Bond is Back: Octopussy and The Secret Ingredient of James Bond

CINEMATIC 007 - In honor of the release of 'No Time To Die,' Being James Bond collaborated with other KZbinrs to talk about one of your favorites moments in Bond films, and I chose one that I think highlights that one thing that separates Bond from every other action hero franchise.
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[@jamiem8680]

Octopussy is so so underrated,,,a first rate Bond and Spy film in general

[@milesanddizzy]

Octopussy is the apex of Moore’s tenure as Bond, cinematography, set design, script etc. just a phenomenal production, pity that Moore wasn’t 10 years younger, but it’s still a great one!

[@DutchBondFan]

A 100% agreed to this video! Great contribution to this playlist Joe!

[@peterfranks6243]

And that's one thing that Daniel Craig Will never have.... Roger Moore's class and sophistication.

[@alexlamas6324]

Agreed! When they invoke Fleming even in the Craig films it shows. The dialog in the scene you showed from OHMSS is an edited version directly from the book almost verbatim! I will say that Octopussy does the style and sophistication of Bond like no other. Pure class all the way.

[@peterfranks6243]

as a 54 year old life long Bond fan, (my introduction to 007 was with my late father in the cinema to see The Spy Who Loved Me) my personal favourite is the movie that was released at the same time of my birth...OHMSS. I've seen ALL the movie's, studied them even, BUT have to say Lazenby's Bond knocks them out of the park. He was so raw.

[@dtuk22]

Octopussy is without doubt an all round action adventure movie..It has a bit of everything and not too much of anything. Ok couple of the gags are unnecessary & could be easily taken out. But for the most part i happily rate it as one of the best.

[@Andy1962-in-Kinross]

You said it Mr Darlington. 💯%

[@kevindorn]

This was great, Joe. I completely agree.

[@KasumiRINA]

Octopussy was released after Indiana Jones, and has a lot of adventure elements in it, TBH it's an overall better movie than Temple of Doom, at least the middle part doesn't drag on. Highly recommended! Easily best of Roger Moore era.

[@nellieneil]

Temple of Doom came out in 1984 - 1 year after Octopussy - 1983

[@STONESGAM]

I agree. I totally saw some Indiana Jones elements here and was going to write a similar comment but you beat me to it. Maybe Spielberg modeled some of the Palace scenes after this... especially the dinner scene in Temple of Doom. Spielberg always said he wanted to direct a Bond movie but ended up doing Indy. Octopussy always kind of had this classy and romantic feel to it for me that is unique to this Bond film with the setting and music. And the relationship between Bond and Octopussy is realistic. They both seem like attractive, middle aged people who have been around the block a few times and have some sophistication, experience and hurt to them. So they had good chemistry together. I really feel this should have been Rogers last film. He and Octopussy on the boat together would have been an epic and perfect ending to his film run especially after the plane scene. I always said if you edited out a minute or two of the cheesy moments and Tarzan yell you are left with one of the greatest Bond films. Octopussy and Spy Who Loved Me are my two favorite Bond movies.

[@BondsApartment]

Fantastic, Joe!

[@JannAsheNemophilaFan]

Love Octopussy, in my top Bond films. Top 6. The mystery he follows is so creative. My only blemish is the Tarzan yell. One of best pre- titles, I love the title song. Great Bond women in Octopussy and Magda. One of my favorite Bond villains in Kamal Khan. Bergoffs Orluv is great. Knife throwers are great henchmen, as is Gabinda. The buzz saw is one of most creative fight scenes. Moore shines here, he’s very good fighting here. Magdas spiral off the balcony is beautiful. Bonds slide down the stair bannister is classic Fleming. Bond facing off against Khan in backgammon is incredible. Moore taking out Grishka in shed, is cold, hard, steely assassin, saying” that’s for 009”. Bond does what he has to, dressing as a clown to get into the circus. The villains chasing Bond on a big game hunt is great. The tuck tuck chase is a great new take on the car chase. But yes, Khans stare at Bond in Sotheby’s speaks volumes, very intense. Louis Jordan I feel is Moore’s best villian, with Kananga. This is one of my go to Bond films. Goldeneye, Majesties, Goldfinger, Liv Daylights,, Skyfall, LALD, Octopussy being my top films. Bond is in a tight caboose, with both Gabinda, and Mishka. He has to find out what the villains are up to. So, yes he hides in the gorilla suit. Bond does what he needs to do. He had to hide. The circus is being used, as a means to smuggle, and the villains horrific plan of nuclear bonb detonation. So um, yes The gorilla suit, and clown outfits are used by Bond to both get intel, and save hundreds of thousands. It’s very clever really.

