Brandon Peters dissects the 007 series part 12: For Your Eyes Only

To contact us Click HERE
With Skyfall dropping in theaters in just a few months, along with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, a close friend and fellow film nerd, Brandon Peters, has generously offered to do a comprehensive review of the entire 007 film franchise. Today is the twelfth entry, with a full review of the 'back to basics' spy thriller, For Your Eyes Only. I hope you enjoy what is a pretty massive feature leading up the November 9th release of Skyfall. I'll do my best to leave my two-cents out of it, give or take a few items I have up my sleeve (including a possible guest review from my wife as she sings the praises of her favorite 007 film, you won't believe what it is). But just because I'm stepping aside doesn't mean you should. Without further ado...


For Your Eyes Only1981Director:  John GlenStarring: Roger Moore, Julian Glover, Carole Bouquet, ChaimTopol, Cassandra HarrisRated PG
Think twice 007, it’sa long way down.            ~looks likehim, talks like him, dresses like him, but isn’t credited as Blofeld
STATSKills: 14Girls:  MelinaHavelock, Countess Lisl von Schlaf, Bibi DahlCar:  the Lotus fromSPY returns, is blown up and replaced with 1981 Lotus Espirit TurboLocales: Greece, ItalyOdd Villain Trait: Erich Kriegler – another rendition of big strong blonde bruteSong:  “For Your EyesOnly” performed by Sheena Easton
Moonraker was amassive success for the 007 franchise. It was the highest grossing film of the series (w/o adjusting forinflation) making over $200 million worldwide, locking down the series for somemore longevity.  Moonraker was a huge film and took Bond to some extraordinarylimits (outer limits, if you may).  For Your Eyes Only grounds Bond back inreality and attempts to take it back to the feel of some of the older entries.
A ship carrying an Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator(ATAC) is sunk in the Ionian Sea.  TheBritish have employed marine archaeologist Timothy Havelock to find where theship has sunk.  When Havelock and his wife are murdered, JamesBond is brought in to find the hit man and hopefully discover who is behind theattack on the ship.  Along the way he isjoined with Havelock’sdaughter Melina, seeking revenge for her parents’ murder. 

