit too, since it is the best John Barry score (apart from MOONRAKER) and most certainly the Bond with one of the best songs ever - WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD (by Louis Armstrong).

Regarding Moore I have to say that he is a different presence, very good in LIVE AND LET DIE and from then on cheesier and cheesier - but still very acceptable.

To me the best Bond starring Moore is MOONRAKER. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's in many respects strongly influenced by STAR WARS, it's cheesy... but it's also very well filmed with great scenarios, excellent design, fantastic SFX - the works! The effects hold up very well to this day - especially the models - and the fantastic music by John Barry is only outclassed by his score for THE BLACK HOLE. And there is most certainly nostalgia involved since this was one of the first Bonds I saw in the cinema (four times).

Timothy Dalton... well, I like him as an actor (they should have done a FLASH GORDON-sequel, just for the fun of it) but he didn't work for me as Bond. Sorry.

Now Brosnan is another story. I consider GOLDENEYE to be one the best Bonds. Alas, it is also the only one starring Brosnan that's really good. Sean Bean is always nice to see on the big screen and Famke Janssen is sexy and scary. I like that. ;)

Regarding the Bond girls... this would be worth another thread all alone! So I try make it short.

1. Ursula Andress: Very Swedish and lots of "talent", but not my cup of coffee.

2. Daniela Bianchi: Beautiful and nice to watch, but a bit weak on the character development.

3. I must say that Honor Blackman (aka Pussy Galore) must be considered the "strongest" of the Bond girls in intelligence and strength, though she's not really my cup of tea. Shirley Eaton (as her sister) on the other hand... yummy!

4. Claudine Auger: Very much the same as with Nr. 2 and fortunately not only a blonde bimbo (as in the remake).

5. Akiko Wakabayashi (and other Japanese ladies) are very nice to watch, but they did not leave much of an impression. Although it must be said that the death of Bond's "fake" wive is very touching!

6. Diana Rigg is a pleasure to watch and her Emma Peel-character is also very much present in the movie (which is not a bad thing). Potentially the best of the Bond girls.

7. Jill St. John vs. Lana Wood... sorry, but I like Lana Wood "plenty" more. ;)

8. Jane Seymour: Now this is certainly the most beautiful of all the Bond girls. Very, very young back then she still looks great to this day.

9. Britt Ekland: Nope, absolutely wrong choice! Maud Adams deserves far more credit (and thus she returned).

10. Barbara Bach: Very nice, but unfortunately "bad girl" Caroline Munro is so smoking hot and sexy (watch her in that bikini!) that Barbara's really in trouble. Evil Caroline can kill me every day of the week! ;)

11. Lois Chiles: Nope, dull and boring. I have no idea why they did not choose Corinne Clery over this one. She's so beautiful and a pleasure to watch too. Were they afraid to cast a French woman as a smart agent?

12. Carole Bouquet: I like Carole, she's very beautiful and a good companion to Bond. There are interesting connections between this movie and ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and you can also tell this by the choice of the leading lady.

13. Maud Adams: Clearly one of the best and a very beautiful and exotic face too.

14. Tanya Roberts vs. Grace Jones: You kidding me? Well, Tanya is... pretty and Grace is... hot. But not very female in many respects. I'd say this is one for a looong discussion!

15. Maryam d'Abo: Easily to be mistaken for Nasstassia Kinski. Well, she isn't. And unfortunately, I found her to be pretty flat.

16. Talisa Soto: Very beautiful, but not very much apart from that. Reminds me of Nr. 4 in this respect.

17. Izabella Scorupco vs. Famke Janssen: Sorry, Iza, but the bad girl is simply better. Which man would not like to die between the legs of Famke?

18. Michelle Yeoh & Teri Hatcher: Same story as with the rest of the movie. Lukewarm. Besides, I'm wondering why Hatcher is listed first on some websites, since she only has some 7-8 minutes screen time. And she was also somehow looking too old (especially when compared to LOUIS & CLARK)! Blame the Make-Up department?

19. Denise Richards & Sophie Marceau: Easy winner! Nothing against Denise, who has some "talent" to show (watch both of them in the deleted scenes on the DVD of STARSHIP TROOPERS!), but Sophie vs. Denise is like French romantic dinner vs. a burger and a milkshake at MacDonald's.

20. Halle Berry: Stupid movie, wrong choice, end of line. And after CATWOMAN the second proof that Halle should better stay with the X-MEN-franchise.

21. Eva Green: Sigh! We live in anorexic times and thus our heroines are also of the meagre kind (though not as badly as Keira Knightly, but close enough). It's the Italian lady Caterina Murino that caught my eye and although she's not the better actress, she's more beautiful.

Your opinions?

Regards,
Patchy.

[Giacson]

I'll have to say I was really impressed with Casino Royale. The action sequences were spectacular. So was the villain. Graig, though somewhat emotionaly blank, was a good pick. I also had a huge laugh at..

"Shaken or stirred?"

"Do i look like I give a damn?"

What a great twist to the monotony of that old line.

The worst Bond for me was Roger Moore. I'm not a homophobe but, Moores swagger was so borderline gay it killed so much of his series for me. Dalton, meh. Not terrible but, they could have done better. I liked Brosnon even though his "pretty boy" image (which he loathes of course) was a great concern at first.

Looking forward to Quantum of Solace.

[beemerider500]

Without a doubt, "From Russia with Love" is the best Bond film ever made. The least amount of gadgets... the setting (Istanbul) and the classic cold-war east vs west confrontation (with the turn-coat KGB head of intel).

[mrbusch]

I've always been a fan of Octopussy...it's got all that I want from a Bondmovie.

[Greenman]

I've always been a fan of Octopussy...it's got all that I want from a Bondmovie.

I like it myself not the fact that is crammed to the gunnells with Bond babes and page 3 girls but a lot of people found the jokey style began to get stale and that Moore was less that enthusiastic about this film. It was based on two short stories, one called Octopussy, the pet octopus that kills Octopussy's' father Major Dextor Smyth(only briefly alluded to in the film) and the other one was The Property of a Lady.:)

[thinlizzy]

has anybody else seen the new film,Quantum of Solace? I saw it a few days ago and I thought that it was very good but a million years away from early Bond.It has some great set pieces,most of the trailer for it features the first half hour of the film,some good one liners..."We have people everywhere" stands out..there's a homage to a very well known scene from Goldfinger in it of which I won't spoil any further.The only bad point is that it's such a sequel to Casino Royale that you really do need to watch that film first before watching this as you'll be wondering about the story line and characters in it.God knows in years to come it will be strange watching it on the telly if they show it as a stand alone film.

[Maverick6215]

I saw it on the opening night and I watched Casino Royal the previous night.

I felt there were a lot of gaps in the story line and it was very difficult to understand why some things were happening - never really understood why Gemma Arterton's character was killed and why she was covered in oil.

It was action packed and I enjoyed it but, to me, it was an adventure film with James Bond in rather than a James Bond film.

Just my penny's worth.

[thinlizzy]

I saw it on the opening night and I watched Casino Royal the previous night.

I felt there were a lot of gaps in the story line and it was very difficult to understand why some things were happening - never really understood why Sophie Atterton's character was killed and why she was covered in oil.

It was action packed and I enjoyed it but, to me, it was an adventure film with James Bond in rather than a James Bond film.

Just my penny's worth. Yeah that's why I think it will be hard to watch it when it comes to TV as it does rely on the previous film and you can blink and miss why something is happening or why Bond is going to see this guy or visit this place,good point about it being an action film with Bond in it rather than a Bond film as such.Also I think that you mean Gemma Arterton rather than Sophie.Plot spoiler revealed about her character though.....don't know why it was oil myself unless to show contempt to Bond and Western Ideals maybe.I thought that the so called baddie or Mr Big was good up to a point but Bond's payback to him at the end although it was cruel and fitted who and what Bond was at that moment doesn't really come over well on screen.I can see a lot of people finding that part a let down,although I personally thought that it would be something I would do under the same circumstances....I'm really cruel,don't mess with me :D but as I say it wasn't the typically Bond ending.It's an interesting time for the Bond franchise as they're bringing it into the modern world and they've set up a believable enemy force which can be taken further in future films,just remember that Spectre was believable in the 1960's but most people thought it outdated in the 1970's and 1980's.As it has taken more money at the box office in the opening weekend than Casino Royale did,it seems like Bond is back and in favour.

