You Only Live Twice
Dovy
Posts: 206MI6 Agent
When it comes to cutting things out of the films, the question arises again in You Only Live Twice. How did Bond manage to become a skilled Ninja in only 2 days? How did the enemy with the poison who killed Aki and the second killer both discover Bond's location at Tanaka's estate or that he was even there?
It's worth noting that when Bond and Kissy arrived near the volcano it was daylight, but when they got closer it was after dark. Then Bond told her to go get Tanaka and his men, but if it took so long to get up close between daylight and dark, then it must have taken a long time for her to get to Tanaka and return with them, although time was rather short because of the launches.
When Bond arrived at the volcano he is soon seen in a costume (not worn by Kissy) that was the one worn later by Tanaka's men. Where did he get it, and how could Kissy be involved in her swimsuit? It was curious that Tanaka himself, the head of Japanese intelligence came along to volcano. Blofield got away all alone, but the film didn't suggest where he went. And the story didn't explain what his spacecraft was supposed to do after capturing the American Jupiter craft when the volcano launch pad and headquarters was destroyed. I suppose his intent was that the capture itself was enough to launch a war between the US and USSR, but of course if his entire infrastructure was destroyed, how was he to rule the world? These type of questions and previous ones made me wonder if significant parts of the film were cut.
Were some scenes cut out of the films? For instance, in Thunderball we see Bond escaping from Largo's estate on the roof, and in the next scene he's being driven up to the hotel. Towards the end we see Bond returning from discovering the airplane in the water, and in the next scene he's with Domino returning from a swim on the beach.
I'm not sure I understand how the nuclear warheads were both recovered and deactivated. Having said that, the underwater scenes are quite extraordinary, especially since the film was made in 1965. They are extremely realistic. How were they done so well, especially with the sharks swimming around, and people being hit by the shark guns?
Comments
There seemed to be another piece cut, when we suddenly see Bond and his girl tied up on the pole above the water. Plus we see Bond landing on the island and in the next scene he's sitting in Solitaire's chair with the cards, but no transition for how he got in there.
That’s because they don’t need to. The film would be too long if they show everything. They’re just films for mild entertainment, not documentaries.
Dovy, you're confusing YOLT with LALD...
It's sometimes hard to remembering what film go with what events. But to have a one minute transition of Bond going from the beach to Solitaire's chair, or how Bond and the girl got tied to the pole wouldn't be a big deal. Just for an example. I assumed the film was cut when put on Amazon Prime Video.
The thing is, all those minutes add up in the end. It is a thin line between cutting too much and cutting too little. IMHO the Bond movies of the '60s and '70s do a good job in that regard.
Except for Moonraker of course, which actually is a very serious and dark documentary.
@Dovy, the original edit of YOLT was nearly three hours long. Peter Hunt, who had edited the four previous films, was asked to do a new edit and shorten the film in the process.
Now I'm not saying that this would explain all or some of the points you raise re YOLT (since like everyone else not high up in Eon I've never seen the longer cut) but it possibly might.
barbel said:
the original edit of YOLT was nearly three hours long. Peter Hunt, who had edited the four previous films, was asked to do a new edit and shorten the film in the process.
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I didn't know this boss! that's maybe an hour longer. any clues what got left out?
I wish I knew! I do know that the original editor was Thelma Connell, who had worked regularly with the director Lewis Gilbert. The credits were tactfully arranged to avoid any embarrassment to her when Hunt was called in.
I read that the cut of YOLT presented by Lewis Gilbert in collaboration with his official editor Thelma Connell was 133 minutes long. Peter Hunt was called in to shave it down to less than two hours, no doubt because Thunderball, despite its massive success was criticised for being 'slow'. Was there also still that theatre turnaround time which meant you could show a movie three times an evening if it was under two hours ?
It's interesting that Dovy highlights these editing issues because to a seasoned viewer of Bond, or to an astute first-timer, they are fairly obvious flaws. I think two points are worth considering:
I don't think anything significant was cut, but both Thunderball and YOLT have retained action sequences to the detriment of the story. I think the running time for TB would be fine if we had more dialogue and less climatic underwater battle. YOLT seems a mite short, but possibly the sections I mentioned might have slowed the film at the point it needed to keep being propelled forward. A good film editor working with his sound editor can sometimes insert explanatory detail, [lines can be spoken off-camera, or over dubbed, or while an actor is seen from behind] but possibly the set up of the scenes and the dialogue didn't allow Hunt to do this, so we get these small 'gaps' or 'lapses' in continuity.
Hi @chrisno1, I've read various accounts over the years of how long the Connell cut was. I tend to believe the earlier versions. Hunt was on hand since he was the 2nd Unit Director- he had asked to direct but was turned down so quit as editor and took a holiday in... Japan, of all places. By an unbelievable coincidence (!) he ran into Broccoli who offered him the job of directing the 2nd Unit as a way of making peace between them. Hunt of course accepted on the apparent understanding that he would be allowed to direct the next film (which as we know he did). When the Connell cut was deemed too long (and as I said, stories vary) Hunt agreed to cut it down.
I had a row with an erstwhile member called High Hopes about what should and shouldn't be cut or included in Casino Royale. In particular, with Bond at Miami Airport - he's trailing this guy and we see him next in the departure lounge despite not being seen buying a ticket. 'Hopes argued that of course he got a ticket to follow the villain, but it just wasn't shown whereas I thought that in a tense scene like that it' more relevant that seeing Bond have his breakfast or catch a bathroom break and so on.
It made you think - but the nadir of the argument for me was the silver suitcase with the cash being washed away at the finale, then we see Mr White making off with it. I think he argued that this is explained by White having an identical silver suitcase and offscreen he took the cash out and put it in that suitcase instead, some arguments test one's patience. I pointed out in that case, maybe in Goldfinger when Bond is trailing him in the Alps, it takes place over a few days seeing as there's nothing to prove otherwise... Hopes didn't demur.
There are some cute jump cuts if that's the term in LALD, I notice the switch to them being tied up too but I think it's sort of meant to be quirky and funny. Somone must have messed up with the YOLT edit because you shouldn't really be making a movie three hours long and then having to trim it back that much. It should all be storyboarded.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
High Hopes! Well, that wasn't yesterday @Napoleon Plural !!
I remember an interview with a director who said, and I'm paraphrasing, that if your main character calls the local doctor for a sick child then we don't have to see the doctor taking the call, getting his coat, walking to his car, driving through the streets, getting out of the car, walking to the door.... All that is understood, unnecessary and frankly boring. We just have to see the main character reach for the phone then cut to the doctor explaining what's up. As time has gone on, films have taken less and less time to cover such a series of events.
chrisno1, I think you're right about theatre turnaround - should've mentioned that above.
I remember reading somewhere that the first cut was nearly four hours long, but it’s difficult to determine what is truth and what is fiction as the participants are now a long time dead.
Interestingly, the next movie in the series OHMSS was twenty minutes longer than normal and it took the manager of the Odeon Leicester Square cinema to agree that it should remain that length, him saying that it was a marvellous adventure and shouldn’t be cut any further, if memory serves me correctly.