You Only Live Twice (1967)
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You Only Live Twice (1967)
BOND#5: Kill Bond! Now! says Blofeld - Revealed!
SEAN CONNERY is James Bond 007 in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
AKIKO WAKABAYASHI as Aki * MIE HAMA as Kissy * TETSURO TAMBA as Tiger Tanaka
KARIN DOR as Helga * TERU SHIMADA * and DONALD PLEASENCE as Blofeld
BERNARD LEE as M * LOIS MAXWELL as Moneypenny * DESMOND LLEWELYN as Q
Directed by LEWIS GILBERT
We thought SPECTRE played its ultimate hand in the previous Thunderball. Here, instead of just stealing nuclear warheads, the sinister organization gobbles up entire space ships, a blatant attempt to establish itself as a new super power - a 3rd one - following up on the hints in the previous Bonders. Expectedly, there are fantastic special FX for the time to convey all this ambitious power playing. This marked a shift to all-out science fiction, although traces of traditional espionage remain. The teaser is actually divided into two parts, with the 2nd half devoted to another 'false death' for Bond (see From Russia With Love's teaser). Nancy Sinatra sings over the credits and at the end, a more languorous and lyrical effort than the bombastic tempos in previous films (Nancy had trouble getting it right, but the end result was pretty good, very nice).
Bond spends his mission in Japan in this one, since this is where it appears the criminal space craft originates from. In a slight deviation of protocol, M and Moneypenny have also set up quarters in this area, in a least likely spot. Many of the early scenes convey this sleight of hand, where nothing is as it appears to be, but then the plot starts to meander a bit. Despite some fine action bits, notably against a burly Japanese thug and a unique long shot of Bond's rooftop struggle, the middle act comes across as almost a travelogue of the Orient's better scenery. It's nice to look at, yes, perhaps the most exotic of the Bonders, but on the slow side, a conceit which would plague many of the future Bonders.
Q shows up with his contribution, a miniature helicopter, which almost seems like an advertisement for the company who made this weird prop, though there is an impressive aerial battle against some standard helicopters when Bond attempts some scouting. Similar to the use of sharks in the previous film, this has a pond of piranha, always a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, accentuating the outrageous aspects of Bond villains. To the film's credit, several fine Japanese actors were cast, including a couple of Bond girls (another film company might have cast white actors in all the main roles, despite the Japanese setting). I especially liked the poignant oriental-flavored musical score during Bond's wedding, though this entire subplot makes little sense. There's even a tragic tone to one of the character arcs, though Bond accepts this like a good soldier, a sign of Connery's less energetic approach by this time.
The casting of uber-villain Blofeld, however, was not very inspired. The actor Donald Pleasence is always excellent and actually lends himself very well to eccentric villainy, but it didn't quite work here. After sensing the power emanating from this mysterious figure with the reverberating voice in From Russia With Love and Thunderball, one can't help but be unimpressed by Pleasence's limited stature, both physically and vocally. He actually reminded me of a stunted version of another comic book villain, Baron Strucker, introduced a couple of years earlier in the 'Sgt. Fury' Marvel Comics. The fact that he shows up so late, a la Dr. No style, was probably just as well. His bodyguard, the aryan brute henchman, doesn't speak and functions merely as a tall combatant for the now standard mano-a-mano with Bond towards the end (though the scene of the two dangerous men walking towards each other was a stylistic triumph).
Connery himself appeared noticeably older than in the previous Bonders; though still physically fit, you sense he was past his prime - not desk-bound just yet, but slowing up, and his lack of jovial sarcasm during Q's lecture denoted a little too much seasoning by this point. This does have a spectacular finish, with literally a hundred attacking ninjas on the greatest Bond set so far - underneath a fake lake in a volcano. No expense was spared at this point. Bond would return, but Connery would not, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
BoG'S Bond Scores: Bond:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:5 Fights:8 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:8 Auto:6 Locations:9 Pace:7 overall:7
Last edited by BoG on Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:29 am; edited 3 times in total
You Only Live Twice sets
As many know, You Only Live Twice is now famous for the biggest Ken Adams set so far (mentioned above in my overview). Yet, Ken Adams and his production design work was not even nominated for an Academy Award; but, the living room set in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was! Check it out here: SPY VIBE BLOG-YOU ONLY LIVE TW. Shocking. Positively.
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Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super Agents - James Bond and his ilk
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