Bond in Review: Never Say Never Again Part II

Fatima then sends Lippe to take care of Bond. While in the original movie, Lippe was more or less the mastermind of phase one of SPECTRE’s plan, Lippe here is more of a heavy, played by a guy who pretty much is skilled at this kind of thing: Pat Roach, who fought Indiana Jones three times in the Indiana Jones series (a fourth time was cut)

 

Here, after a fight with Connery that destroys a good chunk of the clinic, Bond finally manages to defeat Lippe with his urine sample(!) which blinds him and causes him to back into a wall of syringes, killing him. Not quite as graphic as his demises in the Indiana Jones films, but ‘death by pee joke’ is kind of a weird way to go out.

M of course is kind of pissed (heh) at this, (whereas Bernard Lee’s M actually was kind of proud of the intelligence Bond picked up at Shrublands in the original film-

“If 007 says he saw Derval last night at Shrublands and he was dead,

that’s enough for me to initiate inquiries.”

Although to be fair, this is before the whole nuke-stealing plot unfolds, whereas in Thunderball, it was after.

Which of course, unfolds now, with Jack actually launching the nukes using his false eye to gain clearance, instead of them being stolen via plane like in Thunderball.

 

This replaces dummy warheads with real ones, and launches them, but to land safely on Largo’s yacht, the Flying Saucer, the Disco Volante. We get some fairly cringey blue-screen work here as the missiles fly over beaches and countryside, sort of reminding me of some of the lesser flying effects in the Superman films. (Such as when Superman has to stop two nukes on his own).

A bit of a word on the Flying Saucer, in real life it’s called the Kingdom 5KR, with a few different names.

However, shortly after this film was released, it was sold to a certain billionaire who seems to be in the news a lot lately….

and that’s all I’m going to say about that!

Anyway, in a slightly similar fashion to Fiona taking out Count Lippe in the original film, but a little more twisted, Fatima takes care of Jack by throwing a snake into his car, causing it to crash. She then recovers her poor snake before destroying the rest of Jack’s car.

Blofeld then gives his ultimatum, similar to Thunderball, although this time he’s got a camera inside a silver skull, instead of the usual Octopus images the organization are associated with. He demands oil money this time.

Of course alarmed at this, the secretary tells M to reactivate the 00s (I guess they were sort of ‘inactive’ or something? It’s not really made clear, apart from Bond saying earlier that he had “little use” for the section, and that Bond for some reason was teaching?)

We get a second scene from Moneypenny, as Bond is investigating a matchbox he found on Jack’s bed at Shrublands which features Largo’s flag symbol. Once again, M largely ignores 007’s idea about the eye and Petachi.

We then come back to the FS, where Largo is watching Jack’s sister, Domino (played by future megastar Kim Basinger in an early role), do some aerobics to some very funky music. It’s all so very goofy and so 80’s, even Largo can’t help laughing a bit at it.

 

He then gives her a necklace, which of course will become very important to the plot later (and sort of a critical error on Largo’s part) . He also warns her, that if she ever leaves him, he’ll cut her throat (he also strikes a bad note on the piano nearby when he hears it). The Thunderball Largo has nothing on this guy’s level of utter creepiness, even when he was torturing her at the end of that film. For all the film’s other problems, Largo is an effective villain.

Although we haven’t seen M technically order him to go to the Bahamas or anything, Bond’s going there anyway simply because Largo’s boat is docked there, at the moment, and I guess to incorporate a little bit of the flavor of the original Thunderball, which was set almost entirely at Nassau in the second half of the film.

But before we do that, we’ve got the “Q scene”.  Although this Q is certainly not Desmond Llewylnn’s Major Boothryd, but a guy named Algeron, whose lab, attire, and attitude is certainly less refined then either of his official counterparts (Boothryd and the new Whishaw version).

This is clearly defined by his attitude to Bond, the polar opposite of the EON Q’s attitude to Bond’s lifestyle (and somewhat sort of defines Bond movies in general):

 

“Now you’re on this, I hope we’re going to

have some gratuitous sex and violence.”

A bit of a note here, it’s interesting that the gadgets in this film (apart from the motorcycle) in someway anticipate Goldeneye’s. Although it’s a pen weapon it fires rocket projectiles instead of functioning like a grenade like Goldeneyes (Plus it’s a vastly different pen).

There’s also a laser watch, which also of course would be used in Goldeneye .

