Home Media Magazine - Agent DVD - July 2008 - (Page DVD7) *ACTIONFILES Those Other Guys The success of George Lucas’ Star Wars in 1977 inspired producers to create a space adventure for Bond — 1979’s Moonraker. “They tried to imitate something else, but the opposite had always been true. Usually Bond is the trendsetter,” Rubin says. “Bond can do almost anything, but he doesn’t belong in space.” Bond’s connection with Lucas would not end there. As recounted on the “Indiana Jones” DVDs, Steven Spielberg was anxious to direct a Bond movie. Upon hearing this, his good friend Lucas proposed an homage to the adventure-film serials of the 1930s and ’40s about a globe-trotting archeologist named Indiana Jones. Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 was a huge hit, followed in 1984 by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. For the third film, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Spielberg conceived of a simple story of Indiana Jones reconnecting with his father. Spielberg wanted to cast Connery as the father, he explains on the DV D, because he figured from a creative standpoint that James Bond was Indiana Jones’ father. “It was perfect casting and a great nod to the past,” Pfeiffer says. Bond vs. Bond Producer Kevin McClory, who owned the rights to Thunderball, hoped to start a rival Bond series in the 1970s, but Broccoli threatened legal action. Eventually the issues subsided, and McClory made Never Say Never Again, a new adaptation of Thunderball starring Connery as Bond. The film was released in 1983 not long after the release of Octopussy, the 13th Eon Bond film and Moore’s sixth outing as Bond. However, delays with Never Say Never Again would prevent a head-tohead battle. Audiences responded favorably to both films, renewing interest in the franchise. The 1980s “In the 1980s, Bond skewed to an older audience,” Pfeiffer says. “The people going to see the movies were the ones who grew up with it in the 1960s. They weren’t attracting new fans.” Movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Batman and the “Indiana Jones” films introduced audiences to iconic new heroes just as Dr. No had done a generation before. But Bond already had shown a resiliency that the franchise could thrive with a new actor playing the main character, while other film series could not survive without their established stars. “Movies such as ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Die Hard’ feature iconic characters modeled around the actors who played them,” Rubin says. “Bond is immune to that. He’s bigger than any one actor.” After Moore left, producers hired Timothy Dalton to take Bond in a more serious direction. “Dalton made people realize these were fairly serious thrillers at one time,” Pfeiffer says. Dalton’s reign would not last long. After 1989’s Licence to Kill, legal issues over the character’s film rights delayed production of a new movie. >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 The Bond Girls he Bond Girl has been an institution since Ursula Andress emerged from the water in 1962’s Dr. No. “Her entrance is still one of the sexiest and one of the most memorable movie entrances of all time,” Pfeiffer says. “The Bond Girl has to have a larger-than-life quality, so that when she walks into a room, she’s as stunning as Bond,” Rubin says. “One thing the Bond series has always done well was to feature real women as opposed to cartoon characters.” In 1999, producers turned a corner with The World Is Not Enough, in which Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King was revealed to be the villain. “They were trying to push the envelope,” Pfeiffer says. “It was a nice plot twist.” There was even some talk that Halle Berry would receive her own spinoff movie stemming from her appearance in Die Another Day. “Some people were disappointed there wasn’t a Jinx movie,” Pfeiffer says. “But those doubts were erased with the box office receipts of Catwoman.” T THE EON BONDS OCTOPUSSY A VIEW TO A KILL THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS LICENCE TO KILL GOLDENEYE 1983 Moore’s penultimate appearance hits all the right notes with an outlandish tale that somehow holds together under the guise of a tense political thriller involving a mad Soviet general (Steven Berkoff) and a ruthless Afghan prince (Louis Jourdan). The backgammon scene is worth the price of admission. 1985 The aging series shows serious signs of fatigue in what is basically a remake of Goldfinger. Tanya Roberts can’t hold her weight as Bond’s paramour, and Christopher Walken is wasted. And Bond makes a quiche. Huh? Moore should have quit while he was ahead. 1987 Timothy Dalton’s first outing is a fun ride, even of there are so many plot twists it’s hard to sort out all the factions and who the real bad guys are. But the overly complicated storyline is part of its charm. Dalton succeeds in bringing back Bond’s serious side. However, it’s also the least sexual film in the series. 1989 Dalton’s stint turns way too serious, with Bond out for revenge against a drug lord (Robert Davi) who murders the bride of Bond’s buddy Felix Leiter. This is the least humorous of all the films, although Desmond Llewelyn as Q shines with his biggest role in the series, as does Benicio del Toro as a henchman. 1995 Pierce Brosnan’s debut succeeds in establishing Bond as an action hero for the 1990s, despite the end of the Cold War. Brosnan instantly embodies the character, and Sean Bean as Bond’s villainous foil sets up an interesting dynamic. Eric Serra’s sub-par musical score, however, is a low point. >> TOMORROW NEVER DIES 1997 The film has many memorable scenes, a retro musical score by David Arnold, and a delicious performance by Jonathan Pryce as greedy media mogul Elliot Carver, but the parts don’t seem to add up to a satisfying whole. The final battle aboard Carver’s stealth boat is a complete misfire. Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Timothy Dalton Bond: Timothy Dalton Bond: Pierce Brosnan Bond: Pierce Brosnan 6 AGENTDVD JULY 2008 AgentDVD.com http://agentdvd.com
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