Claudine Auger

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The greatest Bond?
Saddled with age and parody
Thunderball
The Thunderball Phenomenon: Skip the Special Edition for the 2-Disc Ultimate Edition
THE BEST OF JAMES BOND

Thunderball
Starring: Sean Connery , Claudine Auger , Adolfo Celi , Luciana Paluzzi , and Rik Van Nutter
Director: Terence Young
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
From Russia With Love
Diamonds are Forever
Dr. No (Special Edition)

ASIN: B000M53GNG
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a tiny health spa (where he tangles with a mechanized masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, courtesy of the resourceful "Q" (Desmond Llewelyn), agent 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for the undersea plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 as Never Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. Tom Jones belts out the bold theme song to another classic Maurice Binder title sequence. --Sean Axmaker

Description

The thrills never let up as James Bond dives into this riveting adventure filled with explosive confrontations and amazing underwater action sequences! Sean Connery brings his characteristic style, humor and magnetism to Agent 007 as he travels to Nassau

Customer Reviews:

The greatest Bond?.......2007-06-12

While many rank GOLDFINGER as the best Bond ever, THUNDERBALL has always been my favorite. To me it had all the Bond ingredients (gadgets, lots of sharks, the Aston Martin, scuba diving, gorgeous babes & plenty of action) as well as a cohesive plot. Spectre remains one of the most formidable villains in Bond history, even after all these years.

The underwater brawl between the Spectre divers and the Navy(?) divers remains a classic climactic scene in all of the Bond movies. I'm just guessing that they were Navy (SEALS?) as usually Army guys are not trained in scuba operations.

Connery's final Bond movie, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, was more-or-less a remake of THUNDERBALL. There were a few variations here & there, but the basic plotline & many of the elements remained the same. This goes to show just how enduring THUNDERBALL was to the Connery Bond movies.

Saddled with age and parody.......2007-04-25

Bad guys steal a couple of nukes from the French. Bond has to find them. So much for the plot.

The most striking thing about this film is how badly it has aged. For one thing, parody has taken its toll. When Mike Myers's mined the 007 films for his "Austen Powers" series, Thunderball made for a most generous lode. From evil genius Emilio Largo's pet cat (turned hairless for Powers) to the shark-filled swimming pool (just add lasers) to the death-dealing chairs (substitute flames for electricity and voila!) the movie is already a parody of itself. Add to this Bond's brutal sexism -- the scene in which he forces an uninterested female doctor to kiss him is truly retch-inducing - and you have a real embarrassment. I recently watched this on a school trip with a bunch of teens and felt, in spite of the PG rating, that this film was a much more problematic movie than the R-rated "Blood Diamonds."

Whateverr. Enjoy the film for its anachronistic war of the sexes and for the quite silly (to modern eyes) evil twists. Also, watch for bizarre plot holes. In one scene, Bond is dallying with one of his lady loves. A bad guy sneaks up off camera. Bond quickly pulls out a spear gun and skewers the poor man to a tree. Then he and the lady just walk off, leaving the corpse to...whom exactly? And the poor drowned devils who died when their plane sank in the Caribbean? In spite of the prevalent sharks, they are quite well-preserved when Bond finds them a week later. Cheers!

Thunderball.......2007-03-19

Movie was delivered in a timely manner. Quality of DVD is excellent.
An excellent upgrade for an older Bond film. Recommend purchase.

The Thunderball Phenomenon: Skip the Special Edition for the 2-Disc Ultimate Edition.......2007-03-17

In the wake of the enormous success of GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL became one of the most anticipated films in cinema history. "Bondmania" was at a fever pitch in the 1960s and that lended a certain air of confidence to the cast and crew. By Bond's fourth adventure, everyone was assured of success and everything was done on the largest scale possible. THUNDERBALL is often regarded, along with GOLDFINGER, as one of the better Bond films. It contains all of the elements of a good Bond flick at a time when Bond was not tired or clichéd. Bond's fourth adventure finds him taking to the sea, culminating in some of the most spectacular underwater fight footage ever recorded. And with Terence Young once again taking the director's chair after his temporary hiatus, the audience and the film is in good hands.

