JAMES BOND - A (VERY) SHORT, SHARP SHOCK!
JUST three days to go before I get to see the new 007 movie Quantum of Solace.
I really can't wait, especially as it's not going to be released until October 31.
In the meantime, although it hasn't been posted by the British Board of Film Classification yet, I can reveal that QoS is set to weigh in with a 12A certificate and be around just 106 minutes long.
This, shock horror, would make it the shortest Bond movie ever made.
Yep, that's a massive 38 minutes shorter than Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's 007 debut in 2006.
And it's even shorter than Sean Connery's 1962 debut in Dr. No which was 108m 53s.
Until now, 007's shortest adventure was Connery's third from 1964... Goldfinger (107m 48s).
Eight films in the series have hit 130 minutes (nine if you include Connery's unofficial and awful comeback movie Never Say Never Again).
In fact, the films became such slaves to formula that from Diamonds Are Forever (1971) through to Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) the length of each movie increased gradually from 120 minutes to 127 minutes.
Another pattern then emerged.
From Octopussy (1983) through to A View To A Kill (PG), Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989) and Goldeneye (1995), the times ranged from 130 minutes to 132 minutes.
Tomorrow Never Dies dropped back to 118 minutes in 1997, before The World is Not Enough (2000, 128m) and Die Another Day (2002, 133m) began the climb to the extraordinary length of Casino Royale.
Without having seen the new film, I reckon the makers of the new movie have done the right thing by apparently cutting it so short.
Production has been very tight all year, even to the point that news of the release date being brought forward a week to October 31 was made in the spring.
Better to keep it tight than to have a film rambling out of control.
And think of the dosh that an extra screening per day can now bring in.
Surely that would be enough to help fund an extended director's cut version in the New Year to rake in even more money.
Credit crunch? What credit crunch!
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Graham Young
Judging from what Director Marc Forster has stated,the Casino sequence in the last film, although i have to say expertly filmed,exiting & original,slowed the film down but was integrual to the plot.By not having to tell that part of the story it has allowed the film to be ironically almost the exact ammount shorter & therefore can move at a much faster pace.As soon as I saw Casino Royale,I mentioned to my friend, ok just a quick trip to the toilet & let's have part two!! I was dissapointed with the running time for the new film & feel somewhat cheated because having waited two years I could have sat in the cinema quite happily & watched 'The greatest man who never lived' on the Silver Screen for 2 hours & 46 minutes!
You get to see it already???!!! I'm so jealous.
As soon as you've seen it let us know about how the new theme tune works with the film.
On its own the song, to me, sounds awful and it may have been a little better if Jack White would just let Alicia Keys sing on her own.
So when you see the song with all the titles you've got to let us know if its really as bad as were expecting it to be.
And perhaps since the film is shorter it may have alot more action in it to keep us on the edge of our seats.
One thing that Daniel Craig has done for the film is remove the humour. Even the recent Pierce Brosnan kept that James Bond humour that we all know and love. So let us know if they've decided to omit all the funny moments in Quantum of Solace once you've seen it.
Once again, i'm so jealous.
Just wanted to let you know that the entire James Bond movie collection is available in HD for the first time ever now through November 30 (http://blogs.usatoday.com/entertainment/) through Comcast On Demand. There are lots of cool extras including two documentaries and some good stuff from the new movie Quantum of Solace. You can also check out this clip on YouTube which features clips from all 21 Bond films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnDlWBAOIQ0
Hi Alana
Great news - and many thanks for the tip. Who is your favourite 007 by the way? And why? What's more important... hairs on chest, laughs in the ribs or steel in the eye?
Good thinking, Mick. But, hey, nobody should be even thinking about going out to the loo during a 007 movie no matter how long it is, so to speak.
The name's Bond, James Bond. Not Gone 2 The John, Bond.
(Apologies for mentioning a former Norwich City manager in such a bog standard fashion. No offence intended.).
PS I found your blog in our spam filter. Anyone wishing to reply must add their name and email address (which I never see). The URL line can apparently be left alone, but the Captcha detail must be copied precisely.
Never leave your caps lock on for example at this stage or create gaps or put lower case where there should be capitals.
This simply makes sure that only people who want to reply get through and not automatic spammers. It's a bit complex though so apologies.
I know you're not the only one who's failed to get through our security wall. Any other problems / comments etc and you can always email me direct at: graham.young@birminghammail.net
Hi Callum
Yes, I'll keep you posted in general terms during the embargo period for reviews.
No need to be jealous, though. Expectation is a wonderful commodity!
The great thing about the movies is how democratic they are. The whole world can see the new 007 from October 31 and, unlike me on Friday, you'll have the option of going straight back in for an instant repeat ride... an interesting thing to try if you've not done it before.
Unless you live in London you'll also get plenty of change from a tenner per ticket for a truly exciting night out filled with anticipation beforehand, white knuckle rides during and considered reflection afterwards.
Moreover, whether you are black, white, brown, orange, turquoise, blue, red, green or tartan, once those lights dim everyone can sit back as an equal ready to cast their vote about whether it's any good or not.
And where QoS fits in the pantheon.
That'll also be the same whether you are also male or female or in between, or aged from 12 to 102.
Hey Everyone...Daniel Craig returns as Agent 007 James Bond in the latest thrilling installment of this powerful series… Come check out an exclusive Gala preview of Quantum of Solace. The event will take place on November 12th at the Landmark Theatre… For more information visit http://baltimore.org/events/type/time/time/all/keywords/daniel%20craig/