[AMDefoe]

Funny,sexy and psychedelic.
Sure Sean's films were great spy movies,but this film was just better and what a cast !

http://thumbnails13.imagebam.com/1943/45bcd019422989.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/45bcd019422989) http://thumbnails12.imagebam.com/1943/5f8db419422990.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/5f8db419422990) http://thumbnails8.imagebam.com/1943/f0938a19422991.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/f0938a19422991)

Then the best "Real" bond films were Man With The Golden Gun and live & Let Die,then Seans comeback movie Never Say Never.
There hasnt been a watchable bond movie since Timothy Dalton :eek:

[mikeywonka]

Well...I think it all depends on your age at the time they came out, or when you first saw a particular film. So there really can't be a definative answer!
Films make a great impression on the young and that is very hard to change even as you get older and come across a movie that might technically be better, due to the acting, certain special effects, story line, directing, etc...So, uh hum...I will lay down the law on this one for all to follow. hehehe!

Top 5 James Bond Films of all time:
1). The Spy Who Loved Me
2). Live And Let Die
3). Diamonds Are Forever
4). Goldfinger
5). Thunderball

[hattertim]

Good question! I like pretty much all the ones I've seen (not seen the new Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace ones yet), but if I had to choose one, it'd probably be The Spy Who Loved Me as it was the first one I saw at the cinema back in 1977.

Worst one? Probably either Octopussy or View to a Kill, if only because Roger Moore was a bit too old for the part at that point.

[dorcelfan]

For Me it's You Only Live Twice - great film and brilliant song.

Regards

D

[csnordpm]

Hands down it is Casino Royale. I just watched it last night in fact, for probably the 10th time, and it gets better every time I see it.

[snorkie]

I'm in the "From Russia With Love" camp. They subtly tell you how tough Bond is when he says to Tatiana Romanova "It's only teargas." I experienced teargas during Army basic training, and at that moment, death seemed like a viable option.

Of the later Bonds, I like "The Living Daylights." As Daniel Craig does now, Dalton played Bond with absolute seriousness.

Oh yeah, that Brosnan guy...nice work, I think.

[Silver Rocket]

Sorry to bump this old thread but I'd like to clear up the Scottish ancestry thing which I found looking for pics of Scottish girls. :D

Originally when Fleming wrote the first book Bond had no Scottish blood. What happened was that he received a letter from a man in Glasgow who was a gun collector and expert saying how much he enjoyed the book despite the fact he thought Bonds choice of gun - a pocket Beretta - was rubbish. Fleming entered into a correspondence with this gentlemen and from that conversation Bond found himself with the famous Walther PPK.

Though he was English by birth Fleming named the armourer who issues Bond with his new weapon after his pen friend - Major Boothroyd - and double thanked him by making Bond part Scot.

Interestingly Boothroyd also suggested Bond use a Smith and Weston .38 Airweight pistol with a modified trigger guard. Fleming was keen to see one so the collector had his own weapon shipped to the writer in London. At the same time here in Glasgow, not 10 minutes walk from my parents house there was a famous murder where the Watt family were shot in their beds by a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver. Boothroyd was asked to produce his for examination as a registered holder and of course could not. When he told the police where it was Fleming received a knock at the door and was put into a panic as he had been so taken by the look of the gun he had given it to and illustrator to be used on the cover of the next James Bond book. The poor chap didn't have a firearms certificate and of course could have been in a bit of bother but the police were sympathetic and agreed to come back at a time when the gun "could be found." :D

The Watt murders were of course carried out by none other than Peter Manuel - the infamous Glasgow serial killer.

[Mal Hombre]

It's a cliche, i know but i do think Goldfinger is the best.Fleming's Bond is cruel,misogynistic and racist, a world away from any of the movie Bonds.

[petecom]

I am a Bond fan but not as crazy as Alan Partridge who spent a whole weekend with his buddy watching all Bond mivies back to back....

Best :

Goldfinger
Thunderball
Live and Let die
The Spy who loved me.
Casino Royale

Hororable mention to "On her Majesty's secret service" and "Never Say never again".

I didn't much care for Timothy Dalton, a bit too bland, and Pierce Brosnan, too pleased with himself.


Worst :

Octopussy and The Living Daylights

[fenzic]

Best bond film has to be Goldfinger,The film has everything,The title song,the bad guy's,the music throught the film,the girls,the one liner's and off course the most famous car in the world,the Aston Martin DB 5.The film just moves from one classic scene to another.Just fantastic and cant forget the best bond of all the big man himself,big tam.

[Staffsyeoman]

Yep, I'm predictable as I feel that all the elements came together in Goldfinger.

Though let's be honest, they all date terribly as so much effort is spent to make them 'of the now' - Bond's biggest howler is in Goldfinger where he says there are things that shouldn't be done, serving Bollinger (yada yada) is like 'listening to the Beatles without earmuffs'. Whoops.

I also like Moonraker (though many rate it one of the worst) - not just 'cos I'm a space nut, but because Michel Lonsdale showed you didn't have to be a carpet chewer to be barking mad.

The worst - for me - is 'For Your Eyes Only' ; after Moonraker the Moore Bonds just kept looking for gags - the Barbara Woodhouse gag in Octopussy? ["Siiiii-t!" to a tiger] Please.

Yes, Casino Royale was a shot in the arm. Made Bond exciting again. But then we got Quantum of Solace. For me, it nearly undid everything good about its predecessor.

[tabler]

Just a little aside here, did anyone know that The Stig (Ben Collins) did all the stunt driving on Quantum of solace? (infact I think I'll put this on the did you know thread)

[retro72]

Dr No

Dr No suffers from having a really bad soundtrack IMO. Thank goodness they drafted in John Barry from that point forward to do the scores. The earlier Bond films would not have been the same without him...

[gwminge]

according to the blurb 'quantum of a shoelace' is 'the best bond yet'.
After the hype dies down you realise its a bit boring . same as the last one set in the amusement arcade.
I like the one with george lazenby myself . apparently everyone stuck the knife in because he refused to do a follow up as he thought the concept was a bit dated and he wanted to enjoy the swinging sixties.
Unfortunately most sheeple are easily conditioned by the media so wont agree.

[Mal Hombre]

Without a doubt, "From Russia with Love" is the best Bond film ever made. The least amount of gadgets... the setting (Istanbul) and the classic cold-war east vs west confrontation (with the turn-coat KGB head of intel).What about the trick attache case ,the wrist watch garrotte and the exploding talcum powder ?

[retro72]

according to the blurb 'quantum of a shoelace' is 'the best bond yet'.
After the hype dies down you realise its a bit boring . same as the last one set in the amusement arcade.
I like the one with george lazenby myself . apparently everyone stuck the knife in because he refused to do a follow up as he thought the concept was a bit dated and he wanted to enjoy the swinging sixties.
Unfortunately most sheeple are easily conditioned by the media so wont agree.

Thats actually one of my favourites: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". It has a different feel to it for me. IMO Barry's best score and the shock ending make it stand out...

[avidfan]

i dont even know if i like bond films. i never intentionally sit and watch one but if ones on the tv and its not turned over i quite often watch them, i suppose if i had to choose my fave it would probably be a roger moore one-i dont know which though-then again it would probably be that one with grace jones in! i dont even know what its called lol!

[scoundrel]

i dont even know if i like bond films. i never intentionally sit and watch one but if ones on the tv and its not turned over i quite often watch them, i suppose if i had to choose my fave it would probably be a roger moore one-i dont know which though-then again it would probably be that one with grace jones in! i dont even know what its called lol!A View To A Kill: I'm afaid I thought that one was a real turkey, sorry. Tanya Roberts looked absolutely great though.