There’s even the gag of Bond mistaking something ordinary for one of Q’s gadgets-in this case it’s an inhaler for Q’s sinuses, instead of a submarine sandwich.

Finally, we’re capped off with Bond telling him he’s going to the bahamas, to which Q responds “Lucky bloody you!”

 

 

 

Bond in Review: Thunderball part IV

Some sad news, unfortunately Molly Peters-one of the stars of Thunderball as Nurse Patricia Fearing-died today.

 

Moving on with the review, Bond, Felix, and Patricia-along with local ally Pinter, running a station in his shop-learn that the clock is ticking-literally-as Big Ben rings seven times-a note to SPECTRE that the British will pay their ransom, although Bond thinks it’s stalling for time. But hey, Q’s here! This is his first time equipping Bond in the field apart from his lab, although he’d also do so the next film, You Only Live Twice, and several other of the films. He’d have his ultimate field experience in Licence To Kill, which like this film, is partially set in the Caribbean.

 

Q’s arsenal this time includes a geiger counter watch, an extra geiger counter in the form of a camera that can also take pictures underwater (and of course is also waterproof) a rebreather (which, like the jetpack, would reappear more or less in Die Another Day) and a radioactive pill. Also shown-but not really showcased until the finale-is a massive dive rig that Bond messes around with.

Back in London, things aren’t quite good as Blofeld asks for some diamonds as ransom….and then we get Bond utilizing some of his new toys to try to photograph the Disco Volante-but also having to deal with getting noticed by Largo, leading to a brief underwater struggle. Bond then heads onshore-but is picked up by Fiona Volpe-who of course also has a SPECTRE ring prominently on her fingers-and then takes Bond for a fast ride back to the hotel in her mustang. Bond of course drives quite fast himself at times, but is as he notes, a “nervous passenger”

 

I wonder if that’s an intentional callback to a similar line in Dr.No? I guess “Nervous passenger” didn’t quite catch on as much as “Bond, James Bond” “Shaken, not stirred” ….

They of course both arrive at the same hotel (Fiona of course has been placed there by SPECTRE). Developing the prints, Bond discovers an underwater hatch on the Disco, guessing that the operation must have been conducted underwater using it, and not on land…and so Felix and Bond start their quest, but don’t find anything…yet.

 

They look around at Largo’s estate too, where Largo and Fiona are having a discussing shooting clay pigeons. Fiona’s a bit worried of course that Largo’s jealousy over Bond’s wooing of Domino has made him clumsy, and showing SPECTRE’s hand too early (apart from of course the obvious rings on said hands). So she volunteers to do the job herself. It’s really the only time we see these two interact, and there’s a slightly similar scene in “Never Say Never Again” with Fiona’s remade version, Fatima Blush (Who seems to be a bit into the younger Largo herself, but Largo shrugs off her advances).

 

 

Next Bond stops at Largo’s estate, and his observation about Largo’s gun is that it’s more fitting for a woman. Largo also introduces his two remaining henchmen (unless you count Viona) , Vargas and Janni.

 

Although Vargas isn’t exactly as strong a presence as Grant or Oddjob, playing more of a cold detached killer, as Largo notes.

Of course! Vargas does not drink. Does not smoke. Does not make love. What do you do, Vargas?

 

It doesn’t take a genius to fill in the blank here. It’s kind of a fun scene, although both Bond and the villain know the other’s real motivations. There’s a particularly great moment where Bond shoots a clay pigeon, almost without looking, and Largo then shows off his sharks.

 

He even allows Bond to take Domino as a date to the “Junkanoo”, a sort of carnival. But Fiona of course uses Bond’s absence to drug and capture poor Paula.

Which of course has Bond attempt a rescue mission, visiting Largo’s estate on less, formal grounds-and with the power cut. Unfortunately, Paula takes a cyanide capsule to resist interrogation,  and dies, with a short sad glance from Bond.

 

Then we get our first real shark scene, as Bond accidentally drops his gun, causing it to misfire and alerting the villains, causing him to crash into the pool-and then trapping him in it. Sure, we saw them earlier, devouring mr. Kitch, but this is the first time Bond is put in mortal peril with them. Thankfully, he’s able to get the other guy to bleed, luring the sharks to the other guy, and allowing him to escape through a hatch into the other, more open pool. “Sorry old chap, better luck next time” he quips.

 

Bond tells Pinder he wants Leiter to stay with Domino, and that Paula’s dead. Pinder’s reaction is sort of a bland “OK”, which seems a little tone-deaf, at least to me.

