The Best Bond Film of All Time; Thursday the 14th of October

 James Bond has been in the news quite a bit recently, following the much-delayed release of No Time to Die, the most recent offering in this (almost) 60-year-old film franchise.


No time to die, indeed. Like all self-respecting zombies, the James Bond character is steadfastly refusing to lie down and stop breathing, despite (or perhaps because of) six decades of sexism, racism, casual violence, jingoism and sexism (sexism is a very big thing in the Bond franchise). It should really have been called Enough Already.





Still, the Bond Movie has become an important cultural icon, and each offering follows an instantly recognisable style and pattern: a suave hero in a tailored suit, a smooth-talking but quietly menacing villain with a dangerous and (devotedly) faithful henchman, a beautiful, sexually available girl, a wide variety of exotic and photogenic locations and an endless parade of increasingly complicated and implausible assassination attempts.

What's not to love?

With all this free-floating testosterone permeating the current Entertainment News Cycle, it seems appropriate at this point in our film series to screen what is without question the very best Bond movie of them all:



North by Northwest (1959) may not be about James Bond, but one can make a very strong case (and many have) that it provides the template for the entire Bond franchise. 



 







North by Northwest is also Alfred Hitchcock at the very peak of his career, telling a story that is gripping and suspenseful, but without the dark, psychological quagmire that distinguishes so many of his other films from this period (Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho, Marnie). Unlike those films, North by Northwest is a romp. It spins a very exciting tale and then proceeds to tell that tale with exquisite style and panache. 

In their wildest dreams can any Bond Film hope to be as good as this.



We'll be showing North by Northwest at 7.30 on Thursday the 14th of October at the Victoria Park Baptist Church. As ever, all will be welcome. I look forward to seeing you there!

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 8, 2021 at 10:15 PM

    I am no fan of Hitchcock in general but this must be the most overrated film of all time. The plot is frankly stupid, Grant is wooden, Eve Marie Saint is little better, the ending is ludicrous and poorly shot, but worst of all is the crop dusting scene. Why on earth get Grant to go out into the country to kill him. If it wasn't so praised I would shut up but people actually praise it to the skies!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shawm KreitzmanOctober 8, 2021 at 10:31 PM

      Sorry to hear you're no fan of Hitchcock; he has always spoken very highly of you.
      I personally try to avoid speaking in superlatives (I think that's the worst thing ever) but if I had to pick the "most overrated film of all time" I would probably choose "Gone With the Wind". Also, "2001; A Space Odyssey". The two most overrated films of all time: Gone With the Wind and 2001, plus absolutely anything directed by Steven Spielberg...
      I'll start over:
      Amongst the most overrated films of all time are such so-called classics as Gone With the Wind, 2001 etc. etc.
      But not North by Northwest. North by Northwest rocks. Fortunately, watching it (or any other film for that matter) is not mandatory.

      Delete

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