2015 was “The Year of Sir Roger.” 2016 is the year of Sir Roger continued with our latest film review: For Your Eyes Only. After the mammoth amount of SPECTRE coverage we provided last year it feels good to step back in time to the first Bond film of the 80s.
This time we see Sir Rog trade outer space for a good old fashioned, Fleming-infused spy romp. This is without doubt Roger’s grittiest entry in the series but what do the JBR crew think? Do we miss the bright yellow banana suit? Do we find ourselves pining for the more outrageous side of the big man? Find out in today’s episode of James Bond Radio.
Listen/Watch Below…
iTunes: http://toms70.sg-host.com/itunes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamesbondradio
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jamesbondradio
13 Responses
I forgot the hat toss in Moonraker onto the gondola! But it was nice to see it back in MI6! 🙂
Nice to have you back with the reviews guys. Excelent stuff and very detailed again. I actually smiled when you said that you liked the “drive in the country” tune. I am also not a big fan of the entire score but this is just such a great meldoic 80s tune. I always like to listen to it in the car. I also think the romantic music in the underwater sequences is quiet nice.
welcome back tom & chris. Great review about ”for you’re eyes only”
sir roger moore’s performance in this film was unique. however i never loved the theme song from the film. the skiing sequences are great.
you’re right tom. the rumour about Daniel craig’s leaving bond. is probably rubbish its just about selling newspapers.
Been looking forward to this review for a long time, to get the JBR take on the incongruity of the ‘serious’ Roger movie. I’ve always loved it – much like the incongruous relatively ‘fluffy’ Daniel movie that SPECTRE was. For no particular reason FYEO was the last film I got when I was building up my VCR collection as a 9/10-year-old and subsequently it was one that I watched most in the 1989-1985 hiatus.
The film does have two of my very favourite stunts in – the helicopter stunt of the pre-credits and of course the rock-climbing sequence to come later. Not as iconic as the Spy.. and Moonraker pre-credits stunts but great nevertheless and big reasons I watched this movie so much in those early-90s days.
The vicar in the pre-credits always freaked me out as a youngster with his slow sign-of-the:-cross and expressionless face. I never really thought he was in league with Blofeld but it just seemed like something from The Omen – and Roger’s reaction (similar to sone of Gregory Peck’s reactions in The Omen) as he’s strapping-up helps that horror movie feeling .
I have similar feelings to Bill Conti’s score as I do to Thomas Newman’s scores – I like his non-Bond work, but his FYEO score doesn’t quite do it for me. Personally, his arrangement of the theme for the gunbarrel is my least favourite, the brass just sounds like a drone (two-dimensional and flat) to me. Some nice pieces in the score, like ‘Cortina’, but no doubt that John Barry was missed here.
Other great points about this film: Carole Bouquet absolutely stunning even though her wardrobe isn’t always the most flattering, and the ski sequences are definitely a close second to Majesty’s as the best of the series. Obviously, you’ll get to Columbo next time who’s another big plus point. And Roger’s great too, perfectly balancing the seriousness with his usual Rogerisms.
Looking forward to part 2.
Great review and thought the priest or whatever was probably a villain . I think Largo would best Onotop was well . Looking forward to part 2 😊
The Vicar is in on it. He has a sinister look about him as he makes the cross.
The bloat with the head phones in the Helicopter is George Sweeny who played bit parts his entire career, 1988 Jack the Ripper Mini Series, ITV’s Return of the Saint and the New Avengers, and Remington Steele Season 4.
”This is not a country club 007!”
Nuff Said
Impossible to know the denomination of the Vicar/Priest. That said, if Bond’s ancestral home in Skyfall made one thing clear is that he comes from a Catholic family (remmember the priest hole from Reform times?).
BTW, From the Spectre DVD, the Hotel pointed by the arrow is the real exterior of Estrella’s Hotel at the begining of the movie. It is located about 6 blocks were the opening sequence was filmed. On the upper floor you can see the balcony from where Sam Mendes gave the interviews that can be seen on the Vlogs. The whole cast and crew stayed there.
Tom and Chris,
thanks for another 3 hour+ of enjoyment. Nice work, as always.
I believe the clergyman (not sure he’s Catholic) was simply giving a blessing – if he knew something it wasn’t intel coming from Blofeld… 🙂
Opening sequence is near the top for the helo stunt work alone- amazing and dangerous stuff! Not to mention when Bond dumps Blofeld into the stack – I wonder if that was a one-taker like the spiral bridge??
Finally, when I popped the FYEO BluRay and saw the white and then the red/orange Lotuses, man did I want to be rich enough to find and restore one of those! Awesome!
Take care,
Langford
Nice to have you back!
I disagree with Largo beeing in the final. He is a good leader, yes. But he is actually not a particularly good fighter. Most of the time Largo just points with his hands and tells his henchmen to do the dirty work. What would he do without his crew?
During the final boat fight, his crew members are more of a threat to Bond than Largo is. Largo throws two punches that doesn’t seem to bother Bond. A moment later he throws another two punches, but that is after one of his crew members helped him by locking Bonds arms behind his back. That is all Largo does during the boat fight before he gets killed.
We know that Largo lives on a ship and that he isn’t particularly good at detecting intruders onboard. On the other hand we know that Onatop has experience in operating onboard ships. She knows how to seduce navy personal and kill them during sex. She knows how to infiltrate a ship and secretly assassinate crew members (the Tiger pilots).
Onatop is good with guns and pretty good in close combat. She is not that good in fist fighting, but knows how to headbutt people. If she gets her thighs around you she is deadly. She is also a skilled driver and helicopter pilot.
How would Largo kill her? Throw her into his shark pool? I guess the sharks would get a good squeeze from her thighs. If Largo uses his ice and heat torture on her, she would just enjoy it. Onatop is a better fighter in the air, on land and on ships.
I can see so many ways in which Onatop could kill Largo, but the only environment where I feel Largo is a deadly opponent is under water.
Keep up the good work and congrats to Jaws on winning the death match!
Vicar is in on it. Tracy’s grave is an obvious place for Blofeld to find Bond, so all that has been planned and just waiting for the right moment.
Regarding Melina Havelock and her eyes like “Ice on Fire” … Wouldn’t that be a great title for a re-boot of the Diamonds (ice) Are Forever chapter of the Blofeld story?
Did Fleming describe her mustache in any particular way? Blu-Ray viewers will know what I mean! 😉