You Only Live Twice.....

I am a new member to the forum here. I am also a new bond fan. So far I've only seen Dr. No, FRWL, GF, TB, YOLT, OHMSS, and LALD.
I can remember my dad watching bond movies when i was a kid. I heard such good things about Casino Royale that i decided to watch all the old movies before I watch that one.

So far YOLT is the worst Bond film I've seen by far. It was so boring. The plot sucked. The women in the film were just average. Connery definitely seemed to be growing tired of this role.

Dr. No and LALD are my two favorites so far. Thunderball is pretty high up there. I didn't care much for Goldfinger. FRWL was pretty enjoyable.

OHMSS was interesting. I thought the plot was silly. Not really sure about Lazenby as Bond. Would have liked to see him make at least one more Bond film.

I am really enjoying watching all the Bond films now.

What do ya'll think of YOLT????
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Comments

  • Smoke_13Smoke_13 Kitchener Ont CanadaPosts: 285MI6 Agent
    If you thought YOLT was bad wait until you see Diamonds are Forever.

    A pure cinematic masterpiece. The story of an aging secret agent with a bad toupee trying to save the world from actors who mail in their efforts to star in the movie.

    You will cringe in fear as you see horrible acting! You will bite your nails in aticipation waiting for the next cheesy dialogue line to be delivered!

    The pathetic chases and poorly choreographed fight scenes are only surpassed by the size of Bond's jiggly belly!!!!

    Yep! Compared to DAF, You Only Live Twice isnt that bad at all.
  • HankHank Posts: 37MI6 Agent
    The scenes in which Connery is supposed to be Japanese just make me cringe. I'd take DAF over YOLT. Then again, 007 on a tiny three-wheeler looks really silly in DAF
  • mythrenegademythrenegade Posts: 35MI6 Agent
    Well, I agree with you on Dr. No and Live and Let Die. Both are excellent films. Dr. No is my favorite, and Live and Let Die I rank #6. For some reason I've always liked YOLT, even though I never thought of it as an exceptional film. The first time I made a list ranking all 20 films top to bottom I put it at #5. As I've updated the list as my opinions change it has crept down to #9, just above Thunderball.

    I'm not sure why, but I don't care for Thunderball as much as everyone else does. Ditto Goldfinger. But I love From Russia with Love (#3 for me) and I enjoyed Diamonds are Forever (#8). I love seeing a snapshot of Vegas as it existed in 1971, and I've never been bothered by Connery's performance.

    So go into DAF with an open mind and see what you think. Do it before you get deep into the Moore films, as it's the last Connery film.

    Since you are new, I thought I should mention Never Say Never Again. I do not consider Never Say Never Again a bond film for a number of reasons. It was not produced by EON so they didn't have the rights to the logo, the gunbarrel, the music, the theme song, or anything else. It was produced by Kevin McClory, who claimed to own the Bond franchise after he wrote Thunderball. Not sure how he got that idea in his mind, but he created havoc for many years. Most around here do not consider NSNA a bond film and it is usually not mentioned any more than the original 1960's Casino Royale is...

    Back to the topic at hand, watch Diamonds are Forever and then resume the order, watching the man with the golden gun next. You can find my review of that elsewhere, it isn't exactly a stellar effort, but then you reach the glorious The Spy Who Loved Me, the very best film by Roger Moore and one of the top films in the entire series IMHO.

    As for YOLT, the plot isn't that bad but you have to put yourself in a cold war context. I don't know how old you are, but the tension between the soviet world and the western world was extremely high in those days, and YOLT capitalizes on that. Also, space was the next battlefield, with the soviets and americans trying to establish superiority in their space programs.

    Now, when you hit Moonraker you'll see what happens when a Bond film goes totally wrong :-)

    Joel
  • James F EJames F E Posts: 140MI6 Agent
    I find YOLT very enjoyable...the women are very beautiful...Tanaka is a great ally...Japan, a great location...Blofeld...the cold war was a very tense period, a race for the Moon in the balance...theme song one of, if not the best of all the films. It's in my top 10.


    Fiona Volpe: Some men don't like to be driven.

    Bond: No, some men don't like to be taken for a ride.
  • alabamabondfanalabamabondfan Posts: 23MI6 Agent
    Cool guys. I appreciate all the comments. I think this is a pretty awesome forum.