Bond then walks on Fiona in her bath, and there’s of course some goofy one-liners here as they flirt and then make love.

However, as soon as that’s over Bond prepares to head back to the Junkanoo, but Largo’s goons are in the way. Here we have an interesting scene that perhaps’ meant to contrast to Goldfinger; after Pussy Galore was won over by Bond’s charms, she switched over to his side and helped save the day. However, Fiona isn’t having any of it:

“But of course! I forgot your ego, Mr Bond. James Bond, who only has to make love to a woman and she starts to hear heavenly choirs singing. She repents and immediately returns to the side of right and virtue. But not this one. What a blow it must have been, you having a failure.”

to which Bond quips: “Well, can’t win them all”.

Capturing Bond, they’re a bit delayed by the ongoing junkanoo. Seeing an opening when a drunk peddles his alcohol close to the car and igniting it with Fiona’s cigarette, Bond makes a run for it, to the tune of the “007” secondary theme. It’s quite a tense, chaotic scene, and Bond even gets shot in the leg, causing him to limp.

 

He eventually makes his way to the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang club, where he treats his wound, and once again we hear the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang instrumental song as Bond tries to blend in as Volpe and the others close in. She then asks for a dance, as the bad guys ready their shot to take Bond out. However, Bond makes a swift turn, and the bullet-it’s sound covered by the heavy drum music-hits Fiona instead, killing her, and Largo’s men get the hell out of dodge. Bond quickly covers up her back and lays her on a chair next to the couple, saying “Okay if my partner sits this one out? She’s just dead!”

It’s a funny line, although I outta imagine that couple probably would’ve been horrified to be sitting next to a dead woman. Although maybe it’s like Weekend at Bernie’s, (a fairly Carribieanish movie itself) where everybody seems oblivious to that kind of thing.

 

 

 

 

Bond In Review: Thunderball Part One

After “Goldfinger” was a massive hit, EON-the production company that makes the film-had a lot more money back then ($2.5 million extra) to play with…and there’s a bit of a difference right away.

It’s the first Bond film to really go “wide” with 2:35:1 aspect ratio. This also meant that the film would have to reshoot the gunbarrel, which they did with Sean Connery properly in it instead of stuntman Bob Simmons. The smaller ratio would return for the first two Roger Moore films, but would pretty much return to the wider ratio for the rest of the series.

In the opener, Bond is at the funeral for Jacques Bouviar, a SPECTRE leader who has been killed-but not before killing two of Bond’s colleagues (Possibly other 00s).  He’s accompanied by French agent Madame La Parte, who he briefly flirts with-until he notices something extremely unusual about Jacques’s widow-that she opens the car door herself (Hey, it was the 60s!)

 

Following the “widow” back to her mansion, offering his “sincere condolences” with a punch to the face, revealing that the widow is in fact the “dead” colonel, who faked his death and is dressed in drag to fool Bond. What follows is a very, very high speed and chaotic fight (OHMSS would use a lot of similar “sped up” edits later on, perhaps due to the influence of editor-turned-director Peter Hunt). Until Bond is able to strangle him with a poker-but not before getting struck a few times himself.

 

After getting rid of Bouvier, Bond hurries to escape his men- and dons a conveinently placed jetpack to make his escape.

The jetpack of course became one of the iconic Bond gadgets, despite only a brief appearence in this film. Another, somewhat less cool looking one (but without the helmet) would appear in Never Say Never Again (The Thunderball remake/readaptation) in a highly different context, once again piloted by Sean:

…and Bond would later mess around with this very same jetpack in “Die Another Day”, alongside the poison knife shoe and the Octopussy alligator sub.

 

After a safe landing, Bond gets into his classic DB5, which uses it’s bullet shields and aptly, water jets, to evade further pursuit.

The jets turn on the camera, and then segue to the title sequence. In keeping with the underwater settings of the later film, there’s a lot of women-and some divers with harpoons-swimming around the multicolored water. Tom Jones is a bit different in his approach, but the song is a lot more exciting than the previous male-sung Bond song, “From Russia With Love”.

The film also has a secondary song that was rejected for the title, but is still prominent in the music score instrumentally many times-Dionne Warwick’s “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”.  Both songs are pretty much about Bond himself, and his certain set of skills. The practice of a secondary or rejected song being the source for much of the instrumental score is something we see in later Bonds- Both “Pretenders” songs in The Living Daylights are used for the romance and action much more than the main title; and of course there’s Tommorow Never Dies “Surrender”, whereas Sheryl Crow’s main title tune really isn’t in the film at all….