[avidfan]

A View To A Kill: I'm afaid I thought that one was a real turkey, sorry. Tanya Roberts looked absolutely great though.

thats the one, i suppose i like roger moore as bond as i was growing up during his tenure. to be honest i prefer the bourne trilogy.

[rad2927]

I think I have to go back to From Russia With Love but I also feel that the Timothy Dalton Bonds are vastly undervalued-could be because as Sean Connery said they left out a sense of humor in those.

[sillyBus]

Thunderball
From Russia With Love
Casino Royale
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Living Daylights


I was so skeptical of Daniel Craig but CR was one of the best ever....totally new Bond. Tough and rugged. I like TD too. He was a welcome change from a 60 year old Roger Moore who never looked like he could take a punch.

I thought Quantum Of Solace was a boring film. Hoping the next one will step it's game up.

[Seeker]

Daniel Craig is great and I think he is the best Bond.
My list is :
1. Casino Royale
2. On her majesty's secret service
3. From Russia with love
4. The spy who loved me
5. The living daylights

[anklebiter]

not a huge fan, but this thread reminded me of this picture.kills me every time, hope it makes someone smile too.

http://thumbnails13.imagebam.com/4580/3b8d6345794133.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3b8d6345794133/)

[Mal Hombre]

The best Bond who never was has to be Oliver Reed,He had the facial scarring and the air of brooding violence.sadly,not for the last time his anarchic lifestyle meant he was passed over.

[biggold80]

The best James Bond film in my opinion is The man with the golden gun.

[ononoma]

Diamonds are forever It features Lana Wood

We're talkin' best movies, not best cans.

[ononoma]

Live & Let Die. Hated Connery as Bond, never understood his appeal.

You need to watch the first 3 movies of the series (No, Russia, Gold finger). He was great (lady's man, man's man), after that he grew to hate the role, the stories started to really suck and he let himself go. But the first three, especially, Russia, are classic (he wasn't wearing a rug in the first two). If your not a baby boomer and have no sense of the Cold War period, I can understand you not getting it.

James Bond is a Cold War character, that's why the franchise really suffered the last 20 years until they rebooted the character to modern times. Daniel Craig in Casino is the best since Connery, and the best for this time pd.

[tamsmith]

Any Bond films with Sean Connery are my fav. Never got the hang of the other Bonds, the others took it too seriously or like a comedy.
I did love the original Casino Royale send-up with Sellers, Niven and the rest. I doubt if many people have seen or even know of it.

Agreed regarding Connery but Craig has moved into second place with a couple of Sterling performances.

[ononoma]

Dr. No, because it was the first one, it also had the archytypal James Bond in Sean Connery. There were no silly gadgets and Joseph Wiseman who played Dr.No was probably the most sinister of all Bond villains. The film is also the closest one to the original book.

I agree it's extremely close to the book and no gadgets. It's a great introductory to Bond, but they had a low budget and I always fond the end a bit corny ("tehn minutes and counnntinggg...").

From Russia had a budget, a real soundtrack, a great story w/out too many gadgets (the periscope and the briefcase are all I can remember). The whole deal on the train, the cat and mouse between Bond and Robert Shaw's character, the fight.
Also, stealing the lecter. The Gypsy fight. The airplane sequence (kinda' like North By Northwest, if Carry Grant had been 10 years younger). Even the "porno" aspect, Bond being photographed w/ the Russian hottie. Also, the ending was better than "No" with Klepp sneaking into their room and going after Bond w/ the knife-shoe (something the Wild Wild West would later steal).
The movie is soooooooooo underrated.

My top 3:
From Russia with Love
Dr. No
Casino Royale

Honorable Mention:
Goldfinger
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun

Note: Haven't seen Quantom of Solace

[tabler]

I think Craig is kind of wooden and not bringing much to the role, probably not the most popular choice but I enjoyed Pierce Brosnan and thought he was badly done to by the studio's.

[ononoma]

C'mon, Goldfinger - no brainer and no contest. The opening credits for Goldfinger is better than 90% of the other Bond films. Best villain, Best "Heavy" (Obb Job), best theme song, best "girl villain" name (okay, not the best girl, but the best name), best crime - robbing Fort Knox.

Take the james Bond free association test:

Q) "James Bond"
A) "Goldfinger"

Great but too much stuff, the car was enough.
Also, it took a long time to set up and the gangsters were super corny, as was the plot.
But Odd job was cool and Pussy, well let Pussy be Pussy!

[ononoma]

C'mon, Goldfinger - no brainer and no contest. The opening credits for Goldfinger is better than 90% of the other Bond films. Best villain, Best "Heavy" (Obb Job), best theme song, best "girl villain" name (okay, not the best girl, but the best name), best crime - robbing Fort Knox.

Take the james Bond free association test:

Q) "James Bond"
A) "Goldfinger"

First: It's good we favour the same Bond movie as the best!:)

Secondly: Marlon and I are not talking about a REMAKE in the style of the latest Indiana Jones, making for example Dr No in a manner that it looks like a 60'ies movie.
We are talking about an up to date ADAPTION of a 50'ies story. This means a transformation of the main ideas of the story into todays postcommunism/asymmetrical war, world. AND a modern interpretation of the hero and the female role in an emancipated society.
As a provocation I would even ask: Why not letting play a woman the Bond character?
And for Dr No and Goldfinger there would be a lot of good plots in our globalized/financialy dominated world. I would say, there is a wide field open for new, good action movies!
_


You gotta be kidding! A woman???
Gee how about Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton, "Quatom of Pant Suits"?
Seriously, the character is male. Do we have to castrate James Bond too?
How about having a boy play Nancy Drew, or a guy be "Octo-what a big Pussy"?

C'mom, gimme a break.

[scoundrel]

I agree that a female Bond wouldnt work: this in itself is a clue to the weakness of the Bond franchise in the world which we now inhabit. Bond is a reactionary and chauvenistic figure, who habitually dislikes women even though he is happy to exploit them sexually. Yet he does make exceptions for women whose style and courage is equal to his own: he can fall head over heels in love with a woman of this calibre.

Modern adaptations with Brosnan and Craig have embraced the anachronistic nature of Bond, especially by surrounding him with emancipated women such as Judy Dench's M to rub his nose in it.

Of the classic Bonds, Connery was by far the best and Goldfinger by far the best film, just before the techno-gadgets started to dominate. Having said that, I also thought You Only Live Twice had some great sequences, the Little Nellie dogfight being a personal favourite. Connery looking at the photographs of the Ning Po and the flicker of calm disgust on his face as M tells him that the tourist who took them was murdered in an attempt to find and destroy the film is a standout throwaway moment, reminding us that Connery's cold and brutal killing machine is still full of latent humanity.

I happen to think that George Lazenby was a lot better than people gave him credit for being, though not a patch on Connery. Lazenby was miles better than plank faced Roger Moore.

Daniel Craig's performance in Casino Royale was outstanding. I thought he was very true to the essence of Ian Fleming's original Bond: cold, cruel, vicious yet with a deep and redeeming humanity which he himself thinks of as his great weakness. Craig's acting as he absorbs the terrible complexity that Vesper Lynd was a traitor who died because she loved him (lover and enemy in one) is a great climax to the film, rounded off in the final scene when he smashes the ankles of the man who murdered her and smiles at him, the classic Bond smile, and delivers the classic Bond signature line for the first time in whole film.

''My name is Bond. James Bond.''

What a world of ice cold hate and pitiless cruelty is compressed into those suave and urbane words when Craig delivers them. Revenge is tasting very very sweet.

[ononoma]

Agreed regarding Connery but Craig has moved into second place with a couple of Sterling performances.

I agree. Craig is outstanding. Connery was the original, but nobody has pulled it off since... until Craig.

In defense of the other Bonds, Craig had the benefit of a great story and script. They (the producers) finally got away from overdoing it and got down to the nuts and bolt of who Bond is.

