For Your Eyes Only | In-depth Movie Review
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- Moore serious? The 12th Bond adventure brings 007 back down to Earth... And then some! Does it deserve to be talked about and bigged up as Moore's best though?
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"Forgive me father, for i have sinned"
"That's putting it mildly, 007".
One of my favourite lines of the series
It almost makes up for the entire pointlessness of the scene, as it is only for the purpose of saying that there were far too many St .Cyrils in Greece for MI6 to track down before the ATAC gets handed over to the Soviets.
- No shit, you've cleared the whole Terrasco Bar!
Love it
@@Fixxer315 Apparently it was supposed to be M to have Bond checking in with MI6 on his progress [though that could just have been done on the phone!] but was obviously swapped to Q when Bernard Lee died.
Greatest Q cameo
There's a difference between Bond and Melina in this movie though: Bond is a trained killer where part of his job is revenge, Melina is just an average woman. The two graves comment means he goes into every situation knowing that there's a real possibility that he won't come out of it alive (even though we as the audience know otherwise). He knows that revenge can kill a part of you, whether literally or metaphorically. Not only that, but he sees himself as already damned, he's killed in the name of revenge and as part of his job, and there's no turning back. Whereas Melina had a relatively normal life before the death of her parents, and I don't think Bond wanted Melina to live her life knowing she had killed someone out of hatred.
You're spot on. Well said.
Melina is also a civilian, and wouldn't be legally protected from murdering people with crossbows.
I know Bond movies don't usually show any real world consequences, but the Greek authorities were going to have a lot of questions about all the dead bodies at St. Cyrils.
I'm sure a good attorney could make a convincing case for her killing Kristatos, but Bond doesn't want it to go that far.
Agree
Does she skewer some dude at the start of the film ?
Moores Bond and I feel Brosnons dont enjoy killing. Its just a job and they do it well.
@@ronniejdio9411 Yeah, she kills Gonzales with her crossbow. Considering that she didn't feel fulfilled and still had that deep need to get revenge when she learned that he was nothing more than a hired gun, all the more proves 007 correct on wanting her to not continue following the course she was taking.
I understand your critism of the whole Melina's revenge with it always being questioned by Bond. But I've always seen Roger Moore's Bond here as trying to protect Melina because he doesn't want her turning out to be like him: an Assassin. Obviously today it could be perceived sexist but Moore's Bond was the gentlemen just trying to keep Melina innocent.
I guess my issue with it comes down to the fact that we don't have any instance in the film of a character being negatively affected by their desire for revenge. I think you're right that that's what they were going for though. I think it would have come through better with a more harder edge actor in the part like Dalton. I love Moore to bits and wouldn't want the film without him but I don't get tortured assassin vibes from him like I do Dalton and Craig. Like I say though, I think he's great in this film!
@@calvindyson We do. Blofeld seeks revenge on Bond and dies for it.
Good point. All that being said - fuck today!
@@calvindyson I think the thing you missed is that in Bond's case (in this film at least) he did not seek out revenge on Blofeld whereas Melina is. The proverb says "Before seeking off on revenge, first dig two graves". Bond did not seek revenge on Blofeld in FYEO, the opportunity came to him.
Bond got revenge on Locke but again he did not seek it out. What would have him do, help him out of the car and not kill him? Columbo, again, did not plan to seek revenge on Kristatos, he was there as part of their mission.
Bond has a license to kill. Melina does not. I really think that's all there is to it.
Somewhere, buried deeply in the FYEO screenplay, is the story of an ageing spy, haunted by all the killing he had to do for queen and country, who's found that avenging the murder of his wife did not give him the peace of mind he so desperately craves and now wants to prevent a young, innocent woman from going down the same path and making the same mistakes he did.
It would have been an interesting take on the Bond character, but perhaps a little too interesting for the lighthearted Roger Moore era.
Even if the script was written that way, there's no way Moore could have pulled off such an intense portrayal. That's Connery all over.
Makes me wish that Dalton started off his tenure with FYEO, it seems more fitting for him because of his more serious take on the character
@@MrGtaunited I have always felt the same way. He would have been 35 at that point. A perfect age for a debut Bond.
@@MrGtaunited How would Dalton's FYEO would have been
@@MrGtaunited Dalton would not do it better. He was far too much emotional, angry and adventerous (and also - young and unexperinced). Reserved, aged Moore was definately best suited for this scenario.
THE MAN WITH THE CAKE!? Why haven't I noticed this in my entire 29 years of existence!?
It’s so weird that they’d go to the effort of choreographing the thing to not make a big deal about it... but might be for the best! I do wonder if they shot more gags and the like and then only decided on editing what the final tone was going to be
@@calvindyson God I'd love a compilation of really bad unused Bond gags. More Bond avoiding dog with boat energy rather than The World Is Not Enough static woman.
Really amazing review by the way. And no! You weren't go off on a tangent at all at the end by the way - I genuinely think you've finally made me understand the problem I have with FYEO! The cliff scene is extraordinary but I totally totally agree with you when you say that there's all the hallmarks there for a genuinely great thriller but it just doesn't go anywhere and loses it's nerve a bit? It really could've been something interesting but it just falls short completely.
