Questions About Bond Films that You Have been Afraid to Ask SPOILERS

[IMIM2]

True to that. A spy should actually carrying small and concealed gun. And actually use very less gun, but gather more information.

At first I thought P99 was too big as concealed gun, but looking back, I found that PPK is too small (IMO) for a figure as big and tall as all Bonds.
The silencer actually helps to extend the barrel and the look of JB pose.

I really like the scene where Dalton follows a suspect with balloons in the park, and suddenly pulled his PPK (out of nowhere), and when he realize it was wrong guy, he holstered it back and walk away. That is very concealed and memorable to me.

I guess the movies grow to more and more violence, and demanding more and more gun actions. I like TV series mission impossible where gun almost never used, it was all about misleading the villain to unfold him/herself. But movies MI uses guns like any other action movies.

In comparison to Craig's Bond, for example. M initially almost regretful giving him 00 status, because every lead he encountered ended up dead, with or without his PPK. She thought that Bond overuse his 00 status.

The number of kills increase overtime, although Brosnan hold the records.
In QoS posters, (I find this very strange), Craig was holding H&K MP5.
I initially thought: no, they've gone too far upgrading his weapon.

Like you said, you like where Bond is doing close and personal kills. For that PPK serve it's purpose, but the movies now demanding more and more violance actions. For that MP5 will get the job done.

On separate topic, has anybody ever counted the number of shots fired? Most of Hollywood movies ended up a gun that can shots more than what it can carry on the clips. To my recollection, I never see Bond changing clips or reload, I know that Bond always counts his and opponents shots (for example in Dr.No after the spider scene). I wonder if Bonds movies had this mistakes or not.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

The number of kills increase overtime, although Brosnan hold the records.
In QoS posters, (I find this very strange), Craig was holding H&K MP5.
I initially thought: no, they've gone too far upgrading his weapon.

Like you said, you like where Bond is doing close and personal kills. For that PPK serve it's purpose, but the movies now demanding more and more violance actions. For that MP5 will get the job done.

They had that because it was the last weapon he used in CR. He used it to snipe Mr. White.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

On separate topic, has anybody ever counted the number of shots fired? Most of Hollywood movies ended up a gun that can shots more than what it can carry on the clips. To my recollection, I never see Bond changing clips or reload, I know that Bond always counts his and opponents shots (for example in Dr.No after the spider scene). I wonder if Bonds movies had this mistakes or not.

They definitely do although in general they're better than most. I recall a few clip changes. It was very pronounced in Skyfall and ended up in him tossing his PPK when he was out of ammo.

 

[Bigdaddy]

I found Dr. No 50th anniversary edition on DVD for 5bucks, I only saw it on TV in the early 80s. What a GREAT movie! It was awesome to see Bond using his wits and what was available rather than fancy gadgets. I also loved "You've had your six" BAM! hard to call that "self defense"! LOL That's what a license to kill is FOR! Although the commentary noted that he only fired 5 shots

 

[Michael Bergeron]

I found Dr. No 50th anniversary edition on DVD for 5bucks, I only saw it on TV in the early 80s. What a GREAT movie! It was awesome to see Bond using his wits and what was available rather than fancy gadgets. I also loved "You've had your six" BAM! hard to call that "self defense"! LOL That's what a license to kill is FOR! Although the commentary noted that he only fired 5 shots

Yep, Dr. No is a great film. :thumbsup

Despite what the common perception is there aren't a lot of gadgets in the Bond films until the Moore era and even then Bond usually only has one or two and a car. DN, FRWL, and OHMSS stand out as essentially gadget free.

As fun as the Q branch scenes are they really started to get out of hand in the later years and gave the wrong impression of the franchise.

As for the 5 shots... Maybe he knew Dent had a spare chamber? :lol

 

[KojiroVance]

... there aren't a lot of gadgets in the Bond films until the Moore era and even then Bond usually only has one or two and a car. DN, FRWL, and OHMSS stand out as essentially gadget free.

...

As for the 5 shots... Maybe he knew Dent had a spare chamber? :lol

Um,.. What? FRWL's bursting with "gadgets." Lets count...

Trick briefcase (several features) x 2
Sniper rifle
Rolleiflex with concealed recorder
Phone tap detector
Kerim Bey's periscope

Opposition's:
Garrote watch
Dagger boots
Dagger Oxfords
Tatiana's "too big" mouth

Still, Bond makes a lot of impromptu use of things like flare gun and hotel chair. Bob Simmons arranged some incredible fights....

Funny how the PPK was introduced as a replacement for a too weak and unreliable Beretta. Now it's "too small" for the movies. :thumbdown: Actually a PPK is still a great small, concealable "backup" weapon, in active use. Rather slight stopping power compared with most small arms today, but I always think Bond doesnt need blind stopping power, in his hands (a crack shot, mind you) one or two carefully placed bullets is all he needs.

Re: counting shots, see how many he takes in FRWL's gypsy camp battle. I'd like to think it's accurate....


