Bond Box Set Has Landed, Now What's Your Views On It?

Watched YOLT yesterday and loved it. I knew I was going to be a sucker for it as I love Japan, but the sheer visual quality of the restoration and one of Barry's greatest soundtracks along with Living Daylights make it one of my favourite Bonds.

The last time I saw it was when I taped it on ITV about 20 years ago and noticed some distinctive differences:
At the beginning when Henderson is killed (still irks me they used Charles Gray for the bad guy and now the good guy) - I seem to remember my VHS copy had a different cut being a poisoned tip in the neck and not a knife in the middle of the back!
Also, there were quite a few extra scenes during the training. The aired version didn't have half of the ninja scenes nor the explanation of the rocket guns.

Interesting debate about the 5.1 soundtracks. I actually really loved YOLT in 5.1 as I think the musical score really is better sounding in stereo and embellishes the film just a bit more. But I get the point about the lift scene at the beginning of DAF losing some of its potence...
 
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Spoiler tags mate, especily when someone gets killed mods are not here to add spoilers.
 
Sorry :) I incorrectly thought it was OK as other posts in this thread have been similar. Not to worry, will "pay attention" next time :D (assuming that's OK)
 
Interesting debate about the 5.1 soundtracks. I actually really loved YOLT in 5.1 as I think the musical score really is better sounding in stereo and embellishes the film just a bit more. But I get the point about the lift scene at the beginning of DAF losing some of its potence...
While it is awesome to have such lovely music blaring out as Mr Bond does what he does best, it's not the be-all and end-all of the mix, and the substandard mixing of the dialogue plus the new sound effects take me right out of the movie.

If I want to rock the music for the earlier mono Bonds, I'll put on the soundtrack CD instead. :D
 
While it is awesome to have such lovely music blaring out as Mr Bond does what he does best, it's not the be-all and end-all of the mix, and the substandard mixing of the dialogue plus the new sound effects take me right out of the movie.

If I want to rock the music for the earlier mono Bonds, I'll put on the soundtrack CD instead. :D
True, but you'd only get stereo then, not 5.1 :D (I know I said stereo).
But yes, I get what you mean. I've just got the original soundtracks, and there's a lot of detail in there which you could never pick up on a mono mix. :smashin:
 
I know, we need a combination big cheesy green grin with a winking eye ;)
 
Just noticed Amz and HMV have the remaining Bonds listed for release on Feb 4th. :lesson:
 
I'm torn. Sold my Bond Collection DVDs which had stocking pictures as part of my DVD Clearout. Got them all recorded on SkyHD where the picture looks amazing but now getting them all on Bluray Free with my Sony TV. Don't have surround sound so debating whether to just sell the Blurays to claw £50-£60 back
 
BenchyUK said:
I'm torn. Sold my Bond Collection DVDs which had stocking pictures as part of my DVD Clearout. Got them all recorded on SkyHD where the picture looks amazing but now getting them all on Bluray Free with my Sony TV. Don't have surround sound so debating whether to just sell the Blurays to claw £50-£60 back

Then what happens when you run out of room on your Sky Planner or, worse still, the box goes belly up?

Keep the Blu-rays.

Steve W
 
That's happened to me a couple of times, Sky box goes wrong, not so much the hassle of getting it replaced, but all the unwatched or saved stuff that I lost when they just changed the box rather than repaired it.
 
Connery's Bond treated women appallingly, so I'm kind of glad they got another actor (and a proper actress) to get Bond married. They really weren't interested in the women as more than eye candy then. Julie Christie was up for the role of Domino for Thunderball, but got turned down as her breasts were considered to small. So they cast a former Miss World contestant instead, whose modest acting ability they got around (again) by post-dubbing her voice.

Plenty of actors had their voices dubbed by Eon because their English wasn't particularly great (mainly the French and Italian actors). Gert Frobe and George Lazenby were dubbed because they couldn't get the accents exactly right, Lazenby couldn't do RP with his Australian vowels so the Hillary Bray dialogue was switched back to George Baker. Lotte Lenya was a good actress and she managed to pull off the Russian pronunciation fairly well but how do you expect the others to do so without any proper training?

And wasn't just the women - if Connery didn't wear a wig he would've been cast aside years earlier, just look at how much work they did on poor Roger Moore, from Moonraker on he looked like something you'd see in the windows of Austin Reed. The producers often didn't want experienced actors and many of them were too old anyway. I'd still take Claudine Auger over Kim Basinger though..
 
I'd still take Claudine Auger over Kim Basinger though..

hell yes. daniela bianchi and claudine are the classiest bond girls ever
 
Connery's Bond treated women appallingly, so I'm kind of glad they got another actor (and a proper actress) to get Bond married. They really weren't interested in the women as more than eye candy then. Julie Christie was up for the role of Domino for Thunderball, but got turned down as her breasts were considered to small. So they cast a former Miss World contestant instead, whose modest acting ability they got around (again) by post-dubbing her voice.
hell yes. daniela bianchi and claudine are the classiest bond girls ever

Daniela Bianchi was extremely beautiful and was the first runner up in a Miss Universe competition. as was Claudine Auger but in Miss World. And rate Daniela Bianchi one of the most beautiful all the Bond Girls

Quote from Wiki on Claudine Auger

When she was on holiday in Nassau, writer-producer Kevin McClory who was also on holiday there, saw her and recommended that she audition for his film Thunderball (1965). The role of Domino was originally to be an Italian woman: Dominetta Petacchi. Auger impressed the producers so much that they re-wrote the part to that of a French woman to better suit Auger. Although she took lessons to perfect her English, her voice was eventually dubbed by Nikki van der Zyl in this movie.