Also I'm SO happy someone has finally mentioned the bloody Blu Ray transfer! 80's/90's Bond looks really really bad on home media. I have seen a few 4K shots of FYEO though and it's genuinely never looked better!
I never noticed that
I actually never noticed Melina taking the crossbow from the guy! I always thought she was just pulling it out from behind.
I thought it was a pie. For Your Pies Only
Moore's performance in this film is quite underrated. He was great at playing a light-hearted Bond but he's having to play against his usual instants and does a solid job here.
Roger Moore is just fantastic in every Bond scenario. He is always the best thing about his movies, imo. He is never outshone by his villains, which isn't easy because the Moore era villains were so outlandish and scenery chewing. The only scenes that don't truck with me are the scenes in The Man With The Golden Gun where he slaps Maud Adams around and then later shuts main Bondgirl Mary Goodnight in a closet while he has sex with her.
I felt this movie showed Bond a bit more serious and dark especially kicking the car off the cliff!
Another detail about the Countess’ death scene is that Bond and Lisl’s outfits look very similar to the outfits Bond and Tracy wore in their first scene together in OHMSS. The fact that the scene is also on a beach makes it seem like they were trying to draw some kind of subtle parallel which may suggest that Bond might’ve had some deeper feelings for her than we would initially assume. Or the producers just put it in as a reference for the diehard fans
The latter for sure.
@@thefonzkiss You honestly think that was just a coincidence ? The entire film is a hybrid of From Russia With Love and On Her Majesty's Secret Service ! Coincidence my butt !
@@thefonzkiss not only is Bond wearing his frilled tux shirt and trousers, but Lisl is wearing the same type of dress. Lisl is also a countess like Tracy and the scene is taking place on a beach. If this was all purely coincidence then it is a mighty fine one
Lisl isn't really a Countess, but the Tracy parallel is interesting.
@@EditedAF987 Also Bond kicks a pistol out of a villain's hand, like he did in OHMSS
When you had the chorus say “back down to earth” I really felt that. It’s probably the most common phrase spoken about this movie
Right?? I've used it myself so many times too but it's definitely the number 1 descriptive I hear of this film
I always loved how the “Identigraph” started off with a template that already looked exactly like the villain 😂
I always thought the Cassandra Harris sequence was an "emotional echo" of Bond's wife. Both are Countesses. And Bond meets Tracy in a fight on a beach and Lisl is killed in a fight on a beach. And Moore' Bond, like Lazenby's Bond, both wear a white shirt with pleats in the scenes.
There are seemingly deliberate echoes of OHMSS. With the tie to Tracy and Savalas's Blofeld at the beginning, and also Columbo being I would say more like Draco than Kerim Bey, even down to being a 'good' mob boss, who aides Bond against the really evil villain organization. And of course John Glen described it as a sequel to OHMSS. As Glen edited and did second unit on OHMSS, I can only imagine he was very proud of the film, and given how bad a reputation it had got, and been somewhat hushed in canon, he wanted to give it's just desserts in his debut as director.
@@davidjames579 Plus, it's a little eerie, considering what was to come, to see Cassandra Harris play a woman whom James Bond has loved, who dies too early...
@@davidjames579 I completely agree with you. A large part of the negative reputation of 'OHMSS' was that, when it was shown on US TV for many years, it was a re-edited version with a voice over to tie the new edit together. It was an obviously inferior version of the cinema release.
@@jenniferschillig3768 You're right, it is quite eerie. In another twist, Pierce Brosnan got to be James Bond because he visited his wife on the set and Cubby could see he had the Bond quality. So poor Pierce got to be a widower prior to playing the part (as Bond from 1969 onwards is), which wouldn't have been the case if he'd been able to play it in 1986.
@@CaminoAir Good observation! I've seen parts of the TV edit and it's woeful. To add to that Britain and other places weren't fair on OHMSS because it is so different, didn't star Connery, has an obvious none actor as Bond (I think George Lazenby is fantastic as a person, but he's not much of an actor), and ends on a massive downer. It was too much for people then. And even Eon tried to forget it for that reason.
“For Your Eyes Only” is my second favorite Moore Bond film. Almost a proto Craig movie.
@Will Stubbs The Spy Who Loved Me
@@NerdonFilm agree. FYEO is certainly top 10-5 of all time Bond. I can imagine it feeling a little jarring or out of place in context of the series but in terms of a standalone film I think it's really solid and stands up well over time.
I agree with you. Interesting thing was I always felt FYEO was sort of my guilty pleasure. I thought that it was not well received. It wasn't until recently watching these analysis and retrospectives that I found out others liked it. I also thought that the man with the golden gun was one of Moore's more popular Bond roles and have discovered it to be more of the red headed stepchild. I disagree with this reviewer though. I thought there was some good chemistry between Melina and Moore and never felt the romance was forced. In fact this being a more intimate scaled down Bond movie gave it a more romantic vibe for me.
@@edgonzalez3820 Agreed. At the very worst their chemistry was serviceable.
I guess the "delicatessen in stainless steel" line is the Bond equivalent to "I have the high ground." Nobody knows what it means, and that's why it's so iconic.
The high ground means he had a tactical advantage and it worked the delicatessen was essentially a bribe to spare him in exchange
I think the line was a “delicatessen in Bakersfield”?? Someone correct me if I’m mistaken!
