YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"You Only Live Twice" Plot
Blofeld (Donald Plesance) is stealing space rockets to try to start a war between the USA and USSR.
Whiskey Lore Review
"Kill Bond Now!" The immortal words of Blofeld, who shows his face for the first time in this movie and then proceeds to shoot his own man instead of Bond not long after uttering those words. Initially I didn't warm to this movie, but it has slowly risen in my list of favorites. In fact, it is the first of the 15 movies I like to reach for when I'm in a Bond mood (in other words, my comments are going to be much more positive from here on out)!
A lot of the "cool" factor for Bond gets amped up in this film. He's actually back to acting like a spy. Maybe having some fresh directing blood in Lewis Gilbert helped (Alfie, Sink The Bismarck!, Educating Rita, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker). Bond cooly burns up note after reading it, he shows his level of education - remarking that he studied Oriental languages at Cambridge, he's extremely polite when Henderson makes his martini "stirred, not shaken," knows the proper temperature for Sake, and arrives 3 1/2 minutes early. He's classy, not pompus - Director Guy Hamilton could have learned a thing or two from this portrayal. I get a good laugh when after beating a man with a sofa, he opens the liqour cabinet and drinks the vodka, then grimaces - "Siamese vodka?" The only faux pas is trying to disguise him as an Asian person.
Best of the movie: Aki is an excellent Bond girl. I kind of feel like Camille from Quantum of Solace is kind of a throwback to this often ignored Bond girl. Aki leads Bond to all the right places, including Tanaka's, and is always there when Bond needs her. My only disappointment is how Bond reacts when hshe dies. I know he's a cold brute, but he could have been at least shown a little disappointment.
Memorable: The first reveal of Blofeld. It was a moment of great impact, because most people visualize Donald Plesence when they think of Blofeld. He created the blueprint.
Where it goes wrong: Apparently Connery liked wearing his personal watch. The Gruen Precision 510 tells time, that is about it. Beautiful watches really don't become a regular part of the series until Timothy Dalton.
I'm also not a big fan of the long drawn out space scene at the beginning, but it is critical to the story.
Extra: If you read the book, it is a very different story and centered on Blofeld. Bond is a basically a drunk. His wife just died and he's not taking it well. He gets sent on a mission to Japan and investigates a man named Shatterhands, who turns out to be Blofeld. Blofeld has a Garden of Death, which, you'll recognize as a theme in the new movie No Time To Die.
Paired Whisky: Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky
Well, of course, it is Suntory time! And Suntory whisky was consumed in both the book and movie. Who said Bond didn't drink whisky? Actually, under close inspection, I've found more cases that I thought of when doing the Season 1 podcast episode about Bond.
Whiskey Lore Rank: #15 (Score 5.88) > Next Movie
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