Just saw it for the first time. There's no doubt this was the inspiration for the story in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Strombe
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — James Bond
ringfire211 — 9 years ago(November 06, 2016 10:14 PM)
Just saw it for the first time. There's no doubt this was the inspiration for the story in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Stromberg and his fascination with life under the sea is basically Captain Nemo (James Mason) and his story. Even the Nautilus attacking ships is basically like the Liparus creeping up and swallowing submarines. I also can't help but think that the giant squid that's featured in this film must have inspired Fleming to include a squid in his DR. NO novel.
Basically there's a strong Bond vibe in this Disney film, primarily with James Mason's villain Captain Nemo and his futuristic-looking Nautilus submarine (which folks think is a sea monster, just like the "dragon" in DR. NO). Plus some lush underwater and tropical scenery as well as a villain's base/lair (on the island of Vulcania) which gets destroyed at the end.
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes! -
ringfire211 — 9 years ago(November 07, 2016 01:56 PM)
Yes I had heard about James Mason as Drax. I love Mason (one of my absolute favorite British actors) but Michel Lonsdale was just spot-on as Drax!
Speaking of Mason, has the guy ever given a bad performance? He's just maaarveous (doing my best Mason here) in everything he does. Whether it's escapism like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or realism like THE VERDICT (for which he was Oscar nominated) he just excels in everything he does. I especially love his performances in the 2 great whodunnits THE LAST OF SHEILA and EVIL UNDER THE SUN. And I recently saw him play Watson to Christopher Plummer's Holmes in MURDER BY DECREE. He's got that great old school British class and the way he delivers his lines with that honeyed voice of his.
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes! -
HugeDaiCottermee — 9 years ago(November 08, 2016 06:24 AM)
Verily I say unto theesorry to say this but Mason did give an hilariously bad performance as a Chinese character named Kam Ling in Henry Levin's GENGHIS KHAN (1965).
The simperingly camp speech pattern he gave this character would be vilified if an actor dared emulate in the these PC obsessed days but it is something to cherish if you really want to see a bad (and I mean BAD) performance by an otherwise respected actor. -
TrevorAclea — 9 years ago(November 08, 2016 09:44 AM)
And Mason spent years apologising for it, agreeing with all the terrible reviews and pleading in his defence that he only made it because his expensive divorce and acrimonious custody battle had left him completely broke.
"Security - release the badgers." -
ringfire211 — 9 years ago(November 08, 2016 12:09 PM)
Wait, is that the one where John Wayne plays Genghis Khan? If so then I can forgive Mason and anyone else involved in that debacle. Something like that is bound to be doomed from the get-go. When someone casts the Duke as a Mongol or a Roman centurion (as in THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD) then clearly someone has no clue what they're doing and have no business being in the movie business.
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes! -
j_w_pepper — 9 years ago(November 08, 2016 12:18 PM)
No, ring, that was THE CONQUEROR, twelve years or so earlier, directed by Dick Powelland apparently, the greatest mistake they made was not (as might be expected) to cast the Duke as Genghis Khan, but to film it near a Nevada nuclear test site, probably resulting in 40 per cent of the cast and crew developing some form of cancer. A mediocre Mason performance pales in comparison.
Ceterum censeo OCTOPUSSY esse delendam. -
ringfire211 — 9 years ago(November 09, 2016 02:01 PM)
https://youtu.be/F0L-e_u52TU#t=1m20s
Oh my!!! Oh my!!! Had I not seen this I may not have believed it.
Love it!!! It's so enjoyable that it almost proves my point that Mason never gave a bad performance. This may be even more memorable than his "good" performances. I can't help but see Peter Sellers here doing his Sidney Wang in MURDER BY DEATH.
One thing is for sure - we'll never see "performances" like these again due to political correctness.
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes! -
SuperDevilDoctor — 9 years ago(November 07, 2016 02:19 AM)
The film
really
needs a Blu-ray release.
It got the deluxe DVD treatment from Disney some years ago, but 20KLUTS is a title I'd very much like to upgrade to hi-def.
It still holds up, even 60+ years on.
Send her to the snakes! -
ringfire211 — 9 years ago(November 07, 2016 02:09 PM)
I agree. The film has held up very well. I expected it to look much more hoakey. Apparently the effects were groundbreaking for its time and the film won some Oscars in the SFX and technical departments.
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes!