Movie Info:
Writer: Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson
Director: John Glen
Cast: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover, Cassandra Harris, Jill Bennett, Michael Gothard, John Wyman, Jack Hedley, Lois Maxwell
Rating: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: June 26, 1981
DVD Release Date: October 21, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.95
Ian Fleming is the genius behind 007. The majority of the Bond films are based on or adapted from his books. This is the one place that For Your Eyes Only differs. While Fleming was a major influence and the original author of the tale, this film was not adapted from one of Fleming’s novels. Instead it was a short story. However, Fleming’s other books do play a part here, as bits and pieces have been borrowed in order to make a more complete and interesting tale to watch.
Actually, the short story was part of a collection that was published prior to any of the novels. Other short stories in that bunch included “From a View to a Kill” and “Quantum of Solace.” For Your Eyes Only was adapted from two of the five short stories in that set, along with some novel influences like “Goldfinger” and “Live and Let Die.” Another interesting difference about this Bond film is that it’s the only film to date where the character M does not appear. Unfortunately, the actor that played him to this point died before filming began. This prompted them to respectfully write him out, by claiming he was “on leave.” The character reappears in Octopussy and in every other film to date.
Roger Moore was convinced to play the part of James Bond despite being 54 at the time of filming. The amount he made was enough to make him come out of retirement, though the amount was not disclosed. In order to make sure the movie flowed, the opening scene deals with Bond visiting the grave of his dead wife. Moore does a lot of his own stunts in the film and he had no problem talking about them and the fear of heights that he had. In fact, he went as far as to take small doses of Valium and some beer in order to go through with the climbing shots.
Perhaps my favorite bit of film related information comes from the filmmakers when it came to casting the Bond Girls. One of the most famous Bond Girls, in reputation alone, is Caroline Cossey. Cossey, who uses the stage name Tula, was a man prior to having sexual reassignment surgery. She can be found poolside in a white bikini. The writers wouldn’t or couldn’t have known about Cossey’s past and sadly she was outed by tabloids, shortly after the release of the movie.
When it comes to the Bond game, Connery will always be my favorite. Moore will always be a close second though. I have to say I am glad he came back. A number of actors were considered had Moore rejected the offers that he had been given. Some of the possible actors that were tested include James Brolin, Timothy Dalton, and Lambert Wilson. While all of these actors know their way around a film, Moore was definitely the right choice. He even went on to say that this was his best Bond film. I have to agree with Moore and say that this is definitely worth watching for his performance, if nothing else.
The For Your Eyes Only Plot
Bond (Moore) is first seen at the grave site of his wife, where a helicopter comes to whisk him away. The enemy might assume that they have Bond and this will be the end, but in true Bond fashion, it is just the beginning. Bond’s captor is using a power wheelchair. Before he knows it, Bond turns the tables on him and he is exiting the aircraft. It doesn’t take long from there for Bond’s mission to be revealed.
The British Minister of Defense calls on Bond to retrieve the Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator (ATAC) that was located on the St. Georges when it sunk in the Ionian Sea. Normally, Bond wouldn’t be called in for such a mission, but when a marine archaeologist is murdered after being hired to find the ship, it becomes obvious that the ATAC needs to be found.
Unable to contact the original hitman, Bond looks to another hitman who ends up leading him to Aris Kristatos, an intelligence informant. Aris tells Bond that the man he was looking for had been working for was a Greek smuggler, Milos Columbo. Naturally, in any Bond film, things are never as easy as they are laid out in the beginning of the film. You can expect twists, turns, and plenty of action. What is certain though is that Bond begins working with Melina, the daughter of the murdered archeologist, in order to find the ATAC and bring it to safety.
Saying too much more would give the film away, so I won’t say anything more plot wise. What is important to note is that the acting is spot on and the movie is as entertaining as you would expect from this series. It is not my favorite of all of the Bond movies, but it’s one of Moore’s best and it’s certainly something that any Bond fan would cherish.
