RW343 - James Bond Rewatch - The Living Daylights

In this episode of the James Bond 007 Rewatch, Cory and Nathan get serious as they discuss "The Living Daylights."

Trailer:

The Music of The Living Daylights:

The title song of the film, "The Living Daylights", was co-written with Waaktaar of the Norwegian pop-music group A-ha and recorded by the band. The group and Barry did not collaborate well, resulting in two versions of the theme song. Barry's film mix is heard on the soundtrack (and on A-ha's later compilation album Headlines and Deadlines). The version preferred by the band can be heard on the A-ha album Stay on These Roads, released in 1988. However, in 2006, Waaktaar complimented Barry's contributions: "I loved the stuff he added to the track, I mean it gave it this really cool string arrangement. That's when for me it started to sound like a Bond thing". The title song is one of the few 007 title songs not performed or written by a British or American performer.

This was the first Bond film to feature a different song over the closing credits. It was called "If There Was a Man" and was performed by The Pretenders who sang two songs for the movie, the other being "Where Has Everybody Gone?". The group were originally considered for the title song but, following the huge success of Duran Duran's song "A View to a Kill (1985)", it was decided to go with a "trendier" group. Chrissie Hynde of the The Pretenders also has sung a cover version of the Bond song "Live and Let Die (1973)" which can be heard on the David Arnold Bond song compilation album, "Shaken and Stirred: the David Arnold James Bond Project".

The Living Daylights was the final Bond film to be scored by composer John Barry. The soundtrack is notable for its introduction of sequenced electronic rhythm tracks overdubbed with the orchestra at the time, a relatively new innovation.

Our Favourite Trivia:

The Living Daylights title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instalment Casino Royale.

Following the financial and critical disappointment of A View to a Kill, work began on scripts for the next Bond film, with the intention that Roger Moore would not reprise the role of James Bond. Moore, who by the time of the release of The Living Daylights would have been 59 years old, chose to retire from the role after 12 years and 7 films. Albert Broccoli, however, claimed that he let Moore go from the role.

An extensive search for a new actor to play Bond saw a number of actors, including New Zealander Sam Neill, Irish-born Pierce Brosnan and Welsh-born stage actor Timothy Dalton audition for the role in 1986. Christopher Reeve turned down a million-dollar offer. Had he accepted, he would have been the only American to play the role.

The producers eventually offered the role to Brosnan after a three-day screen-test. At the time, he was contracted to the television series Remington Steele, which had been canceled by the NBC network due to falling ratings. The announcement that he would be chosen to play James Bond caused a surge in interest in the series, which led to NBC exercising (less than three days prior to expiry) a 60-day option in Brosnan's contract to make a further season of the series.

Dana Broccoli suggested Timothy Dalton. Albert Broccoli was initially reluctant given Dalton's public lack of interest in the role, but at his wife's urging agreed to meet the actor. However, Dalton would soon begin filming Brenda Starr and so would be unavailable. In the intervening period, having completed Brenda Starr Dalton was offered the role once again, which he accepted.

Dalton's take was very different from that of Moore, regarded as much more of a reluctant hero following an undeniable influence of the Fleming Bond in the way that the veteran agent was often uncomfortable in his job.

The casting of Frederick Warder and Glyn Baker as 004 and 002 was intentional, due to their resemblance to George Lazenby and Sir Roger Moore, respectively. For the movie's opening scene, the writers wanted to toy with the audience's expectations of which of the 00 agents was Bond.

SMERSH, the fictionalised Soviet counterintelligence agency that featured in Fleming's Casino Royale and several other early James Bond novels, was an acronym for 'Smiert Shpionam' - 'Death to spies'.

What's Up Next?

Dalton only lasted for 2 films, so we'll be discussing his final appearance in "License to Kill."

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RW342 - Firefly Rewatch - Introduction & Main Cast

Welcome to the Firefly Rewatch, hosted by Cory and Tom on The Rewatch Podcast. In this introduction episode, we discuss our history with the show and all of the main cast members. Stay Shiny!

