James Bond (Sean Connery) delivers his first one-liner in the first movie, Dr. No (1962) after Bond eludes and eventually permanently subdues a baddie in a car chase in his Sunbeam Alpine. The cinematography of the scene is without a doubt memorable and has a distinct, vintage look common in such movie scenes in the 1960s and earlier (and is sometimes replicated for nostalgic purposes in modern arthouse movies).
Anyways, after Bond drives his adversary off a cliff, he callously answers to a road worker’s “what happened” question with a menacing quip. In my opinion, it’s a bit brash for the scene, and doesn’t make complete sense. I mean, if they were on their way to a funeral, I guess Bond is technically implying it would be their own funeral since they die in the scene. But then again, the act of dying in a car crash isn’t really a funeral in and of itself…right?
Whatever. I never found myself laughing at the line, especially after the fiery death we are subjected to as the car plummets down the embankment. It’s also a bit odd (and I’m sure it’s a limitation of filming such a scene in the 1960s) that the car explodes in the passenger area and not in an anticipated spot such as the car’s engine or gas tank. The explosion happens almost in the front seat, and an obvious effigy flails wildly and burns as the scene ends.
So although it’s not the most appropriate or funny of James Bond one-liners, it still is significant as it’s the first ever – and there’s something awesome about that!
…in the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983).
I remember watching Licence To Kill on TV when I lost my first tooth. The above GIF was the first scene I remember watching from a James Bond movie!
This is a great 30 second summary of Live And Let Die (1973), from a short 30 second scene from itself – the scene where Bond (Roger Moore) and Solitaire (Jane Seymour) escape San Monique. Bond summarizes that the entire Kananga operation and voodoo mystique on the island was a front for heroin smuggling. I’ve always said that the simpler a Bond villain’s plot in any James Bond movie, the better.
Also, now that Solitaire has finally lost her “magic,” she is horny. Really horny.
Check out this awesome illustration of all the Bonds from MAD Magazine illustrator Tom Richmond from 2011:
The Draco/Bond raid of Piz Gloria at the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) is definitely a highlight of the movie. Lazenby’s Bond is dressed in a tactical navy jumpsuit in what many would say is his best outfit (no puffy shirts or kilts here) and the surprising use of the original Monty Norman James Bond theme sets the tone of the action sequence. Yes, you can enhance any James Bond movie scene by playing the original theme, but the addition of it here was a pleasant surprise and added just enough nostalgia to, in my opinion, truly cement George Lazenby as the character James Bond in his first and only appearance as 007.
Over the last 30 years, I’d also say that OHMSS has made the most stunning turnaround (at least for fans in my generation – I’m a late 90’s James Bond) in best-of lists – from a forgotten write-off of a James Bond movie to one of the most revered. It only gets better with each viewing.
