Your 5 Favourite Bond Pre-Title Sequences …

[mrs_emma_peel]

Your 5 Favourite Bond Pre-Title Sequences …



Having recently watched one of my favourite Bond film pre-title sequences … the speed/power-boat chase from The World Is Not Enough … easily the best part of the movie … set me thinking about what were my all-time favourite Bond film pre-title sequences … and why they were the simply the best …



There would be a tie for first place …both sequences contain all the classic Fleming Bondian elements of immense style, wit and verve, pace and panache …

both are thrilling unsurpassed James Bond movie making at it’s very best …



1) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) …

Seascape with Figures …

‘This never happened to the other fella …’



James Bond being overtaken at high speed … in the golden half-light of an early morning … by a beautiful woman driving a red Ford Cougar … chasing her … watching through the lens of his telescopic sniper-scope … this mysterious wind-swept beauty, dressed in a magnificent shimmering green-gold evening gown … walking barefoot into the sea … slamming his Aston Martin into gear and skidding at high speed onto the beach … rescuing her from apparent suicide … a knife from an unknown assailant is put to her throat … a spectacular, fast and furious fist fight in the sea and on the beach … the mysterious girl escaping using first Bond’s own car, then her own … leaving only her discarded shoes as compensation for an intrigued Bond … leading into a very clever one liner …

‘this never happened to the other fella …’ introducing one John Barry’s finest ever Bond themes …



1) Goldfinger (1964) …

‘Positively Shocking …’



A truly inspired, hugely entertaining opening sequence … the wet-suit night-time approach … the fast installation infiltration to set-up a massive time-bomb … the casual removal of the wet-suit … to reveal an elegant white dinner jacket/black tie underneath … complemented by red carnation … the steamy night-club ... calmly lighting a cigarette, eying the sexy nightclub dancing girl and his watch illuminated by his lighter as a the ‘heroin flavoured bananas’ explode … the reflection of the assailant in the girl’s eye and the wonderfully choreographed and enjoyable furious fist fight … the electric fire being hurled into the girl’s bath electrocuting the assailant as her reaches for Bond’s own Walther PPK … leading into the best final one-liners ever to grace any Bond film pre-title sequence … ‘shocking, positively shocking’ … ending with the night-club dressing-room door slamming … and synchronised so absolutely brilliantly and perfectly … with the thrilling opening instrumental blasting notes of John Barry’s fabulous Goldfinger … then Dame Shirley gives it everything she’s got …



3) From Russia With Love (1963) …

'Exactly one minute fifty-two seconds … that’s excellent …’

Perhaps James Bond’s most ruthless and vicious adversary ever … the homicidal psychotic Donavan (Red) Grant demonstrates his cunning and ferocious power in this wonderfully atmospheric and tense night-time pre-title sequence.



4) Casino Royale (2006) …

‘You needn’t worry … the second is …’

‘Yes … considerably …’

Introducing Daniel Craig in a superbly stylish, atmospheric and brutal b/w opening sequence …



5) The World Is Not Enough (1999) …

at approx, 11 minutes the longest pre-title sequence in Bond film history

‘Stop! Stop! It isn’t finished …’

A thrilling and spectacular speed/power-boat chase along the river Thames …

Emma

[GRAEME]

From Russia with Love is the best I think. OHMSS is my favourite - can't help loving my first ever Bond film!

[WarFilmBuff]

There is one sequence that is both the BEST opening and also the WORST - I refer of course to For Your Eyes Only. Having Bond standing by Tracy's grave was a wonderful moment, one of the few occaisions in the entire series where Bond's past is referred to. The sudden arrival of the helicopter and the resulting "call to duty" is also excellent, getting across Bond's inability to have a moment's piece and quiet. It's one of the only times in any of the films that suggest how trapped he is by his profession and indeed how lonely he is.



Then we get to the awful rooftop comedy action sequence with the Blofeldesque villain. It's silly, the SFX are poor and although it was a statement of the movie-makers about their legal troubles, it was just awful

[GRAEME]

name='WarFilmBuff' timestamp='1282990078' post='468654']



Then we get to the awful rooftop comedy action sequence with the Blofeldesque villain. It's silly, the SFX are poor and although it was a statement of the movie-makers about their legal troubles, it was just awful

Right! Worst moment of that otherwise better than average Moore Bond.



Never mind the SFX - the crap bald wig is a hoot! Isn't he flying the helicopter and stroking the white cat at the same time?



Does the cat go down the chimney as well? Good job there wasn't CCTV and the internet in those days or James would have been well in for it...