Shiny Trivia:

Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcom Reynolds: 

Mostly known for Castle, Waitress and Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. He has also done work on Robot Chicken and Big Mouth. He played Nathan Drake in an Uncharted Fan Film (video game) and appeared in the series Con Man playing a famous former spaceship captain on a cult favorite TV show. He was most recently in The Rookie. 

He’s been a fan favorite to play Green Lantern for years but the closest he has gotten is voicing the animated version of the character several times. He has had footage edited into a fan made trailer for Green Lantern.

Alan Tudyk as Hoban “Wash” Washburne:

He was the creator behind Con Man, in which he played the pilot of a cult favorite TV show. He has done a lot of voice work, most recently in the new Harley Quinn adult series in the DC Universe, as well as American Dad, Big Hero 6 The Series and Frozen 2. He played Superman in the animated movie War, and King Candy in Wreck It Ralph. He also appeared in The Tick and played Van Wayne in Powerless, a cancelled show about what happens after the superheroes do damage to the city and leave. Most recently he was in Doom Patrol. He was also in a short series by James Gunn and his brothers called PG Porn.

Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne:

She was in Cleopatra 2525 in her early career. She has done some voice work for the Tangled TV series, she was Superwoman in the DC animated movie Crisis on Two Earths, and Wonder Woman in the DC universe online game. She starred as Jessica Pearson on Pearson (a lawyer gets involved with Chicago politics) which is a spin off of Suits where she was a main cast member, and had a guest role in Riverdale. Most recently she was in Westworld.

Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra:

She starred in the reboot of V, and went on to be in Homeland and Gotham. She voices Gideon in the CW DC universe. She played Deadpool’s girlfriend, Vanessa, in both films.

Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb: 

He was in Independence Day and Full Metal Jacket. He was in The X-Files as Knowle Rohrer. He starred in a show called The Last Ship (a naval crew discovers a pandemic has killed off most of the Earth’s population), and was a lead in 3:15, an “outsiders” style movie.

He also had a main role in the TV series Daybreak and had a small part in the film Browncoats Redemption that was a sort of sequel to Serenity. He did the voice of Superman in Superman: Doomsday. He also starred in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the Hong Kong martial arts version produced by Francis Ford Coppola, where Hyde is the mythical fighting champion known as The White Tiger fighting against drug and organ trafficking.

Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye: 

She has appeared in a Black Mirror/Twilight Zone type of short called CC, about an android nanny. She also starred in Stargate Atlantis along with Jason Momoa. She did have another series called The LA Complex, a relationship drama. More recently she guest starred in Blindspot and The Magicians. She is set to star in something called Family Law coming out on Global later this year. As a kid she starred in Flash Forward, a comedy on the Disney Channel in Canada in which she played a middle schooler living across from her best friend Tucker and the two get into hijinks while comparing what was going on with their younger days. 

Sean Maher as  Dr. Simon Tam: 

He’s had a couple of recurring roles on short lived series like Make It Or Break It and The Playboy Club. He’s also had some guest roles here and there, but his biggest role seems to be the voice of Dick Grayson/Nightwing in the DC animated universe. 

Summer Glau as River Tam: 

She starred in The Sarah Connor Chronicles where she played a Terminator. She had a starring role in Sequestered, and a recurring role in Arrow. She starred in Knights of Badassdom (2013) with Steve Zahn and Peter Dinklage, it’s about a group of role players who accidentally conjure a demon and have to deal with it. 

Ron Glass as Shepherd Derrial Book: 

He’s had various guest roles over the years, and a recurring role in Rugrats as Randy Charmichael. On a TV comedy called Teen Angel he played God’s cousin, Rod. He had a supporting role in Mr. Rhodes, the story of a failed writer having to teach, and another supporting role in Rhythm and Blues, where a soulful sounding white guy is hired to work at an R&B station. He had a huge starring role on Barney Miller back in the 70’s/80’s.

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RW341 - James Bond Rewatch - A View to a Kill

In this episode of the James Bond 007 Rewatch, Cory and Nathan watch a tech giant crumble as they discuss "A View to a Kill."

Trailer:

The Music of A View to a Kill:

The soundtrack was composed by John Barry and published by EMI/Capitol. The theme song, "A View to a Kill", was written by Barry and Duran Duran, and performed by the band. "May Day Jumps" is the only track that uses the "James Bond Theme".

Duran Duran was chosen to do the song after bassist John Taylor, a lifelong Bond fan, approached producer Cubby Broccoli at a party, and somewhat drunkenly asked "When are you going to get someone decent to do one of your theme songs?"

Our Favourite Trivia:

At the end of Octopussy during the "James Bond Will Return" sequence, it listed the next film as "From a View to a Kill", the name of the original short story; however, the title was later changed.

On 27 June 1984, several leftover canisters of petrol used during filming of Ridley Scott's Legend caused Pinewood Studios' 007 Stage to burn to the ground. The stage was rebuilt, and reopened in January 1985 (renamed as Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage) for filming of A View to a Kill.

One of the most common criticisms was that Roger Moore was 57 at the time of filming – and had visibly aged in the two years that had passed since Octopussy. The Washington Post critic said "Moore isn't just long in the tooth”he's got tusks, and what looks like an eye job has given him the pie-eyed blankness of a zombie.

Sir Roger Moore said that he decided to end his run as James Bond, when he realized that Tanya Roberts' mother was younger than he was. However, Producer Albert R. Broccoli said he wanted a younger actor for the next movie, "The Living Daylights (1987)," and would not have kept Moore as Bond anyway. Broccoli felt that retaining Moore, who was fifty-seven, for this movie had been a mistake. Contrary to what some sources have said, Moore was never offered another Bond movie after this one.

Early publicity for the film in 1984 included an announcement that David Bowie would play Zorin. He later decided to turn down the role, saying, "I didn't want to spend five months watching my stunt double fall off cliffs." The role of Max Zorin was offered to Rutger Hauer and Sting, and finally to Christopher Walken.

The original script had Barbara Bach reprising her role as Major Anya Amasova from 1977s The Spy Who Loved Me. However Bach declined the role and so an entirely new character - Pola Ivanova - was created, played by Fiona Fullerton.

Dolph Lundgren has a brief appearance as one of General Gogol's KGB agents. Lundgren, who was dating Grace Jones at the time, was visiting her on set when one day an extra was missing so the director John Glen then asked him if he wanted to get a shot at it. Lundgren appears during the confrontation between Gogol and Zorin at the racetrack, standing several steps below Gogol.

When a company with a name similar to Zorin (the Zoran Corporation) was discovered in the United States, a disclaimer was added to the start of the film affirming that Zorin was not related to any real-life company.

This was Lois Maxwell's final appearance as Miss Moneypenny. Apparently, after she was told that she would be retiring from the role, she thought that she could become M as a promotion. However, at the time, Producer Albert R. Broccoli believed that audiences would not accept James Bond being given orders by a woman. M did become a woman when Dame Judi Dench took on the role in GoldenEye (1995).

The final scenes for Lois Maxwell and Sir Roger Moore each make a reference to their end with the franchise. Maxwell's last scene as Moneypenny shows her in tears, while Moore's last scene as Bond has him, quite literally, throwing in the towel.

What's Up Next?

A New Bond takes the reins as we discuss Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights"

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RW340 - James Bond Rewatch - Never Say Never Again

In this episode of the James Bond 007 Rewatch, Cory and Nathan go off-brand as they discuss "Never Say Never Again."

Trailer:

The Music of Never Say Never Again:

James Horner was both Kershner's and Schwartzman's first choice to compose the score after being impressed with his work on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Horner, who worked in London for most of the time, wound up unavailable according to Kershner, though Schwartzman later claimed Sean Connery vetoed the American. Frequent Bond composer John Barry was invited, but declined out of loyalty to Eon. The music for Never Say Never Again was written by Michel Legrand, who composed a score similar to his work as a jazz pianist. The score has been criticised as "anachronistic and misjudged", "bizarrely intermittent" and "the most disappointing feature of the film". Legrand also wrote the main theme "Never Say Never Again", which featured lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman — who had also worked with Legrand in the Academy Award-winning song, "The Windmills of Your Mind"—and was performed by Lani Hall after Bonnie Tyler, who disliked the song, had reluctantly declined.

