Just how rubbish were Roger Moore's James Bond films?
Just how rubbish were Roger Moore's James Bond films?
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Discussion

StevieBee

14,617 posts

275 months

Tuesday 11th August 2020
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As much as we'd like to think it's the actors that define each 'Bond', it is in fact the Directors that shape the character of each incarnation.

The Roger Moore version of Bond was shaped by John Glen and Albert Broccoli who wanted Bond to appeal to wider demographic who were being enticed back to the cinema with big-box-blockbusters like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mad Max and the like. Broccoli was concerned Bond was becoming too 'gritty' and didn't want Britain's best loved 'Spy' to become embroiled in deep and dark cold-war shenanigans. Hence the Bond 'caricature' depicted by Roger Moore.

John Glen directed all of Moore's Bond films.







DaveGrohl

984 posts

117 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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[redacted]

anonymous-user

74 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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StevieBee said:
John Glen directed all of Moore's Bond films.
No he didn’t. He was heavily involved in most of them by way of editing etc but only actually directed the last three.

Halmyre

12,183 posts

159 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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[redacted]

anonymous-user

74 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Robbie Coltrane appeared twice as Russian not-very-good-gangsta Zukovsky in the Brosnan era.
There’s also this guy from Moore’s era...

whitesocks

1,006 posts

66 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Halmyre said:
Is it only in the Moore films that they brought back characters from earlier films? Pepper turned up in The Man With The Golden Gun, and Jaws in Moonraker, neither of which added anything of value to the plot save for comic relief.
Valentino in Goldeneye was brought back for The World Is Not Enough

droopsnoot

13,912 posts

262 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Evercross said:
Arrrgh!

Missing the point entirely - Bond intentionally goes to that specific hotel because he knew it was a front for the Chinese Intelligence Service and was expecting to be recognised!
Ah yes, I did forget that. As I was writing it, I recalled the people behind the mirror filming him, but thought no more about it.

Halmyre said:
Is it only in the Moore films that they brought back characters from earlier films? Pepper turned up in The Man With The Golden Gun, and Jaws in Moonraker, neither of which added anything of value to the plot save for comic relief.
There's always Joe Don Baker, who starts off as a fairly high-profile baddie in one of the Timothy Dalton films, and then suddenly pops up as a CIA agent in Goldeneye. But that's not quite the same thing.

Halmyre

12,183 posts

159 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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droopsnoot said:
Evercross said:
Arrrgh!

Missing the point entirely - Bond intentionally goes to that specific hotel because he knew it was a front for the Chinese Intelligence Service and was expecting to be recognised!
Ah yes, I did forget that. As I was writing it, I recalled the people behind the mirror filming him, but thought no more about it.

Halmyre said:
Is it only in the Moore films that they brought back characters from earlier films? Pepper turned up in The Man With The Golden Gun, and Jaws in Moonraker, neither of which added anything of value to the plot save for comic relief.
There's always Joe Don Baker, who starts off as a fairly high-profile baddie in one of the Timothy Dalton films, and then suddenly pops up as a CIA agent in Goldeneye. But that's not quite the same thing.
That's like Charles Gray turning up as two different characters; minor good guy in You Only Live Twice and chief villain in Diamonds Are Forever.

AshVX220

5,963 posts

210 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Halmyre said:
droopsnoot said:
Evercross said:
Arrrgh!

Missing the point entirely - Bond intentionally goes to that specific hotel because he knew it was a front for the Chinese Intelligence Service and was expecting to be recognised!
Ah yes, I did forget that. As I was writing it, I recalled the people behind the mirror filming him, but thought no more about it.

Halmyre said:
Is it only in the Moore films that they brought back characters from earlier films? Pepper turned up in The Man With The Golden Gun, and Jaws in Moonraker, neither of which added anything of value to the plot save for comic relief.
There's always Joe Don Baker, who starts off as a fairly high-profile baddie in one of the Timothy Dalton films, and then suddenly pops up as a CIA agent in Goldeneye. But that's not quite the same thing.
That's like Charles Gray turning up as two different characters; minor good guy in You Only Live Twice and chief villain in Diamonds Are Forever.
I watched TMWTGG recently and it dawned on me that Maud Adams has played two different "Bond Girls", both in RM films, she was Scaramanga's squeeze (later working for (under?) Bond) and was obviously Octopussy too.

anonymous-user

74 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Apparently she’s also an extra in San Francisco in AVTAK.
Was on set for a social visit and sort of volunteered to be in the crowd.

