Your ONE essential Bond film

Brosnan_fanBrosnan_fan Sydney, AustraliaPosts: 521MI6 Agent
in The James Bond Films
If you could have one - and ONLY ONE - James Bond film in your collection, what would it be and why?

It's TSWLM for me. It was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema, and I become quite fond of it when thinking about it.

It has a memorable title song (and nice score), a very attractive Bond girl, eye-popping sets (including a wonderful villain's lair), an unforgettable evil henchman, a lovely villainess :v, believable chemistry between the stars, fun action sequences...

Oh, and yes, the car that turns into a submarine. B-) :D
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."

Comments

  • GeorgiboyGeorgiboy Posts: 632MI6 Agent
    edited October 2007
    TSWLM is definitely mine.
  • stumac7stumac7 ScotlandPosts: 295MI6 Agent
    Goldfinger
  • Krassno GranitskiKrassno Granitski USAPosts: 896MI6 Agent
    On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

    Why? Because it remains the most faithful to what Ian Fleming created. Also it’s a damn good flick.
    J1 Visa
  • Tilly Masterson 007Tilly Masterson 007 UKPosts: 1,472MI6 Agent
    From Russia With Love. No particular reason, other than it's my favourite film.

    It's easy to relish Tatiana Romanova, well ya know! ;)

    It also has some classic villains. Rosa Klebb, Kronsteen and Red Grant. So yeah thumbs up there!
  • actonsteveactonsteve Posts: 299MI6 Agent
    I would have to say The Spy Who Loved Me..
  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Interesting...if their favorite film lists are to be believed, both Brosnan_fan's and actonsteve's "essential" Bond film is different than their "favorite" Bond film. Well, count me with you, guys. I would definitely choose TSWLM. Anytime someone asks me which Bond film they should watch first, this is the answer I give them. It's the "Greatest Hits" of Bond films, IMO.
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    From Russia With Love.

    For me, it's the perfect Bond film that encompasses everything that classic Bond is all about. Heck, it even has a Cold War plot.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,280MI6 Agent
    Sir Hillary Bray wrote:
    Anytime someone asks me which Bond film they should watch first, this is the answer I give them. It's the "Greatest Hits" of Bond films, IMO.

    Well said. I'd choose TSWLM for the same reasons.
  • 00-Agent00-Agent CaliforniaPosts: 453MI6 Agent
    highhopes wrote:
    From Russia With Love.

    For me, it's the perfect Bond film that encompasses everything that classic Bond is all about. Heck, it even has a Cold War plot.

    From Russia with Love. I have to agree with HH. It is the classic Bond film.
    "A blunt instrument wielded by a Government department. Hard, ruthless, sardonic, fatalistic. He likes gambling, golf, fast motor cars. All his movements are relaxed and economical". Ian Fleming
  • PendragonPendragon ColoradoPosts: 2,640MI6 Agent
    I agree with FROM RUSSIA...it's a really well made movie that embodies most of what Bond has to offer. :D

    ~Pen -{
    Hey! Observer! You trying to get yourself Killed?

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  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    OHMSS

    IMO it's the best Bond movie and the best film that's a Bond movie. In other words it succeeds magnificently on an action as well as an artistic level, more so than any other movie. It's also got a fantastic Bond in George Lazenby, the best score of any Bond movie, the coolest plot, best romance, awesome ski sequences etc. etc. OHMSS rules.
  • Harry PalmerHarry Palmer Somewhere in the past ...Posts: 325MI6 Agent
    Have to agree with Laz that OHMSS is the best film among the bond movies (though I don't agree that it's the best Bond movie).
    My award for "best Bond" goes to FRWL but the one I would choose to have if I could only have one is TLD.


    Lazenby wrote:
    OHMSS

    IMO it's the best Bond movie and the best film that's a Bond movie. In other words it succeeds magnificently on an action as well as an artistic level, more so than any other movie. It's also got a fantastic Bond in George Lazenby, the best score of any Bond movie, the coolest plot, best romance, awesome ski sequences etc. etc. OHMSS rules.
    1. Cr, 2. Ltk, 3. Tld, 4. Qs, 5. Ohmss, 6. Twine, 7. Tnd, 8. Tswlm, 9. Frwl, 10. Tb, 11. Ge, 12. Gf, 13. Dn, 14. Mr, 15. Op, 16. Yolt, 17. Sf, 18. Daf, 19. Avtak, 20. Sp, 21. Fyeo, 22. Dad, 23. Lald, 24. Tmwtgg
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
    Tilly Masterson 007 wrote:
    From Russia With Love. No particular reason, other than it's my favourite film.

    It's easy to relish Tatiana Romanova, well ya know! ;)

    It also has some classic villains. Rosa Klebb, Kronsteen and Red Grant. So yeah thumbs up there!