Phyllis Hyman also recorded a potential theme song, written by Stephen Forsyth and Jim Ryan, but the song—an unsolicited submission—was passed over given Legrand's contractual obligations with the music.

Our Favourite Trivia:

Never Say Never Again had its origins in the early 1960s, following the controversy over the 1961 Thunderball novel. Fleming had worked with independent producer Kevin McClory and scriptwriter Jack Whittingham on a script for a potential Bond film, to be called Longitude 78 West, which was subsequently abandoned because of the costs involved. Fleming, "always reluctant to let a good idea lie idle", turned this into the novel Thunderball, for which he did not credit either McClory or Whittingham; McClory then took Fleming to the High Court in London for breach of copyright and the matter was settled in 1963

After Eon Productions started producing the Bond films, it subsequently made a deal with McClory, who would produce Thunderball, and then not make any further version of the novel for a period of ten years following the release of the Eon-produced version in 1965.

In the mid-1970s McClory again started working on a project to bring a Thunderball adaptation to production and, with the working title Warhead, he brought writer Len Deighton together with Sean Connery to work on a script. The script ran into difficulties after accusations from Eon Productions that the project had gone beyond copyright restrictions, which confined McClory to a film based on the Thunderball novel only, and once again the project was deferred.

The film underwent one final change in title: after Connery had finished filming Diamonds Are Forever he had pledged that he would "never" play Bond again. Connery's wife, Micheline, suggested the title Never Say Never Again, referring to her husband's vow and the producers acknowledged her contribution by listing on the end credits "Title "Never Say Never Again" by: Micheline Connery". A final attempt by Fleming's trustees to block the film was made in the High Court in London in the spring of 1983, but this was thrown out by the court and Never Say Never Again was permitted to proceed.

Reportedly, Francis Ford Coppola made script contributions to this movie. Producer Jack Schwartzman was the husband of The Godfather (1972) star Talia Shire. This movie's credits state that Shire acted as a consultant to the producer. She is also Francis Ford Coppola's sister.

George Lazenby was considered by executive producer Kevin McClory to play Bond, but was dropped from consideration when Sir Sean Connery confirmed he wanted the role.

Sean Connery was 52 at the time of filming, so the writers decided to make James Bond a retired secret agent. However, he was three years younger than Roger Moore when he played the still-serving Bond in Octopussy (1983).

Sean Connery was given a lot of creative input into this movie, which was one of the reasons he decided to do it. One area he wanted to focus on was casting, as he felt the EON Productions Bond movies were lacking in prominent acting talent. Connery approved the casting of Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Edward Fox, Kim Basinger, Barbara Carrera, and Alec McCowen.

At the end, Bond winks at the camera. The only other Bond movies in which 007 breaks the "fourth wall" are Casino Royale (1967), which was a deliberate spoof, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), where the character was perhaps talking to himself, in the opening sequence.

The closing credits include the line "Thanks A.K." That refers to Adnan Khashoggi, the Saudi arms dealer who allowed them to film aboard his 282-foot yacht, the "Nabila". He later sold the yacht to Donald Trump, who renamed it the "Trump Princess". It's currently owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

A young Steven Seagal was the movie's martial arts instructor. He broke Sean Connery's wrist during training.

This is Rowan Atkinson's first movie. He later parodied James Bond in the Johnny English film franchise.

What's Up Next?

We're finishing the Roger Moore run as Bond, we'll be discussing "A View to a Kill."

Contact Us:

Send in your feedback to TheRewatchPodcast@gmail.com

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Head over to our TeePublic store today and buy some merch! Every item sold sees a small return to us to cover our hosting costs