    I am planning on watching DAF next. My expectations are not high though.

    I can see how all those elements mentioned made YOLT a great film for its time but some of the Bond films seem to have held up better over time. To me, YOLT was just bad.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited December 2006
    I consider YOLT to be the worst of the 60s films but I still think it's terrific. It's fun, it's got some cool action scenes, Helga Brandt is really good looking IMO and Connery, while bored, is still very good. I think that a bored Connery is still better than most other actors.
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited December 2006
    Smoke_13 wrote:
    A pure cinematic masterpiece. The story of an aging secret agent with a bad toupee trying to save the world from actors who mail in their efforts to star in the movie.

    You will cringe in fear as you see horrible acting!
    I don't agree at all. ;) I consider Connery's performance in DAF to be one of the absolute best Bond performance of all time. IMO he was absolutely brilliant. I also think that Wint + Kidd were terrific. DAF isn't a great film by any means, but I do think that the acting in it (especially from Connery) was superb.
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • Cmdr_EgorunamuckCmdr_Egorunamuck Posts: 22MI6 Agent
    YOLT is one of those films that grow on you, and it's a good growth.
    1/ The music is classic. I've debated with myself whether the theme song is the best or one of the best. Right now, it's the best ... the melody, the sweep of strings really hits the uber romanticism (that's a word!) of Bond's world. Look at the lyrics -- one life for yourself, and one for your dreams!
    John Barry really hit his mark : when Bond tackles the assassin in the garden -- DANT!! and lurking in the trees while the guitar goes doonk DOONK! In Bond movies, the composer is on co-star status, IMHO..... the Ama girls running in the sunrise ... when Kissy raises her head to see Bond the first time.
    2/ It's of course all over the top. That's one of the weaknessess ... but also its strength. It's not a 'serious' Bond film, it pokes fun at itself. However, the mood still treats the crazy action as having a real base. The fight with the sumo wrestler. Bond smacking him with a couch (doing one better than guys picking up a chair). The lines are very funny, especially delivered with the dubbed voices. Tiger Tanaka and his voice make him an "A" Bond-friend. umpump ump. Welcome. Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond....
    3/ Japan. It's the Japan of Fleming, not the real Japan. Like the book, Bond's film Japan is glossy, strange, erotic ... the precursor of Japanese animation. In fact, someone mentioned that a Bond film is like a No-play. Bond puts on his cold, saturnine but quirky mask and ambles through, invincible like a sword master. If this was an accident, (and I may be reading into it), it's a deft touch. This man is in Japan, a land of deadliest dangers, and looks mock-elegant whether fighting or loving.
    4/ Unintentionally funny, too. A beer belly officer taking a hard hike with a disciplined Ama girl: "Think you can make it?" he wheezes.
    "Of course. It's bizness!" She was of course thinking, Oh Please, fat boy.
    5/ Many funny Connery 'pretty boy' shots (close ups) ... in the sub briefing with M.... as Blofeld takes his helmet off... James ... Bond.
    6/ Oscar Bond lines : a/ Kill him! b/ Kill Bond now!! c/ this is the price of failure, Mr Bond!!!
    7/ The most beautiful camera work of all, with the possible exception of OHMSS.
    8/ The REAL M and Moneypenny are at their best.
    I ... love ... you ... get it? 'Don't worry, I get it.'
    9/ The villains. Blofeld seems to really be enjoying himself.
    10/ The sets. Ken Adam also had fun .... Osato's office, Tiger's lair, and of course the volcano (it must have sounded incredibly stupid, and Brocolli must have been rolling his eyes)... 'Why, it's metal!'
    Summing up, while the plot makes no sense, the film is very entertaining, like a good hearted, eccentric uncle. You know all his jokes, but he's fun to have around anyway. Maybe that's the best word: eccentric. Bond is slightly (maybe more) nuts. Nothing bothers him; he has fear at the time, but then it washes off with a stiff drink. Like that daft uncle, he makes you laugh not in spite of the cliches, but etc...
    ______________________

    "Surely, you're joking!!?"
    "Don't call me Shirley."
  • SteedSteed Posts: 134MI6 Agent
    It's not the best film of the series, but to me it's a great improvement over the plodding 'Thunderball' which I often struggle to get through. At least the pacing is far better, even if the plot is a bit muddy and it does have one of the weakest performances of any actor in the role- Sean hobbles through it, without too much conviction or care, imo. On the other hand, I find his performance in DAF to be a lot better and more spirited than here.

