| Product: |
James Bond - The Living Daylights (Ultimate Edition, 2 DVDs) |
| Date: |
14/03/01 (196 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: full of action ,a great 007
Disadvantages: none
By the beginning of the 1980's filmgoers were used to the changing face of 007,we had gone through Sean Connery and George Lazenby.Now,Roger Moore had become too old to continue the part and another face,another personae was needed.
BACKGROUND
Old Roger had been threatening to leave the series since the completion of "For Your
Eyes Only" so the producers should have been ready when he actually handed in his
licence to kill.They were not,and the usual search for a new Bond began.There were
the usual rumours and screen tests,Sam Neil was shortlisted,as was Pierce Brosnan and Tim Dalton.
Back in 1969 Dalton had been approached by Bond producer Cubby Broccoli to play
the part in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service",but Dalton had refused the offer because he considered himself to young for the role.
Broccoli remembered Dalton and sought him out again for "The Living Daylights".Dalton,now somewhat more mature was eager to play the character but due to various preproduction delays was finally unable to except due to his being involved in another movie,"Brenda Starr".
The film-makers then turned their attention to Pierce Brosnan,a young Irish actor who had been creating waves in the American hit tv series "Remington Steele",a spy thriller that had the actor performing a role not that far removed from Bond. Brosnan was also keen to become 007."Remmington Steele" was up for renewel by the networks at the time and the general opinion was that the series wouldn't be picked up again for the winter schedules,so Brosnan was free.....but the best laid plans of mice and men......
Suddenly "Remington" was back on the air and Brosnan was contractually bound to
take part,no 007 for him,well not yet anyway.
As the pre-production deals on "Living Daylights" dragged on,Dalton suddenly found
that he would be free
to pick up on the offer of Bond. After months of wrangling the
producers had found their new 007!
A NEW FACE,A RETURN TO OLD VALUES
The 1980's saw a massive change in public awareness.These were the days to be
polictically correct.Bond had been a womaniser,a user ,actually a bit of a bastard.
In this changing enviroment the producers of Bond knew that their secret agent had
to change too,no, bed jumping ,the new Bond would have moral standards,
moreover he would gain something that had been lacking in his character since
Connery had left,he would gain emotion,but at the same time that emotion would
be expressed in both tenderness and violence.This matched with a dark edge of
cynicism pefectly reflects author Ian Flemings original conception of the charactor.
Roger Moore's Bond had moved the series more and more toward comic humour,the
witty one-liners once delivered by Connery had become nearer to stand up comic routines,with Dalton,the producers knew a return to the old way was due,the humour
would still be there,but as an aside to the seriousness of the plot.If Roger Moore had
been to Outer Space and back,Dalton's 007 was to have his feet firmly on the ground.
The resulting film,"The Living Daylights" has finally been released on DVD,like other titles in the Bond series, it is packed with extras and represents one of the best
releases so far.
THE FILM
From its very first moments,"The Living Daylights" knows what it is and where it's going.Unlike various other Bonds films this one has not dated,it's fast paced and very
well structured.
Set against a background of war in the middle east, the scenario follows a weapon
conspiracy that may or may not be linked to Soviet Russia and a defecting, or apparently defecting Russian General named Koskov who stages a fake assasination in order to get to the other side.In the
middle of all this, a charming Cello player,whose love blinds her from the truth,but only until James Bond enters the scene.
Full of action and some clever subplots this is a story that twists this way and that,enticing the viewer into its story and not alienating them.
Dalton is highly suited to the part of Bond,bringing a much tougher image in the
fighting and action sequences and making him much more accessable to the viewer
in the films more humanistc moments. Maryam d'Abo is brilliant as the Cello player
heroine,intelligant and graceful,far removed from the almost bimbo like heroines of
some previous stories.
All in all its a superb film,easily the best debut film of any actor in the role.
TECHNICAL DATA
Widescreen 2.36.1 enhanced for 16.9 televisions.
Audio;Dolby 5.1
Sybtitles; 8 different languages including english
Film Running Time;130 minutes.Colour
SPECIAL FEATURES
Inside The Living Daylights
A 30 minute documentary filled with behind the scenes information and details.
See Sam Neil in his screen test as James Bond!
See what happens to a Land Rover when its dropped two thousand feet and lands on the hard floor of the desert!
See Tim Dalton perform many of his own stunts! Hear how the producers nearly had a heart attack when they discovered that Dalton was happy to hang on to the top of a Land Rover moving at speed along a cliff edge!
Yes,its a very detailed account on the background and making of the film.For you
royalist out there, footage is also included of Charles and Diane and a visit to the
studio where the Princess made front page news all over the world by hitting her
husband over the head with a sugar-glass bottle,erm... to think a few years later she
would have used a real one!
Also of interest are various interviews that state that Dalton was completely thrown
by the pressure of his taking the r
ole.Suddenly his face was everywhere and the
media were keen to seek him out.
Footage from a press conference of the time shows a very shy Dalton looking completely bemused. Its worth speculating here that this very media circus may been the reason why he was to turn down "GoldenEye" when the series restarted in the 1990's.
Various stunt scenes are explained and the documentary also includes details on how
Dalton and the film-makers reinvented the Bond formular to cater for the audiences
of the time.
All in all a very rewarding production history,well edited and narrated with style by
Patrick MacNee.
Ian Fleming~007's Creator
Also introduced by Patrick MacNee is this 40 minute special that traces the history
of Bond creator,writer Ian Fleming.This is a little dry for my taste,many known and
not so well known faces talk of the late author,his life,his love,his books and his background during the war.
For those that keen on Bond history it would be entertaining enought,but the more casual viewer looking for excitement may well find
doing the washing up more rewarding.
Deleted Scene
Cut from the final print of "The Living Daylights" this minute long sequence shows Bond fleeing from his attacker by "borrowing" a carpet from a street vendor then using to slide along the wires of some telegraph poles. More inkeeping with the Roger Moore Bond's than Dalton's,director John Glen states however that it was cut because the chase scene was just too long!
Music Video
A~ha perform the title song on the famous 007 stage at Pinewood.Also includes scenes from the movie and superimposed images over the band singing.Nice video,song is catchy but could have been better.
The Making of The Music Video
Thankfully a short featurette that features A~ha explaining ,actually very little.All
a bit pointless and only of interest as a c
uriosity.
Also on the disc are 3 good theatrical trailers and a audio commentary from John
Glen and members of cast and crew.This is fairly interesting but much of the details
given are also included on the documentary.
The Dvd comes complete with the usual very well produced moving menus and
also contains an 8 page booklet on the film.
In retrospect "The Living Daylight" remains one of the best Bond films ever.MGM
have followed through by giving us a fine Dvd,interesting extras and a good quality
print make this a special edition worth having.
Summary:
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