{"id":51957,"date":"2020-09-28T18:54:12","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T01:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51957"},"modified":"2021-01-20T13:33:58","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T20:33:58","slug":"thunderball-1965","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51957","title":{"rendered":"Thunderball (1965)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Do you like wild things, James Bond &#8212; <em>Mr. Bond<\/em>?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-51958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Poster.jpg 666w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nSpecial Agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to the Bahamas to find two atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE, whose &#8220;Number 2&#8221; leader (Adolfo Celi) is threatening to blow up Miami unless they receive ransom money. While there, Bond seduces both the sister (Claudine Auger) of a man (Paul Stassino) who&#8217;s been impersonated and killed by SPECTRE, and Celi&#8217;s ruthless mistress (Luciana Paluzzi).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>James Bond Films<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear Threat<\/li>\n<li>Sean Connery Films<\/li>\n<li>Spies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;fourth James Bond film&#8221; &#8212; released after <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33775\"><em>Dr. No<\/em> (1962)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44880\"><em>From Russia With Love<\/em> (1963)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44940\"><em>Goldfinger<\/em> (1964)<\/a> &#8212; &#8220;takes forever to get started and has too many long underwater sequences during which it&#8217;s impossible to tell what&#8217;s going on,&#8221; but is &#8220;nevertheless&#8230; an enjoyable entry in the Bond series.&#8221; He notes that &#8220;Sean Connery is particularly appealing as Bond,&#8221; given that &#8220;he projects more confidence than in other films in the series&#8221;, and adds that &#8220;Celi makes a strong, sophisticated nemesis,&#8221; &#8220;Auger is a top-grade (though neglected) Bond heroine&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Auger.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Paluzzi is &#8220;gorgeous and deadly [as] Fiona Volpe.&#8221; Peary argues that while the &#8220;film has no <em>great<\/em> scene&#8221;, it&#8217;s &#8220;entertaining as long as the actors stay above water.&#8221; I&#8217;m essentially in agreement with Peary&#8217;s assessment, though I think he gives the underwater sequences short shrift: while there&#8217;s far too much of this footage included, they&#8217;re well-handled and impressively shot. <\/p>\n<p>For those who are interested, there is quite a bit more to learn about the history of this erstwhile box-office hit &#8212; see, for example, both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/24268\/thunderball#articles-reviews?articleId=235280\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thunderball_(film)\">Wikipedia<\/a>. While many viewers remain devotees &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/guide\/james-bond-movies\/\">Rotten Tomatoes ranks it as #6 out of the 26 total films in the franchise<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2754thun.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> is most definitely not among this crowd. As he writes in his review, while <em>Thunderball<\/em> &#8220;has some of the series&#8217; most impressive filmic set pieces,&#8221; it&#8217;s bedeviled by &#8220;an unusually sloppy structure&#8221; and often &#8220;goes off on frequent tangents to work flashy gadgets and action into the story.&#8221; He further argues that while &#8220;the producers knew they had the essential ingredients for a hit&#8221; they &#8220;no longer seemed to care about crafting a superior film.&#8221; On a more positive note, he points out that &#8220;John Barry&#8217;s score is one of his best,&#8221; that &#8220;Paluzzi makes a delightfully sexy villainess, while she lasts,&#8221; and that &#8220;the photography is sleek throughout.&#8221; While all-purpose film fanatics don&#8217;t need to check this one out, they may be curious to watch it once &#8212; and hardcore fans of the series surely already have their own firmly entrenched opinions. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unique sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-51960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Sets.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-51961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-1024x435.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-51962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Thunderball-Cinematography2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Barry&#8217;s score <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though of course Bond fans won&#8217;t want to miss it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0059800\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1965\/12\/22\/archives\/screen-007s-underwater-adventuresconnery-plays-bond-in-thunderball.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2754thun.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/sciencefiction\/thunderball-1965.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/24268\/thunderball#articles-reviews?articleId=235280\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Do you like wild things, James Bond &#8212; Mr. Bond?&#8221; Synopsis: Special Agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to the Bahamas to find two atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE, whose &#8220;Number 2&#8221; leader (Adolfo Celi) is threatening to blow up Miami unless they receive ransom money. While there, Bond seduces both the sister (Claudine Auger) of a man (Paul Stassino) who&#8217;s been impersonated and killed by SPECTRE, and Celi&#8217;s ruthless mistress (Luciana Paluzzi). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: James&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51957\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51957"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64708,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51957\/revisions\/64708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}