    Still, this still looks a very impressive film. It's still one of the most expensive looking films of the series and John Barry's score is gorgeous. Some excellent action scenes too- a monumental punch up with a hulking bodyguard in the first half and the ninja assault near the end is well handled. I'd say it was a 4/5 from me, because I think the sheer spectacle prevails.
  • OsatoOsato Aberdeen, ScotlandPosts: 99MI6 Agent
    I like a great many things about YOLT - music, design, cast, the almost self-parody screenplay, and the very Bondian exotic feel to the whole thing. There are just three things which really get on my nerves,but between them they bug me almost to the point of spoiling the whole viewing experience:

    1. The "impossible camera" providing aerial shots of the car being dumped in the bay, on the TV screen in Aki's car.

    2. The appaling effect shot of the volcano erupting.

    3. The feeble attempt to transform Bond into a Japanese fisherman, despite the best efforts of a team of lovelies in a gleaming operating theatre and all the technological advances available to Japanese intelligence. And, of course, the mysterious disappearance of the top-of-the-range prosthetics, wig etc after climbing the volcano.

    I know, I know: suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride. And I really would love to, but these three still drive me nuts!
    Green figs, yoghurt, coffee very black.
  • Smoke_13Smoke_13 Kitchener Ont CanadaPosts: 285MI6 Agent
    Dan Same,

    I agree with you 100% that Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd were fantastic characters. In fact, I wish Bond would have taken longer than one film to kill the two of them -they would have been great reoccurring characters! I was certainly mistaken when I didnt give the two of them the Kudos they so rightly deserve.

    My "supporting cast of bad actors" was in reference to the guys who played the police, and to Bambi and Thumper. There were several others too, but I would have to see that movie again to pinpoint exactly who they were, and I just dont think I can bear to look at it. :))
  • OsatoOsato Aberdeen, ScotlandPosts: 99MI6 Agent
    I like a great many things about YOLT - music, design, cast, the almost self-parody screenplay, and the very Bondian exotic feel to the whole thing. There are just three things which really get on my nerves,but between them they bug me almost to the point of spoiling the whole viewing experience:

    1. The "impossible camera" providing aerial shots of the car being dumped in the bay, on the TV screen in Aki's car.

    2. The appaling effect shot of the volcano erupting.

    3. The feeble attempt to transform Bond into a Japanese fisherman, despite the best efforts of a team of lovelies in a gleaming operating theatre and all the technological advances available to Japanese intelligence. And, of course, the mysterious disappearance of the top-of-the-range prosthetics, wig etc after climbing the volcano.

    I know, I know: suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride. And I really would love to, but these three still drive me nuts!
    Green figs, yoghurt, coffee very black.
  • Double 0 ZeroDouble 0 Zero Posts: 30MI6 Agent
    Osato wrote:
    I like a great many things about YOLT - music, design, cast, the almost self-parody screenplay, and the very Bondian exotic feel to the whole thing. There are just three things which really get on my nerves,but between them they bug me almost to the point of spoiling the whole viewing experience:

    1. The "impossible camera" providing aerial shots of the car being dumped in the bay, on the TV screen in Aki's car.

    And don't forget the other "impossible camera" in Earth orbit for the final capsule hijack attempt. Blofeld: "You can watch it on TV." How???

    Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.
  • jbfreakjbfreak Posts: 144MI6 Agent
    edited December 2006
    [quote=Double 0 Zero[/quote]
    And don't forget the other "impossible camera" in Earth orbit for the final capsule hijack attempt. Blofeld: "You can watch it on TV." How???

    Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.[/quote]

    Maybe no money, but maybe an emergence of a new world leader after the US and USSR destroy the heck out of each other.

    Edit: And I almost forgot. I rather like YOLT. I think it was very well done, and definately better than DAF. The only downfall, Englishmen don't make very good Japanese guys. Besides that, its high on my list.
  • LOO7K OUTLOO7K OUT United KingdomPosts: 474MI6 Agent
    Osato wrote:
    Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.

    Wasn't SPECTRE being paid by an unspecified Far Eastern (probably Japan but not confirmed) Governement to start the war as per the "Extortion is my business" scene with Blofeld?

