As Bond and Honey Ryder make their way to dinner in Dr. No’s lair in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (1961), you’ll notice 007 do a double-take on a particular piece of artwork before walking up some stairs:
The painting (Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya) was notable at the time of the movie as a pop culture reference, since in real life it was stolen. Bond’s look at the painting shows his surprise that Dr. No is the perpetrator.
It’s cool we get a sneak peek into Commander James Bond of the Royal Navy’s funeral in You Only Live Twice (1967). As a secret agent, however, it’s surprising to see his funeral well attended and “known” judging by the crowds and mystery man using binoculars to verify Bond’s body is “buried” at sea. But it makes sense after the start of the movie reveals that “our man in Hong Kong” was “killed” while on assignment investigating the stolen US spacecraft. Surely his actions and efforts prevented further escalations in the international incident, and maybe even the next world war.
Bond’s memorial is short-lived though. As the movie’s title suggests, he’s saved from his grave at sea and boards a British Navy vessel to get back on the job, now with better cover.
The Kevin McClory/EON dispute over the filming rights to the Thunderball storyline was eventually settled after a long legal battle and resulted in a rather bizarre resurgence of Sean Connery’s James Bond character in 1983’s Never Say Never Again (1983). Overall, I’d say the movie in average or below-average quality James Bond movie, but it also didn’t help that (for legal reasons) was missing standard aspects aspects of a Bond movie – most notably the gun barrel sequence and the classic James Bond theme. Putting aside comparisons of other parts of the Thunderball story, it’s fun but a bit bland overall.
Anyways, in the scene featured above set in a rehab clinic, a nosy Bond is suspicious of some peculiar activity he witnesses through a window. Another patient, Jack Petachi (Gavan O’Hurlihy), is in the midst of an eye scan procedure with the help of Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera), and it piques Bond’s interest. Bond’s cover is blown, and although he attempts to hide, he’s eventually seen by Blush (a SPECTRE agent) as she scans the area with night vision goggles. It’s a pretty cool shot at the end and Blush memorably enunciates Bond’s agent number. This encounter eventually leads to the uncovering of a plot of stolen identity (explaining Petachi’s procedure attempting to replicate an iris pattern) and nuclear weapon robbery.
It’s obvious (and referenced) throughout the movie that Connery is an aged James Bond, but I’d say not any more so than his counterpart Roger Moore in his final movie < ahref="/avtak/">A View To A Kill just two years later in 1985. NSNA is cool for what it is, but nothing to write home about.
…at the end of the unofficial James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983) with a simple wink to the camera.
And at the end of the pre-title sequence in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), with a direct look at the camera and a quote referencing Lazenby’s take-over of the Bond role from Connery:
“This never happened to the other fella.”
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).