[@crem76]

Octpussy is my favorite Bond movie. I usually get ridiculed for that view but to is amazing!

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

Growing up in the Daniel Craig/zoomer era, amongst my friends interested in James Bond we made fun of Octopussy for its weird and sexual name and didn’t bother to really look into it. When we did, it was often odd sections like Bond as a clown or the great opening scene. When I saw the movie in full when the Bonds were free on KZbin last year, I was almost awestruck. I was impressed by how evocative of the era it felt and I swore I saw its influence in video games and the spy genre in general almost everywhere. The nuclear weapons conspiracy in Europe and Soviet attempts to detonate it made its way into Call of Duty’s Black Ops Cold War, and the idea of treasure or valuables used to fund Soviet projects (as well as the jungle chase) likely had a hand in inspiring Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Just a look into the elements of fiction that later became somewhat common today.

[@susannevanberkum5724]

Doubt that scene from OHMSS would make it into a Bond today, glad we can still watch the classic ones for those kind of scenes. Totally agree on the excellence of Ian Fleming his writing and that those paying attention to the books are amazing movies.

[@dennisjames6753]

Love your love for Octopussy. It's one of my all time favorites as well.

[@jackhime5628]

I love this video and it’s great and thanks Joe

[@alcabane3125]

I agree im reading all of playboy magazine at the moment, and joe you should look into that since they published the fleming stories in the magazine before they had world wide distribution, the octopussy short story is there with sean connery as bond artwork, i mean the play boy magazine is so bond or fleming, or being james bond not the doc this podcast, in that they talk about great places to go, drinks, playboy lifestyle, food to eat, movie and book reviews of back then as well as albums and theater, arts and entertainment, also artwork of ads and comics strips, as well as beuatiful nude centerfolds, that dont hold up as well as the fleming books, but its in the same vain, fleming also did some interviews there, as well as connery, ursela and many others, its has great stories from many authors, can you do more of this video, i do agree with you i dont think they can do a movie title like this if it wasnt for roger, cause people would be like really, but roger moore movie it fits perfectly, this movie is not as goofy as the other ones, actually plays it self serious. You should have talked about how bond was the first book series the have a succesfull franchise, that others started to follow suit like harry potter and many others. Also temple of doom and many other action films were inspired by the bond films, goldfinger was the first modern day blockbuster, before jaws and star wars, bond shot first. i do think octopussy is a great film, i just wish they went for the short story fully adapting it, not just have a backstory we barely see, or i wish spectre was an adaptation of octopussy and waltz played major dexter smythe, so then the octopus in the title sequence would make sense. but its a great film can you do more videos of this with other bond movies. Juscheck out TEN NINE channel on playboy he shows it. they can still adapt property of a lady so hopefully for a new bond

[@nellieneil]

HOWARD WEBER says > OCTOPUSSY is not only my favorite Roger Moore Bond film, it`s also one of my favorite Bond films of the series. But I have to ask this question. After having one of the best pre-credit sequences of the series and one of the most suspenseful opening scenes of any Bond film ( twin killers chasing 009 ), why would the Producers, writers and John Glen allow Bond to be seen wearing a Gorilla costume and then have Bond in another scene yelling like Tarzan ? What the hell were they thinking. Did the Producers actually believe we would want to see that in a Bond film ?

[@PortobelloRd]

Cant wait for your honest review of NTTD! i hate the end!

[@lpquagmire3621]

OHMSS is perhaps the most opulent Bond film of all! As someone who grew up with Roger Moore's 007, it's always been hard for me to choose between OCTOPUSSY and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, but both exemplify Bond at his best.

[@peterfranks6243]

Could you imagine Lewis Collins in the part then

[@krock5150]

Love octopussy

[@justice4all72]

Fantastically put Joe, I totally agree here! and Octopussy rules!