Still, I couldn't see a young Roger Moore or Pierce Bronson pulling off what Craig did in Casino.

Casino had a message, "we don't have time for any foolishness, we've got a job to do."

[Soft Pillow]

The biggest myth of all is the James Bond of the original Ian Fleming novels is definitely not at all the same man in the films! I doubt very much if Fleming would have approved of the character once he became more & more of a Superman type during Goldfinger. Sean Connery once said that anyone who took the Bond movies seriously was in need of psychiatric treatment!

http://img138.imagevenue.com/loc555/th_22016_goldfinger-connery-eaton-fleming_122_555lo.jpg (http://img138.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=22016_goldfinger-connery-eaton-fleming_122_555lo.jpg)

[Bynx]

When you talk Bond you cant talk movies and books in the same breath. And we have Fleming to thank for that with the goofy rules he imposed when he sold the rights to Cubby and Broccoli. Now that Fleming is long dead and there have been a new crop of writers (Benson, Kingsley etc) the movies can go on and on and on. Without any doubt the latest Casino Royale is by far the best movie. It comes closer to the original book than any other Bond movie. With the new formula, and hopefully sticking to it, the next movies will be killers. Was Craig great as Bond? He was ok. But the story was so good that almost anyone would look good in that movie. If only Connery could have been the age when he did Dr. No. then we would have had a Bond movie to top them all. As it was Craig did an admirable job. Far better than the rest who played Bond. Lazenby was OK, but the story had too many stupid jokes relating to Connery and took away from the pleasure of watching a good action movie. Brosnan was a good Bond. Unfortunately he was involved with the stupid story lines full of gadgets and morons. Now if he was a tad younger, he would have been good as Bond in Casino Royale. Timothy Dalton played the part between Connery and Moore. I shouldnt even mention Moore. The stupid buffoon. He killed Bond for me. Ive seen every Bond made since Im a fan. But I wouldnt watch a Moore one a second time. If I ever got the chance to meet that dickhead I will surely kick him in the nuts along with the person who hired him, the director, and the screen writer. Over the years there have been a lot of good snipets from the movies like a song, a line to quote, some of the scenery, the gadgets, the stunts and of course the babes. All of which while fun to watch had absolutely nothing at all to do with the world of Bond. So what is a Bond fan....someone who has read all the books and seen the movies or someone who has just seen a few of the movies and figures they are an authority on what is best? The two (books and movies) just dont mix.

[tabler]

Just a bit of useless information, did you know that Fleming was great mates with David Niven and Bond was actually created with him in mind and Fleming told Niven this when they were staying at Goldeneye Flemings villa in Jamaica and also that he wanted Niven to play Bond if there was ever a film made.
Niven did actually play Bond but sadly only as a spoof along with others in the original Casino Royale.

[John C. Holmes]

Here's my shortlist of favorite Bond movies in no particular order:

Live and Let Die
The Spy Who Loved Me (Barbera Bach, nuff said.)
Octopussy (My favorite Bond movie ever.)
Goldfinger
Thunderball

[sillyBus]

Thunderball
Goldfinger
Casino Royale
From Russia With Love
The Spy Who Loved Me
You Only Live Twice
The Living Daylights
Dr. No
Live And Let Die
Tomorrow Never Dies

[scoundrel]

Moonraker was very very bad indeed. Really egregious tosh from start to finish.

A View To A Kill was much worse than Moonraker. Tanya Roberts was the one and only reason to stay in the theatre but if you are a fan of hers, you should rent The Beastmaster instead.:D

[sillyBus]

Moonraker had strengths in particular the pre-title sequence of the skydiving was awesome.

[Bynx]

The opening credits by Maurice Binder, and the opening sequence before the titles were all pretty good for most if not all the Bond films. The stunt men did an outstanding job. And a lot of the Main Themes were not bad. But after that it was the actor that made any difference and every frame that had Roger Moore in it should be destroyed. Without exception every Bond movie with him in it suffered. It was a great day in cinematic history when he got the boot. Any true Bond fan who disagrees with this can go sit next to your favorite film critic......Helen Keller.

[LustyJanusz]

We can at least all agree that "The man with the golden gun" was awful. Just awful.

[Ghaleon]

This is a tough choice for me as I am a HUGE Bond fan. So I'll pick one from each of the actors who played 007.

Sean Connery - You Only Live Twice
I like the final battle and also how Blofeld disposes of the female minon who failed him.

Roger Moore - The Spy Who Loved Me
Like someone said earlier in this thread about Barbara Bach. 'Nuff said.

Timothy Dalton - Licence to Kill
Both of his Bond films were dreadful, but Carey Lowell is what sold me on this one.

Pierce Brosnan - Goldeneye
Two words - Xenia Onatopp(Famke Jansen)

As to the single film with George Lazenby, that one's a given. I can't comment on the latest two as I've not seen them ... yet.

Ghaleon

[sybmr]

Here's my Top 10:

From Russia With Love
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Casino Royale (2007)
For Your Eyes Only
Thunderball
The Spy Who Loved Me (esp. Caroline Munro)
Dr. No
Goldeneye

[Soft Pillow]

I still feel that OHMSS remains the best JB film in the entire series despite its obvious impediments.


http://img253.imagevenue.com/loc151/th_71563_3225600637_0518c442a2_o_123_151lo.jpg (http://img253.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=71563_3225600637_0518c442a2_o_123_15 1lo.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBuKFhFNpCg

[LustyJanusz]

Oh, I'm amazed to hear you found both Dalton Bonds "dreadful" - I liked him as Bond.
For me, Brosnan was a downer.

[nevermind]

The ones with Roger Moore..

"The very distinguished Gentleman".

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/article-0-0224F7F6000005DC-913_468x.jpg

[nudgenudge]

Goldfinger in my book


Sexiest woman Honor Blackman,with certainly the most memorable name,
Shirley Eaton not too shabby either

Best villain and sidekick

Best Line Do you expect me to talk , No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die

Good soundtrack

[ADA]

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER ... classic cool Bond

[jaydogbones]

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

[InMyMind]

On-topic: A View to a kill, no doubt!

Christopher Walken...
Grace Jones as a co-villain...
Seva Novgorodtsev as a helicopter pilot, crashed into an iceberg... I used to listen to BBC Russian Service at that time (1989) and he was the man who brought rock music to USSR audience :)

[wiley_k]

and in general the Roger Moore films

[renno61]

http://pimpandhost.com/media2/image/1/_/_/_/1/1/e/7/1/thumbs/dfmp_0056_from_russia_with_love_1963_0.jpg (http://pimpandhost.com/image/show/id/3835869)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea7JxAvzUMg
one of the best fight scene in movie history.

[Mal Hombre]

Of Roger Moore's ouevre I would choose Live and Let Die,notable for having the only black Bond villain,Yaphet Kotto as Mr Big/Dr Kanaga,not to mention Julius Harris as TeeHee and Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi,the owner of the worst evil laugh in cinema history.The movie also is unique in the Bond canon for it's supernatural elements,Baron Samedi is seen killed twice but is still alive at the end,laughing unconvincingly.

[palo5]

The ones with Roger Moore..

Agreed

No other Bond was as good as him. Moore was a natural because he was amusing. 007 is a comedy and supposed to be ridiculous, so if he doesn't make you laugh...

I liked "Live and let die" the best :thumbsup:

[Greenman]

If Bond were made directly from the book's persona it would not be amusing at all-he was a cold, ruthless killer(of men or women) who would stop at nothing to get his job done-the only reason he is portrayed as amusing or the films have light moments is simple-you cannot do the book version on screen. Some say Moore, although good in the role wasn't the real essence of the book version which is why Connery is preferred by many and/or Brosnan.

[palo5]

Some say Moore, although good in the role wasn't the real essence of the book version which is why Connery is preferred by many and/or Brosnan.