High ground is a reference to episode I and Maul
Well the delicatessen was formally from the mafia, don't know why. But it's what happened along with the Kevin Maclory spectoc court stuff.
@@Geezer-yf8hv 😂 lol it actually was stainless steel .
This was the first Bond movie I saw in a theatre. It is still my favorite. "For Your Eyes Only" is my favorite Bond short story too.
I’ve seen it so many times on this channel’s comments; time and time again, people say the 1st Bond movie they saw is their favorite! You were infected with the James Bond virus!!
It’s the first Bond Film I have ever seen, so it holds a mighty special place in my heart as well. ^^
I see you channeled a lot of Terry Jones in that delicatessen sketch :)
He might well be my favourite Python...
@@calvindyson And may he rest in peace
Spam, spam, spam, spam and spam.
He’s not Blofeld, he’s a very obvious knod!
@@calvindyson unfortunately now having joined the choir invisible he is one dead python.
I actually love to think that at this point, after so many of Blofeld's huge schemes failing, his only goal is now to get revenge on Bond, but at the same time, all of his people abandoned him, and now, Blofeld and the helicopter pilot are literally all that remains of Spectre, but he still kills him out of confidence and force of habit.
I would have loved to see the Bond Deli scenario played out, but Bond decided to Live and Let Die!
I think Bond movies tend to settle in one of two categories: they're either Bond spy thrillers that try to be quite serious in more mysterious in tone such as From Russia with Love or The Living Daylights, and then there's the more off the wall Bond adventures like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. When I was younger, I definitely preferred the more off the wall adventures, and so I didn't develop an appreciation for FYEO until I was old enough to appreciate the nuances of a more subtle spy adventure. I think it really hits the notes of slowly leading you through the plot adding little developments, all while pacing it out with some of the more memorable action sequences of the series. The emotional undertones really play out nicely for me, and I think Melina is a very underrated Bond girl (C'mon, she's incredibly beautiful!). I do also agree with the criticisms you've made though, there are occasionally some pacing issues and the climax after the climb really does dwindle into nothingness. Kristatos is a very bland villain, and the plot feels quite low stakes compared to some more grand adventures but I think the journey from start to finish is enjoyable enough and filled with enough character for me to overlook those points!
Would I call it Moore's best?? Well, I don't think it's possible to declare any movie Moore's best because as I said, Bond movies fit into two camps and Moore's era features movies that strongly fit into both. How do you compare whimsy of The Spy Who Loved Me or Moonraker to something more seriously like FYOE or Octopussy? I definitely think that FYEO can often be overlooked though, and is a very capable and enjoyable entry to the series!
Great review, as always!
I recently discovered that all the films in the Bond franchise can be categorized into four types :
1. Classic Bond - defining the genre (Goldfinger/SWLM/Goldeneye etc.)
2. Espionage Bond (FRWL/FYEO/TLD etc.)
3. Goofy Bond - self-explanatory (Moonraker/DAF/DAD etc.)
4. AP English Bond - Bond films with actual themes/character arcs (OHMSS/CR/Skyfall etc.)
Couldn’t agree more, I love this movie but after finishing it the climax does always leave you wanting more. I think it’s a great and fresh espionage plot after repeated plots and gadgets(I love spy who loved me btw) and I think it would be looked back on more fondly if the villains and climax were stronger and more memorable.
15:18 It took me years to pick up, but there's an easteregg here! Right before Q and Bond enter the room where Locque is identified, Q enters a code on a keypad. This keypad plays the melody of the first part of "Nobody Does It Better"!
Fun Fact: There was a legal dispute with the filming of the monestry, and while the Bond Production won, the locals put their washing up, opening windows and tried their hardest to ruin shots. This meant the Bond production team had to compromise, including reluctantly filming a large portion at the 007 stage.
your humourous edits never cease to make us laugh. As usual, the review was excellent
Thanks very much, Hosni! As usual, you're very kind :) Glad you enjoyed the video!
Irma Bunt: Shoots Bond's wife, Tracy
Everyone: Why would Blofeld do this?
Chances are, Bond did get to her first and worked his way up to him. She's no Nick Nack or the mobster dude from DAF/MWGG*. Wouldn't make sense for him to not go after her
*GOT THAT, RAYMOND BENSON?!
Ilse Steppat who played Irma Bunt died after the release of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Irma Bunt never appeared again, it’s clearly she dies offscreen between the years or so.
They were trying to kill Bond!!! They didn’t care if anyone else died! They weren’t focused on killing her!
Ah yes Julian Glover, he's still around at 85, so perhaps he did drink from the Holy Grail after all?
There's a recent interview of Julian Glover the great underrated actor as he is looking quite frail in his old age hope hes doing okay though.
He chose...poorly!
I’ve always agreed with you on the revenge thing being weird but then when watching this video I realized that it opening with him exacting revenge might actually be a very smart move because the reason he’s warning Melina against it is because his revenge didn’t make him feel any better and he doesn’t want Melina to face the same thing
Yes and bond is also a trained killer, Melina is a young woman on a quest to find her parents murderers, and bond doesn’t want her to turn and obsess about revenge destroying her life, sending what may happen.
For Your Eyes Only showed Roger Moore's diversity as an actor: he could do grit as well as humor.