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Audio/Visual:
It might be hard to imagine, but it’s hard to imagine an older Bond movie looking better than this does. The video quality is absolutely superior to any Bond release that has been released on DVD to date. The restoration is beautiful offering a clear picture with no edge problems, no compression errors, and nothing negative to report. The 1080p AVC MPEG-4 encode offers a picture quality that makes me wish all action movies came out looking so beautifully.
If you already own For Your Eyes Only in another format then you know just how bad the transfer is. This transfer will blow you away. It will make you want to toss your other copy in the trash. Even if you don’t go that far, you definitely will want to make this copy the one you watch thanks to the clear and dynamic picture that it offers.
The audio here is equally impressive. The DTS-HD Lossless audio in 5.1 surround sound is simply amazing. The dynamic nature of the sound manages to use as many channels as possible. The action sequences sound like they are occurring right in your living room and the dialogue is as crisp and clean, though at times the effects and score have a tendency to drown out the dialogue. This is my only real complaint. Had this been fixed I would say that the audio was as perfect as the video. However, the issue does exist unfortunately. A Spanish mono track and a French 5.1 track are also available. Subtitles are presented in Spanish and English.
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Bonus Features:
For Your Eyes Only offers a healthy dose of special features, as you might expect. The good thing is that there are a number of movie specific special features here. The bad news is there are a few Bond specific features that come on some or all of the other Blu-Ray releases and a number of the movie specific features were brought over from other releases.
Things get rolling with audio commentaries. There are three audio commentaries. The first two are rather erratic and I am not sure I would classify them as commentaries, as it is obvious that it is not people going along with the movie and offering information. Instead they are interviews and conversations that have been pieced together to create a commentary, which is entirely different. The third commentary is done exclusively with Roger Moore. It’s obvious he’s watching the movie and he does offer some interesting facts, but he also goes silent for large chunks of the commentary, as well. Each of the commentaries offers some interesting Bond facts though, so if you decide to sit through them once, it’s quite possible that you will learn something new about the movie.
The Mission Dossier section includes a selection of features that can be found on previous For Your Eyes Only DVD releases. “Inside For Your Eyes Only” includes information from all the major players in the film. It’s a making of that really steps away from the promotional overkill that so many of them offer. It’s a good featurette and it’s in HD, so that’s an added bonus. This section also includes two animated storyboards, one for the ATAC underwater retrieval and another for the snowmobile chase. A split screen shows the difference between the storyboard and the actual film.
A music video of Sheena Easton’s lead song is included though what it actually is just the opening sequence sans credits. The opening sequence is quite the sight to see in high definition, so there isn’t much to complain about, though it isn’t exactly the type of music video you might think it is based on its labeling.
“Declassified: MI6 Vault” contains a couple of deleted scenes that are introduced by John Glen. In “Expanded Angles” various views of the “Death of Locque” are looked at, both with the original scene and the expanded version. The quality of these scenes varies from good to mediocre, but the fans should enjoy seeing them at least once.
Three small featurettes of rare production footage has been included, as well. No sound comes with these so they have some interview spots with Michael G. Wilson that provides sound. The featurettes in this section include “Bond in Cortina,” “Bond in Greece,” and “Neptune’s Journey.”
Rounding things up are things that you can find on other Blu-Ray Bond films. “007 Mission Control” features various action scenes, and sections for characters, women, weapons, and other things you might see in a Bond movie. The image database is filled with well over 100 pictures from the various movies. Finally, “Ministry of Propaganda” includes plenty of promotional material such as numerous television spots, some radio spots, and the original theatrical trailer.
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Bottom Line:
Roger Moore did an excellent job as Bond whether he was your favorite or not. For Your Eyes Only was one of his greatest undertakings, especially when you consider the fact that he almost didn’t take the job. This film is filled with all of the things that make this franchise great. Fans will want to pick this up immediately. If you are looking for a Christmas gift for a fan and they don’t have this yet, then it’s a no brainer what you should buy them. This comes highly recommended.
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