Lewis Gilbert (Sean Connery - Michael Feeney Callan Book) says: I tried to give Bond a human dimension, by introducing the emotion when Aki is murdered. But Sean had such a stain to put up with, with the fans. Once when we tried to do a simple shot of him, walking down the Ginza we decided the safest way was to hide our camera, let him slip out of the car and amble past - let him vanish in the street strollers. We tried, Gilbert laughs loud. But Sean got out of the car....and was just pounced upon by a million fans. It was a feeding frenzy, a nightmare.
An interesting, if in places over-intellectualized, analysis. I would expand on a couple of the points made: 1) the series had made a very deliberate choice for spectacle over characterization, to this film's great detriment, and 2) Connery was by this point barely on speaking terms with the producers, largely over money, but also because he had grown tired of the mechanics of fame, as the video notes. The next film (OHMSS) would be much better in terms of quality, but would not make nearly as much money. This in turn led to the mess that was DAF.
Of course my reviews are over-intellectualised! That's the purpose of this series. There are already so many Bond review videos which consist of explaining the plot, what the reviewer likes, what they don't like...this series is about analysing the subtext, putting the movies into the context of when they were made, what other cultural influences were going on and the restrictions of each production. I put the case that the producers not just went for spectacle on You Only Live Twice but that they went as far as they did because they had to stay ahead of all the competition.
I never thought Donald Pleasence, as great an actor as he was, was very convincing as the villain in this movie. My vote for most convincing villain in any Bond movie is No. 1 in Thunderball: you never see him and he has a voice that seems to come from the grave. All other Bond villains, with the possible exception of Auric Goldfinger, are like cartoons, in my opinion.
Just wait until you get to my Spy Who Loved Me analysis! If you know your Mike Oldfield albums TSWLM is Tubular Bells 2 compared with YOLT's Tubular Bells.
There are many problems in this film. From here, Connery's relationships with producers are getting very bad, and Connery is mentally and physically tired of Japanese journalists, the distances for the filming and high temperature (he had dehydration). The Gemini project (U.S.A. spacecraft stolen from Blofeld) was completed in November 1966, seven months before the film premiere. The U.S.A. Space Program has been suspended and is being challenged after the tragedy of Apollo 1 in January 1967. Vietnam War and other social problems have led many people - especially the young - to challenge, deny and break with the world that represents Bond . The reason that two years later Lazenby left the role. For viewers they were very innovative effects (they deserve Oscar). Many spy films after the success of Bond and another Bond film (''Casino Royale'' April 1967). After ten years ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' (a remake of Y.O.L.T.) with more attention to details, had great success.
Sean Connery had coasted through “Thunderball” (which even its director, Terence Young, did not care for). He then did a sleepwalk through “You Only Live Twice,” an otherwise entertaining film. The pressures were enormous, no doubt; Connery has described being hounded by photographers during meals and into the men’s room. However, within the protection of the soundstage and security personnel on location, Connery was paid very well to give a performance. Lewis Gilbert couldn’t coax it out of him, because he didn’t believe the Bond character had much to offer after so many films. So Gilbert focused on the spectacle. (This comes through even more in his later efforts.) This video ends on a positive note - George Lazenby, the best Bond, the most human. And it certainly helped to have a director, Peter Hunt, who did care about the character of James Bond.
I mention that the role of Bond had become iconic and the job of YOLT was to push the spectacle leaving Bond with little to do character-wise except for defeat the villains. Connery couldn't do much with such a perfunctory role so I don't blame him or his performance.
I disagree that this movie was grounded in reality. Far from reality, the movie shows a space arm grab a rocket in outer space really? There is no way Blofeld could launch a rocket from inside a volcano no matter how impressive the set. Why didn't the female villan kill Bond on the boat? Why destroy a perfectly good airplane? Finally there is no way Little Nellie could be weighted down with guns and shoot down planes.
The camera work for this film was done by Freddie Young, not Freddie Francis, whose very existence as a cinematographer in 1967 has no record.
I subscribed when you said fahrenheit !!!