FYI, if you want to see Pierce Brosnan play a spy in the style of Daniel Craig, check out The November Man.
Oh, the November Man.... Where it made me question why Mike and Babs couldn't have just gave Pierce his own FYEO to go out on then immediately do Casino Royale not long after
Would Pierce Brosnan 5th movie would be in the style of FYEO
@@SuperWolsey Purvis and Wade have said 'Casino' was what they wanted to do in the first place but they felt they needed to 'fit in' with the style of Pierce's films. I think it would have been hard to do a serious film with Pierce at that point and was better to make a fresh start with the tone change.
Considering most professional figure skaters making their first bid for entrance into the Olympics under the age of 18, I think Bond not going after her is totally well considered.
Omg the parrot "Author of all your pain" had me in stitches.
That cracked me up too. Genius stuff.
It’s rather unfortunate that a stunt actor actually died on the set. Apparently Paolo Rigoni was in the bobsleigh, which capsized with him trapped underneath, and continued down the track. I believe it’s mentioned on IMDBs trivia for FYEO
As well as that Sean Connery died whhhhyyyyu
@@jakebraz3265 Sean Connery died earlier today,right?
@@victorguevara9227 yep I was so sad almost as sad as the day Adam west died
Oh no!! RIP Paolo
3:23 I see it as the continuity being: Twice-Diamonds-OHMSS-Eyes only. It's not perfect but would explain why Bond and Blofeld are quite cordial to each other in Diamonds and lets OHMSS flow straight into the pre-credits scene here.
This has always been my favourite Moore film, behind TSWLM. I think the more serious tone fits the story really well and it's so cool to see this side of Moore. I think TMWTGG would have been much better if it had the same approach as this one. About the revenge thing, I don't really mind Bond not following his own rules. He's already an assassin, he has killed many people before, one extra kill won't hurt him. Melina on the other hand isn't an assassin, and however she did kill Gonzales, she isn't a killer. Bond doesn't want her to become a killer. I did really enjoy this one Cal, your comedy is so spot on and funny sometimes. Very cool. On to Octopussy, one of my favourites too.
Thanks very much, Gosse! I agree with you about TMWTGG. As much as I love some of the sillier antics in that film, if it had been played more serious and straight it would have suited the material and premise of the story much more. I can't wait to get to Octopussy now! Love that film and always find it very much underrated!
@@calvindyson agreed. Ive always loved that movie.
I've been thinking about many, many different ways of how the revenge theme could be played in this movie (which is my favorite Moore's Bond btw.) and I came to the conclusion that the most interesting way would be to have it that Melina wants to kill Kristatos, while Columbo wants to save his old friend, stop him, but not kill him. It could set up a an interesting dynamic between these characters and make us actually feel the importance of this motif, since Bond would have been put in the same dilemma of whose side to take. And in the ending scene, when Bond tries to stop Milena he would not come off stupid for showing his back to Kristatos. And then, when Columbo kills his friend, since he has seen him pulling out the knife, that could serve as a reconcilement between the two, since Melina didn't get her revenge and Columbo didn't get to save his friend, and all charactersboth grow through that. So would audience and Bond, since such construction really drives home multiple points about revenge, while not definitely taking one side, since none have "won", rather we'd be given some food for thought. I'd love to see how all three actors would play their respective arcs regarding the subject.
"Studied under the great Moonraker pigeon..." LOL :-D
Great video, Calvin. Your narrative asides do slay me.
A bit strange to see Tywin Lannister being a lacky for Maester Pycelle.
RE: 42:08 The filmstock used in the film was the same as was used in The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker, the Eastman 100T 5247 35 mm filmstock. The aspect ratio was likewise the same. I disagree, I think this one looks very similar to the previous two and great. I think they each marginally improved on each other in visual clarity and color. The dusk/night scenes in this are particular standouts for some of the most impressive visual fidelity seen in the whole series. I just finished watching the 4k version tonight, and highly recommend it (for all the films too).
I think it’s kinda of funny how Bond seems more intense in delivering his vengeance for Luigi’s death compared to Blofeld who obviously killed his wife.
Compare how he mercilessly kicked Locque of the cliff in the car to his candid dripping of Blofeld into the chimney after slapping his head.
The ski-chase in the bobsled-run sticks out in 007-history as, iirc, the only sequence so far where someone died in real life, with one of the stuntmen suffering a fatal accident.
I actually cheered aloud in the theater when I saw Bond lay the flowers on Tracy's grave. I did find it a wee bit odd that Tracy was five years younger than Diana Rigg.
I love the scene where he says: ill buy your an ice cream
I always had a different view to Bonds "no revange" talking to Melina. I think about it like this...
For the last 12 years Bond is trying to kill "The bald villain in a wheelchair" and he does it, at the beginning of the Film. But now he realizes, He killed the man, who killed his wife, but she would not come back, he cant stand trial, so Bonds revange was kinda pointless. So he knows how it feels and he want to prevent Melina of feeling the way he does.
I like that. I think they needed to bring it out more. It does make the pre-credits sequence thematically necessary.
Allways a treat to see your reviews 👌
Fun Fact: All of Melina's lines were dubbed but she dubbed herself in the French version of the film.
That ‘fact’ has been debunked.
