Thunderball & Never Say Never Again 
                                                 
Thunderball
Director: Terence Young
Year: 1965
Rating: 7.0


Thunderball was the fourth James Bond film (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger) and the ninth in the Bond books. The book has a confusing origin story. Fleming along with a few others wrote a film screenplay for Thunderball to be a movie, but it was not picked up. He didn't write the novel till later on and based it on the screenplay. But a few people had credits for the screenplay. It went to the courts and the ruling was that Fleming was given the movie rights for the book and the others for the screenplay. Mind you, this was all before there were any Bond movies and also why Connery was able to reprise his role in Never Say Never Again as the writers of the screenplay had after a lengthy court battle gotten rights for the book. Or something like that.



The book is fairly straightforward other than digressions that Fleming wrote to make a point of some kind. Through the character of Felix Leiter he rages about the prices at a restaurant in Nassau - page after page - and the long section of Bond at the health club was because he had done it himself. In the book it is rather pointless because there is no switching of pilots. Count Lippe tries to kill Bond and in return Bond fries Lippe but there is no bandaged man. Nothing comes out of that to impact the later story. Fleming just wanted to talk about his experiences. The film is better than the book by adding a number of elements but it still follows the book for the most part.



The additions are good ones though it pushes the film past the two hour mark and it feels it by the end with the lengthy underwater sequence. Just too much in there. One very good addition is the red-haired female assassin Fiona played by the luscious Luciana Paluzzi. There is no such person in the book and Luciana gives the film a spark and a lot of sex appeal. When she leaves the film, there is a discernible drop in the energy level. She is the one I remembered from the film, not having seen it in probably two decades. More so than the lovely Claudine Auger (Miss France). Of course, Bond gets to sleep with them both in the film as well as one of the employees in the health club. One time while underwater with oxygen tanks on. That can't be easy. How does he find the time to save the world.



Another addition to the film is the festival and parade giving the film some local color. The pool with sharks as well - Connery came very close to being bitten by one and had to get out of the pool pronto.  And Bond's assistant in Nassau played by Martine Beswick. Much to my shame I had forgotten she was in this. No catfight though as she had in From Russia with Love, One Million Years BC and Prehistoric Women - though it looked like there might be one between her and Luciana. What were the producers thinking not to throw that in?



The book introduces S.P.E.C.T.R.E and Blofelt for the first time. The next two books - Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice - are considered the Blofelt Trilogy. In the films though S.P.E.C.T.R.E shows up a few more times beginning with Dr. No (though no Blofelt) - From Russia with Love, Diamonds are Forever, For Your Eyes Only, Never Say Never Again, SPECTRE and No Time to Die. Blofelt was the new Moriarty. Played though by various actors - in both From Russia and this film he was played by Anthony Dawson but voiced by Eric Pohlmann. Dawson if you recollect was the man that Bond murdered in cold blood in Dr. No. Professor Dent. Only his legs are seen here.



The other main actor is Adolfo Celi as Largo, the man who has to pull off the operation of planting two nukes to be exploded if their ransom demand is not carried out. It was for most of us, our introduction to this Italian actor who had been acting since the 1940s. He later became the go to guy in many Euro-crime films - nearly always the villain, He is perfect for the Largo of the books - Fleming describes him as "He was a Roman and he looked like a Roman, not from the Rome of today but from the Rome of the ancient coins. The large, long face was sunburned a deep mahogany brown and the light glinted off the strong rather hooked nose and the clean-cut lantern jaw."



The film was a huge hit at the time and was one of the most profitable for years. It was directed by Terence Young who had Dr. No and From Russia with Love under his belt. I get the sense that over the years this has gone down in people's estimation but it has all the usual elements - M, Q, Moneypenny, the prologue, the Barry score, beautiful women, danger, seduction, some solid witticisms by Bond.


Fiona:    [in the bath] Aren't you in the wrong room, Mr. Bond?

Bond:    Not from where I'm standing.


But it feels a little slow. muddled and long at times and in the opening scene which sets the mood and gets the Bond theme playing, his jet pack escape looks so corny now. But it is Bond and Connery. Accept no substitute.


Never Say Never Again
Director: Irvin Kershner
Year: 1983
Rating: 5.5


"Based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham and Ian Fleming".

This is how the film producers were able to get around copyright limitations to make another film with basically the same story as 1965's Thunderball. Whether the world really needed that is a different subject. The title came from Sean Connery's wife who was making light of Connery's promise after Diamonds are Forever finished in 1971 that he would never make another Bond film. Diamonds are Forever was a bit of surprise since the role for the previous film On His Majesty's Secret Service had gone to George Lazenby and he was being offered a seven Bond picture deal - and declined. Instead Lazenby went on to a mediocre career including a few Hong Kong films. He always says he never regretted his decision, but seriously? They got Connery back for one film and over $1 million salary which was big back then and his choice of two movies. He donated the money to establish the Scottish International Education Trust. They had actually considered Roger Moore but he was busy making another film.



But why this film? He had been 32 when he appeared in Dr. No, 12 years since Diamonds and now he was 53 though still looks great. His career wasn't exactly on a hot streak with Wrong is Right, Five Days One Summer and Sword of the Valiant around this film, but he was actually very involved with the planning and casting of this film going back a few years. It seems he wanted to make one more Bond film and one he had already made. It would be nice to say it was an improvement over Thunderball but it isn't. Quite the reverse. There are some scenes so badly thought out that I was wondering if this was supposed to be a spoof.



I mean hell they bring in Rowland Atkinson for some goofy humor. The female assassin in this one (Barbara Carrera) is such a psycho that it is funny. When she has Bond down and ready for the kill, she insists that he write on a piece of paper that she was the best sex of his life. Fortunately, his pen is a deadly weapon. Tank you Q. Another time he and Domino (Kim Basinger) are dancing a tango with the entire crowd watching them from tables at a charity event and he decides this is the perfect time to tell her that Largo killed her brother. He also out swims sharks and rides a horse off of a castle to escape into the water 100 feet below. Where the British navy picks them up. Oh, Bond has sex with four women in this version; only three in Thunderball. Was Viagra around back then?



Though lots of details are changed, it still follows the basic plot. But immediately, you miss the Bond music and beginning credits - instead you get a flyover of land below - it feels like a TV movie - and the song breaks out with Never Say Never sung by Lani Hall. As forgettable as they come and the score by the legendary Michel Legrand is shockingly tacky and poorly placed. Bond fails a training exercise and the new M (Edward Fox) sends him to the health retreat. Fox plays M as an absolute bureaucratic git. He has shut down the 007 program as useless in these times. Till SPECTRE steals the nukes- Blofelt played by Max von Sydow - and gives them to Largo to place. Largo is so underplayed by Klaus Maria Brandauer that I wanted to have him over for bridge. One time he invites Bond on the boat knowing who he is and gives him the run of the place. Maybe a good idea to just shoot him, A few good scenes - Bond fighting a gigantic killer in the health spa and succeeding with his urine sample. Later a solid motorcycle chase. I am always glad to see Connery and thankfully Highlander, The Untouchables and Name of the Rose were right ahead.