We then are introduced once again to SPECTRE, who is joined by their “Number two”, Emilio Largo. Of course No.1-Blofeld-is back, but like in FWRL we don’t see his face, only his cat. His voice is also notably different, less of an accent but with what seems like some form of distortion effect. This seems to be the only moment Blofeld is really seen deliberately covering his face in the series (Although it’s possible his different appearences in the three films he appears in later are the result of heavy plastic surgery, as “Diamonds Are Forever” implies.) The meeting room also has a cover operation-The International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons. Somehow I think that they’re not really helping refugees here…

Blofeld gets some updates on the various criminal organizations, but he’s displeased with two of the operatives, who he feels are keeping the money for themselves. One guy seems particuarly nervous, the other seems very cocky. The cocky guy gets made an example of  via electric chair. This scene was actually parodied in the first “Austin Powers” with Will Ferrell’s character (and of course No.2 was based on Largo).

 

Largo’s reaction is just to coldly look over, offer no expression and then go back to his papers. Which is kind of funny, considering he’s probably one of the more emotional Bond villains in the series-at least in regards to his anger.

One special note about Largo…although the eyepatch Big Boss wears in the Metal Gear series is probably closely related to Snake Plissken from “Escape from New York”, I wonder if perhaps there’s some relationship to Bond as well. When the character first appears in the MSX game, he was pretty much a nuke-hoarding villain in the series (before the prequel games revealed another side to him) like Largo here.

 

Although certainly his original look in MG2 looks awfully familiar to this film’s star:

 

Getting back on topic, Largo’s got an ambitious plan for Blofeld-to hold the world at ransom-specifically-the North Atlantic Treaty Powers. His agent in this is Count Lippe-who of course, is pretty much at the exact same place Bond is, and like Largo and Fiona Volpe later on, lets Bond in to something suspicious-in this case a Tong symbol. Nice one, Lippe. If Bond hadn’t noticed the symbol he wouldn’t figure something was up at this health clinic….

 

Next: Bond gets some ‘excercise’ at the health clinic as SPECTRE creates a double to steal nukes.

 

Bond literary/ film differences coda-Never Say Never Again.

Never Say Never Again was a sort of remake/re-adaptation of Thunderball by producer Kevin McClory, created through a mix of rights issues, lawsuits, and various other messes. The film debuted in 1983-the same year as Roger Moore’s Octopussy, prompting a “Battle of the Bonds” of sorts (Octopussy won that battle). It’s main selling point was that it would feature the return of Sean Connery to the role, in a remake of the film he starred in less than twenty years before!

 

“Never” follows the same basic plot of Thunderball’s book and film-After some rest and recuperation at Shrublands clinic (In the novel and NSNA, it’s because he’s getting kind of rusty; in the original movie it’s because he was injured)-where he witnesses at least part of SPECTRE’s plot-Bond is sent to the Bahamas to investigate the theft of two nuclear missiles by SPECTRE’s right hand man, Emilo Largo (Although he’s called Maximillion Largo in NSNA).

 

Helping him out-in addition to Felix Leiter-is Largo’s girlfriend Domino (Called Domino Patacci in this film) whose brother was part of the plot and killed by Largo. Domino was played by new star Kim Basinger, who of course went on to many other things.

 

Here’s one of the key differences between novel, original film, and remake. In the book, Domino’s brother was bribed by SPECTRE, but in the original film, he was replaced by a body double. NSNA returns to the original brother being the culprit of the theft, but in this version, Jack Petacci has been manipulated by SPECTRE not only by threats to Domino, but also due to drug addiction. Instead of simply stealing the nukes using his jet, he instead goes through a complicated retinal replacement and scan, causing a group of dummy warheads to be replaced with real ones, and delivered straight to Largo.

 

 

 

The film also switches locations. While the majority of the novel and the first film adaptation are set in the Bahamas, NSNA quickly switches locations to France-where Bond faces off with Largo in a video game…

 

and then eventually to Africa, where Bond is able to secure the nukes. Despite the location change, this part is a bit closer to the novel, as a submarine is involved…

 

and Domino’s killing blow to Largo-although still via harpoon-is also underwater as in the original novel.

