Through these doors...
I enter another world.
I enter a world of secret agents, greed, and world domination. A world of caviar, martinis, champagne and exotic travel; gadgets ahead of their time, fast cars and beautiful women...beautiful cars and fast women. I enter a world where if your plan does not work, you will be thrown under the bus...or into a pool of sharks...or electrocuted; where fights to the death, cold-blooded murder and sex for information or casual play is common. Through MoMA's doors was a retrospective of fifty years of British Secret Agent 007. He acts...while other men just talk. This is James Bond's world. I am shaken and stirred.
...And I'm okay with that.
* * * * * * * * * *
"FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE" ( 1963 ) - Terence Young
I forgot a lot of little details of the movie. I saw the movie in the theatre when it was initially released and I
know I didn't understand half of what was going on when I was little. But it was the big sweeping spectacle of things that got me back then. I've seen it over the years, but haven't seen it in its entirety in many years. I enjoyed it. It holds up, and does not seem dated.
Robert Brownjohn does the opening credit titles.
THE CAST:
SEAN CONNERY is so comfortable in his rugged hirsuit swarthy skin in this role. He really is incredible. He looks to the manor born, will kill you or make love to you if he has to. He is a sex object with other dimensions as well. He's supported by a very able cast.
DANIELA BIANCHI the pawn in question, is very pretty. And she can act ( a sometimes
not necessary pre-requisite of the Roger Moore "Bonds." ) The great
LOTTE LENYA as Rosa Klebb. Even her name sounds dastardly, doesn't it? She's one of the great Bond villains and one of my favorites. Is she evil because she is a lesbian? Is she evil because she is evil? Can one be evil AND feminine? Is there no space for a smart attractive woman in S.P.E.C.T.R.E. She's no nonsense alright, and plays the role with relish.
PEDRO ARMENDARIZ is the Turkish connection and he is absolutely fabulous. Suave older man, he was so light-hearted, I loved him. HE is one of the
"THREE GODFATHERS"??? Another shame, Hollywood; you had him play banditos much of the time, ey? Tsk! Tsk!
ROBERT SHAW as the cold assssassin. He was like the deadly shark he would hunt years later in
"JAWS." Ever watchful, shadowing James Bond just one step behind him. He is no cartoon caricature ( which spells the demise of Bond villains for me. ) When he reaches for his watch stem and pulls out the cord garroting his victims, you see he is cold and deadly; I even love the whizzing sound the cord makes when its extended. Shaw and Connery have one of the great fights of ALL action films.
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:
* Rosa Klebb walking through the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. training camp reminds me of the walk-through in
"Spartacus" showing the gladiators training.
* Rosa Klebb punching bronzed assassin Donald Grant, in the stomach with brass knuckles. He doesn't flinch, and he's her boy.
* His flirting with good sport Miss Moneypenny. Lois Maxwell is a
beautiful dream gal Friday.
* The gypsy girls cat fight...kind of campy but fun; one of the
cats uhhhmmm...girls wound up working with Bond in "Thunderball."
* I loved how in the camp attack, Bond lends his professional skill in the fight like the "Star Trek" Federation helping the Ewoks.
* Grant shadowing Bond throughout this mission until they finally meet.
* The fight inside the train compartment...taut, violent, wonderful. Bond meets his match.
* The audience laughed and lightly applauded when we see Rosa Klebb come back on the scene at the end of the movie.
Look out, Miss Lotte Lenya...
MY FAVORITE LINES:
* Upon meeting Tatiana for the first time, ( she's in his bed...yes Red River, wearing
only that little black ribbon around her neck )
BOND: "I hope you're not disappointed."
TATIANA:"I will tell you...in the morning."
And with just one tryst...'Tanya' is head over heels in love with James Bond. Well naturally. Some guys got it like that.
* In the train compartment before their big fight, Bond and Grant have a conversation:
GRANT: "I may not know the right wine, but you're the one on your knees."
BOND: "Which lunatic asylum did they get you from."