After the opening "gun barrel" sequence, re-shot for the first time in widescreen format with Sean Connery playing the part, we are greeted with the opening pre-credits "teaser." Audiences loved GOLDFINGER's teaser and the producers knew that they would have to arise to the occasion. We find Bond in France discreetly attending the funeral of Colonel Jacques Bouvar, SPECTRE's Number Six, who we learn is personally responsible for the death of two of Bond's colleagues. Thanks to Bond's sharp eyes, he determines that the Colonel has faked his own death and Bond makes it a priority to finish the job personally. After a brutal fight sequence, Bond strangles Bouvar and escapes using a jet pack. The Bell Rocket Belt used was a functioning jet pack, capable of a flight time of twenty one seconds. The scene is spectacular, all the more so because of the real jet pack. Bond makes his way to his waiting Aston Martin DB5 (first seen in GOLDFINGER) and prevents his enemies from reaching him with the use of rear-firing water canons--a new feature of the DB5. The water rushes over the screen and seamlessly morphs into the opening credits. Maurice Binder serves up a great title sequence featuring the naked silhouettes of female swimmers being chased by armed scuba divers. The colors are rich and vibrant and maintain the visual themes of the previous title sequences. Tom Jones belts out the title track, containing some awkward lyrics about our protagonist. I suppose it's hard to work Thunderball into song lyrics, leaving us only with "He strikes...like Thunderball."

The plot of the film is, once again, larger than life and would end up being a frequently copied and parodied theme. SPECTRE, this time represented by one-eyed Number Two, Monsieur Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), has managed to penetrate NATO forces and hijack two nuclear missiles. SPECTRE threatens to destroy two cities if NATO does not agree to cough up 280 million. It is described as SPECTRE's most ambitious project to date. Blofeld makes his second appearance, though once again we cannot see his face, in a secret French lair. The set is wonderful, containing a long table with all of SPECTRE's top officials present. Here we meet Numbers Seven, Ten, Five (obviously, they have replaced the previous Number Five of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), Nine, and Eleven. We also get a sense of the range of SPECTRE's activities (blackmail, assassination, crime consultation, and narcotics) and also the brutal efficiency of Number One, who kills Number Nine on suspicion of embezzlement. It is a sign to all those present of what the consequences of failure are. Number Two must not fail in his NATO plans!

The first part of the film is filled with wonderful espionage as we learn how SPECTRE has penetrated NATO security. The actual hijacking of the missiles is spectacular. After SPECTRE has transmitted its demands to Britain, MI6 is called into action to find those missiles at all costs. All of the 00 agents are called in on this one and sent to different parts of the world to try and discover the hiding place before it is too late. Bond asks to be reassigned to Nassau because he believes he has a lead on the case, stemming from his experiences early on in the film. Of course, his instincts are correct and soon Bond finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with Emilio Largo, who is all to aware of who Bond is and what he intends to do. What follows is a terrific storyline in which Bond inches his way closer to Largo's operation to discover the villain's secrets, with all of the destruction, love-making, and mayhem that entails.

Many have complained that THUNDERBALL is too long (at 130 minutes) and that the last half hour of the film is incredibly slow. Shot entirely underwater, the last bit of the film can seem long due to the slow movement of underwater action. But I do not think its pace suffers at all. I can remember seeing the film on television and thinking that it was a bit dull. But with the enhanced sound of the score pushing the beautifully restored images of the Ultimate Edition, I believe these sequences shine. They truly look spectacular and it is certainly the most ambitious underwater fight sequence I've ever seen. A seemingly endless supply of divers swim from all angles, launching an equally endless supply of harpoons at each other. The underwater images are surprisingly clear and we can honestly say that we haven't seen anything quite like it before (or since). Bond breaks new ground here and I think the action is as suspenseful as ever. In fact, the lack of sound underwater (besides the score) can actually increase the tension of the moment, in a manner reminiscent of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, produced three years later).

Connery, once again, is impeccable as Bond. Reunited with director Terence Young, whom many say is the real inspiration for Bond's class and sophistication, Connery plays the role with a renewed sense of vigor and style. I particularly enjoyed the increasing chemistry between Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and Connery. If they were slightly antagonistic in GOLDFINGER, they are thoroughly annoyed with each other here. Q is back with a host of new gadgets suited to the underwater nature of the film: a homing device pill that Bond can swallow, a watch that doubles as a Geiger counter, a waterproof camera that doubles as a Geiger counter, a mini signal flare, and a small rebreather (capable of giving Bond an extra few minutes of air underwater in a pinch). Bond is fitted with these devices in the field and, naturally, they all get put to use before the film is out.