[GoggleboxUK]

Goldeneye. In all 5 places.

[Tonch]

name='GRAEME' timestamp='1282999641' post='468683']

Right! Worst moment of that otherwise better than average Moore Bond.

Funny how Bond so often divides us all... the pre-title sequence of For Your Eyes Only is about the only entertaining part for me. By far the weakest of all Moore's outings IMHO... far too plausible

name='GoggleboxUK' timestamp='1283001445' post='468695']

Goldeneye. In all 5 places.

Good call Goggles, I think it probably tops my list:



1. Goldeneye

2. Tomorrow Never Dies

3. Octopussy - the way Rog steers that jet between the hangar doors when they're abot 18 inches apart is fantastic

4. Moonraker

5. The Spy Who Loved Me



Since I have always firmly occupied the camp that demands you should completely suspend disbelief the moment you sit down to watch a Bond film, then the more outrageously preposterous the opening sequence, the better...hopefully a foretaste of the film to follow



Not for me the "gritty realism / it really could happen" of the early Connerys or Daniel Craig

[batman]

OHMSS - great atmosphere, great action and a great intro for the new Bond

Goldfinger - stylish and witty

Goldeneye - another great intro for a new Bond, the stand off is superbly done

Octopussy - Sir Rog in fine fine eyebrow raising form

The Living Daylights - yet another great intro for a new Bond, more great action

[markrgv]

So many good openings, it's too hard to do a top 5.



But at No.1 for me is the opening of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

[didi-5]

I'd vote for The Living Daylights being the top one but it is hard to pick others. (Makes note to revisit some of the 'classic' ones very soon).

[Windthrop]

Spy Who Loved Me

The World Is Not Enough

OHMSS

The Man With The Golden Gun

Goldfinger

[christoph404]

"Thunderball".......you shouldn't have opened that car door yourself...... whack! Connery thumps poor grieving widow who turns out to be Bob Simmons in drag, serious fight ensues which sees Bond whacked across the back with a poker! His escape wearing a huge jet pack which he somehow shovels into the tiny boot of his Aston Martin is pure class.

[Azanti]

The Spy Who Loved Me.



No contest.

[Marky B]

Casino Royale - gritty,raw and an overture of the new Bond personified by Daniel Craig.



Ta Ta

Marky B

[Rowdon]

I just saw Octopussy on afternoon TV, and although I agree with those who love the pre-title sequence, I have to say the title sequence itself is a bit ropey. The model who fires the laser "007" out of her gun seems to be receiving instructions to "Smile! ... No, don't stop! Smile again!" and it looks strange, and another model wearing a very Bondesque diamond necklace/bra seems to be trying to stop herself shaking before they freeze the frame to solve the problem ... so a couple of questions:



Does anyone know if these titles were rushed/cheap?



How is Octopussy viewed among Bond cognoscenti? Is it a great Moore, or a poor Moore?



Does anyone else think Kristina Wayborn looks a little like David Bowie, therefore losing some of the erotic charge?



Someone rang on the door about 10 minutes before the end, so I turned it off; does Bond get away? I need to know.

[batman]

name='Rowdon' timestamp='1287863881' post='485448']

How is Octopussy viewed among Bond cognoscenti? Is it a great Moore, or a poor Moore?

It's one of the best of Sir Rog's 'Bond' films IMHO. It has some great action, a decent plot, a good bunch of villains and Sir Rog himself is on fine form. I gather many other 'Bond' fans don't rate it but I really like it.



My favourite Sir Rog 'Bonds' are ....

1. For Your Eyes Only

2. Live And Let Die

3. Octopussy

4. The Spy Who Loved Me

5. The Man With The Golden Gun

6. A View To A Kill

7. Moonraker

[Rowdon]

Although Tonch and markrgv have The Spy Who Loved Me as one of their favourite sequences, it was just on TV and, well ... The jokes are there ("Tell him to pull out! Immediately!" / (to the girl in bed) "Sorry - something came up." etc) and there's the requisite exotic location, but if you've got to shoot somebody, and they're on skis and you're standing still, is it better to (a) stay still, aim, fire, or (b) ski after him, trying to hold your rifle steady? And is the union jack parachute a great idea or just too "Aren't we ironic"?
Anyway, after the pre-title sequence came an ad break. The first of four or five, each 5 to 10 minutes, so maybe the film just seemed bitty and overlong in general. But mission notofication on dymo style ticker tape coming out of a watch ... using the name 007? And Agent Triple X is notified by a voice message audible to everybody in the room? And mis-timed stunts!!
I think I'm angry about the ads.