Ayahuasca

27,546 posts

299 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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I watched 'Golden Gun' the other day - was excited to see it was on but... it has not aged well.

I saw it at the cinema when it first came out, and it was excellent then!

The Roger Moore films were of their time, and they were great in their time.


StevieBee

14,617 posts

275 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Crossflow Kid said:
StevieBee said:
John Glen directed all of Moore's Bond films.
No he didn’t. He was heavily involved in most of them by way of editing etc but only actually directed the last three.
Note to self... "STOP GETTING BOND WRONG!" smile

Although a quick search reveals he was Second Unit Director the others (as well as Editor) which is why I was thinking 'Director'.

Legacywr

14,156 posts

208 months

Wednesday 12th August 2020
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Ayahuasca said:
I watched 'Golden Gun' the other day - was excited to see it was on but... it has not aged well.

I saw it at the cinema when it first came out, and it was excellent then!

The Roger Moore films were of their time, and they were great in their time.
The golden gun itself! hehe

McGee_22

7,679 posts

199 months

Sunday 16th August 2020
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Fundoreen said:
But the burning question is who would win in a fight between them all at thier best age? Lazenby is excused because he has previous training.
I think Moore would be a lot higher up the list than you think.
irocfan said:
Cold said:
AJB88 said:
Sean was a bodybuilder back in the day.
Good point. He'd be out early on simply because he'd be exhausted.
Brosnan used to do a bit of boxing so he could be quite handy.
he was also a grave-digger (IIRC) so not really shy of stamina when needed
Roger Moore acted opposite Lee Marvin in Shout at the Devil; Lee Marvin was a decorated former US Marine who fought in WW2. One of the fight scenes became a little too 'realistic' and Marvin apparently said of Moore afterwards 'This guy is built like granite, no one will ever under-estimate him again'. Marvin also confirmed the same tale during a TV interview once to the surprise of the interviewer who, like too many people, perhaps based their opinions of Moore on how he appeared in the Bond films.

grumpy52

5,899 posts

186 months

Sunday 16th August 2020
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I worked at Rank Film at Denham during the Roger Moore era of Bond and got to see him many times when I was on gate duty .
He was always very pleasant and polite , a proper gent . I found out later in life that my grandmother looked after Roger Moore when he used to stay at a local hotel in the days before he became famous. Gran wouldn't have a word said against him and often had a twinkle in her eye whenever he was mentioned, sharing of cocoa was often mentioned in wishful thinking.

cologne2792

2,150 posts

146 months

Sunday 16th August 2020
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Crossflow Kid said:
Robbie Coltrane appeared twice as Russian not-very-good-gangsta Zukovsky in the Brosnan era.
There’s also this guy from Moore’s era...
That would be Victor Tourjansky. He was the assistant director for the Italian locations.
He appears again, drinking in Moonraker in Venice (as above) and drinking in For Your Eyes Only when Bond skis across the table.

In A View To A Kill a similar character, the Taxi Driver with a glass of wine in hand, is played by Lucien Jérôme.

hidetheelephants

32,458 posts

213 months

Monday 17th August 2020
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Halmyre said:
Is it only in the Moore films that they brought back characters from earlier films? Pepper turned up in The Man With The Golden Gun, and Jaws in Moonraker, neither of which added anything of value to the plot save for comic relief.
Sylvia Trench appeared in 'Dr No' and 'From Russia with love'.

Halmyre said:
That's like Charles Gray turning up as two different characters; minor good guy in You Only Live Twice and chief villain in Diamonds Are Forever.
Gray is also supposed to have done the voice over for the cheesefest pyramids Son et Lumiere show in 'The spy who loved me'.

Wills2

27,546 posts

195 months

Monday 17th August 2020
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I love the Roger Moore Bond films, you either get the joke or you don't.

Live and let die was a superb Bond movie.


Emeye

9,780 posts

243 months

Monday 17th August 2020
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Roger Moore Bond movies are amazing and capture the age fantastically - the chase sequences are some of the most exciting and realistic in the whole series - no computer graphics to ruin the stunts. The motorbike ski slope chase In For Your eyes Only is amazing as is the 2CV car chase.

Never take a Bond movie seriously, just let it flow over you and enjoy it. Saying that, Penis Brosnan Bonds movies are pants.

NewUsername

925 posts

76 months

Monday 17th August 2020
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Crossflow Kid said:
Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist who takes her fashion cues from Daisy Duke, and then accidentally gets soaking wet wearing only a skin-tight white t-shirt?
:
One of the highlights if i'm honest tongue out