 

The literary Bond-ThunderBall-The basics-Novel vs the original film

Thunderball is easily one of the more complicated Bond novel-to-movie adaptations-maybe, because it’s been adapted into a movie twice; or perhaps, because it actually started life as a movie script, and has led to several rights issues which cost the film series the use of the criminal organization SPECTRE and it’s head, Ernst Stravro Blofeld, for decades. However, I’ll discuss those issues (and how they led to NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN) in a later post.

While they make their debut early on in the films-In the first film, Dr.No, and more extensively in it’s sequel-with Blofeld appearing himself (although only from the neck down) in from Russia With Love (In both novels, the original villains were SMERSH, although the latter stills receives a name drop in the FRWL film), The novel version of SPECTRE and Blofeld make their debut here.Novel wise, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and You Only Live Twice form a sort of “Blofeld trilogy” of sorts (With Diamonds Are Forever taking Thunderball’s place film wise). SPECTRE is mostly unknown in the novel “universe” at this point, although by this time in the film Bond has dealt with their agents twice.

Thunderball the novel starts with M concerned with 007’s health, due to his vices perhaps slowing him down in the field. The movie gives a more immediate explanation-Bond is somewhat bruised by a fire poker by Colonel Jack Beauvant, who posed as his own widow in order to escape (But Bond notices something’s not right and confronts the “widow” at his home).

This forms the opening teaser for the film, and also features the famous sequence in which in order to escape Jack’s minions, he briefly dons a jetpack.

“No well-dressed man should be without one!”

The rest of the novel and  film begin with Bond’s recovery at the clinic Shrublands, where Bond stumbles upon the beginnings of a SPECTRE operation, and begins a bit of a feud with SPECTRE agent Count Lippe, who Bond suspects is up to no good, and who also tries to kill Bond a few times as well. Bond also has a relationship with the nurse Patricia in both versions.

“Let me out of this bloody machine!”

In both cases, Lippe is organizing a complicated operation involving stealing nuclear weapons onboard a Royal Air Force Vindicator jet. In the novel, it’s by bribing Petachii, the pilot of the plane (NSNA uses a similar device). In the film, it’s a somewhat more complicated plot involving switching his film counterpart, Francois Derval, with a surgically altered SPECTRE body double, Angelo.

In both cases, the plane gets stolen with the nukes on board, and both pilots-original and body double-are killed. Also Lippe is dealt with; in the novel because his feud with Bond threatened SPECTRE being exposed, while in the film, it’s for the choice of Angelo, who demanded a higher pay for having to be surgically altered to look like Derval.

With the weapons now in SPECTRE’s hand, Blofeld demands a massive ransom, but MI6 wants to recover the weapons before the world is forced to pay up.Bond is then sent to the Bahamas-in the novel more so because of M’s orders, but in the film it’s more of a hunch based on him spotting a dead man similar to Derval at the clinic, despite the RAF base seeing him board the plane (The body at Shrublands is in fact Derval’s body itself, after Angelo had replaced him).

Most of the rest of the plot unfolds similarly, with Bond going to the Bahamas and teaming up with his CIA ally, Felix Leiter, and investigating the local treasure hunter Largo, who in fact is a SPECTRE agent who stole the weapons, while attempting to woo away Domino, Largo’s lover and also the brother of Petacci (in the novel) and Francois (in the film). The movie adds an extra obstacle for Bond-the nasty SPECTRE femme fatale, Fiona Volpe.

Fiona not only helps Lippe and Angelo kill Derval, she also personally kills Lippe herself with her missile-armed motorcycle, kidnaps Bond’s ally Paula (who then kills herself using cyanide to keep from being interrogated), and nearly kills Bond herself until finally outwitting her, causing her to get accidentally shot by her own men at an outdoor dance club.

In both the film and the novel, Bond is able to persuade Domino that Largo was the one who got her brother killed, and she helps him to unravel the plans of her former suitor, which ends in a massive sea battle-one above and under water-between Bond and Largo’s agents.

Ultimately, the scheme is brought to an end when Domino kills Largo by a harpoon to the back, in revenge for her brother’s death and him using her as a a pawn.

Next: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service-where Bond falls for a troubled countess and might have finally found happiness, but things get spoiled by Blofeld’s latest scheme….and film-wise, a new and inexperienced actor as Bond gets highly mixed results…..although a future article will explore the other Thunderball film, Never Say Never Again, as well as the whole rights issue surrounding it, and the “Battle of the Bonds”.