I was nervous and disappointed when a man with three boys ( looking about ages nine through eleven ) sat next to me. Ugh!! My dreams of floating in the fantasy world of James Bond would be dashed by three pre-pubescent boys who wouldn't keep still, become talkative and bored with the plot. Plus I was thinking:
"Weren't they too young to be exposed to belly dancing, gypsy cat fights and sexy opening titles??" I guess there's no time like the present for young boys. Dad apparently thought so. And surprise surprise...the boys were absolutely quiet throughout the movie. (
Yay! ) Children should be seen and not heard
...at a James Bond film. Yep, I was happy camper.
* * * * * * * * *
"GOLDFINGER" ( 1964 ) - Guy Hamilton
My heart fairly bursts when I hear the bombastic pronouncement of the movie's theme song. When Shirley Bassey strongly sings
"GOLDFINGAAAAAH" you could
feel the audience bubble with excitement. Her voice is so big and strong and she can hold a note like nobody's business. A villain NEVER had a better introduction as this. It was
another packed theatre at MoMA with "Goldfinger." This is among my top five favorite Bond films. So again, I sit back, relax and enjoy...even if I do have to scootch over one seat from front and center aisle,
so a couple could sit together. Baaah!!
THE CAST:
SEAN CONNERY. I cannot continue to gush publicly about this man without embarrassment so let me just say, Cary Grant...move over. Connery's sartorial splendor in this movie makes me swoon. He wears three-piece suits and a terry-cloth onesie and just a towel. He also has, was that an Izod Lacoste navy blue polo shirt? ( Dang it, it's times like this, I wish I spoke clothes. ) He's just a shade more light-hearted with his funny lines. But you
will be killed if you get in his way. ( I'm not sure why the Museum chose not to show the Bond films in order of their release, so we can see Connery's growth in the role, and the growth and evolution of the filmmaking. Awww hell, I'll take it anyway I can get it. ) Joining Sean Connery on this journey is
GERT FROBE as Auric Goldfinger. He's like the Pillsbury Dough Boy gone lethal. He's no nonsense. No cats or rubber-gloved hands. No maniacal, speechifying delusions of grandeur. He's a very business-like villain. I like that.
SHIRLEY EATON as Jill Masterson. She sort of looks like Lizabeth Scott to me. I could see her as a femme fatale in film noir. A playful bundle. Her part is small but because of it, she will live...forever. ( Hey TCM, why don't you invite Ms. Eaton to the festival in April?? Now there's a Bond Girl! )
HAROLD SAKATA as Odd Job. How can you
NOT like a villain who tips his hat to you? I
love OddJob, a great Bond villain. He's perfunctory, and deadly. I love his massive granite-ness and wry smile. The kids today might liken him to late rap artist: "Big Pun."
HONOR BLACKMAN as P'Galore. She is fantastic. She is cold like Bond. Can come back with some great lines. Not cutesy. She's not a Playboy-bunny like Eaton. Blackman plays Galore as a Full-Fledged Woman. She's accomplished, a pilot, carries a gun and means it. I think she's beautiful. I think she's smart: ( a plus or minus depending on the confidence of the man. ) Her outfits are to DIE for! Naaaah, no slinky, low cut, V-necked gowns for this Bond Girl. She is fabulously stunning in her casual sportswear; like Calvin Klein. I wish I had the vocabulary for fashion, but cashmeres and soft corduroys, stretch pants in boots...muted autumnal colours of tans and beiges and soft turtlenecks. Oh yes, there
was one V-neck blouse she amply wore with pants, but even in that she says:
"business before pleasure." SHE is one of my favorite Bond Girls. Sorry Diana Rigg, but I think Honor Blackman would be the
PERFECT woman for Bond.
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:
* I love Bond peeling out of his scuba diving gear with his white tux jacket underneath. That got a laugh. Oh, and then putting the red rose in his lapel. The man is simply hands-down smooooooo
ooooooooth.
* Reflection in a golden eye: seeing the reflection of a henchman coming up behind him, in the pupil of the woman he is kissing. Whoa!!!
* Electrocuting a henchman in the bathtub.
