One of the, if not *the*, most out of place sounds/music in any James Bond movie has to go to the use of the song “California Girls” from the “snowboard” scene from the opening sequence of A View To A Kill (1985). Yes, I get that Bond eventually travels to California (and meets girls there I guess?) in the movie and he is technically snowboarding with the snowmobile blade (which is like “California surfing” I guess?), but I’m still going to give the song choice a thumbs down.
I may have approved if the song chosen was the original version by the Beach Boys, but a quick Google also shows this is a cover by Gidea Park, and it sounds like an average one at that. They should have scrapped the idea. How Bond maintains his feet on the blade and gains enough momentum to surprise the skiing bad guys was puzzling enough for the chase, let alone the song choice. It’s fun for sure, but not particularly great.
I was also unfortunately reminded of this scene after watching Pierce Brosnan’s Bond’s absurd snowboarding/gliding scene from Die Another Day (2002):
*shudders*
James Bond (Roger Moore) is ready to part with some Stolichnya vodka in A View To A Kill (1985)
The nerd in me likes when the title of a movie is explicitly stated in the movie itself, like in this scene from A View To A Kill (1985).
As Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) and Mayday (Grace Jones) get a bird’s eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, CA from the Zorin blimp, they call out the name of the movie in this quick exchange. To this day, I *still* don’t really think it’s that great of a movie title, or quote in this context, but it’s still cool, I guess.
These psychopaths are hyped for the great view of a city they are about to destroy, which is a bit morbid. And Mayday’s look here, as in all of her scenes is…something. And here, her over-accentuated eye shadow and misplaced painted-on “mean” eyebrows are fitting for the lunatic these two are.
Well, here it is. The actual “view to a kill” from A View To A Kill (1985)
It really is a great view of the city, though. And of course, who can forget the shot of Zorin’s eponymous blimp in the same frame as the Golden Gate bridge – an iconic shot of the series, for sure!
Zorin’s blimo next to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA in A View To A Kill (1985)
Grace Jones as Mayday in A View to a Kill (1985)
Quite the unique fashion statement from a unique James Bond henchman/girl!
Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) and Mayday (Grace Jones) have a laugh (and a slap) in A View to a Kill (1985)
James Bond (Roger Moore) shows a wide-eyed sarcastic face in A View to a Kill (1985)
007 wasn’t shy with Moneypenny about his activities in Siberia aboard the glacier sub…
Although the fire engine chase in A View To A Kill (1985) is over-the-top and a bit eye-roll inducing, I did enjoy when the sleepy bridge operator attempts to stop James Bond (Roger Moore) and Stacy Sutton (Tanya Roberts) in their tracks.
Read More»
Disclaimer before A View to a Kill (1985)
The above disclaimer appears just before the start of A View to a Kill (1985).
Read More»