    I personally adore You Only Live Twice. Pure Fleming it aint, but a cracking 60's Bond caper it is.

    Duncan
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    YOLT is something of a guilty pleasure with me. It's overblown, but I still enjoy it, despite (amongst other things) Sean Connery's non-performance, his ridiculous disguise as a Japanese, and Donald Pleasance being mis-cast as Blofeld.

    The majority of my enjoyment comes from John Barry's stunning score, simply the best in the entire series. I have never visited Japan, but Barry's music perfectly evokes what I imagine Japan to be, based on what I have seen of it on film. The Wedding Music is my favourite piece of all Bond music, it just blows me away every time I hear it.
  • Double 0 ZeroDouble 0 Zero Posts: 30MI6 Agent
    edited December 2006
    Despite my complaints about a few details I really do enjoy YOLT. True, it did set some unfortunate precedents for outlandish plotlines that were taken too far in later films like Moonraker and Die Another Day. There are better Bonds than YOLT but it is still not too campy overall.
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    I wouldn't have a problem with a remake of any of the Bond films, but I'd love to see them remake YOLT in a faithful-to-the-novel way, complete with Garden of Death and Bond's amnesia at the end and leaving Kissy Suzuki to find out who he is -- and unknowingly winding up in enemy hands. Then follow it with a remake of TMWTGG with the brainwashed Bond's attempt on M's life. Hell, remake OHMSS too, with a real actor and make it a trifecta. It's a trilogy anyway.

    So many of the novels were wasted on hokey scripts.
  • Cmdr_EgorunamuckCmdr_Egorunamuck Posts: 22MI6 Agent
    YOLT is something of a guilty pleasure with me. It's overblown, but I still enjoy it, despite (amongst other things) Sean Connery's non-performance, his ridiculous disguise as a Japanese, and Donald Pleasance being mis-cast as Blofeld.

    The majority of my enjoyment comes from John Barry's stunning score, simply the best in the entire series. I have never visited Japan, but Barry's music perfectly evokes what I imagine Japan to be, based on what I have seen of it on film. The Wedding Music is my favourite piece of all Bond music, it just blows me away every time I hear it.

    PPS PPK : Not only Japan, but the music is perfect for exotic SW China. China is much more Bondian than Japan. Beautiful natural scenery, even the city parks have cool trees and bushes; the new cities and old cities full of energy and colour, and sometimes wonderful over the top architecture; and the people are very friendly; last but not.... plenty of beautiful Bond girls.
    When you take a taxi into the city, from the airport just arriving or from your flat, YOLT score is the best! When you amble either in day or night (where the nightlife never stops, it seems) in the older sections, Fleming is walking besides you, your every pore open. (I hope this isn't boring, but China nowadays IS 007 Land.-{
    ______________________

    "Surely, you're joking!!?"
    "Don't call me Shirley."
  • PoorMansJBPoorMansJB USAPosts: 1,198MI6 Agent
    As a kid, YOLT was my favorite and remains probably my most quoted ("Mr.Ahtsato believes in a helty chest." "Yes Number One ... yes, yes!"). But as an adult, I, too, recognize it established some unfortunate precedents and is definitely the most outlandish Bond overall (for example, I maintain that most everything in TSWLM is plausible while YOLT--the film it shamelessly remade almost shot for shot--isn't). And love the film or hate, ya gotta respect the volcano set as a technical achievement if nothing else.
  • NYBritNYBrit Posts: 7MI6 Agent
    This is one of my favourite Connery Bond films. True it's over the top and Connery is less than convincing as a Japanese but it has one of the coolest scenes of all the famous "Little Nellie" scene with the ever cool James Bond theme playing throughout. The volcano set has to be one of the most specatucular sets in any of the Bond movies.
    Also the novel way to resolve the car chase was fun despite the impossible camera scene as has already been mentioned.
    All in all a great fun Bond movie as long as you don't take it too seriously!
  • ZachZach Posts: 51MI6 Agent
    This is kinda funny, because when I was getting back into Bond again 3 or 4 years ago YOLT was by far my least favorite. It didnt feel like a Bond film to me. It's taken a few years, but its finally starting to come around as one that I'll watch regularly. It definitely grew on me after awhile.