[@KasumiRINA]

About them running out of Fleming material... it's a bit more complicated than that. Firstly, some movies were not allowed to use any elements of the story due to licensing, turning Diamonds are Forever, one of the best books, into one of the worst films. Secondly, when they did have rights to follow the novel, a lot of times it was adapted very loosely: original Moonraker was not a sci-fi thing with iron Jaws man turning face IN SPACE, but a more typical Bond story, first part of it was set in casino then at a rocket lab near a beach. Nothing outlandish. Blaxploitation adaptation of Live and Let Die followed the plot but had major leeway. And they swapped order of OHMSS and You Only Live Twice. Actually adopting every book after Casino Royale properly wasn't done. Even Dr. No, Golden Eye, Thunderball and From russia with love's more or less direct adaptations had some questionable changes that aged poorly (y add sex with those two Romani women?).

[@leitercia]

I'm 99% sure they had the rights to every novel (with the exception of Casino Royale, which of course they got eventually,) but your other observations are very well taken.

[@FromVadimWithLove]

Nicely said 👍

[@kevinrogers8779]

Any thoughts on whether EON would (or should) use source material from the Gardner, Benson or Horowitz books?

[@esotericsage6914]

I've always thought the Gardner books would make great movies.

[@kevinrogers8779]

Awesome work and commentary as always, Joe!

[@arindamchakraborty889]

Yes I agree . Octopussy is a not great but obviously good bond movie and frequently underrated and that's very unfortunate . People critics say it doesnt have good plot , pace , acting , bla bla bla . But it really has it all .

[@ved100]

Watched No Time To Die yesterday and I liked, but it has a lot of drama!

[@PentexProductions]

Thanks again for joining the Bond is Back series! The full playlist can be found here: kzbin.info/aero/PLGKyAwPbirg-JfvlWe_AFJMhk_y4wsrJN

[@eabcool]

true, true, true , Head of Section

[@nihits]

for sure staying true to ian fleming material is what makes these movies great.. its a shame they never even made the movies in that order and keep the continuity.

[@johnkennethwiseman682]

Octopussy is a great guilty pleasure for me

[@leepenney6104]

A cracking Bond film and a great scene. I still have a mild obsession with Faberge eggs because of it

[@JohnDoe-tm9wz]

Excellent video and a great analysis of the mythology of OO7

[@STONESGAM]

Some of these older Bond films just have more unique and interesting fight scenes and villains. The new films have more effects and explosions but aren't as interesting. The fight scene in Octopussy with the saw when Bond and Octopussy are on the bed is fun and memorable. So is the last scene on the plane. I have always preferred real stunts to fake CGI. The new films badly need some creativity to the action scenes and need more hand to hand fights.

[@Mike-wf1nm]

Nothing on NTTD? You OK, Mister?

[@Beingjamesbond]

Won’t see it til the 8th.

[@mastroia0077]

Roger moore,you are eternal. About no time to die ...i hated the movie.

[@greatwuta]

Loved it and agreed with everything..... except Diamonds Are Forever 🤢

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Flemingesque & Hitchcockian 🎬😃

[@ramirodeiturralde8029]

Where is your review of NTTD?!!!!

[@dtuk22]

001st

[@treadstone1970]

002nd

[@lewisaugustwilliams]

Er... as far as I can recall Ian Fleming's Bond did not either (a) dress up as a clown (b) dress up as a crocodile (c) pretend to be Tarzan or (d) dress up in a gorilla costume!!!!! Octopussy is at the bottom end of a lot people's lists for good reason!!!

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Every 007/Bond entry has a naysayer. As for yours truly, DAD (2002) and Q of S (2008) are at the bottom of _my_ list, but one or both are at the top of someone else's (while the Tarzan Yell is 100% indefencible, on balance it is a gem).

[@Beingjamesbond]

Er... you could go through every single Bond movie and say “Er... Fleming’s Bond never did X.” But, er, to each their own. Er. The video was about where the film does invoke Fleming.

[@greatwuta]

Wow, except for the stupid Tarzan yell you are so picky. He dressed up like a clown because that is the best way to go to the circus. What should Bond do instead of wearing the gorilla costume? I guess you want Bond to use a boat in order to get to Octopussy island.

[@hockeygoaliejesse]

@@greatwuta Some people are mad that DC is always brooding. It's like they think a blunt instrument killer needs to have a grin or a clown face on.