Terence Young: Bond Vivant (2000 Video) User Reviews

All who knew him say Terence Young had expensive tastes . . .

[pixrox1 · 8/10 · 16 October 2014]

. . . which he passed along to the character "James Bond" and a hayseed actor named Sean Connery, as he directed three of the first four Agent 007 flicks (DR. NO, FROM RUSS1A WITH LOVE, and THUNDERBALL). If you scan the list of 45 films Mr. Young wrote or directed from 1939 through 1987 (which scrolls on-screen at the conclusion of BON VIVANT), you're unlikely to recognize ANY of the non-Bond titles if you're younger than age 70. Terence Young was no John Ford or Alfred Hitchcock. A British Army tank combatant during WWII, Young churned out war and adventure movies which mostly are forgotten today (few people remember such fare from even TEN years ago, let alone FIFTY). However, the cast and crew of the early Bond pictures reminiscing about Young during BON VIVANT considered him to be Agent 007 in the flesh. A "good-time Charlie," Young was extremely popular on location, throwing lavish parties on his own dime. Strutting around on-set in "hand-made, impeccable" clothes, Young served as a role model for how to play a character "Living Large." Unlike Hitchcock or Ford, he was buddy-buddy with his actors, partying with them into the wee hours rather than ever doing any directorial "homework." The "fun shoots" he supervised resulted in Boffo Box Office for three Bond features, but no Oscars.

His names was Young. Terence Young.

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 March 2017]

Terence Young was the man who established the style and tone of the James Bond series by directing the first three movies in the hugely successful and popular franchise. Born in China and educated at Cambridge University, Young began his career as a screenwriter before becoming a director. An elegant man with a tremendous panache and zest for life, Young was well known for wearing fancy clothes, eating at the finest restaurants, and holding lavish parties that he paid for with his own money. Moreover, Young was the sort who spent money extravagantly and rarely took much in the way of downtime at home because he prepared going on location all over the world to make movies. By far the best story featured in this documentary is that Young had to give the rough around the edges Sean Connery pointers on how to be more sophisticated. It's also nice to find out that Young remained friends with practically everyone he worked with throughout his career. Loaded with choice behind the scenes footage of Young plying his craft, this rates highly as an extremely enjoyable and illuminating portrait of Terence Young.