Nikki van der Zyl did a lot of dubbing for Bond girls
 
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Plenty of actors had their voices dubbed by Eon because their English wasn't particularly great (mainly the French and Italian actors). Gert Frobe and George Lazenby were dubbed because they couldn't get the accents exactly right, Lazenby couldn't do RP with his Australian vowels so the Hillary Bray dialogue was switched back to George Baker. Lotte Lenya was a good actress and she managed to pull off the Russian pronunciation fairly well but how do you expect the others to do so without any proper training?

Odd though that Caroline Munro ended up dubbed in whatever she appeared in. I saw her in an interview with Roger Moore when Skyfall came out and her voice and accent sound perfectly fine.

I also saw her in my corner shop last year and my knees nearly buckled. :D I work in Soho and see lots of famous people there but somehow I find it much more thrilling to bump into a slightly more obscure cult actress like her. Anyway, she seemed really nice and she smiled at me. :love:

And wasn't just the women - if Connery didn't wear a wig he would've been cast aside years earlier, just look at how much work they did on poor Roger Moore, from Moonraker on he looked like something you'd see in the windows of Austin Reed.

"Shop window dummy" always was Roger Moore's look. However he didn't wear a full wig like Connery, only a small toupee to cover a bald patch at the crown of his hair and he has always admitted as much.
 
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Watched the last of my connery Bond films and thank goodness roger was in the next.
The colours were nice and vibrant but I never noticed anything outstanding in the sharpness although distracted as my surround amp was acting up and puppy wanting to play.

There was on scene in the film that should never have been in the film where it shows Connery undressed from the waist up and shows podgy belly.

It was the first time I full appreciated Charles Gray portrayal of Blofelt and although not as menacing as the first 2 plays the scrip hes given with great aplomb. And has some of the best no the best put downs in the film. He plays it with more sophistication, smugness and a dash of comedy you could just imaging them making a spin of of the character.

To me the film was at its best when Bofeld and Kidd and Punt were on screen although Lana Wood is a treat for the eyes
unfortunately is one of the obligatory females that got bummed off.

I listened to some of the commentary and Jill St John was originally up for the role of Tiffany but it says the role was swapped. Never understood if this was swapping roles with Lana or some other actress they were thinking of.

I really did not like Tiffany Case who was more of a ding bat out of a Matt Helm film.


Bambi looked like Sporty Spice.


Although the plots not as good as Thunderball or YOLT which are not my favorit Connery Bond films theres always somthing of intrest going on and as I said above is best when the 3 villains are on screen.
 
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I have just watch the special features on my new skyfall blu-ray and crave more. I was wondering where I can view the special features from the bond 50 set without buying it? I have all the films individually so I see no point in buying the set. I can't find any on youtube. Any help is apprechiated.

thanks
 
madacj said:
I have just watch the special features on my new skyfall blu-ray and crave more. I was wondering where I can view the special features from the bond 50 set without buying it? I have all the films individually so I see no point in buying the set. I can't find any on youtube. Any help is apprechiated.

thanks

Go on, I'll bite, how did you get it?
 
What do you mean?
 
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I got it from dvdworldusa.com who allow uk customers to import the USA release ahead 12th feb
 
I watched Live and Let Die at weekend and was surprised first of that it was 16:9 after the letterbox of Diamonds.

Watching it in HD you can see a few wrinkles of Roger although overall he looks younger than Sean last outing and heck of a lot fitter.

There was no gadgets apart from his watch and apart from the last part of the film there no over the top silliness like the double take pigeon.
The colour tone is totally different to Diamonds as well going from the garish pallet in that to a more subtle yet real one.

Bond comes out with some nice quips but the best I liked from the sheriff in his very last scene.

I wonder how many of you like me not spotted before but the Tarot cards used have the Bond 007 pattern on the back see the picture below.
 

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I wonder how many of you like me not spotted before but the Tarot cards used have the Bond 007 pattern on the back see the picture below.

I noticed them last month when Sky had their 007 HD channel running...oddly despite having had the boxset since release (and the previous briefcase, and the previous original DVD releases) and not spinning one of the discs in it (or the briefcase), that channel was the first I'd go to whenever I turned the TV on :rolleyes:
 
Just started watching Thunderball for the first time ever. Hard to think it's almost 50 years old and Sean Connery was only in his early 30s. I wish they hadn't windowboxed/horizontally squashed the opening credits though! Why did they do this on some and not all? Obviously to stop overscan issues but come on, this is a bit ridiculous.
 

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