No one wants the book version, because almost no one has read the books and no one knows what it is

In the movies, Bond is supposed to be an ultra-smooth English agent, acting the part in surrealistic plots, aided by unrealistic sky-wars-mentality gadgets

Such a part can only be played by a charming Englishman with humour. which is why Moore was the best

Connery was ok. But Brosnan didn't even sound English. Even I could hear that

My vote goes for Moore :thumbsup:

[crazybikerme]

The one with Sophie Marceau...............Tomorrow never Dies.............(I think..............)

[meshandlace]

It's a cliche, i know but i do think Goldfinger is the best. Fleming's Bond is cruel,misogynistic and racist, a world away from any of the movie Bonds.
I agree. And that's why Connery was IMO the best Bond.

Of the classic Bonds, Connery was by far the best and Goldfinger by far the best film, just before the techno-gadgets started to dominate.
You took the words out of my mouth. I think the techno-gadgets wasn't the main problem, though. The main problem IMO was that Moore was beginning to age and he couldn't stand up to the image of the superspy. So the producers/writers/directors introduced the whole concept of self-parody, which gradually started to turn into a disgrace. I hated Bond literally dressed as a clown in Octopussy :mad:.

Of Roger Moore's ouevre I would choose Live and Let Die, ...not to mention Julius Harris as TeeHee and Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi. The movie also is unique in the Bond canon for it's supernatural elements.
Moore was at his youngest as Bond in that film. And he was still relatively close to Connery's Bond. I remember a conversation between him and the black girl. Bond threatens to kill the black girl. She responds something along the lines of "But you can't do it. Not after we 've slept together". Bond replies "I certainly wouldn't do it before" :D (not precisely in these words, but you get my point...).
I liked the supernatural elements, the whole grim and gritty feel of the film as well. Not to mention Sir Paul's proto-metal title song (of course, he had done it before with that calm and peaceful little tune called Helter Skelter :D). Perfectly in touch with the general tone of the film. The lovely Ms Seymour as the Bond girl didn't hurt either. I hated the redneck sheriff, a sad indication of what was to follow in the next Moore films...

Moonraker was very very bad indeed. Really egregious tosh from start to finish.
Those were the disco and the Star Wars years, my friend :D. What did you expect? They even managed to make a mockery out of Jaws as well...

I liked pretty much everything with Connery in it, possibly excepting Diamonds are Forever (first hints of self-parody raising its ugly head).
Despite what I said earlier, I have some fondness for Moore as well. I liked a couple of his films: Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, even For Your Eyes Only (for purely nationalistic reasons... :D).

I won't even bother to discuss Dalton. He pretty much made me lose faith in the series. The rest I didn't care for anymore. Brosnan seemed too handsome and stylised to be Bond, at least to me. Craig I tend to dislike more. He seemed a little emo to me in Casino Royale, with the sole exception of the final scene which truly reminded of the Bond I once knew. That's just about my story mates. Take care!

[dlnhank]

My favourite Bond movie is Thunderball!
To me this movie has it all: the best badguy ;(Adolfo Celi), lovely bond ladies, especially Luciana Paluzzi, great story and good action!
The music is excellent and the general "mood" is simply perfect!
Will never get tired of this masterpiece!
And, of course, this group is involved in the story...:
http://ist1-4.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/h/2/d/H/h2dH/GW250H250_0.jpg (http://pimpandhost.com/image/show/id/4060113)

S.P.E.C.T.R.E

[diablo mad]

Gotta say that as much as I thought he would suck I think Daniel Craig made a damn good Bond but the best film was Live and Let Die how can you not love Jane Seymore as Solitaire.

[MrKinkade]

You know something always puzzles me about Goldfinger when Bond is being chased in the DB5 in Goldfingers industrial complex Switzerland, the old women at the entrance with the machine gun why didnt bond just mow her down was the windscreen bullet proof ? or was bond just being the English gent that he is ?
Well found a youtube clip that answers most of my Q. Also Bond could have used the front wing machine guns to make mince meat out of the old bag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=wUG1GexVz2k&feature=related

[Staffsyeoman]

Everyone dumps on it, but I rather like Moonraker - mainly for Michel Lonsdale, proving that you don't have to chew the scenery to be a villain. Now you certainly couldn't do that from the book. 'Goldfinger' is ringfenced as best. I like 'The Spy Who Loved Me' - Moore hadn't quite slipped into self-paradoy by then. One I utterly can't abide is 'For Your Eyes Only'. Greatest mystery for me is how genuinely exciting the Craig Casino Royale was - then the disaster area that was Quantum of Solace.

[bullrider]

In my opinion Sean Connery was the only true James bond and as for the best Bond film...
I would have to say that was Goldfinger.

[thundergod74]

My favorite is You Only Live Twice!

[Rick Danger]

Man, this is tough.

I have to say that my favorite Bond film is From Russia With Love (1963). Two reasons. First, Bond's fight with Grant (played by Robert Shaw) was chosen by Black Belt Magazine as one of the Top 10 Fight Sequences of all time. I know many think that Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond is the most physical and tough, but I would still hold that Sean Connery's acting in that scene was just as tough and realistic. This was a knock down, fighting for your life brawl. Totally believable.

Secondly, this was the final appearance of Pedro Armendáriz, who died shortly after the film was released. I loved his portrayal as Kerim Bey.

I think that Daniela Bianchi is under appreciated as a Bond girl. Simply sexy!

I generally have found something that I liked in most of the actors who portrayed Bond. But I thought that Roger Moore was better in his earlier roles, before Bond was turned into a buffoon.

One final comment. While I can understand the popularity of Pierce Bronson with women, many seem to be drawn to Daniel Craig, who isn't exactly a pretty boy. Women like the bad boys!

"I tell ya, I'm not a sexy guy. I was a centerfold for Playgirl magazine. The staples covered everything." - Rodney Dangerfield

[janejoyce]

I've seen all of the Bond movies and last summer decided to read all of the Bond books. Starting with Casino Royale and finishing with Octopusy and The Living Daylights, I must say that OHMSS is just about the closest thing to Fleming"s vision of the character. However, my favorite still has to be You Only Live Twice. It's certainly not the best of the films, but it was the first one I saw.
And, yes, we can agree, The Man With The Golden Gun has to be just about the worst!

[smirnoff007]

Take your pick from the first five. As others have posted Sean Connery was Bond. Forget Diamonds Are Forever when he was too old. You Only Live Twice struggles with the poor special effects that were available at the time. OHMSS would have been the all time best had Connery been playing Bond.
Of all the Bond Girls I would have died a happy man once Luciana Paluzzi had fucked my brains out!!!

[monogroover]

I've been a 007 fan for 40 years, read all the Fleming novels, seen most of the films several times. The only Bond films I don't get on with are the Roger Moore ones - he was far too much of a smooth old lounge lizard to play Fleming's professional killer, and the scripts had become preposterous by the '70s.

I agree with the comment above that Connery seemed a bit too old to play 007 in Diamonds Are Forever, but otherwise I really like that film. Connery did seem to age quickly at the end of the '60s, and funnily enough he was younger when he made that film than Daniel Craig is now; only about 40. Roger Moore was 45 when he made his first Bond film.

For me the best Bond films are the two that Timothy Dalton made. I was thrilled when he replaced Roger Moore. For me he was the real thing, Fleming's 007 straight out of the books - suave, assured and worldly, single-minded and ruthless when he wanted to be, a little world-weary and cynical.

[MayfairFan]

For me it's a tie between:

From Russia With Love - most basic and most realistic plot, lack of any silly technology and impossibilities, Connery at his toughest and probably his best acting, and great villains.

And

Thunderball - also a completely credible plot, and a lack of obvious impossibilities that I can think of. OK, maybe the girls aren't the best in this one but it's the only weak point really (well, aside from the very obvious superimposed-on-background shots at the end as the Disco Volante runs onto the rocks!).

I love the other Connery ones, but they're just getting a bit unreal, You Only Live Twice especially - highly enjoyable all the same. Special mentions for Ursula Andress in Dr. No and Little Nellie :) - best Bond gadget ever, although I'm still not convinced it would fit in those suitcases...

