MI6 reviews the new James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD of the 1965 outing "Thunderball"...

DVD Review - Thunderball
31st January 2007

The James Bond movies have been brought into the 21st century with special 5.1 surround sound remastering, new film transfers and extra special features in the "Ultimate Editions" series. MI6 reviews the films and each of these features along with all the special new content.

Official Blurb
The thrills never let up as James Bond dives into this riveting adventure filled with explosive confrontations and amazing underwater action sequences! Sean Connery brings his characteristic style, humour and magnetism to Agent 007 as he travels to Nassau to track down villainous criminal Emilio Largo, who is threatening to plunge the world into a nuclear holocaust.

Data Stream
Region: 2
Release Date: 17th July 2006
Running Time: 125 minutes
Screen Format: 2:35:1 Anamorphic PAL
Soundtracks: English DTS 5.1, English DD5.1
Subtitles: English, English Captions, Greek, Danish, Dutch, Finish, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish.

Audio Specs
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English DTS 5.1 (768Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0

 

Video
The Lowry Digital team had a challenging task ahead of them with "Thunderball". Many would agree that the video quality of the Special Edition "Thunderball" left much to be desired. However, considering the age of this reel, the video is crisp and bright and everything a fan could hope for. Colours are much fuller making the underwater scenes as impressive as they must have been on the big screen back in 1965.

Audio
The two audio tracks featured on the Ultimate Edition "Thunderball" are subtle in their differences. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is much as the fans might expect. All dialogue is audible and the music lends an impressive air to the action sequences. The new audio track, DTS 5.1 is a little bolder - background noise, or "foley", is slightly stronger in the mix, sometimes assisting with the telling of a story, sometimes impeding the character’s dialogue. On the whole, DTS is a slight improvement to the viewing of "Thunderball".

On The DVD

  • DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT
  • The Incredible World of James Bond - Original 1965 NBC Special
  • A Child’s Guide To Blowing Up A Motor Car - 1965 Ford Promotional Film
  • On Location With Ken Adam
  • Bill Suitor: The Rocket Man Movies
  • "Thunderball" Boat Show Reel
  • Selling Bond - Original 1965 Television Advertisements
  • 007 MISSION CONTROL
  • Interactive Guide Into the World of Thunderball
  • THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY - MISSION DOSSIER
  • Audio Commentary Featuring Terrance Young and Others
  • Audio Commentary Featuring Peter Hunt, John Hopkins and Others
  • Making of "Thunderball"
  • The "Thunderball" Phenomenon
  • The Secret History of "Thunderball"
  • MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA, Original Trailers, TV Spots & Radio Communications
 

New Bonus Features
The Incredible World of James Bond - A 1965 look at the past three Bond films, their villains, their girls and their action. This feature also introduces the world to the newest film in the Bond series, "Thunderball". Dated, and a bit rusty, but an interesting look at what some would say was the high period of Bond’s success in the cinema - the 1960’s.
A Child’s Guide To Blowing Up A Motor Car - A Ford motorcar promotional video. In the style of a ‘60s home movie, this featurette finds a young boy and his uncle on the set of the "Thunderball" car chase! Features some interesting behind the scenes footage of the film.
On Location with Ken Adam - Production Designer, Ken Adam, talks the viewer through a selection of personal footage he took whilst location scouting or shooting “Thunderball”. Features a laid-back yet very interesting commentary from Ken Adam.
Bill Suitor: The Rocket Man Movies - The Rocket Man Movies is the story of the infamous Rocket Belt as seen in “Thunderball” and it’s pilot, Bill Suitor. Features old, untouched footage of Rocket Belt test-flights, and behind the scenes “Thunderball” footage.

"Thunderball" Boat Show Reel - Introduced by modern-day Bond producer Michael G. Wilson, the boat show reel is an alternate version of the final underwater confrontation in "Thunderball, put together for a boat show months before the film's release! The John Barry musical score does not accompany this footage - the only audio featured is underwater foley.
Selling Bond - Three 1965 black and white TV advertisements marketing various Bond merchandise. Includes the Burton Rain Coat, the Burton "Action" Slacks [trousers] and the 007 Toy set by American Character.

One Last Thing....
Sadly, only a couple of still photographs survive of a cut scene where Bond is given a tour of the Disco Volante.

MI6 Rating
Video
Audio
Special Features
Overall

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