    I will say though that Aki is one of the worst Bond girls, and Donald Pleasance's Blofeld is one of the worst villains. Neither one of those things is enough to stop me from watching it though.
  • SteedSteed Posts: 134MI6 Agent
    I personally much prefer Telly Savalas' Blofeld- sinister yet charming and alone in his portrayal that he was a physical opponent to Bond, something no other Blofeld was at all.

    This is an enjoyable ride, as I said. Some great action scenes and the first hour is terrifically exciting and pacy. Yet, it has a cold feel to it largely due to Connery's muted performance (the only film he goes through the motions though, imo). I do find it a shame that it thrashed OHMSS at the box office when to me, that's clearly the superior film. Same goes for Diamonds Are Forever, even though like YOLT I enjoy it a lot.
  • Double 0 ZeroDouble 0 Zero Posts: 30MI6 Agent
    edited December 2006
    I'm watching YOLT right now. First, as a general comment, it's silly but in a first-class sort of way. By that I mean if you watch a Dean Martin Matt Helm movie, it's silly but much cheesier than any Bond film. YOLT isn't as embarrassing to watch as MR or AVTAK but either of those two "lesser Bonds" isn't as painful to watch as "The Wrecking Crew" or "The Ambushers".

    Second, imdb.com lists Alexander Knox's role in YOLT as the unamed American president (uncredited). I'm sure that's wrong; Knox seems to be playing something more like the Secretary of Defense. He's sitting there in one scene while someone else says that the president will be making a speech denying US involvement in the supposed destruction of the Russian capsule. Clearly, the chief executive is strictly an offscreen character.
  • scglrmtdpbdc007scglrmtdpbdc007 Posts: 9MI6 Agent
    YOLT has always been my favorite. Sure the beginning is strange but the rest I thought made a lot of sense and was easy to fallow:(|){[]{[]
  • Prince Kamal KhanPrince Kamal Khan Posts: 277MI6 Agent
    LOO7K OUT wrote:
    Osato wrote:
    Also, the whole scheme doesn't make sense. Why would SPECTRE want to provoke a war between the US and USSR? Where's the profit in that? Blofeld seemed a lot more practical in his prior faceless appearences.

    Wasn't SPECTRE being paid by an unspecified Far Eastern (probably Japan but not confirmed) Governement to start the war as per the "Extortion is my business" scene with Blofeld?

    I personally adore You Only Live Twice. Pure Fleming it aint, but a cracking 60's Bond caper it is.

    Duncan

    I think the unspecified government that the 2 gentlemen in Blofeld's office are representing is Red China. And YOLT is far closer to James Coburn's Our Man Flint series and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV than it is to Fleming but it's wonderful, out-of-this-world 1960s spy/sci-fi extravanga with a fun script from fantasy writer Roald Dahl. I wonder why he never returned to the series.
  • AxelFoleyAxelFoley Posts: 14MI6 Agent
    I watched this just now for the first time in a few years and I can't seem to agree with all the bashing it gets.
    I liked it, Sean Connery did good in it too IMO, not as bad as everyone is saying. It wasn't his best performance as Bond, but it was still a solid performance.

    Blofelt was played very well by Donald Pleasence. The action in it was good and the Bond-girls were hot.

    All in all You Only Live Twice was a good BOnd film in my eyes {[]
  • AxelFoleyAxelFoley Posts: 14MI6 Agent
    Also, did anyone else think that Bond as Japanese looked frightenly a lot like Mr. Spock?
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    I have always enoyed YOLT and yes many of the faults that people have mentioned exist, Bond's bad Japanese disguise, Karin Dor one of the least attractive Bond girls of all time, the thin story, etc. But, it has many other things I love, great theme song with Nancy Sinatra, John Barry's great score, wonderful and large action scenes (the ninja rapeling into the volcano is one of my all time favorites), creative gruesome deaths and a decent performance from Connery. I also enjoyed Bond's relationship with Tiger. I like my Bond movies to be big productions and this one delivered.
  • KGB with loveKGB with love Posts: 18MI6 Agent
    Im my point of view YOLT is good film. Worse than early Connery films but better than DAF. DAF i only watched ONCE, and when i started it for 2nd time i was bored. I never had that problem with YOLT. Yes Connery looked bored but overall film was good and enjoyable:D
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