I suspect Bond was going to do some "Did he shoot six shots, or only five, well in all the excitement I rather lost count myself," figured, "screw it, monologuing's not my style," and just kills Dent.

"Wait'll you get to my teeth."

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[Michael Bergeron]

Um,.. What? FRWL's bursting with "gadgets." Lets count...

Trick briefcase (several features) x 2
Sniper rifle
Rolleiflex with concealed recorder
Phone tap detector
Kerim Bey's periscope

Opposition's:
Garrote watch
Dagger boots
Dagger Oxfords
Tatiana's "too big" mouth

I'm referring to Q Branch issue which would really just be the briefcase with it's contents. Even then it's a knife, bullets, and money. What makes it a "gadget" is the trick open and the talc bomb. The rifle isn't a gadget, nor is a periscope. The recorder is pretty low key but I suppose it counts but we never see it or the tap detector issued, they're just normal tools of the trade. As for the villains you've got the dagger boot and watch. still though, REALLY low tech.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

I suspect Bond was going to do some "Did he shoot six shots, or only five, well in all the excitement I rather lost count myself," figured, "screw it, monologuing's not my style," and just kills Dent.

Dirty Harry ain't his style. thumbsup

 

[Bigdaddy]

I just rewatched the scene of Bond and Dent, although the MI6 commentary says he (Dent) only fired 5 shots I count 6.
I love how he allows Dent to regain his gun and click on an empty chamber, before lighting his smoke and saying "Thats a Smith & Wesson, you've had your six" then calmy gut shoots Dent, and puts a 2nd round in his back for good measure. Dr. No is the 1st Bond film I've ever owned, and I haven't seen a bond film in years (last one was Golden Eye) but I have rediscovered how much I enjoy the character. So I have decided to get all the Bond films and watch them chronologically until I get to Skyfall. This weekend I'll pickup FRWL and Goldfinger if I can.
I read that NSNA is a remake of thunderball, true of false?
Great thread, its what made me pickup Dr. No as an impulse

Also my 10 yr old daughter could NOT believe that was Indy's dad! LOL

 

[Michael Bergeron]

I read that NSNA is a remake of thunderball, true of false?

True. It's the only book that McClory had rights to. It's worth watching but, like many Bond films from the 70's & early 80's, it's a pale reflection of the cold killer character in Dr. No.

Great thread, its what made me pickup Dr. No as an impulse

thumbsup:thumbsup

Also my 10 yr old daughter could NOT believe that was Indy's dad! LOL

Lol! Henry Sr. was BAD ASS! :lol

 

[Solo4114]

I'm referring to Q Branch issue which would really just be the briefcase with it's contents. Even then it's a knife, bullets, and money. What makes it a "gadget" is the trick open and the talc bomb. The rifle isn't a gadget, nor is a periscope. The recorder is pretty low key but I suppose it counts but we never see it or the tap detector issued, they're just normal tools of the trade. As for the villains you've got the dagger boot and watch. still though, REALLY low tech.

Also, you have to consider FRWL in comparison to later Bond films. Even in the Connery era, the level of gadgetry got exponentially more sophisticated even just by the 2nd film. And we finish the gadget era with a FREAKING INVISIBLE CAR.

So, yeah, FRWL is "gadget-lite" in my opinion. It's far more practical stuff and more about concealment and versatility, rather than "Also, 007, we'll be issuing this limited-use, standard-issue device which will really only serve the purpose of extricating you from a specifically designed trap. Try to bring it back in one piece this time..."

 

[IMIM2]

Just finished LALD. I noticed in the end credit,

James Bond Roger Moore
Kananga/Mr Big Yaphet Kotto
Solitaire Jane Seymor
Sheriff Pepper Clifton James

Really? Even above Tee Hee and Baron Samedi, M, Felix?

Any explanation?

 

[KojiroVance]

Also my 10 yr old daughter could NOT believe that was Indy's dad! LOL

10 is a little young for many of the films imho. :thumbdown:

(edit) I realized that I saw them at that age, even younger, with my folks in movie theaters. The "innocent days" before "PG," "PG-13" ... I think the Connery Bond flicks were "GP," I don't they they were even "M" (yes, kids, that was an MPAA rating in the 1960s). Yes, I agree the Moore flicks are cartoony, tongue in cheek, almost spoofs of the original Connery films, and deaths are handled as an off-screen things.

Still, Bond's killing of Dent is rather cold, clinical, and brutal (Dent's body jerking with the second shot in the back), even if bloodless ... Mary Trueblood's blood stain on the carpet ... "the guards will keep [Honey] amused" ... are all mature material, even if they fly over the head of a youngster. Of course, it's your decision what you let your kidlin watch.

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[Master Dahark]

Nah I saw them way earlier than that (although admittedly the Craig ones are a bit much for a younster) and my future kids will too!
Bond movies are surprisingly family friendly, considering the content-- especially the Moore ones

 

[Solo4114]

Just finished LALD. I noticed in the end credit,

James Bond Roger Moore
Kananga/Mr Big Yaphet Kotto
Solitaire Jane Seymor
Sheriff Pepper Clifton James

Really? Even above Tee Hee and Baron Samedi, M, Felix?

