For Your Eyes Only (1981)

[zen007]

For Your Eyes Only (FYEO) is an essential film in the Bond portfolio. In the 1970s, Bond films saw significant departures from Fleming's books apart from mainly using titles, characters, and locations. FYEO kicked off the 80s where Bond films reverted to utilizing/building on Fleming material. After the 60s, the 80s is the decade with most films that bank on incorporating Fleming elements into their storylines.

Additionally, with this film, director John Glen began his journey of directing every Bond film, a total of 5, in the 80s.

FYEO also brings Bond back to earth (or basics) after his sojourn in space in the previous film - Moonraker. Back to the basics also means relying more on wits than gadgets. Examples include Bond getting out of a hopeless situation using his street smartness in the pre-title sequence. In the Spain segment, his "high-tech" Lotus is destroyed, therefore, he has to rely on his driving skills to maneuver a Citroen 2CV to outrun the chasing henchmen. There is a segment where he is tied and dragged underwater, which required Bond to bank on his environment to get out of the situation. Finally, his climbing skills are tested in the finale.

Roger Moore gives a well-measured performance, leaning more toward the serious side. This is often rated to be among his best performances.

FYEO is an adaption of Fleming's short stories - "For Your Eyes Only" and "Risico". Bond and Melina being dragged in water is from the book Live and Let Die.


As far as negatives are concerned, if I have to be picky, the score in some segments may not have aged as well as I would have preferred. However, the generous use of the Bond theme ensures that the overall score remains competitive. The villain relies on intrigue/deception, therefore, needs to remain understated.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY | Pre-title sequence - YouTube

How do you rate FYEO? ... For me, this is one of the top-tier Bond films. It is almost flawless as a Bond film.

[Flexicon9]

This Bond film is very high on my list... certainly Moore's strongest after The Spy Who Love Me. I'm also a big fan of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.. this was a return to that type of Bond film when things had gotten a little over the top with Moonraker. It was definitely a strong return to form for the franchise. For Your Eyes Only rates as one of the very best Bond films ever!

[Winslow Leach]

This is another top 5 Bond film for me.

[jess1581]

Definitely one of the better ones as well as being my birth year Bond 007.

[By_His_Strypes]

This is my favorite Bond film...

[zen007]

Originally Posted by Flexicon9

This Bond film is very high on my list... certainly Moore's strongest after The Spy Who Love Me. I'm also a big fan of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.. this was a return to that type of Bond film when things had gotten a little over the top with Moonraker. It was definitely a strong return to form for the franchise. For Your Eyes Only rates as one of the very best Bond films ever!

FYEO can be paired with OHMSS as the pre title sequence can be viewed as a continuation from where OHMSS left off, considering some time has passed b/w the events.

[Flexicon9]

.... yes, and that's what I call a good double feature! Well I guess I know what I'm doing tonight!

[BudBaxter]

Great Bond film, only really let down by Bill Conti's horrible disco score. I can only imagine what John Barry could have brought to it.

Even though Moore apparently wasn't a fan of the scene, the bit where he kicks the car off the cliff is one of the defining moments in his tenure as Bond IMHO.

[rubystone356]

this was my first bond film in the theatre. I have a soft spot for it.

Jacob

[GrouchoFan]

My favorite of the Roger Moore era.

[harry o]

Top three Moore after "let die" and "spy" should have been his swan song I always felt.

[bladerunner6]

Originally Posted by BudBaxter

Great Bond film, only really let down by Bill Conti's horrible disco score. I can only imagine what John Barry could have brought to it.

Even though Moore apparently wasn't a fan of the scene, the bit where he kicks the car off the cliff is one of the defining moments in his tenure as Bond IMHO.

I read he was resistant but in the end felt it was right.

https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/arti...ng_locques_car

Bond cared for the two innocent people Locque killed. The scene really works because of that and I agree, it is one of Moore’s best scenes, if not his best.

It was a good piece of acting and a well written and executed scene.

That is why they page homage to it in NTTD.

[The Great Owl]

For Your Eyes Only is my favorite Roger Moore Bond film, and it is one of my top five Bond films in general.

This movie aired on HBO during the summer of 1982, when I was 10 years old. I must have watched it 30 times that summer.

[CompleteCount]

For Your Eyes Only is Rog's best Bond by quite a long way. The only elements which stop it being in the top 5 all-time Bonds are:

1) A rather bland Julian Glover

2) The bloody stuff with the Thatchers (and the parrot...)

3) The score could have been better.

4) The jokey treatment of Blofeld's demise (and trotting out Robert Rietty to do the voice - couldn't they have copped Donald Pleasance or even Charles Gray for a morning in the recording studio?) OK, it was a "f***-you" to the upcoming rival production, but was still tacky and cheap.

Ol' Rog gives one of his best performances, with John Glen pushing him into darker areas in spite of his protests. The gadgets are all credible, and don't take you out of the film, nor provide the closer to a tense sequence. The 2CV sequence is a funny concept, and the laughs during it aren't too out of place. Lynn-Holly Johnson is fun without being annoying or overbearing, and a nice way to handle that Moore was getting a little long in the tooth for picking up young women. It took a pretty brave risk in using an extended climbing scene to set up the climax, but it's right up with the most tense set-pieces in the series. And who doesn't love how Sheena Easton's Scots accent really comes out on the word "you"?

But let's not forget that Victor T. notches up his third and final disbelieving drunk!

vic t.jpg

[zen007]

Originally Posted by CompleteCount

2) The bloody stuff with the Thatchers (and the parrot...)

I like the parrot ... that part helps to end the film on a fun note.

I like how the Bond-Melina relationship grows over time. It is towards the end that they get really close, therefore, the parrot helps there too by taking over the conversation!

[Just_Discovered_3D]

The intro sequence was fun, but bizarre. I thought the climbing scene was great, and that villain's lair...was The King's Man paying homage to it?

The Thatcher stuff was a bit bizarre also, as I thought Bond was in his own apolitical world, but "taking the mick" on her husband for basically being a househusband was at least fun. Plus she, like other 80s big name politicians, was hailed as a right winger then, but went left in the 90s, so now everyone can get some humor out of the shade thrown at her.

[Geode]

I think this has the greatest age gap between the actor playing Bond and the lady playing his love interest... just about 30 years. At least Roger Moore's Bond resists the charms of Lynn Holly Johnson's character, but she was only a year and a half younger than Carole Bouquet!

[DR Herbert West]

Solid Bond film, but the villain brings it down a little.

[TheSpruceMoose]

The vertigo inducing third act makes it a high mark for me, thankfully the rest of the entry is pretty good, even with that cheesy ice hockey set piece.

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by Geode

I think this has the greatest age gap between the actor playing Bond and the lady playing his love interest... just about 30 years. At least Roger Moore's Bond resists the charms of Lynn Holly Johnson's character, but she was only a year and a half younger than Carole Bouquet!

The real difference was that Bouquet's was written (and played) to be much more mature adult, and Johnson's character acted like a kid - according to Moore, Bibi was written to be 15.

To Melina, when setting out to kill her family's killler: "The Chinese have a saying; 'Before setting off on revenge, you first dig two graves...'"

To a lust-crazed Bibi, when trying to screw him: "Yes, well...you get your clothes on, and I'll buy you an ice-cream".

It's a shame that the brief footage of Bernard Lee hasn't surfaced. Many think that he died before shooting even started, but his scene were brought forward in hopes of completing them, but he was brought and attempts were made to film one scene, but he was in the terminal stage of stomach cancer, and wasn't able to deliver a performance. The footage was probably destroyed out of respect.