MovieChat Forums > A View to a Kill (1985) Discussion > Falling dummies look like rag dolls

Falling dummies look like rag dolls


Don't they have enough money in the production budget to put some wooden dowels in the arms and legs of the dummies that get thrown out of windows, bridges -or in this case, dirigibles? This is about the 6th time in a Moore era Bond film a falling body looks like it's made of straw stuffed into a pillow case. Absolutely awful, and inexcusable sloppiness from the stunt crew.

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There are a few special effects that look dated or out of place in the Moore bond films. The ski sequence in Spy who loved Me has one bad green screen shot of Moore (which always makes me laugh) and an obvious miniature boat which looked like a toy. However there was some great sets there and miniatures along with some fun chase scenes. Theres one fight scene in that film which I think is the best of the Moore films where he takes out like 8 guards within a minute.

But I agree the stunts often look like parody rather than action. Especially the scenes where he fights Jaws or has to run somewhere by which i mean jog, he never sprints like daniel craig or pierce brosnan. But I think the fight against the ninja henchman in Moonraker really stepped it up, everything glass was smashed in that sequence. A view to a Kill he just looked tyred and really old I think it would of worked if they acknowledged his age a little like they did with 52 year old Sean Connery Never say never Again.

But Moonraker is the Moore film that went all out, the budget was massive so everything from stunts like the opening skydive to the special effects like the space sequence was noticeably alot better and grandiose in scope. Everything was put on screen, even if it was self deprecating at times you just have to go with it. The John Barry score is quite amazing the locations are dazzling, I think its the best Bond film Roger Moore made.

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The initial dummy shot was from a miniature and making it's arms and legs move in miniature would have been difficult as the tech wasn't really available. Did you notice the use of an Action Man(G.I. Joe) figure in TWINE?

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My favorite dummy is the mannequin stand-in for the paratrooper in the 2 1/2 ton truck at the beginning of Octopussy. It's obviously a dummy when the chute opens, but it looks just like the real guy in the scene before. I always assumed they must have had the dummy lying around and then just cast a guy with a similar face to appear in the previous scene.

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Which Scene???/

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When they've captured James Bond at the beginning of the movie and they're taking him out in a 2 1/2 ton truck. There are two paratroopers guarding him but the woman driving the Range Rover distracts them so James pulls the ripcords and their chutes open. It's very obviously a dummy being dragged out of the truck by the chute. I always notice the one on the left. But if you watch the scene before that, the actual guy has a very square jaw and his face looks very craggy and wooden, so he's a great match with the dummy.

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I know the scene. Yes, works very well. The legs on the girl could distract the steeliest character! Hot damn!

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I agree. That soldier was a dummy because instead of guarding Bond, he gets preoccupied with the womans legs while driving

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And Bond would become a horse’s ass later in that same scene.

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The ski sequence in Spy who loved Me has one bad green screen shot of Moore (which always makes me laugh)
It’s not green screen, just simple rear projection, like those old movies showing people in the front seat of a car while a moving background is projected behind them.

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Technically it would’ve been blue screen in the 80s, or Chroma Key.

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