Lewis Gilbert (Sean Connery - Michael Feeney Callan Book) says: I tried to give Bond a human dimension, by introducing the emotion when Aki is murdered. But Sean had such a stain to put up with, with the fans. Once when we tried to do a simple shot of him, walking down the Ginza we decided the safest way was to hide our camera, let him slip out of the car and amble past - let him vanish in the street strollers. We tried, Gilbert laughs loud. But Sean got out of the car....and was just pounced upon by a million fans. It was a feeding frenzy, a nightmare.
You never heard of the amazing Samurai television series? That was the intro of Ninja to western pop media.
An interesting, if in places over-intellectualized, analysis. I would expand on a couple of the points made: 1) the series had made a very deliberate choice for spectacle over characterization, to this film's great detriment, and 2) Connery was by this point barely on speaking terms with the producers, largely over money, but also because he had grown tired of the mechanics of fame, as the video notes. The next film (OHMSS) would be much better in terms of quality, but would not make nearly as much money. This in turn led to the mess that was DAF.
Of course my reviews are over-intellectualised! That's the purpose of this series. There are already so many Bond review videos which consist of explaining the plot, what the reviewer likes, what they don't like...this series is about analysing the subtext, putting the movies into the context of when they were made, what other cultural influences were going on and the restrictions of each production. I put the case that the producers not just went for spectacle on You Only Live Twice but that they went as far as they did because they had to stay ahead of all the competition.
I never thought Donald Pleasence, as great an actor as he was, was very convincing as the villain in this movie. My vote for most convincing villain in any Bond movie is No. 1 in Thunderball: you never see him and he has a voice that seems to come from the grave. All other Bond villains, with the possible exception of Auric Goldfinger, are like cartoons, in my opinion.
The henchmen are more interesting than the villains in Bond films.
Matt Helm is worth a revisit. If they stick closer to the novels.
The Silencers: Poor. Murderer's Row: Good. The Ambushers: Awful. The Wrecking Crew: Fun
@ the novels…
I hear a kitty 😸
Remade in 1977 as The Spy Who Loved Me.
Just wait until you get to my Spy Who Loved Me analysis! If you know your Mike Oldfield albums TSWLM is Tubular Bells 2 compared with YOLT's Tubular Bells.
There are many problems in this film. From here, Connery's relationships with producers are getting very bad, and Connery is mentally and physically tired of Japanese journalists, the distances for the filming and high temperature (he had dehydration). The Gemini project (U.S.A. spacecraft stolen from Blofeld) was completed in November 1966, seven months before the film premiere. The U.S.A. Space Program has been suspended and is being challenged after the tragedy of Apollo 1 in January 1967. Vietnam War and other social problems have led many people - especially the young - to challenge, deny and break with the world that represents Bond . The reason that two years later Lazenby left the role. For viewers they were very innovative effects (they deserve Oscar). Many spy films after the success of Bond and another Bond film (''Casino Royale'' April 1967). After ten years ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' (a remake of Y.O.L.T.) with more attention to details, had great success.
Sean Connery had coasted through “Thunderball” (which even its director, Terence Young, did not care for). He then did a sleepwalk through “You Only Live Twice,” an otherwise entertaining film. The pressures were enormous, no doubt; Connery has described being hounded by photographers during meals and into the men’s room. However, within the protection of the soundstage and security personnel on location, Connery was paid very well to give a performance. Lewis Gilbert couldn’t coax it out of him, because he didn’t believe the Bond character had much to offer after so many films. So Gilbert focused on the spectacle. (This comes through even more in his later efforts.)
This video ends on a positive note - George Lazenby, the best Bond, the most human. And it certainly helped to have a director, Peter Hunt, who did care about the character of James Bond.
I mention that the role of Bond had become iconic and the job of YOLT was to push the spectacle leaving Bond with little to do character-wise except for defeat the villains. Connery couldn't do much with such a perfunctory role so I don't blame him or his performance.
@@Rhubba This.
I disagree that this movie was grounded in reality. Far from reality, the movie shows a space arm grab a rocket in outer space really? There is no way Blofeld could launch a rocket from inside a volcano no matter how impressive the set.
Why didn't the female villan kill Bond on the boat? Why destroy a perfectly good airplane?
Finally there is no way Little Nellie could be weighted down with guns and shoot down planes.