Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Henrik Hansen's Bond Things
posted @6:14 p.m. by Richard Kelly
Let's start the ball rolling with a sample of enjoyable winning Bond entries. Need I say there weren't a lot of votes for Moonraker? HENRIK HANSEN didn't much care for it either, but here are ten Bond Things for which he cares a great deal.
Henrik's List:
10. Robbie Coltrane and Alan Cumming in "Goldeneye" (1995).
Because Scots make the best Russians.
9. Peter Sellers in "Casino Royale" (1967).
Best scene? A tie between the "I'm not coming down while HE'S on set" baccarat game with Orson Welles or the surreal scene with Peter O'Toole in a kilt and bagpipes. What were they thinking? What were they smoking?
8. 1983.
Because that's the year that Sean Connery, Roger Moore and George Lazenby all appeared as James Bond. (In "Never Say Never Again", "Octopussy" and "The Return of the Man from Uncle - The Fifteen Years Later Affair," respectively.)
7. That Damned Cat.
Dr. Evil ruins it, of course. But when it was fresh, the sight of that white cat being stroked by the insidious Blofeld always sent chills up my spine.
6. Louis Armstrong singing "We've Got all the Time in the World" in "O.H.M.S.S." (1969)
The other theme tunes conjure up images of Bond, babes and chases. This song transcends the genre. It's about love and loss.
5. The car chase from "For Your Eyes Only" (1981).
After the overblown buffoonery of "Moonraker" (1979) this rough and ready chase was refreshing. After his gadget filled spy car is blown up by its own security system (D'oh!) our hero must escape in a more down to earth Citroen. And, best of all, the mysterious stranger that Bond is "rescuing" (Carole Bouquet) can drive it better than HE can! Priceless.
4. The ski chase in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977.)
Specifically, the free fall off the cliff and the opening of the Union Jack parachute.
3. Desmond Llewelyn as Q.
His scenes were always a highlight because he had all the disdain of an eccentric Uncle. "You may go swanning about with your dolly birds and your flash cars impressing everyone, but to me, you're still that spoiled brat who destroys my expensive equipment!" He always seemed THIS close to giving Bond a clip round the ear hole.
2. The Bond Theme.
It's always used with precision, film after film, cranking the excitement up about 5 notches every time.
1. Ursula Andress. Rising. From. The water.
Dr. No (1962) would have been successful without it. It might have even spawned a sequel or two. But without the iconic image of Ursula. Rising. From. The Water - I wonder if they'd still be making Bond movies? It's been "homaged" twice recently, by Halle Berry in "Die Another Day" (2002) and (more successfully) by Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale" (2006). But they never bettered Ursula. Rising. From... I've got to have a lie down, now.
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