As for the others...

I would have liked OHMSS, again the plot is great but Lazenby really isn't right and it does spoil it.

Moore - the first one I ever saw as a boy was The Spy Who Loved Me, and I've heard it said that your favourite Bond is the one you saw first, but no - looking back at them now, Moore was never right. I think A View To A Kill is probably the low point of the series, despite Christopher Walken.

Dalton could have been good, he brought back the toughness, but the plots were weak and he overacted badly. On balance I think he's the best Bond since Connery though.

Brosnan - no, too smooth. Doesn't have the element of danger that Connery did. Also too many silly gadgets, I think the invisible car takes the biscuit.

Craig... sorry, pass here too. Not Bond, and it's not the hair. I agree with the early poster who said that updating the plots to the modern world while going back to the beginning doesn't work.

[sillyBus]

Thunderball

Goldfinger

From Russia With Love

Casino Royale

Dr. No

You Only Live Twice

The Spy Who Loved Me

[Manwithtentacl]

One problem with OHMSS is that for an amount of it Lazenby is called on to do something beyond his skills - portray Bond playing someone - Sir Hilary - that he doesn't like and actually takes the piss out of.

It's not a bad film, perhaps the downbeat ending makes it seem better than it is.

Casino Royale '67 is only a guilty pleasure if you disengage it as a Bond film and watch respectable actors (such a thing?) having a fairly trippy time.

For my money, Bond - has to be Connery, has to be Goldfinger - it's just one iconic scene after another.

[Staffsyeoman]

Everyone says Goldfinger, and I can see why - and will not yell in opposition.
Have always held a torch for 'You Only Live Twice'. There is a revisionism kicking in for 'OHMSS' - but I can't share it. A model who couldn't act, up against Diana Rigg. Hmm.

Going revisionist - I have always liked Moonraker and Tomorrow Never Dies, which get dumped on for their villains; but you don't have to be a Hitlerian carpet munching loony to be a villain.

'Casino Royale' - Daniel Craig - whoo - made Bond EXCITING again, post-Bourne. Then Quantum of Solace. WTF.

[MayfairFan]

I quite like Tomorrow Never Dies as well. It also has one of the all-time best theme songs, by Sheryl Crow - a tie for the best in the modern era with Garbage's The World Is Not Enough, for me.

The real question is, why did they let Madonna "act" in her one, but not Shirley Manson in hers? She *is* hot, and scary :).

[monogroover]

One problem with OHMSS is that for an amount of it Lazenby is called on to do something beyond his skills - portray Bond playing someone - Sir Hilary - that he doesn't like and actually takes the piss out of.

You're certainly right to say that the Sir Hilary role was beyond his skills, so much so that his 'posh' voice was dubbed by another actor.

[nevada1]

Speaking of Bond films, Who was the blond actress who played the second in Octapussy? The one who stole the egg from Bond and slithered down off the balconey to the waiting arms and car of the bad guy? By the accent she sounded British. The scene where Bond was on the ledge looking into her bedroom and she was removeing her stockings.... I lost it and my girlfriend got pissed! I have never seen her in anything else. Was she just a flash in the pan? As far as the best film, You only live twice (If they had todays special effects). The plot and premis were BOND. Sean Connery will always be "James Bond". Everyone else is just a fill in. Dalton showed the emotions and attitude of Connery. Brosnin I liked alot. Wished he had done more Bond work. Roger Moore would have been great if he was the age he was in "The Saint". As far as the new guy, Well he needs to watch every Connery film ever made and practice... and dye his hair. Tall, Dark and handsom was Bond.

[dlnhank]

Speaking of Bond films, Who was the blond actress who played the second in Octapussy? The one who stole the egg from Bond and slithered down off the balconey to the waiting arms and car of the bad guy? By the accent she sounded British. The scene where Bond was on the ledge looking into her bedroom and she was removeing her stockings.... I lost it and my girlfriend got pissed! I have never seen her in anything else. Was she just a flash in the pan? As far as the best film, You only live twice (If they had todays special effects). The plot and premis were BOND. Sean Connery will always be "James Bond". Everyone else is just a fill in. Dalton showed the emotions and attitude of Connery. Brosnin I liked alot. Wished he had done more Bond work. Roger Moore would have been great if he was the age he was in "The Saint". As far as the new guy, Well he needs to watch every Connery film ever made and practice... and dye his hair. Tall, Dark and handsom was Bond.

Kristina Wayborn is her name. A swedish actress who hasen´t done many movies.

http://ist1-4.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/m/M/7/4/mM74/kristina%20wayborn%200_0.jpg (http://pimpandhost.com/image/show/id/5428166) http://ist1-1.filesor.com/pimpandhost.com/1/_/_/_/1/m/M/7/9/mM79/kristina%20wayborn%201_0.jpg (http://pimpandhost.com/image/show/id/5428171)

[roaduser]

view to a kill http://www.horroria.com/i/nposters/00/48/4822-GG.jpg

best bond
best baddie(s)
best location(s)
best soundtrack

IMO of course

p.s golden eye is one of very few films i actually fell asleep watchin

[heavyhitter007]

Enjoyed the underwater frogman fight scene in "Thunderball".
Loved the Car chase scene with the red Mustang in "Diamonds Are Forever".
I liked the scene when James Bond runs on top of the alligators in "Live and Let Live". Saw them all at theater. Great stuff, timeless collection.
I always liked JAWS, he was a cool dude!:):):)

[theequestrian]

Since Bond first made the transition from literature to film there has been the raging discussion of 'book' Bond vs. 'film' Bond. The same can be said of 'Who is the best (film) Bond?' There is no - nor will there ever be a - definitive answer to these questions. It depends on who you ask. However I have read several posts saying, in effect that there is no real difference between the literary and cinematic versions. This is untrue. The primary - and the single biggest - difference between the two is Bonds' psychological make-up.

The literary Bond would NEVER stab a target with a pen and then spout off a lame quip like "Get the point" or "The pen is mightier than the sword". He would simply stab the target with the pen, make certain said target was assuming room temperature and then silently move on to his next objective. The 'book' Bond was NOT a nice guy. He was not the type of person most people would have felt comfortable being alone in a room with. It must be remembered that a 'double O' was an assassin, not a spy. They were part of the English governments counter-espionage branch (the Bond novels were written during the height of the Cold War) whose specific mission was to eliminate foreign agents. Nothing more, nothing less. He was a misogynist, had few friends (none outside of the service), and had very little social interaction not directly related to his job. Moreover, Bond enjoyed his job. Nowhere in the novels is there even the hint of remorse over killing someone. The 'book' Bond had no moral quams. They would only have gotten in the way of his strictly 'black and white' view of the universe. In modern terms James Bond was a sociopath. (He intrinsically knew that assassination was wrong, he just didn't care). It was Flemings' genius that transformed a conscienceless contract killer into someone you rooted for.
As to who's the best film Bond? Well, if you mean which actor played Bond closest to the literary one; as much as you don't want to hear this, Timothy Dalton. He's not my favorite, but he is the only one who played Bond with the underlying menace integral to Flemings original creation.

[Cleburne]

As to who's the best film Bond? Well, if you mean which actor played Bond closest to the literary one; as much as you don't want to hear this, Timothy Dalton. He's not my favorite, but he is the only one who played Bond with the underlying menace integral to Flemings original creation.

Pierce Brosnan also. He seems cold-blooded most of the time, and then does that silly tie-straightening thing that makes my eyes roll back in my head.

Sean used his physical power to fight the most of the others. Roger Moore seemed to be a great believer in gadgetry. Dalton brought back the physical power to an extent. Brosnan brings the most arrogance. Hard to pick a favorite, kind of like and dislike things about each.

Favorite Bond Girl is Tiffany Case...greedy, gritty, simplistic, and a sexy redhead. Solitaire is my 2nd.

Favorite movie is the one I haven't seen in the longest time which at the moment is Thunderball. They were all great when I was a kid; they seem to have lost their appeal in my mid-life.