    I'm with Tilly (and HH) on this one. FRWL is 'it' for me...but OHMSS is probably my fallback position, because it was the first Fleming book I ever read, and the movie is just so amazingly close B-)
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
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  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited October 2007
    Harry Palmer wrote:
    Have to agree with Laz that OHMSS is the best film among the bond movies (though I don't agree that it's the best Bond movie).
    My award for "best Bond" goes to FRWL
    I think that OHMSS is a fantastic film (Bond or otherwise) but IMO the greatest film among the Bonds is GF which is IMO also the greatest Bond film of all time. :D
    "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 October 2007
    It's GF for me. GF was the first Bond film I ever owned on DVD, and it is my all-time favourite Bond film. I won't go into why I love it so much, as I've done many times before, but I would argue that, more than any other film, it typifies the cinematic Bond. It is not only a film which both Flemingists and Cinematic Bond Traditionalists seem to enjoy, but it was the film which really cemented the formula.

    As I mentioned in the post above this, I consider it to be a brilliant film in its own right (and the best film of the Bond series) but when it comes to James Bond, I don't think that any other film (even TSWLM) is as representative of the series as GF.
    "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
  • Sweepy the CatSweepy the Cat Halifax, West Yorkshire, EnglaPosts: 986MI6 Agent
    edited May 2009
    Usually people would just pick their fave (FRWL for me) but the bond film that has all the trademarks and just screams bond would have to be either a connery one or a brozzer one

    So here goes:
    Brozzer - GE or TND
    Connery - GF or TB
    207qoznfl4.gif
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,274MI6 Agent
    GF is pretty much my fave, but I can't agree with Dan Same that it ticks quite all the boxes. The espionage stuff we see in FRWL, then brought back in the 1980s, is not really there, I mean the Cold War angle. For some fans that's important. Also, I can't say it's an epic film. For a visual feast, there's the likes of YOLT, OHMSS (mainly the second half), MR and OP. The pts isn't quite right for me either, a bit scrappy and on the studio lot compared to other efforts.

    It's great for iconography, wit, leading man appeal and the Fleming sweep (effortlessly gliding from one country to another...)
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    "Give me Octopussy, or give me death."

    If Patrick Henry were alive in '83, I'm sure he'd agree with me. ;)

    OP's got all the right stuff. Great action, great locations, a cool Cold War plot. Great villains, lovely ladies, a score by Bond veteran John Barry.

    Roger Moore is well into his 50s, but still in his prime. Opposite Moore is a more mature Maud Adams. Adams is even sexier than she was a decade earlier. Louis Jourdan brings class and sophistication to the role of Kamal Kahn. Stephen Berkoff's Orlov is absolutely mad. Kristina Wayborn is simply stunning.

    Whatever your feelings towards OP, there is one thing that we can all agree on: the banister scene. :))

    OP is such a fun film, one that I simply cannot go without. {[]
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • Sweepy the CatSweepy the Cat Halifax, West Yorkshire, EnglaPosts: 986MI6 Agent
    Yeah, there are no Bond films I don't like but and this film is very bondian, it's just hard to get into and I find most of it quite slow.
    207qoznfl4.gif
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,569Chief of Staff
    Lazenby wrote:
    OHMSS

    IMO it's the best Bond movie and the best film that's a Bond movie. In other words it succeeds magnificently on an action as well as an artistic level, more so than any other movie. It's also got a fantastic Bond in George Lazenby, the best score of any Bond movie, the coolest plot, best romance, awesome ski sequences etc. etc. OHMSS rules.

    And I can't disagree with that !

    OHMSS for me too.
    YNWA 97
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,652MI6 Agent
    edited October 2007
    First, let me establish that Terrence Young is the master and genius who gave movie Bond his soul.

    However, with OHMSS Peter Hunt went to painstaking lengths to do justice to classic Bond staples that Young, et al. set in place while also preserving as many qualities of the Fleming source as possible to create, IMO, the finest meeting of the Bond worlds. Hunts' meticulous dedication was so much, to the extent that OHMSS exceeded the series' high water mark for excellence.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • walther p99walther p99 NJPosts: 3,416MI6 Agent
    most likely Casino Royale, as its my favorite Bond film
    @deanwdunlevy
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    The pts isn't quite right for me either, a bit scrappy and on the studio lot compared to other efforts.
    Why don't you like it? It's got everything in it; a cool costume, a dance with a beautiful woman, a terrific fight and death, and fantastic dialogue including a classic pun. :D

    BTW, after all this time, you revert back to calling me Dan Same? :o What ever happened to DS or Same? :))
    "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
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,274MI6 Agent
    Well don't take it personally, btw is Dan Same your real name or not? I can't remember, it sounds like some superhero thing like Martin Mystery or whathaveyou... :D

    I don't hate GF's pts, I guess it fits more into the world of Casablanca in terms of fake exotism but with superb wit and style. The room where Bond meets the girl looks like some grotty bedsit! Though of course a bellydancer would be on minimum wage... Bond's assailant looks like Bernard Cribbins! (er... comedy Brit actor from 1960s, sang a song called Right Said Fred).
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Sweepy the CatSweepy the Cat Halifax, West Yorkshire, EnglaPosts: 986MI6 Agent
    I've changed my mind to TSWLM, surely it's not the best but it's one of the best and has all the right elements for repetive viewing.
    207qoznfl4.gif
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    btw is Dan Same your real name or not? I can't remember, it sounds like some superhero thing like Martin Mystery or whathaveyou... :D
    It is indeed my real name. As for it being a superhero name, I wish that were the case. :)) However, as much I hate to say it, I don't think that there would be to many people who would like me to come to their rescue. :# :))
    "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
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