typos: (Italy, 1999( (Italy, 1999); directo director; Scorpinoni Scorpioni
From Russia with Love (Terence Young, UK, 1963) is my first foray into pre-Roger
Moore James Bond titles. Teeritz and a couple of others recommended it to me
just when I was about to view Goldfinger (the title seemed intriguing, not to
mention the sight of a dead, gold-plated woman). Here, 007 is in a race with the Spectre organization to
find a Russian decoding contraption known as Lektor. The pursuit brings him to
Istanbul where he falls for the charms of Bond girl designate, Tatiana
Romanova, who is played by the stunning Italian actress Daniela Bianchi (I fall
for her too). I found the action scenes impressive, in fact, much better than
the effects-laden Skyfall. What's more, I spotted an electric typewriter
on Miss Moneypenny's desk.
 |
| The ending I didn't expect: 007 stealthily tosses a film reel into the Venice canal and waves gracefully... |
 |
| Long before cheesy Gangnam Style, there was cheesier Bond Wave! |
 |
| An appropriate intermezzo: Ian Fleming with his Olympia SK (source: British GQ) |
Still in Bond-related matters, I enjoyed the Oscar celebration of 50 years of Bond movies, particularly the mod graphic art of the tribute montage:
 |
| And while I respect the talent of Adele... |
 |
| .... it was Shirley Bassey who was gold that night. Which only confirms the next Bond title on my queue: Goldfingaaah! |
* Tea with Mussolini ©1999 MGM, poster image here. From Russia with Love ©1963 Eon Productions. The Oscars ©2013 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44
11 comments:
Ooh, I get to comment first on your blog for once?
I never heard of Tea For Mussolini. I'm 87.7% sure that is an Underwood.
Finally! You saw it! FRWL is a classic Bond film. In fact, the scene where Bond first meets Tatiana is the portion of the script that is often used when EON Productions screen-test a new actor for the role of 007. I still prefer "Skyfall" in terms of its multi-layered screenplay. Although, in FRWL's defence, it is a 50 year-old film, with early '60s sensibilities, production values, technologies, etc. Very, very close to the book on which it's based too.
As for the Oscar tribute, personally, I thought they blew it. I could have done a more respectful job with my Bond DVD collection and Windows MovieMaker. Check out "Skyfall: 50 Years of James Bond" on YouTube. There's a crazier fan than me who's done a phenomenal montage.
And finally, if you liked the mod-style dots motif from the Oscar tribute, then check out the title credits sequence from "Dr. No".
Glad you enjoyed the film, Ton. Sure, it isn't Shakespeare or the meaning of life, but it fully deserves its classic status.
I could never imagine anyone but Sean Connery as Bond, so I stopped watching the films when he was no longer starring. My SIL and I had a long talk Oscar night, and he persuaded me to give the others a fair shot. This post reinforced my resolve to do so.
Sorry Ton, did I say '50 Years of James Bond'? I meant..ah never mind, here's the link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t10mNXtfdUw
I agree with Richard, that is most definately an Underwood.
I was going to say underwood too - looks like one I have. There are typewriters in most of the early ones, not always electric. Dr. No also shows a ham radio station nearby.
My favorite Bond song is still Thunderball, but I really like FRWL, which I haven't seen in awhile. Goldfinger is a fun film however.
@Richard, twice, actually, you were first two posts earlier. 87.7% is impressive considering that it's just based on a silhouette!
@Teeritz, I don't know, FRWL has an unmistakable Bond appeal. Even the vintage effects are still great. Skyfall looks and feels like any other action flick, it might as well could have been Bourne Legacy if you know what I mean. I liked Casino Royale (2006) much more. Funny how you raved about FRWL and when I finally saw it and liked it, you tell me it doesn't compare with Skyfall, the Bond movie that didn't impress me haha! But seriously, thanks for the tip and the link you sent. It's going to be Dr. No after Goldfinger.
@Dana, for sure, Sean Connery is the gold standard. I think Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton were forgettable. For me, Daniel Craig is a good update.
@McTaggart, okay, now I have a 100% bettor. Good to see you here.
@Peter, I agree, Thunderball is a great song. I also like Diamonds are Forever. To its credit, the theme of Skyfall by Adele captures the Bond song signature, I like it a lot.
Looks like Miss Moneypenny uses a brand new Smith-Corona Coronet...
I watched most any Bond movie until the Pierce Brosnan series (personally I liked him more in his role as Remington Steele than Bond... just like I liked Roger Moore as The Saint more than I liked him as Bond. Which is not to say that he made a forgettable Bond; only it was a tad too... Austin Powers-esque to my taste.
That said, my favorite Bond movies would be Thunderball, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger (nice action with the iconic Aston Martin DB5... which ends up crashed after just a few minutes), You only live twice (set in Japan! Pre-electronics revolution, to boot!) and, for the cheesy fun factor, most of the Roger Moore films.
I agree, the current Bond actor is a lot more in character with the original. But I've only seen one movie with him (Skyfall) ... and I must admit I went to see it because it featured the Aston Martin again. I am seriously disappointed and outraged (nah, not really!) that they blew the car to pieces at the end.
@Miguel, You're right about the Coronet, how could I have missed that when I used to own one. You Only Live Twice sounds interesting, I might have to see that. Better to blow up an Aston Martin than a typewriter. ( :
Feel like I've wandered into a wrong blog. But as a huge Bond fan since Goldfinger (I was too young to see FRWL when it came out) I'm not complaining!
Good one Ton!
@Ping, haha, thanks! I'm glad my blog can still surprise you.
Post a Comment