[monogroover]

Moreover, Bond enjoyed his job. Nowhere in the novels is there even the hint of remorse over killing someone. The 'book' Bond had no moral quams. They would only have gotten in the way of his strictly 'black and white' view of the universe. In modern terms James Bond was a sociopath.

I very much disagree with this; see the short story The Living Daylights for example. 007 knows he has to kill a Russian sniper in cold blood and openly expresses his distaste for it. He was no sociopath, and while he was happy to kill the bad guys Fleming does explore his conscience. He's quite aware of the human cost of his profession.

You go on to say that he was a misogynist; I don't agree with that, either. He certainly doesn't have the enlightened view of a woman's role in society that we enjoy in the 21st century, but he does develop genuine respect for some of the women in the novels.

[HugoHackenbush]

Must agree with monogroover. Take the opening of "Goldfinger" (book not film) where Bond expresses distaste over the killing he has just carried out.

Next up your favorite Bond (movie) probably depends on whom you saw first. For me it was Connery. For my son, it was Roger Moore (TSWLM is still his favorite). Playing Bond is harder than it looks. You have to carry the both the macho and the throw-away lines with equal skill. Connery had both. Moore had the latter but not the former. Dalton had the former but not the latter. Brosnan was pretty good on both account, and they're writing them a lot differently for Craig.

Take this line from TWINE: "I've always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey". With Brosnan you kind of groan. Imagine Connery saying it and you'll laugh.

Best Bond: Thunderball with Goldfinger a close second.

[amwbb2]

The original of Casino Royale a muddled waste of actor's time-some of our finest actors and actresses demeaned themselves in that absolute dross-it wasted Orson Welles, David Niven and Deborag Carr, and even Sellers looked like he didn't want to be in it, and although there were some funny moments, the end result(and lets face it you are on a hiding to nothing with 6 directors) was a mess-the end sequence is so lame-brained it looks like they couldn't decide how to end it. The final straw for me was the ludicrous ending with the Indians and Cowboys-what idiot thought that up??
I bet if were alive then Ian Fleming would have been furious.:)


Without a doubt, "Thunderball". The redhead with the very large boobs was the best Bond Girl.

[monogroover]

Must agree with monogroover. Take the opening of "Goldfinger" (book not film) where Bond expresses distaste over the killing he has just carried out.

Yes that's a good example; I was thinking about this yesterday and there are a few instances in the novels where Bond betrays his disgust at killing people. In The Man With The Golden Gun when he finally has Scaramanga at his mercy, he mulls over the "horror" of what he has to do: to kill Scaramanga, unarmed and defenceless, in cold blood.

In the end Fleming cops out and has Scaramanga reach for a gun anyway (it's supposed to be out of reach, but Scaramanga makes Bond wait while he prays until he's nearly passed out, if I remember correctly). Quite a common ploy for authors and screenwriters to avoid having the leading man kill in cold blood, which is why I like the scene in the Doctor No film where the villain goes for his gun, but it's empty. 007 shoots him anyway, of course.

[kenshin7]

GoldenEye is my favorite. Good mix of fun and badass.

[MayfairFan]

view to a kill http://www.horroria.com/i/nposters/00/48/4822-GG.jpg

best bond
best baddie(s)
best location(s)
best soundtrack

IMO of courseI think nearly everyone else thinks the exact opposite, that it was the low point of the series! Even Christopher Walken was wasted, really - he could have been so much better if only he'd been given a decent script...

As to who's the best film Bond? Well, if you mean which actor played Bond closest to the literary one; as much as you don't want to hear this, Timothy Dalton. He's not my favorite, but he is the only one who played Bond with the underlying menace integral to Flemings original creation.I agree about Dalton, but I think Connery had the menace too, at least in the first two films, and possibly in the next two.

Next up your favorite Bond (movie) probably depends on whom you saw first. For me it was Connery. For my son, it was Roger Moore (TSWLM is still his favorite).It's often said, and for me that would be TSWLM as well... but although it's still my favourite Moore, my favourite Bonds overall are all the Connery ones, followed by the Dalton ones.

[dasduffer]

Loved Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, the best Bond film by a mile which says a lot 'cos I'm usually a grumpy old bastard when it comes to films/music etc not being as good as in the old days. Mind you the 2nd Daniel Craig outing was shite.

[challenger_1]

My favorite Bond films:
1. Casino Royale (2006)
2. GoldenEye (1995)
3. Moonraker (1979)}
4. The spy who loved me (1977)
5. Quantum of solace (2008)
6. Octopussy (1983)
7. License to kill (1989)

have a nace day!

[renno61]

my fav bond movies
From russia with love
goldfinger
casino royale
goldeneye
the living daylights
thunderball
for your eyes only
on her majesty's secret service

[am.playlist]

The first three films (Dr. No; From Russia, With Love; Goldfinger) plus On Her Majesty's Secret Service are my favourites.

[penfold007]

Casino Royale, no question for me. Daniel Craig's version of Bond is by far my favourite and Eva Green is just lovely and a great actress. Two scenes stand out, their first meeting on the train and the scene in the shower.

[ballyhoo]

it's got to be "Goldfinger", and it's got to be Sean Connery!! :thumbsup:

http://img276.imagevenue.com/loc341/th_09940_l_58150_5599d560_123_341lo.JPG (http://img276.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=09940_l_58150_5599d560_123_341lo.JPG ) ;)

[welderman]

I really like the one, Where he pulls this really classy bird, goes to all these really cool places and defeats the bad guy at the end..

[Norbert84]

Hey, my Casino Royale/Daniel Craig-bashing post has been terminated. :D

Look, the only true James Bond is Sean Connery. No other JB series could beat the dialogues and humor in the earlier movies with Connery. :D

[HugoHackenbush]

For me this was the best. Why? Because I can still remember going to see it as a kid and coming out of the cinema (into the dark) just buzzing with excitement. These are films for kids.

You can age someone by which film they enjoyed most. Just like 90 percent of the male population support the team that won the league when they were between 8&10 years of age:D.

Oh, it also had the best sound track.

It absolutely had the best soundtrack. My favorite John Barry Bond score. However, as it being for kids, I showed this to my kids recently and they were bored stiff. Too long and methodical I suppose.They still like TSWLM best.

As for Lazenby, he's fine when he's being a nasty, as in the hotel scene with Tracy after he's paid off her debt. As for when he's trying to be charming, or tender, he's just awful. As John Barry himself said of the final scene when Tracy is killed. "With due regard for his inexperience, instead of the bombshell moment I'd envisioned, Lazenby couldn't create a boiled egg."

[jimjam]

It absolutely had the best soundtrack. My favorite John Barry Bond score. However, as it being for kids, I showed this to my kids recently and they were bored stiff. Too long and methodical I suppose.They still like TSWLM best.

As for Lazenby, he's fine when he's being a nasty, as in the hotel scene with Tracy after he's paid off her debt. As for when he's trying to be charming, or tender, he's just awful. As John Barry himself said of the final scene when Tracy is killed. "With due regard for his inexperience, instead of the bombshell moment I'd envisioned, Lazenby couldn't create a boiled egg."

I agree, but as a kid I didn't notice. Also, kids today expect action at the speed of a computer game; there just isn't enough happening for them in older action movies. I was refering to my own childhood:rolleyes: That said I used to think 'Freewheelers' was the best thing on TV, and the girl was completely hot (not that I would have known what to do with her), so what do I know:o.

[Goodfella49]

My first memories of James Bond was the Roger Moore era. I used to think he was great until I watched all the Bond films in production order. Roger Moore is now probably my least favorite Bond.

Sean Connery was the best and probably always will be. He played the role perfect for the big screen - albeit different than the book had portrayed Bond.

Favorite Bond movie is without a doubt Goldfinger.

[GailFan]

I have to agree Sean Connery was the original Bond and still the best. Goldfinger is my all time favourite, the perfect combination of the outrageous and the plausible. But Dr. No came close to capturing the real essence of Bond the cold-blooded killer that wouldn't resurface until Daniel Craig.