For Your Eyes Onlyis definitely a throwback to a more serious, plot-driven Bond film.  DiamondsAre Forever to Moonraker had beena journey of going bigger and bigger with each entry.  However, in taking 007 back to his roots, For Your Eyes Only borrows a lot fromthe films it wants to be like.  The plotis basically a modern update on the Lector MacGuffin from From Russia with Love, even borrowing its henchman in the form ofErich Kriegler-a dead ringer for Donald Grant. Also, Milos Columbo is a dead ringer for Kerim Bey.  The film not only opens with Bond visitingthe grave of his late wife Tracy, but is inspired by On Her Majesty’s Secret Service  winter action bits as well (yes, skiing,again.  That’s three).  The end sequence even features Bond teamingwith a mobster storming on a high altitude facility that feels like the allergyfacility ending to Lazenby’s Bond film only in the summertime.  It also has an underwater search akin to Thunderball.  The film isn’t entirely as much a knockoff asit is sounding, but the series is leaning on itself rather than borrowing fromthe hot genre of the time.  It sportsplenty of original action sequences.  Butaside from the opening teaser, none of them really stand out or are asbreathtaking as the two prior entries.
Where it should have borrowed is the score.  The music is pretty wild and almostdistracting at times.  Maybe it’s a signof where things were in 1981, but I can’t say I can familiarize it with anyother movie of the time.  The film’s songby Sheena Easton is pretty solid though. She even appears to sing it in the opening credits sequence.  It’s kinda weird at first, because you justthink its one of the normal dancers and then she sings and it’s a “woah”moment.
The goal was to take this back to a more grounded,“realistic” approach.  The film isn’twithout goofiness though.  Bond discoversthe drop for the ATAC last minute by luckily hearing a parrot repeating whatthe villain Kristatos had revealed earlier. There’s also the absolutely annoying and pointless character of BibiDahl.  She’s a pro figure skater backedby Kristatos.  Her character has a lustfor James Bond and really brings nothing to the story.  Bond doesn’t even sleep with her.  We also get a cheesy end tag with the parrotagain.  All this really is noticeably outof place in this film grounded in reality.
James Bond is a bit more the tough guy he was in Live and Let Die and in an appreciablefashion.  He has a cold blooded kill whenhe kicks a car hanging off a cliff containing a henchman pleading forhelp.  We also get to see Roger Mooreplay baccarat for the first time in 5 films. He’s also not a complete hornball this time out.  He only sleeps with one woman through thecourse of this plot and refuses another’s advances.  Bond does sleep with Melina, but it’s at thevery end. 
Moore has aged well for a man in his 50s, but they needed tocast someone looking closer to his age than Carole Bouquet.  Melina Havelock does prove to be a great Bondgirl.  She has an interesting back-storyand agenda that’s aside from the plot. She even saves Bond’s neck.  Oneof the things that I liked about her is that she isn’t overly sexified and canhold her own in a battle.  And there’snone of that “she’s good…for a girl!” type attitude.  She’s quite handywith a cross-bow too.
Aristotle Kristatos is a largely forgettable villain.  It’s not that he’s bad or anything, butthere’s nothing that makes him stand out among the rest.  He’s serviceable to the story and theperformance is fine.  Julian Gloverserved better in the Indiana Jonesfranchise.  He was almost paired withSpielberg here, but Spielberg opted to go for Raiders of the Lost Ark before a director was chosen.  Spielberg wanted to do a 007 film and was intalks, he just wasn’t going to wait on it.
John Glen makes his directorial debut.  He’d long been with the franchise since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (editingand 2^nd unit directing the films). Glen will be the longest tenured director in 007 history (not only fivefilms, but five in a row).  The idea tostrip Bond down, make it less gadgety and less over the top was backed byGlen.  Glen almost brought Jaws back fora third time in For Your Eyes Only,but ultimately decided this wouldn’t fit with the tone the production wasaiming for (but we’ll have a talking parrot dues-ex-machina and that’s ok). 
The opening of the film is arguably one of the biggesthighlights.  It pits James Bond against “notnamed-Blofeld” for one final encounter. Bond is visiting the grave of Tracywhen he is contacted by MI:6 for an emergency. While being transported by helicopter, Blofeld takes control.  This isn’t the opening to The Spy Who Loved Me or Moonraker, but it’s quite thrilling.  I love the intimate one-on-one battle herefor their final showdown.  It’s farbetter than any we got featuring Blofeld as the main villain.  It’s fun and suspenseful.  Bond finally does away with Ernst by droppinghim to his death from high above.  Thisscene was written into the script for two reasons.  There was worry Roger Moore wouldn’t bereturning.  His 007 contract was a three filmdeal and then went to a film-by-film basis starting with Moonraker.  This opening wasintended to make whoever the new Bond was to look like he mattered.  Also it was a message from Cubby Broccoli toKevin McClory and anyone else that he didn’t need to Blofeld or SPECTRE tocarry on with Bond.  We’ll be getting to thickof that ordeal very soon.
For Your Eyes Onlyis a decent film.  It’s neither the bestnor is it one of the worst.  It’s kind ofwavering around in mediocrity.  A lot ofit feels a bit flat at times.  It’s anenjoyable film for sure, but at this point you’ve seen better and seen what For Your Eyes Only is doing better.  A key observation for me after five filmsinto the Mooreera: Where is this goofy Bond character I remembering groaning about?  The guy has been pretty damn good so far.  Two films to go, let’s see how this pans out.
Brandon Peters will return in Octop***y.
Follow me on Twitter – www.twitter.com/@btpeters E-mail – naptownnerd@gmail.com“Like” Mendelson’s Memos on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MendelsonsMemos