We must remember that Barry's music was often messed about with in the editing, much to his chagrin, with it sometimes being edited, looped, moved, or even removed.
In fact one of the most interesting possible special features if Bond ever comes to 4K is an audio track in which John Barry's music is actually dubbed as it was scored, rather than as it was edited.
Yes, "Capsule in Space" has a lot of repetitive bars in the opening as recorded and as heard in the film. They were edited down for the album and when we were doing the 2003 CD, as much as I like to present things unabridged and complete, it just felt boring and tedious not to replicate the edit.
Lukas
What about ”Blofeld’s Plot” from OHMSS? I could swear that has a couple of segments left out in the 2003 expansion, so was that edited down (presumably to make everything fit on 1 CD) as well?
Also, do you know or recall whether the instrumental version of ”We Have All the Time in the World” that’s joined with the end titles (Track 11) is the barn proposal music, or some random album arrangement? It’s certainly not the actual pre-credits cue, which is a much shorter unreleased piece.
Yes, "Capsule in Space" has a lot of repetitive bars in the opening as recorded and as heard in the film. They were edited down for the album and when we were doing the 2003 CD, as much as I like to present things unabridged and complete, it just felt boring and tedious not to replicate the edit.
Lukas
What about ”Blofeld’s Plot” from OHMSS? I could swear that has a couple of segments left out in the 2003 expansion, so was that edited down (presumably to make everything fit on 1 CD) as well?
Also, do you know or recall whether the instrumental version of ”We Have All the Time in the World” that’s joined with the end titles (Track 11) is the barn proposal music, or some random album arrangement? It’s certainly not the actual pre-credits cue, which is a much shorter unreleased piece.
1) Yes there are edits to Blofeld's Plot as I was trying to jam as much as possible onto that disc. Check its runtime!
Lukas, was there also an extended version of the “Stop that astronaut!” scene that was not included in the 2003 disc similar to Capsule in Space? The march seems to be longer and has some notes (cutting to Bond walking around a corner with the other astronauts) that don’t appear in the album.
villagardens553:Someone mentioned Moonraker's "wrist dart gun." Those three word perfectly encapsulate why I dislike that movie. I'm onboard with the score, though.
You were expecting total fidelity to Bond movie grittiness in the Star Wars-styled Bond movie?
In all seriousness, the biggest problem with the post-OHMSS Bond films is that during the sixties Bond films were setting the trend, not following, and those Bond films were the ones others were copying. (A good book title for this might be: "He Always Runs While Others Walk")
Once Bond turned into seventies Connery and Roger Moore the approach was to follow trends--blaxploitation, outer space, kung fu, etc.
So, if I ever write a book about the downward spiral of 007 (spoiler alert: I won't), I couldn't think of a better title than "Wrist Dart Gun."
So, if I ever write a book about the downward spiral of 007 (spoiler alert: I won't), I couldn't think of a better title than "Wrist Dart Gun."
Wow, way to get our hopes up for a second and then knock them right back down!
I remember being kinda stunned watching For Your Eyes Only on first run and seeing what felt like the first real Bond film in a decade after the thing that was Moonraker. The 80's were a mixed bag, but for me have lasted better than the 70's - for this one and The Living Daylights.
Although, the kid in me still gets a little thrill anytime I see the words "wrist dart gun"!
FYEO was the best of the Moore era and had some gritty scenes, though not enough.
The Living Daylights felt, at times, more realistic than anything since From Russia with Love--so, high on my list.
I recall reading many years ago that when the script for TLD was being written, the producers still did not know who would be playing Bond, which explains the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the film: down-to-earth cold-war espionage one minute, Roger Moore-styled silliness the next, plus the outlandish stunts, which really began in the seventies.
Yup, The Living Daylights is one of my favorite Bond films and scores...top 3, easily. And I still wish it had been written for Dalton rather than Moore, because of a few moments that stick out.
I think he might be mine too. When Casino Royale came out, I think Craig eclipsed him in my mind, but none of the follow-ups to it were as good (Skyfall is certainly the most beautifully shot Bond film, though.)
Which bits of TLD would you say needed toning down? Apart from the 'nothing to declare', and the awful acting in the initial Leiter scene, that film is pretty much perfect for me...
Eh, the parrot bit? A silly joke line or two... And honestly, using a cello case the way they did felt pretty Roger Moore-y. At least they cut out the Magic Carpet Ride scene...
That has Moore all over it, and I think they could tell it was a little too far.
But I'm nitpicking. Until Casino Royale came along, this was honestly my favorite Bond film.