I'd also like to add that the novel From Russia, With Love was brilliant. The opening part of the book (which wasn't included in the film because the villains were shifted from SMERSH to SPECTRE) involves the heads of the Soviet spy ministries getting together to formulate a plot to embarass the West. The characters are described in minute detail, right down to the medals they wear. "Not that it matters," Fleming notes at the beginning of the book, "But a great deal of the background to this story is accurate... The Conference Room is faithfully described and the Intelligence chiefs who meet round the table are real officials who are frequently summoned to that room for the purposes similar to those I have recounted."

Has anyone noticed how Bond always seems to parallel Doctor Who? The Bond films began in 1962, Doctor Who began in 1963. Timothy Dalton and Sylvester McCoy were appearing in a play together when they both learnt they been cast as the characters. Doctor Who went off the air in 1989, the Bond franchise halted the same year. In 1995 Bond returned, Doctor Who returned in 1996 (albeit a one off). Bond was re-booted in 2006, Doctor Who returned in 2005. Daniel Craig and Christopher Ecclestone got their big break together in Our Friends In The North.

[Varagorn]

As a fan of the James Bond films choosing the best one is hard but here's my take:

I like "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies." Sean Bean and Jonathan Pryce made good Bond villains. The better Roger Moore films were the two films with Richard Kiel as Jaws: "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker."

"For Your Eyes Only", "Octopussy" and "A View To A Kill" are not my favourites. Daniel Craig's "Quantum Of Solace" was disappointing and Pierce Brosnan's "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Die" are not as good as his first two. Sean Connery's "You Only Live Twice" and "Diamond Are Forever" are okay but not Connery's finest.

Then we come to my top ten Bond films.

From 10 to 6 (in no particular order) I would include two of Roger Moore's: "Live And Let Die", with the stunning Jane Seymour, and "The Man With The Golden Gun." I thought Christopher Lee was excellent in that. There would also be three other Sean Connery movies: Dr. No (with Ursula Andress), Goldfinger (with the brilliant Gert Frobe and Honor Blackman) and Thunderball.

5: From Russia With Love
I just love the plot of this film about the decoding machine and the scenes on the Orient Express.

4: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
George Lazenby is totally underrated. I love the alpine setting and Telly Savalas is one of my favourite Bond villains. Diana Rigg and the love theme are magnificent.

3: Licence To Kill
Sad that this was Timothy Dalton's last appearance as Bond. Good vendetta theme to this film as Bond goes renegade. Robert Davi is excellent as Franz Sanchez and Talisa Soto is stunning.

2: Casino Royale

Casino Royle was a return to gritty James Bond that was missing with Pierce Brosnan. I think Daniel Craig was outstanding, Eva Green excellent and Mads Mikkelsen a great villain. I love the opening song "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell.

1: The Living Daylights

My all time favourite. James Bond films had become a bit of a joke in the immediate films beforehand. A change of actor and a tougher portrayal of Bond by Timothy Dalton returned the franchise respectability. The plot was great with plenty of twists and has the best fight scene ever in a movie when Bond and Necros fight at the back of a flying cargo plane. The cast is brilliant with Jeroen Krabbe and Art Malik, with Maryam d'Abo the best Bond girl since Diana Rigg.

In choosing the best James Bond for me I would say (in order): Timothy Dalton, Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnan and then Roger Moore.

[Mr Bond]

from one to 10, in order :

http://thumbnails39.imagebam.com/12624/8216e3126231876.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8216e3126231876) http://thumbnails36.imagebam.com/12624/ee99dc126231891.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/ee99dc126231891) http://thumbnails39.imagebam.com/12624/c22335126231910.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c22335126231910) http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/12624/0435ce126231926.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/0435ce126231926) http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/12624/1075c3126231936.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/1075c3126231936) http://thumbnails30.imagebam.com/12624/7cdb31126231965.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/7cdb31126231965) http://thumbnails30.imagebam.com/12624/276a52126231985.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/276a52126231985) http://thumbnails41.imagebam.com/12624/611aea126232010.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/611aea126232010) http://thumbnails38.imagebam.com/12624/609e37126232040.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/609e37126232040) http://thumbnails38.imagebam.com/12624/7e914b126232186.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/7e914b126232186)

[navvet]

As much as I like Sean Connery (as OO7, and other roles), my favorite James Bond flick is Moonraker, with Roger Moore. Maybe I'm biased because, not only is it a great movie, but it reminds me of a terrific time in my life (early 1980). Aside from that though, the picture itself is super exciting, and Richard Kiel once again plays the "unstoppable" Jaws!

[SpermShooter]

The Living Daylights. I wish Dalton had made more Bond films.

[wakman11]

Goldfinger

The ultimate gadget (the Aston Martin DB5), Pussy Galore, great villians, great soundtrack, best Bond theme and the best Bond ever Sean Connery!

Have fun

[luxflix]

The Man with the Golden Gun

Christopher Lee was the best villain

[snowy25]

Goldfinger

The ultimate gadget (the Aston Martin DB5), Pussy Galore, great villians, great soundtrack, best Bond theme and the best Bond ever Sean Connery!

Have fun

I was always more of a fan of Roger Moore as James Bond, I guess because when I was growing up he was the one playing him. However I do think Goldfinger was also the best Bond movie just pipping Moonraker and Live and Let Die.

[jokerman]

The best Bond film is, From Russia with love. And the best ever Bond stunt is the ejector seat in the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger.

However the best James Bond is Roger Moore. Sean Connery was lucky to have had the best of the Bond films to appear in.

[ddomer]

I will go with the one most critics like best--From Russia with Love. The point and counterpoint of Connery with Robert Shaw, and the colorful characters in it made it crackle with life.

If I could make the perfect one, it would be On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but with Connery in it. If he had made the movie Lazenby did, we all would be talking about it.

Finally, don't know if this has been mentioned, but while David Niven may have been one considered for Bond, their first choice was Cary Grant, who turned it down because he did not want to be stuck with a series.

Also, when describing Bond, Fleming described him as a young Hoagy Carmichael--and if you are too young to know who he was, think the piano player in To Have and Have Not--also the composer of Stardust.
ddomer

[Dumbassgo]

I'm not a massive Bond fan to be fair. I remember the films I watched as a kid but I really disliked them as I got older. Kinda got back into them a bit when Brosnan was Bond, even if he didn't really fit what I though Bond should be - I always imagined him as a bit of a cruel, emotionless bastard - I think he's too liberal in the films. In my mind he's a sociopath with a handler, and the films don't depict this.

The latest few films I like more. I enjoy the way Daniel Craig acts as him but I'd prefer another actor in his place, Paul Bettany does sociopath pretty well so I'd like to see him given 00 status.

As for the music, well lots of classics but THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61ZdiNRDCs&feature=related) has always been my favourite.

Cheers,
Dumbassgo.

[j57]

The recent version of Casino Royale for me. Up until it the first 3 Connery movies set the template and I would rank them right behind now although before they led the pack. Casino Royale was influenced by the Batman Begins reboot which was also brilliant. An interesting question is which was the bigger letdown Quantum or Dark Knight and further which upcoming version will help or continue to sink each franchise Skyfall or The Dark Knight Rises.

[navvet]

Any Bond films with Sean Connery are my fav. Never got the hang of the other Bonds, the others took it too seriously or like a comedy.
I did love the original Casino Royale send-up with Sellers, Niven and the rest. I doubt if many people have seen or even know of it.

I too, very much liked the original Casino Royale. It's such a kooky, nutty movie that it could've been made only in the mid-1960s. It's also the kind of movie where you just have to sit back, put your brain on "cruise control," and enjoy the craziness. One of the best things about it is the opening theme, played by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSEmKXzpQMQ

[gwminge]

A convincing bond is one you can picture stuffing someone in a sportsbag. Maybe Roger Moore as he could make some quip while doing it. lol