@@luvhart Which one? Because she definitely voiced herself in the French dub.
I must admit that I never really bought that Julian Glover wasn't the real bad guy. He is the last of the Jagaroth!
Perhaps Kristatos is really one of the many versions of Scaroth scattered across history and was trying to start WW3 out of spite because his 70’s counterpart failed to succeed in his time travel experiments and he was stuck there forever
Me too.
What a wonderful butler. He's so violent.
Love the joke
And a King
@@paulharries9558 the Countess was a beautiful woman, probably
Hey Calvin love your videos just thought I let you know all time Original Bond actor Sean Connery has passed away sad remembered, now we have lost not one but two legends of the 60’s, 70’s and mid 80’s 😭
Regarding the filmic quality, a part of it was definitely due to the switch in cinematographer. For Your Eyes Only (who would shoot the rest of the Moore Bonds) was shot by Alan Hume. Hume was a very old school British "lighting cameraman" and much of his cinematography is very old school: long masters, flat composition, static camera and hard light. But compared to other "old school" DPs of the time who used old school to their advantage to add drama and contrast (the prime example being Douglas Slocombe's work on the Indy movies), Hume's work lacks that sort of artistry. It's effective for coverage, but seldom "interesting". This is very apparent when you look at his work on Return of the Jedi, which again is flat, static and almost TV-like - and more apparent going from Peter Suschitzky's gorgeous soft light and kinetic work on The Empire Strikes Back (one of the best ever shot films IMO) to Jedi.
(Sorry to say such bad things about Hume's work, but you're not the first to bring it up)
Also, the budget for For Your Eyes Only wasn't that much lower, about $5 million compared to Moonraker and about $1 million less than The Spy Who Loved Me adjusted for inflation and was actually $8 million higher than Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I loved Hume's use of color ! What do you think of Alec Mills ?
What makes this film strong for me is that it goes back to a more grounded Connery-era Bond. Out of all the Moore films, and I love them all, this is the one that Connery could have played without much difference. It is one of my favorites because it is more realistic. I do wish there had been more snow that year though!
I LOVE LOVE THE CARSON HELIUM BIT
Some may say the villain was boring, but I think he was also a lot more realistic at the same time. It's a similar thing with Dominic Greene in QoS. Sometimes, I feel that it is refreshing to get a "down to earth" villain like Cristastos or Dominic.
Not to mention the awesome soundtrack of this movie!
They were pretty flaccid.
I thought it interesting that QoS also has the Bond Girl seeking revenge for her parent's murder. Bond doesn't try to stop her (although unlike Milena, she's not a civilian, she is a spy) and doesn't sleep with her either.
Your reviews get better and better! These revisits are especially insightful and funny, been fun watching the channel grow since the original reviews.
Julian Glover got to play a villain in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and James Bond. That’s a pretty good hat-trick.
Bonus: Also in Doctor Who.
The Havelock man that gets killed is the posh guy that has a daughter that Rodney dates in Only Fools and Horses, the one where Delboy uses a sawn off shotgun in the clay pigeon shoot!!!
What an amazing moment great moment in a great show
@@williamwalker5244 definitely!! You plonker Rodney.
@@mattleuty5285 I cant listen to music while I am shooting
@@williamwalker5244 where did you get that gun? Iggy Higgins. Iggy Higgins robs banks!! Yeah but it's Saturday!!! Brilliant.
He unfortunately passed away last week 😔 RIP Jack Hedley
And now Connery has joined Moore! Rest In Peace Sean Connery, the original Bond!
My god this might be the best yet! Your cutaway edits and gags are as always hysterical.
The first appearance of Chrome the parrot, he’d return in The Living Daylights. Fun fact, the actor who played Timothy Havelock also did the voice for Max. FYEO is definitely one of my favorite Bond films and sits squarely in my top 10.
Great review as always. I nearly spat my drink out at the foie gras comment, and yes Julian Glover (he who seems to have been in every franchise going) is woefully underused. With regards to Bernard Lee, Roger Moore stated in his autobiography that he was still alive when they started filming in Pinewood and even turned up on set, but was too ill to do any scenes, as expected. In any case I think Cubby Broccoli made the right call not to recast M for this film and simply have him on leave. He was one of the best M's and that needed to be recognised at the end, even if it simply meant his absence
Moore was a fun uncle who delivered crowdpleasing schlock in about the classiest way you could, so I kinda agree. This movie has some fun bits but overall it's a bit boring and they should have waited for the eventual actor change before they downscaled and tried to be more "serious" again.
Thank you Mr. Dyson. I have enjoyed your work immensely. Recently I rewatched all the 007 movies for the podcast that I host. Along with the guys on the podcast Rewatch With Love, you have really given me insight and many laughs during this marathon. A marathon that has seen Roger Moore (surprisingly) take the spot as my favourite Bond, and also the sad passing of Sir Sean Connery. But again... Thank you for your inspired and well made work. I really love it! As for For Your Eyes Only, it ranked #8 on my personal Bond ranking. As Moore movies go, it was third place behind Octopussy (#6) and The Spy Who Loved Me (#1). Yeah... #1. I love that movie sooooo much!
I like to think that Max the parrot and the double-taking pigeon got together and are now happily married.
