JAMES BOND: SEAN CONNERY 6-FILM COLLECTION (4K): One For The Purists

JAMES BOND: SEAN CONNERY 6-FILM COLLECTION (4K UHD)

1962-1971 / 702 min (6 movies)

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Mr. Paws😸

Some of us physical media collectors are completists who need to own every movie of a particular franchise, even if one or two are bad enough that we probably wouldn't feel compelled to watch them ever again. For this guy, Mission: Impossible 2 comes immediately to mind. 

Then there are the purists. For them, the Star Wars saga ended with the original trilogy, there’s only one Jaws and Sean Connery will always be the one true James Bond (which I concurred with until Daniel Craig came along). Those people are perfectly content without George Lazenby or Timothy Dalton in their lives.

The Sean Connery 6-Film Collection is one for the purists. More specifically, it’s one for purists who want the best picture and sound quality possible. I think they’ll be very pleased with this set, which features excellent transfers of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever, all on 4K UHD for the first time. 

At first glance, one might be initially put-off by perceived inconsistencies in the sharpness, grain and colors, but that’s mainly due to varying film stock used in the original productions. This collection reflects an effort to present the films as they originally looked when first released. While I haven’t seen any of them on Blu-ray, they look a lot better than the crusty ol’ DVDs collecting dust in my garage. Purists will also appreciate the two audio options available for each. There’s a brand new Dolby Atmos track that gives the sound a modern update, as well as the original mono, which isn’t without its nostalgic charms, especially if you’re like me and grew up watching these films in the 70s.

007 gets stuck with the check.

As for the movies themselves…even though I’m not quite a 007 purist anymore, I still agree that some of the best Bond films hail from the Connery era. 1962’s Dr. No might seem a bit quaint today, but as the franchise grew exponentially bigger and gadget driven, I’ve grown to appreciate its comparative simplicity. From Russia with Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964) are where Connery truly came into his own as James Bond. Not only is the latter among my personal favorites (as it is with a lot of fans), both films establish most of the most enduring elements we’ve come to associate with the franchise.

Thunderball (1965) was the biggest box office hit of Connery films, but also the most lumbering and takes a long time to get interesting. 1967's You Only Live Twice is often cited as the point where the series grew increasingly outlandish, but being the first Bond film I watched as a kid, I’ve always had a nostalgic soft spot for this one. Still, I’ll concede that certain thematic aspects have aged badly (especially regarding racial depictions and no-small-amount of misogyny). Finally, 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever is the goofiest of the lot. Though still entertaining, this one veers more toward the type of cartoon buffoonery that would sink some of the Roger Moore films. 

The Sean Connery 6-Film Collection is obviously a great batch of classic, influential films, which Bond fans probably don’t need to be reminded of. If you’re one of those Connery purists seeking technical upgrades (and a great looking package), this set is a must-own. But be advised that all of the bonus features, while substantial, are from previous home video releases (meaning you’ve probably seen them before).

EXTRA KIBBLES

All films are accompanied by the following similarly-titled collections of bonus features, each of varying quantity and length:

DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT - These are collections of vintage promotional segments made during filming or around the time of each film’s initial release.

MISSION DOSSIER - Lengthy, multi-chapter docs covering the making of each film and their cultural significance. All are carried over from previous home video releases and most are narrated by Patrick Macnee.

MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA - Collections of trailers, TV spots and radio ads for each film.

EXOTIC LOCATIONS - Brief segments on some of the shooting locations. Some are included as part of the Mission Dossier program.

AUDIO COMMENTARIES - Each film includes a commentary by the director, as well as various cast and crew. Goldfinger and Thunderball have two audio commentaries.

DIGITAL COPIES

Certain films include some of the following additional bonus features: 

SELLING BONDS (Thunderball) - Vintage commercials selling Bond-themed merch.

DELETED SCENES (Diamonds Are Forever)

ALTERNATE/EXPANDED ANGLES (Diamonds Are Forever) - Alternate versions of five different scenes.

KITTEN COLLECTIBLES #11: The Botched Bond Girl

A Treasure Hunt by D.M. ANDERSON💀

In addition to watching and writing about films, I’m something of a memorabilia collector. Cursed with a teacher’s salary, I ain’t out there bidding on Dorothy’s ruby slippers or anything, but certainly enjoy haunting local shops for a variety of movie-related stuff. Or when feeling particularly bold, I’ll occasionally overpay for some retro relic on eBay. More often than not, I leave stores empty-handed. But every now and then, I’ll find a small treasure that doesn’t completely empty my wallet and give it a new home in the Dave Cave.

Movies and action figures go together like cops and donuts. While I collect action figures to a certain extent, I’m a little picky. I don’t bother with anything related to Marvel, Star Wars or Disney because that shit is everywhere. Visit damn near any store that sells vintage toys and you’ll see shelves and shelves of ‘em, most likely dumped off by guys once certain those things were a path to early retirement.

But I’ll certainly snap-up something related to movies I’m into, such as Alien, Jaws or other figures never intended to be actual toys. It’s especially fun to find one that isn’t from a sci-fi or horror film, mainly because I don’t see them that often. At a local place called Antique Alley, I recently found a 13” figure of Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction that speaks dialogue from the movie. It even superficially resembles John Travolta.

Speaking of resemblance, Foxtrot Vintage, just down the street from my house, had a figure of Ursuala Andress’ character, Honey Ryder, from the first James Bond film, Dr. No., even though the thing in the box doesn’t remotely look like her.

Separated at birth?

In fact, her face reminded me more of Richard Chamberlain getting a colonoscopy than the bikini-clad Bond beauty. And with that Terminator of a body, Honey looks like she’s ready to kick 007’s ass. Hell, the Funko Pop of Honey Ryder looks more like Ursula than this one. The hilariously half-assed design made it well worth the eight bucks I paid. Even now, a few days later, looking at it makes me chuckle.

Sometimes I leave my figures in their original box, other times I take them out. It either depends on the condition of the box or if they’d simply look cooler if posed in my display case. I've decided to leave this one boxed because, without it, you’d probably be wondering where I found an action figure of a WWE wrestler in drag.