* The aerial shot of Miami Beach and that brassy sixties music underneath.
* Shirley Eaton’s exit. My God, her being painted in gold is
spectacularly stunning; helped in part by the dramatic music and the “ping” sound in its brilliance and brightness. The seriousness of Bond in his discovery.
( "She's covered in paint. Gold paint.")
* That Aston Martin DB is downright sexy.
* The golf match between Bond and Goldfinger. I love it. And Bond’s caddy. And dropping that blinding block of gold bullion on the green making Goldfinger miss his putt. (
Ha! )
* Odd Job throwing his hat in demonstration of his skill. That says it all.
* When OddJob kills Tillie Masterson, swiftly. We see the demo played out. He’s real. He is not a cartoon. Poor Tillie. She was in over her head.
* The pilots coming out of their planes. Bombshells all, kitschy music. Funny.
IF you cross Goldfinger, this will be the
last person you see:
* The gangster’s car being crushed with him and the gold bullions inside it. Ooof! Human life means nothing to Goldfinger. Didn't you listen to the lyrics of his theme song?
* The Ju-Jitsu toussle in the haystack with Bond and Galore. Sexy, sexist. ( Emma Peel could do better. Hey, wasn’t Blackman in “The Avengers” before Diana Rigg? And doesn’t she kind of look like Vanessa Williams? ) All it takes is just one kiss, ey Mr. Bond.
* Bond holed up in his jail cell after an unsuccessful break. The camera slowly pulls back to reveal four henchman now watching him.
* The aerial shots of the planes flying over Fort Knox and the military drop like flies under the effects of the lethal gas. Great shot. Busby Berkeley couldn’t get them more synchronized.
* Bond fights OddJob. OddJob throws Bond around like a rag doll. Gold bullions bounce off his chest. He’s a built like a brick....house. Bond is not invincible.
Before she is immortalized:
MY FAVORITE LINES:
* Three of them by Goldfinger:
(
1. ) “All my life I’ve been in love with its color, its brilliance, its divine evidence.” ( I love obsession )
(
2. ) “Choose your next witticism carefully. It may be your last.”
* James Bond upon waking up and meeting P’Galore:
“I must be dreaming.” ( Sean looks his best here, to me, all unshaven and unkempt )
(
3. ) And the best line...as Bond is shackled to a table about to get that laser-beamed vasectomy, he and Goldfinger trade words:
BOND: “Do you expect me to talk?”
GOLDFINGER: “No Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!” ( To the point. Haha...touche Goldfinger! )
[u][color=#800080]RED[/color][/u] [u][color=#800080]RIVER[/color][/u] wrote:Those title sequences. Holy wow! The song creeps in. The visuals burst onto the screen. The colors dazzle you. So 60's! The songs used to be so much better. "You Only Live Twice." "From Russia With Love." Old Tom Jones simply wailing out "Thunderball." Those were some singers.
I agree with you about the singers. Matt Munro had a cool Sinatra / Andy Williams-type smoky sound. The best song Nancy Sinatra ever did was
"You Only Live Twice" and her voice, not with a greatest range, fit the haunting (as you said Red) melody perfectly. Wailing Tom Jones!!! Poppa! His voice comes from deep inside his soul and curls my toes!
Best villain? Boy. That's a tough one. Auric Goldfinger is devilishly manipulative. A bad guy who enjoys his work. Red Grant a slick imposter whose wrist watch tells more than the time.
These were two baddies I just saw over the weekend. Auric couldn't fight though. And why would he have to with Odd Job around. But Red Grant...awmigawd, fantastic. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. And what a physique.
[u][color=#4000BF]JACK[/color][/u] [u][color=#4000BF]FAVELL[/color][/u] wrote:Hey, I came across Timothy Dalton as 007 in License to Kill this weekend, and tried to watch as much as I could.
I'll see this next weekend and weigh in on your comments with a fresher viewing of Dalton. Your review made me laugh! Ahhhh! Some Bonds don't travel well over time.
Yeeeah. Right. Well...now
I'm thirsty.