23:37 It's not about eating in high society, it's eating in film and TV. It's very common to have to do multiple takes of a scene, even multiple good ones, so the editor has options later. So if you're an actor in a dining scene, you often need to take imperceptible or pretend bites to preserve continuity in case multiple takes get edited together. On top of that, if you have dialogue you don't want to have to deliver it with your mouth full or force a weird jump cut between eating and swallowing. It also means you don't need to keep replensishing the food for each take and you don't risk messing up your costume or make-up. Lastly, the lights they use for filming can and will make food inedible or else create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria over the course of shooting, so eating the food can make you sick (assuming it's not prop food you can't eat anyways, like in an ad where a steak is blow-torched on its exterior and painted with motor oil so it's looks good on camera).
This is my favourite Roger Moore performance as Bond. As somebody who unironically loves View to a Kill and Moonraker and appreciates every little bit of campy fun the man brings to his role, it's so good to see him take on a bit more of an edge in this one. And not in that sort of awkward way he had during his first two appearances.
The scene where he kicks the car off the cliff is one of my favourites in the whole series. Just the way Moore delivers the line is perfection.
Sure the plot is a bit meh and the villains are weak but I honestly think the same of The Spy Who Loved Me and still enjoy that film and I very much enjoy For Your Eyes Only.
And that soundtrack... my god do I love that soundtrack.
Favorite bond movie, favorite bond song and my favorite gun barrel opener with the music
I find it funny that you call Luigi Inspector Clouseau because the village Cortina where Bond goes to meet Luigi is the same village where Clouseau goes to track down The Phantom ( David Niven) in the original Pink Panther
I did NOT know that! Very interesting! Wonder if that was somewhere in my subconscious...
@@calvindyson Luigi even wears the Clouseau Hat and it's the same Hotel more interesting facts
@@ralphroshia9247 I wonder if that was also a discreet tribute and homage to Peter Sellers, who died (24 July 1980) shortly before production of this film began, and who also appeared in the non-Eon film Casino Royale.
Thanks for the review. FYEO is in my top 3 favourites.
On the topic of revenge, the "two graves" comment actually appears in Fleming's short story. As others have mentioned, you have to bear in mind that Bond probably doesn't want Melina to end up like him - i.e. a borderline psychopath who has to live with death on a daily basis. You could also argue that his vendetta against Blofeld in OHMSS cost him his new bride, but this is not clear from just viewing the film.
On a different topic, you comment on Kristatos' table manners at dinner. In the Risico short story, I love how, "Bond ordered Tagliatelli Verdi with a Genoese sauce which Kristatos said was improbably concocted of basil, garlic and fir cones." Yes, pasta pesto, how exotic!
Actually, the British have lost nothing - this particular attac device is probably not the only one in their posession. Even if it is, they built one before so they can do so again. The Soviets however wanted to get their hands on the device, which would have compromised British submarines. So it is a complete British success.
Bond's mission was keep it out of Soviet's hands by either recovering or destroying, so absolutely. The Brits fear of the Soviets knowing had gone.
6:07 🤣
That whole bit had me in stitches. Your sense of humor is right up my alloy... Steeeeeeeeeel!!!
Joke of the Day: *Laughs in Soviet
The moment where Bond kills Locque seemed perfectly in character. He began his run as a lot more brutal than his soft reboot in TSWLM, but if we’re to believe he’s the same man that means he’s still capable of that act of a cold blooded kill. The film begins with him killing Blofeld for murdering his wife. The Countness’s likely triggered that in him. She wasn’t his wife but she was still an innocent.
4:50 Can we get some _Chariots of Fire_ music for that vicar?
true
This is definitely one of the Bond movies I keep skipping but watching these reviews made me want to go back and just watch all the movies again. Something funny about Roger Moore is that well he is a great Bond it's so funny the tone whiplash from movie 2 movie where he has the most undeniably silly movies and also some of the most serious. If I was actually going to the movie theaters at the time one just really never knew what one was going to get
You're spot on about the revenge theme being inconsistent but I still love this film. It's one of my favorites. I like the largely gritty and realistic feel. It's a great spy thriller and I love the Fleming touches. Great cast. Moore is at his best. The film is a great introduction to the edgier 80s movies.
This is the first Bond movie I remember seeing as a child. I was hooked from the moment that I saw Bond hanging on to the helicopter in the opening. I will always have a special place in my heart for this movie.
Found you recently, and im glad i did, your videos are genuinly just superb
Well I'm very glad and appreciative you've stuck around and are enjoying the videos! Thanks very much for this :D
29:32 Oxygen and helium is in fact an option for submarine atmospheres. It was also considered for the Mercury and Gemini spacecrafts before they settled on pure oxygen at ~4psi.
John Glen is the most under rated of all Bond directors.
I love this film. Good review as always!
One point I'd like to add... I think when 007 says "Goodbye Contessa" to Lisl it is meant to hark back to Tracy.
In the German version, the line “I’ll buy you a delicatessen” is dubbed “I’ll buy you a house on Bond Street”.
That’s so good!! 😂
That helicopter at the end was Polish, not Soviet, called "Świdnik". The pilot also was Polish (still alive) and I remember an interview with him, he told they flew in a week (it's a far lenght from Poland to Greece). I also add, Poland was over USSR control (not so communistic but not so free).
