Another Day, Another Lotus!! (For Your Eyes Only (DVD))

Member Name: T4imbo3107

Product:	For Your Eyes Only (DVD)
Date:	31/03/09 (295 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written script.

Disadvantages: Bad soundtrack.

After the departure of Bond being launched into space in Moonraker, the producers of the Bond films felt that it was time for Bond to go back to his roots and with that the character was bought straight back down to Earth. For Your Eyes Only was released in the summer of 1981, the film itself is a decent thriller with the plot based on a more credible and also far more believable scenario than other films, there is no world domination or secret base for Bond to deal with at all. This is just a plain and simple espionage thriller and more akin to a Fleming novel.

The plot involves the freak destruction by means of a sea mine of the ship the St Georges off the Greek coast. This ship although appearing to be a normal fishing vessel was an undercover British spy ship. A sea mine was caught in the nets and exploded on contact with the ship. This ship used an ATAC launch decoder for the launching of Polaris missiles. The Russians are fully aware of what the St Georges actually was and are somewhat interested in obtaining this device for themselves. 007 is sent to retrieve the ATAC and prevent the Russians from using the device at all costs, if ATAC gets into the wrong hands then British Submarines could be ordered to launch missiles at any given target. This is totally a Fleming style plot, Bond being sent out into the field to retrieve something that another country badly wants and although reminiscent of From Russia with Love is something that I found as a far more interesting story to build upon.

The film has deliberately been stripped bare of the usual Bond trademarks, far less gadgetry and far less humour than before. Especially after the hi-jinx that was performed in Moonraker, then this needed to be done and wipe the slate clean. The locations in the film are far removed from what a Bond film usually has; instead in this one we have Cortina in Italy and Corfu in Greece as a new and fresh setting for the story, which is quite refreshing to see as well as having the pre-title sequence set in England.

Moore was 54 years old when he played Bond for the fifth time and is starting to play Bond as the older agent. This is particularly evident where he has a teenager trying to seduce him. Moore delivers the line "Put your clothes back on and I'll buy you an ice cream" This line for me cemented the fact that Moore was playing Bond at Moore's age rather than the thirty something that Bond is supposed to be. This is also the film in which we see Moore playing Bond at his toughest; a scene in the middle part of the film has Bond kick a car that is balanced on a cliff edge. Moore didn't like this scene at all, but it is something that when watched does emphasise what Bond is sent out to do and what his role actually is.

Co-starring with Moore is French actress Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock. The character that she plays is out to get revenge on the person who killed her parents, which she witnessed. For once the script has given the Bond Girl a leading part with a strong background and a credible connection to the plot itself. Bouquet was underrated in the part of Melina as I personally believe that her role is a fresh and original creation that reflects the characters belief and anger with what she has been through.

Throughout the film you are never sure as to who the villain is and this is what makes the story slightly different to others in the series and adds a dose of mystery, there are two possibilities that are made clear from the moment that 007 is given the assignment. It could be either Milos Columbo played with great style and passion by Topol or Aristotle Kristatos played by Julian Glover. Both actors deliver the parts extremely well and keep you guessing up till the last moment and it is the way that the facts are presented to Bond that raises the questions as to who he can trust.

The office characters Q and Moneypenny are all present with the exception of M, unfortunately Bernard Lee passed away shortly before filing begun. In this film the character is started as being on leave, which is a little strange for such a high ranking character and replaced by the Chief Of Staff who is never called Bill Tanner in the film and is played by James Villers. The character seems to have an instant disliking to Bond which is not parallel to the characters in the novel as the two have a good working relationship.

Other notable characters in the film are Lynn Holly Johnson who plays the teenage ice skater Bibi Dahl. This was her first film and she has a very energetic screen presence as well. It also has to be mentioned that Pierce Brosnan's wife, Cassandra Harris has a part as the Contessa that Bond spends the night with. This for me was a "borrowing" and a repeat of fate for Bond as this seems to have been lifted from Ob Her Majesty's Secret Service. In a non speaking part actor Charles Dance makes his first screen appearance as a henchman.

In a rare reference to Bond's past, the pre-title sequence begins with Bond laying flowers at the grave of his late wife, a Helicopter is sent to pick him up. In mid flight the pilot is electrocuted and the appearance of a well known enemy of Bond is shown on screen stroking a white cat. Even though he is never mentioned by name, Blofeld is out to kill Bond with a references mentioned about things that happened in Diamonds are Forever. Interestingly the now wheelchair bound Blofeld takes control of the helicopter with Bond inside by remote. This leads to quite an exciting sequence with Bond on having to go outside to get to the cockpit while the helicopter is being flown through Becton Gas Works and does tend to answer a question regarding Blofeld that had been lingering since the end of Sean Connery's tenure as Bond.

The film itself tends to re-cycle sequences that have been used before, for example we have fair amount of skiing while Bond is in Cortina and due to the plot a number of underwater sequences that are by no means attempting to compete with previous entries such as Thunderball, but after The Spy Who Loved Me the premise does feel a little tried and tested for sequences of this nature to be added to a film just four years (or two films) later. Continuity wise we do see the new Lotus in the film although that doesn't last too long in the story and is only seen in two scenes. One scene leading directly to Bond and Melina having to use a Citroen 2CV as a means of escape, and although the sequence is entertaining the fact that this small yellow car overcomes the numerous black Mercedes that is chasing it is cleverly absorbed into the manner in which Bond drives the car.

John Barry was not available to do the soundtrack for the film, so it was decided that Bill Conti would score the music. Conti who had previously scored the first two Rocky films hasn't really delivered a Bond soundtrack at all. The whole thing sounds like it was written in five minutes and doesn't sound like the standards of Bond we have come to expect from previous scorers such as John Barry has with full orchestral brass and wind sections. Conti has given an upbeat, lightweight disco score that does leave the scene feeling rather flat and dull in places and even rushed. In some scenes where the suspense could be built up there is silence, which I don't really understand. The music for the opening credit sequence is a corker with singer Sheena Easton actually appearing as part of the title sequence by Maurice Binder, be aware that this is the first time that this had been done with the singer actually performing the title song rather than being just heard over the titles themselves.

The DVD contains a plethora of extras that every Bond fan will be salivating about. The second disc in the set contains goodies such as Deleted Scenes, Commentaries from the cast and crew including Roger Moore, Trailers, and Documentaries about the locations used. Not forgetting the obligatory featurette about the restoration process that has been performed on the film itself. There are more, but to go into granular depth would spoil it. Suffice to say that the extras are far superior to previous editions that have been released.

Overall, I enjoyed the film and while some feel that this is not the strongest of the bunch I feel that John Glen's first Bond film as first unit Director has delivered a very good film, this is entertaining and is a reality check after the previous film. There is less humour and also has Bond relying on his brains to sort a situation out rather than a gadget. It does take scenarios from other Fleming novels, a good example being Bond and Melina being dragged through coral behind a boat, however the film is weak in some parts which doesn't do it justice. The script is well written and we see the characters, especially Melina evolve with solid reasoning to why she is doing what she is doing. You feel with this film there is more humanity and vulnerability with what is going on than before. Moore said that his favourite film is The Spy Who Loved Me, for me personally even with its problems the film is highly enjoyable to watch and easily one of my favourites.

Summary: Moore at his best in a down to Earth adventure!