Any explanation?

Better agent? More lines? Maybe even more screen time? It may all be concentrated in one sequence, but I think Pepper's appearance is actually longer than a lot of the other folks you mention.

 

[Treadwell]

"Thats a Smith & Wesson, you've had your six"

Bond took a risk that the guy didn't load one in the chamber and then add another round to the magazine.

 

[Solo4114]

Well, actually, the slide is back on the gun when Dent walks into the room, so unless it jammed, even if the slide moved forward after Dent threw it down, Bond could tell he was dry.

 

[KojiroVance]

I'm referring to Q Branch issue which would really just be the briefcase with it's contents. Even then it's a knife, bullets, and money. What makes it a "gadget" is the trick open and the talc bomb. The rifle isn't a gadget, nor is a periscope. The recorder is pretty low key but I suppose it counts but we never see it or the tap detector issued, they're just normal tools of the trade. As for the villains you've got the dagger boot and watch. still though, REALLY low tech.

Oh. I see. We didn't say "gadgets (Q Branch-issued (Q-issued ON SCREEN))." :unsure :rolleyes :confused

For my money, ALL field equipment ("gadgets") are probably Q-issued, and just because we don't see them introduced by Boothroyd in the Guy Hamilton dog 'n pony show ("It's NOT perfected yet"), I still consider it a "gadget." A phone-tap device (actual prop is said to have been a paint thickness tester), probably comes from Q, not the local MoD commissary.

Remember please that Boothroyd ("Q") was absent in LALD ... it was M that returned the modified 5513 to Bond, and he already had his hairbrush radio transceiver (did he have a listening device detector in his shaving kit, too? I don't remember) ready for his trip to New York and San Monique.

True. It's the only book that McClory had rights to...l

I think he only had film rights to it, as per the lawsuit(s). Abandon all hope, ye who delve into that morass....

Also, you have to consider FRWL in comparison to later Bond films. Even in the Connery era, the level of gadgetry got exponentially more sophisticated even just by the 2nd film. And we finish the gadget era with a FREAKING INVISIBLE CAR.

So, yeah, FRWL is "gadget-lite" in my opinion. It's far more practical stuff and more about concealment and versatility, rather than "Also, 007, we'll be issuing this limited-use, standard-issue device which will really only serve the purpose of extricating you from a specifically designed trap. Try to bring it back in one piece this time..."

See above. I don't define "gadget" as some impossible, sci-fi, single-use prop ex machina. I consider any "spy gear" that Bond didn't buy on his travel to be a "Bond gadget." And I would like to think OHMSS ended the escalating tomfoolery, but then we did have...

• Concealed sniper rifle compartment (really just the glove box)
• Safe cracker and document copier (more realistically sized, if not functionally)
• Minox camera (commercially available)
• Radioactive lint (only thing we see Q introduce)(is "lint" a gadget?)

I rather prefer the gadgets of FRWL as they are based on reality (and Fleming certainly had an in-depth knowledge of WWII era field issue, some of which make early Bond stuff look like five 'n dime toys) and have very practical uses. Despite how they're used in the film, I like that they are realistic items, though as Bond said, "I don't think I'll need it on this job...."

Just finished LALD. I noticed in the end credit,

James Bond Roger Moore
Kananga/Mr Big Yaphet Kotto
Solitaire Jane Seymor
Sheriff Pepper Clifton James

Any explanation?

SAG rules, and undoubtedly contract negotiations with actors' agents.

Bond took a risk that the guy didn't load one in the chamber and then add another round to the magazine.

Well, actually, the slide is back on the gun when Dent walks into the room, so unless it jammed, even if the slide moved forward after Dent threw it down, Bond could tell he was dry.

How Dent then makes an empty "snick! snick!" from his gun upon picking it up, dunno. But then, ardent realism wouldn't make for as dramatic a scene.

(edit)

Confirmed while watching the BD of DR. NO: Dent fires 6ix shots, the slide locks back after the last one. Maybe he unlocks the slide before throwing it down. Maybe the "snick! snick!" sound is him pulling the hammer back and pulling the trigger (dry-firing). Ah, conjecture....

 

[Solo4114]

In the novel, Dent uses a S&W revolver, hence the "You've had your six." Also, the gun in question isn't, in fact, a S&W. It's a Colt M1911 with a silencer. It really doesn't track wit the action on screen, but it's such a good scene that I guess they let it go. That or the scriptwriter and the film armourer weren't in regular communication....

 

[Bigdaddy]

In the novel, Dent uses a S&W revolver, hence the "You've had your six." Also, the gun in question isn't, in fact, a S&W. It's a Colt M1911 with a silencer. It really doesn't track wit the action on screen, but it's such a good scene that I guess they let it go. That or the scriptwriter and the film armourer weren't in regular communication....

Thank you Dan, when I watched that scene again and Dent's gun looks ALOT like my 1911! it was driving me nuts trying to find a S&W that matched up. It is such a "cool" line I'm glad they left it in.