The soundtrack to this film is fantastic!
You must listen to north and south (also written by Bill Conti). It's just a great masterpiece
@@qeetuhd looking it up now 😃
@@qeetuhd proper TV theme music
@@jonathanfurzeland4740 it's not just the theme. Everything! From the romance part to the battle themes, the family themes (I prefer the Main theme over the hazards theme)
At last, after forty years, a fanatic worthy of answering the question that has haunted me: Did the priest bless James because he was in on what was about to happen, or just because James was getting into a helicopter contraption?
And my favourite line? "Me nightie's slipping!" "So is your accent, "Countess"."
It's an odd moment isn't it! I just take it as a general bit of God-be-with-you-ness but I like the idea that the priest knew what was coming and Spectre at this point consists of him, Blofeld and disposable helicopter pilot!
Just something about the camera zoom and the look on James's face...
Great Terry Jones impression, Calvin!
This is actually one of my favourite Moore bond films. I’m glad you enjoyed it more this time. Great review as always Calvin
RIP Sir Sean
19:29. I think the "Bond is mourning for Tracy" theme may also be informing his lack-luster libido in this film.
The funniest thing I've read in a while "Laughs in Soviet". Ha ha! This was a great jovial review.
I think Bond's concern is that Melina will lose her soul if she takes revenge. It is her soul that the second grave will be for. As a double O, his soul is long gone but he doesn't want her to become so jaded.
Excellent review, throughly enjoyed watching it. Glad you enjoyed the film as well...and finally, someone else who has spotted Q spacing out and a man getting a cake thrown at his face.
I've never been the biggest fan of Moore in the role, but this film shows that he has more versatility than most would give him credit for. I've always preferred the more 'down to Earth' Bond adventures and Moore doesn't feel at all out of place in this one.
One of the stronger Roger Moore films and the direction they took with after Moonraker is excellent. Though it makes you wonder what if FYEO was made in 1979? Would it still had been goofy like TMWTGG?
That is the only reason why I'm glad they made Moonraker instead of FYEO because I know FYEO wouldn't been a garbage film.
I think that whatever title they would've given the 1979 Bond film with Lewis Gilbert, Christopher Wood, Ken Adam and Richard Kiel returning it was going to in essence be "The Spy Who Loved Me II" whether it was called Moonraker or For Your Eyes Only as initially intended. The questions is if they had called the 1979 Bond film For Your Eyes Only would they have followed it with a faithful to the novel screen adaptation of Moonraker in 1981?
Apparently what became Moonraker was developed under the FYEO title [with the space ships called 'enterprise' instead] so it would just be Moonraker under a different title.
Even parrot had revenge arc. ;-)
I love Locque’s demise!
For Your Eyes Only (1981) is my favorite James Bond film ever made!!! 😊❤️
Admittedly, when I was a kid, FYEO was actually top tier Bond for me mostly due to the score and action set pieces. However, the last time I watched it, it really didn't have much connective tissue overall. To me, it suffers because Melina just pops in and out of the narrative even though she's set up from the beginning as having the most to either gain or lose. Kristatos and Colombo are the same in they just show up then disappear and having the revenge sub plot overtake the issue of the ATAC was an issue. I still rather like FYEO more based off the feeling of when I watched as a child but objectively, it isn't one of the best Bonds. Also, Calvin... I LOVE your sense of humor and was actually hoping you'd break out that Italian lady from QoS in your skit! Loved that and your review!
The problem is these characters originated in Fleming's short stories. They were simply there to serve a purpose unlike the characters in the Bond novels which were far more colorful.
You perfectly captured all my reservations about this film-those I could have told you myself, and those I wouldn’t even have been able put in words.
Calvin, the Identigraph scene was slow and tedious when it came out in 1981.
i do love the fact calvins playing roger moore and is just nailing it the bit where uh yes after mrs lomax dosent the kiss joke thats somthing roger moore does so much in his movies
Personally this film was my all-time favorite Bond film for a very long time, I can see why it might be a bit dissapointing with the grand scale and scope and globe-trotting Bond of Moonraker and Spy Who Loved Me but that personal, more intimate story and awesome set pieces just rlly appeal to me. There’s quite a bit of stuff like Bibi that doesnt work but a lot of Bond films have that.
39:56 THANK YOU! That is exactly how I feel about the ending, and I don't understand how all the other Bond reviewers on RUclips can just gloss over the fact that Bond is such a patronizing hypocrite in this one. Nevermind the discomforting implications of 50-something Bond getting it on with young Melina who has just suffered the immense trauma of losing both her parents and probably sees Bond more as a replacement father figure than anything else.
Honestly, for all the stick that it gets, Quantum of Solace handles the theme of revenge A LOT better than this one.
I was answered a question on who was the most efficient Bond villain and after some thinking, I realised it was actually Kristatos.
I was originally going to answer Blofeld, but it occurred to me that Blofeld has a massive international criminal empire that has close ties with shady foreign governments and controls multinational corporations...and he loses over and over and over again, and unlike almost every other Bond villain he has no excuses for not just shooting 007 since he knows EXACTLY what he is capable of.