The Bond girls in THUNDERBALL are some of the most beautiful Bond girls of all. Former Miss France, Claudine Auger, plays the main role of Domino Derval, an absolutely stunning beauty who proves to be both elegant and athletic. Her beauty and grace remind me of Audrey Hepburn. She is everything a Bond girl can hope to be. Opposite her is the film's female protagonist, femme fatale Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), a deadly girl who seduces Bond (or is it Bond who seduces her?). Unfortunately, their play is not long lived, for the girl capable of stopping traffic with her beauty is also capable of stopping bullets--particularly when Bond throws her deliberately into their path! Also of Bond girl note is Bond's assistant, Paula Caplan, played by Martine Beswick. Bond fans will remember her as first appearing in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE as Zora the gypsy dancer.

Our villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), for my tastes, is a bit bland. Perhaps it is because he seems merely SPECTRE's pawn, but Largo seems to lack the necessary evil of his predecessors. Of course, he is evil. But he is out for blackmail money and doesn't seem personally invested in the affair other than to generate profit for SPECTRE. Besides his personal shark pool and his excellent taste for women, there really isn't much going for him. Indeed, Bond's immediate threats in this film seem to revolve around the dangers of being underwater--hand grenades used as depth charges, killer sharks, and an army of henchmen armed with powerful harpoons--rather than from menacing villains and uniquely skilled henchmen. Whatever the case, THUNDERBALL still manages to be a roaring success and the action is still quite good. It won't be the last time that the evil villains are left a little underdeveloped.

All in all, I believe THUNDERBALL is one of the best of the Bond series. Connery is fantastic in his role, Terence Young's directing is superb, the women are some of the most beautiful we have seen yet, and the action breaks new ground in special effects. Make sure that you get the 2-disc Ultimate Edition set. The Ultimate Edition, like all of these releases, is absolutely wonderful. The DTS sound is amazing and really bring the action and John Barry's terrific score to life. The picture is amazing and blows the old television and DVD releases out of the water (I had to say it). Plus, it is packed with extras, including a "Making of" documentary, a documentary about the "Thunderball Phenomenon" created by the film, and a 45 minute television production released at the time exploring "The World of James Bond." I highly recommend it to any Bond fan or anyone interested in classic action pictures. THUNDERBALL holds up well to the test of time.

THE BEST OF JAMES BOND.......2007-03-15

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A JAMES BOND FAN AND THIS BEING ONE OF THE FIRST IS A MUST HAVE DVD!!!!!

Twitch Of The Death Nerve (a.k.a. Bay Of Blood)

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Twitch Of The Death Nerve (a.k.a. Bay Of Blood)
Starring: Claudine Auger , Luigi Pistilli , Claudio Camaso , Anna Maria Rosati , and Chris Avram
Director: Mario Bava
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Blood & Black Lace
Hatchet for the Honeymoon - 1969
Lisa And The Devil
Don't Torture a Duckling
5 Dolls For an August Moon

ASIN: B000055ZCA
Release Date: 2001-01-02

Amazon.com

This late entry in Italian horror auteur Mario Bava's catalog is in keeping with much of his other work: a rather murky plot, inventive camera work and editing, gauzy lighting using red and blue gels, and an atmospheric, dreamlike feel throughout. Where it parts ways with many of his films is in the high body count--so high that many feel Bay of Blood was a likely influence on American slasher films such as Friday the l3th. The killing centers on a list of potential heirs to a piece of lakefront property ripe for development (a subplot involves camping teenagers who are also being slaughtered--sound familiar?). The slayings come fast and furious, with gunshots, chokings, stabbings, decapitations, and a two-for-the-price-of-one impalement, to name a few. Bava creates an off-kilter mood of melancholia for the film that makes it somewhat less fun than the mindless slasher flicks of the 1980s, but also renders it a more thought-provoking, cynical sort of movie. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Countess Federica, the elderly owner of a coveted piece of bayside property, is brutally slain by her husband--who is himself killed by a mysterious third person at the murder scene! Who is the killer? Could it be the real estate developer or the entomologist neighbor who wants to preserve the natural insect life thriving around the bay? Perhaps the Countess's illegitimate son, in a bid to claim a name for himself, is responsible? Whoever it is, brace yourself, because no one's a suspect for very long in Mario Bava's black comedy of human greed--which boasts 13 characters and 13 of the most shocking murders ever filmed! A.k.a. "Bay of Blood" and "Carnage."

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The Red & The Black
Starring: Carole Bouquet , Kim Rossi Stuart , Judith Godrèche , Claude Rich , and Bernard Verley
Director: Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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All the Mornings of the World (Tous les matins du monde) Two-Disc Edition
Elizabeth I
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Fall of Eagles

ASIN: B000C6NPEU
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Description

Handsome and ambitious, Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble peasant origins and make something of his life-by adopting the code of hypocrisy by which his society operates. Julien ultimately commits a crime-out of passion, principle, or insanity-that will bring about his downfall. The Red and the Black is a lively, satirical picture of French Restoration society after Waterloo, riddled with corruption, greed, and ennui.

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The Bermuda Triangle
Starring: Claudine Auger , Carlos East , Miguel Angel Fuentes , Gloria Guida , and Hugo Stiglitz
Director: Jr. René Cardona
Manufacturer: Vci Video
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The Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle (Unsolved Mysteries)
Tintorera
Murder On Flight 502
Guyana: Crime of the Century - Cult of the Damned

ASIN: B00075145I
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Average customer rating:

Pretty Girls in peril. Can't get enough.
Gorgeous transfer of Pop-Art vision of '70s Rome
Creepity Crawlity
Hardly the Best Giallo
Classic Giallo

The Black Belly of the Tarantula
Starring: Giancarlo Giannini , Claudine Auger , Barbara Bouchet , Rossella Falk , and Silvano Tranquilli
Director: Paolo Cavara
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
Luciano Ercoli's The Death Box Set (Death Walks on High Heels/ Death Walks at Midnight)
The Pyjama Girl Case
The Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set

ASIN: B000E41MTU
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Amazon.com

Black Belly of the Tarantula, following the release of Dario Argento's first feature, Bird With the Crystal Plumage, is one of the films that defined the Giallo genre's attractive blend of horror and high fashion. With a score by Ennio Morricone, direction by Paolo Cavara, and starring the handsome Giancarlo Giannini, Black Belly makes the story of a perverted serial killer who first paralyzes his victims with the poison wasps used to stun tarantulas seem cool and intriguing. This could be due to the fact that three of the killer's sexy victims went on to become Bond Girls (Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, and Barbara Bach). Murders set in a massage parlor, an upscale fur shop, and in various white-sheeted beds showcase the aesthetic beauty of bloodshed. Giannini, who plays the suave police inspector, sleuths his way to the killer and finally fights him with the same vampiric ferocity that a wasp attacks a tarantula. In fact, stock footage of the carnivorous insects are interspersed throughout the film for added effect. Plots in Giallo films are basic; rather, the way murders are shot make the films memorable. The finest scenes in Black Belly occur during the stalker's pursuit of his "prey." Women's faces smear across the screen, their makeup palettes carefully matched to the rooms in which they are sliced open. With less actual gore than some other classic Giallo films such as Perfume of the Lady In Black and All The Colors of The Dark, Black Belly of the Tarantula relies more on style than on brutal violence. For this reason, it would be a good introduction to Italian horror for those who want to avoid witnessing serious carnage. --Trinie Dalton

Description

A deranged killer is injecting beautiful women with the poison of a rare wasp, paralyzing them and forcing them to witness their own brutal murders. Academy Award(r) nominee Giancarlo Giannini (SEVEN BEAUTIES, HANNIBAL) stars as the dogged detective who takes the case only to find himself trapped in a web of immorality and murder. From the tantalizingly erotic opening to its vicious stunner of an ending, experience what is considered to be one of the most riveting and acclaimed films in the entire giallo genre.Claudine Auger (THUNDERBALL, TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE), Barbara Bouchet (CASINO ROYALE, DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING) and Barbara Bach (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS) co-star in this rarely-seen classic directed by Paolo Cavara (MONDO CANE) and featuring one of Ennio Morricone's best scores ever, now transferred in High Definition from the original camera negative and available for the first time ever in America.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty Girls in peril. Can't get enough........2007-01-10

I like this kind of movie. Just a step above MST3K fodder. "A very small step." Don't buy it if your looking for a movie like The Birds, but if you like movies a little on the campy side. You might like this one.

Gorgeous transfer of Pop-Art vision of '70s Rome .......2006-06-18

La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero, to give it it's Italian name, is much more than just another piece of trashy European cinema. It is an exquisite example of how wonderful cinema was in the late '60s / early '70s and an excellent reminder as to why I seldom bother going to movies these days.

Essentially, it's a whodunnit and we could debate the strength and weaknesses of the plot (and there are plenty of weaknesses) but the key to this film is it's cinematic style, a kind of garish Pop-Art vision of '70s Rome that mesmerises with each frame. It's loaded with '60s accoutrements - retro-futuristic furniture, glamorous women's fashions, old-school Alfa Romeo's (was there ever a cooler vehicle?). And the acting is stellar together with yet another legendary Morricone soundtrack.

As for the DVD itself, this is the first Blue Underground disk that I have bought and I can say without equivocation that it's the best looking picture that I've ever seen in this format. Really vibrant colors that are a joy to watch even at moments when the plot begins to sag. And full marks to BU for including the original Italian mono soundtrack with English subtitles. In all, it's a great product that really captures how good DVD can be when someone takes care with these things. I will certainly be buying many more Blue Underground films in the future.

So, you get '70s Rome, funky decor, brash colors, a reasonable plot and if that ain't enough, there are not one, not two but THREE Bond girls in this film (and one of them gets nude and all).

No excuses for not owning this one.

Creepity Crawlity.......2006-05-17

Someone's knocking off horny older chicks, and the fuzz are on the case. Who the hell's doing it, and why?? The quote on the box claims this to be the best giallo ever made, but that's a pretty heavy statement. Apparently the person who wrote that hasn't seen too many giallos. Black Belly is a pretty cool film, but aside from the modus operandi of the killer, it's fairly average. Plus, the identity of the killer was too easy to figure out considering they push a little too hard in making the killer look like the least likely to be the killer. Once again Blue Underground has worked wonders on restoring this one, it looks pretty damn good. It may not be the best the genre has to offer, but it's definitely required viewing for those into the genre. Dig?

Hardly the Best Giallo.......2006-04-12

This 1971 offering stars Giancarlo Giannini in a fine performance as a police inspector on the hunt for a psycho who stuns his attractive victime with a poison-dipped needle before eviscerating them.

The production is above average slick and the performances are fine, especially from Giannini, but I just didn't find it involving, suspenseful or stylish enough to keep my finger off fast forward. It's not bad, just average. The climax and the killer's unmasking is particularly weak and anti-climactic.

Fans of the genre seem to really like this one, but I suggest a rental before a purchase.

Classic Giallo.......2006-03-31

I can't go quite as far as Horrorview: this is not quite the "best giallo ever made." It is, however, one of the best I've ever seen. It would be a solid contender, for example, for "best giallo ever made - that was not directed by Dario Argento." The Black Belly of the Tarantula certainly has a lot going for it. The acting is superb, and the lead, played by Oscar nominee Giancarlo Giannini (Hannibal, Seven Beauties), is excellent. Further, the suspense level is occasionally quite high, the climax is good, the score by Ennio Morricone is classic, and oh, yeah, there are three Bond girls. The lead, a haggard and down of his luck detective, investigates a series of murders that seem to be linked to a blackmailing case. The killer's modus operandi is to insert a large acupuncture needle into the spine of his victims, rendering them paralyzed, and then to kill them while they are conscious but unable to fight back. The back of the DVD claims that the killer uses the poison of a rare wasp to achieve the effect of paralysis; however, watching the film it is unclear whether this is really true. The tarantula/wasp conflict, in which a rare wasp paralyzes a spider and lays its eggs inside - the larvae growing and feeding while the spider is still alive, seems to be a mere analogy in the film and not an identification of how the killer achieves his/her effect. The story contains some nice touches, typical of the giallo genre - such as identifying an ambiguous object in the background of a photograph and using it to identify the possible location of the killer's house. The film also includes a truly harrowing rooftop chase, wonderfully filmed, and, as mentioned above, and a very well done climax. Also of note is that the clinical explanation of why the killer killed, offered at the end of the film, is actually very psychologically sound. Perhaps the film's most notable trait, however, is the quality of the acting - Giancarlo Giannini is a far better actor than the genre of giallo is accustomed to (with the notable exceptions of David Hemmings in Deep Red, Ray Milland in The Pyjama Girl Case, and Max von Sydow in Sleepless), and it really helps the film. On the down side, the plot could have easily been made tighter. Also disappointingly lacking is the typical giallo touch of having a character struggle with deciphering a psychological mystery, whether stemming from misperceiving a crime, a false or inaccurate memory, etc. Such has been an earmark of the genre since the first giallo film, Mario Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much, and has been made famous by Argento's masterful films. Perhaps this is an unfair complaint though, as surely not ALL giallo films should be expected to adopt the same tricks. So, while not perfect (and while not the "best giallo ever made" as Horrorview claims - for me that title easily goes to Argento's masterpiece Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), The Black Belly of the Tarantula is certainly ONE OF THE BEST, is far better than most of the modern swill that passes as thrillers these days, and is certainly a must have for fans of the giallo genre.

Average customer rating:

The greatest Bond?
Saddled with age and parody
Thunderball
The Thunderball Phenomenon: Skip the Special Edition for the 2-Disc Ultimate Edition
THE BEST OF JAMES BOND

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
From Russia With Love
Diamonds are Forever
Dr. No (Special Edition)

ASIN: B00000K0E9
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

The greatest Bond?.......2007-06-12

Saddled with age and parody.......2007-04-25

Thunderball.......2007-03-19

Movie was delivered in a timely manner. Quality of DVD is excellent.
An excellent upgrade for an older Bond film. Recommend purchase.

The Thunderball Phenomenon: Skip the Special Edition for the 2-Disc Ultimate Edition.......2007-03-17

THE BEST OF JAMES BOND.......2007-03-15

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A JAMES BOND FAN AND THIS BEING ONE OF THE FIRST IS A MUST HAVE DVD!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Okay policier, but could have been much better
Not bad, but no Melville

Flic Story
Starring: Alain Delon , Jean-Louis Trintignant , Renato Salvatori , Claudine Auger , and Maurice Biraud
Director: Jacques Deray
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Two Men in Town
Borsalino and Co.
Le Samourai - Criterion Collection
Un Flic
Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0009XRZMO
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Customer Reviews:

Okay policier, but could have been much better.......2006-03-06

Flic Story is an uninspired but serviceable period thriller with Alain Delon's honest cop tracking down Jean-Louis Trintignant's psychotic killer in post-war France. The true story is better than the execution, which mixes good but sparing location work with a lot of studio interiors to not always seamless effect, but it's only in the last couple of far too brief scenes where Delon and Trintignant's characters get to know each other that the film really shows what it could have been.

The letterboxed transfer is more than acceptable but less than outstanding, while the extras consist of brief stills gallery, trailer and unsubtitled trailers for 9 other Delon titles - The Sicilian Clan, Borsalino and Co, Two Men in Town, Mort d'un Pourri, Trois Hommes a Abbatre, Pour la Peau d'un Flic, Le Battant, Parole de Flic and Ne Reveilles pas un Flic Qui Dort.

Not bad, but no Melville.......2005-12-04

Flic Story relates the true story of a relatively honest French detective (Delon) attempting to find an escaped and very dangerous criminal (Trintignant). Almost immediately out of the mental institution, Trintignant goes on a cold-blooded killing spree, which includes the murder of a police officer. Delon's associates prefer beating up suspects to exhort confessions, but Delon prefers a softer, low key style. An obligatory subway chase scene is included.

This movie is good, but not in the same league as Melville's Le Samourai or Le Cercle Rouge. Delon is cool of course (and so is Trintignant) but Melville adds those little touches that enhance the atmosphere and add depth to the characters. I definitely recommend this film to devoted fans of French gangster films. For those not as familiar with the genre, I would try Melville's films first.

A Few Hours of Sunlight (Un Peu de Soleil Dans l'Eau Froide)

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A Few Hours of Sunlight (Un Peu de Soleil Dans l'Eau Froide)
Starring: Claudine Auger , Marc Porel , Judith Magre , Barbara Bach , and André Falcon
Director: Jacques Deray
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Triple Cross [Region 2]
Starring: Christopher Plummer , Romy Schneider , Trevor Howard , Gert Fröbe , and Claudine Auger
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Starring: Sean Connery , Claudine Auger , Adolfo Celi , Luciana Paluzzi , and Rik Van Nutter
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Binding: VHS Tape

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Goldfinger
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ASIN: 6303651488
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a tony health spa (where he tangles with a mechanized masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, courtesy of the resourceful "Q" (Desmond Llewelyn), agent 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for the undersea plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 as Never Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. Tom Jones belts out the bold theme song to another classic Maurice Binder title sequence. --Sean Axmaker

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Actress

Actress