Kristatos, meanwhile, runs a fairly small operation, but he's been successfully fooling the British government for decades and he is the only bad guy to manipulate our man into thinking he's actually an ally (without sleeping with him, that is). He plays Bond like a fiddle for half the movie, nearly kills him in the yaucht scene, and would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for that meddlesome parrot.
Bit of trivia, but he appears to have been inspired by an actual person, a Greek arms dealer who worked with the British while hiding his ties with the Nazi's (can't remember the actual guys name though).
@@harrisfelton5704 He had Spectre behind him.
Plus his plan was needlessly convoluted, very reliant on luck and not efficient at all.
@@harrisfelton5704 His objective was to kill M and then himself.
His men shot her, which he ordered them not to do (though only after sending in a first wave) and then Bond killed him. Silva also lost all of his men and he could have killed M much more easily at earlier points in the movie. The way he was captured and later escaped also makes no sense whatsoever which deducts points further.
Although his actions led to Ms death, he didn't actually get what he wanted which was to kill her himself. You could argue that the actual winner was Blofeld since Silva at least fulfilled his Spectre mission of discrediting MI6 which allowed C to step in, but that was a first act victory and lots of villains manage those.
So, I disagree that he achieved his objective (kill M himself) and even if he had, the way he went about it was horribly wasteful and heavily dependant on other characters acting dumb.
@@harrisfelton5704 I am calm.
This is me when I am calm.
Your comment about Blofeld reminded me of Scott, (Dr Evil’s son in Austin Powers), “JUST SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD”!!
This is one of my favorites of the Bond series, and my favorite Moore performance. He’s far less campy in this one, and truly showcases his layers to his Bond’s character. The scenes with Lisl are great, and when he coldly pushes Locke’s car off the cliff...with Locke still in it. I’m not a huge fan of Moore’s Bond (never have been), but he really brought his acting A-game for this one
Wonderful, insightful and extremely entertaining as always, young man. I'm in the contingent that ranks FYEO as Favorite Moore 007 for a number of reasons (chiefly for its overall Fleming-esque quality) and have a million opinions on it. But just to address the revenge thing:
I'd call it a case of Bond being chivalrous and protective. His die has been cast; he's long lived in a world of violence and will ultimately wind up wherever he winds up, regardless of whether he chooses at this point to dump Blofeld down a smokestack or kick Locque over a cliff. (And certainly Columbo has lived this same kind of life.) Meanwhile, I imagine Bond regarding Melina as young and promising, raging with grief and wading into a world in which she may not survive ("You were lucky once but they are on to you now") -- especially through the eyes of Moore's mature '80s 007, who wants to spare her a potentially dark fate. Even if she lives through her pursuit, she might become haunted by the (forgive me) spectre of death after having taken lives. And yet -- importantly and awesomely -- Melina is never portrayed by the filmmakers as a damsel in distress. She reacts to some of the scarier situations as most of us would (e.g. gasping at the sight of a ghoulish underwater corpse), but she's cool under fire and even able to laugh when Bond jokes during the car chase. And when Bond makes his final plea for Melina to resist vengeance ("That's not the answer"), she doesn't hesitate to tell him to bugger off. It seems clear to me that if Columbo hadn't beaten her to the punch, Melina would've unrepentantly administered the coup de gras to Kristatos the moment Bond stepped aside, which he signaled he was (reluctantly) willing to do.
The original intent may very well have been "leave it to the middle-aged men" as you posit, out of some very old-fashioned thinking. But the film generally portrays Melina as a total badass, so maybe not? I do agree that this all could have been presented with greater clarity!
Melina represents my favorite archetype of a Bond leading lady: the ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, a la Hitchcock's best heroes. Fellow Agents are cool, Baddies Turned Good are fun and Kept Women can be intriguing, but I find women like Melina and Natalya Simonova the most appealing. It's always fun to watch brave, resourceful, smart characters rise to the extreme occasion. They're our surrogates, since we know Bond is going to survive every adventure.
See? You're not the only one who obsesses over these things.
Thanks so much for the brilliance!
Thanks so much for this! Made for great reading. Your comments about Bond are very true and good point about the fact that Bond was willing to step aside for Melina and had Columbo not beaten her to the punch, she would have been able to go ahead and kill him herself. I think it's the clarity around Bond's reluctance to let her do it that bothers me. Primarily because there's no instance (in this film anyway) of anyone suffering any negative consiquence as a result of their desires for revenge. Physically or emotionally.
Thinking about it, had this been a Dalton Bond or a Craig Bond I may have bought into it more. Because Moore's Bond is much more jovial and lighthearted, I don't get the 'tortured assasin' side of the character like I do some of the other actors.
Very much agree with you that she's one of the more appealing co-stars for Bond. Natalya is also one of my favourites as well!
All great thinking so thanks very much for this! Really appreciated reading this!
6:55 I always wondered how The Living Daylights would have played out had Moore stuck around, as Dalton's Bond has the line: "The Foie Gras is excellent."
Every time I see a helicopter fly over me I just always have to quote Blofeld. “I trust you have a pleasant.... fright!”
Blofeld missed his calling as a stand up comedian.
Thanks Calvin, a good review on an underrated film, though your observation that ‘Bond films don’t normally do character stories, emotional arcs; these kind of things. This film is so close to having something but it’s just so incoherent and quite botched at the end...’ made me think I’d returned to Spectre for a moment!