It's generally considered apocryphal that Moore was first considered for Bond in the early 60s for Dr. No - a bit of enhancing the myth on Cubby Broccoli's part.
A James Bond Fan Reviews the Franchise
- Thread starter Admiral Shran
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^I also take the same view of the claims made on the DVD for Living Daylights that Cubby first wanted Dalton for OHMSS but that Tim turned him down because he felt that he was too young. I think that this was to compensate for the fact that it was very evident and very public that Dalton only landed the role once Brosnan couldn't get out of his Remington Steele contract.
I agree that it does drag a bit, mostly because of the humorous bits that are intercut with it. If they had cut those out, especially Sheriff Pepper, and focused solely on the action, the scene would have been better.
There were subtle cues in the movie, but in the book, Pussy Galore was explicitly a lesbian -- Ian Fleming didn't beat around the bush, in a manner of speaking. Of course, all she needed was a real man like good old Double-O-Seven to switch her to the other side.
And I think Honor Blackman was a classy, elegant beauty. Interestingly, she was the oldest actress to play a Bond Girl -- she's three to five years older than Sean Connery (her birthdate is somewhat disputed).
You have good taste in women, my friend. Shirley Eaton was gorgeous. And while she'll never win any acting awards, she did have a warm, appealing, playful sexuality. Funny how, in Goldfinger, not one but two female characters are killed off within minutes after they're introduced. Is that some kind of record for expendable women in Bond films?
I never realised Honor Blackman was the oldest Bond girl, I'd always kinda figured that was Maud Adams in Octopussy (who, going with Wiki at least isn't too far behind her.)
Pussy's never been one of my favourite Bond girls, but I have to say Honor Blackman stayed very attractive for a long long time.
Pussy's never been one of my favourite Bond girls, but I have to say Honor Blackman stayed very attractive for a long long time.
The Man with the Golden Gun (***)
This film has some things going for it, but just about the same amount of things going against it.
First, it's good that Moore seems to be playing the cold, ruthless aspect of Bond a little more directly - seen best in the scenes in which he literally bitchslaps Maud Adams half-way across the room after nearly breaking her arm and when he tells Scaramanga that he is willing to kill in cold blood. However, it's bad that they decided to go with a more comedic tone. The comedy was there in Live and Let Die, and in mostly the right proportions. Here, there's just too much of it - shown perfectly in that they needlessly added a slidewhistle sound effect during the biggest stunt of the film.
Also, Moore seems to be playing the comedic parts quite stiffly, which is odd since that's what he does best in the role.
Second, there's an excellent supporting character in Goodnight. She might be the first Bond Girl who literally gives as good as she gets. She constantly throws Bond's witticisms right back in his face. She even matches his kill count for the movie. Like Bond said, there was more to her than meets the eye. And what meets the eye is very nice.
However, there's also a rather annoying character - J.W. Pepper. Again, on his own he is a very funny character, but why did they feel the need to bring him back? He was the one thing that was truly out of place in the last movie and he's the same here. They even intercut him with one of the film's big action scenes again. Why?
Third, it's good to see the continuing "bromances" between Bond/Q and Bond/M. The first scene with M is particularly well done, with a lot being unsaid but the characters knowing what the other is thinking and respecting each other. However, while there is good character development, the rest of the film seriously feels dated. You can definitely tell this was made in the 70s - from the clothes, to the sets, to the fact that the energy crisis plays a huge role in the plot. Connery's films were visibly made in the 60s yet retained a more timeless feeling.
The biggest thing this movie has going for it, and which pushes it over a rating of 5/10, is Scaramanga. In the hands of a lesser actor, this role could have easily descended into the campy atmosphere that permeates the rest of the film. However, Christopher Lee delivers an excellently menacing performance. But then, I didn't expect anything less from the man. He rountinely produces quality work, even if he sometimes stars in stuff like Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch.
So, Moore stumbles a little in his second outing. This movie isn't as good as Live and Let Die, but still on the better side of average.
That's Amore: 22
Bond slept with Miss Anders and Goodnight.
Body Count: 89 (+1)
This film has some things going for it, but just about the same amount of things going against it.
First, it's good that Moore seems to be playing the cold, ruthless aspect of Bond a little more directly - seen best in the scenes in which he literally bitchslaps Maud Adams half-way across the room after nearly breaking her arm and when he tells Scaramanga that he is willing to kill in cold blood. However, it's bad that they decided to go with a more comedic tone. The comedy was there in Live and Let Die, and in mostly the right proportions. Here, there's just too much of it - shown perfectly in that they needlessly added a slidewhistle sound effect during the biggest stunt of the film.
Also, Moore seems to be playing the comedic parts quite stiffly, which is odd since that's what he does best in the role.Second, there's an excellent supporting character in Goodnight. She might be the first Bond Girl who literally gives as good as she gets. She constantly throws Bond's witticisms right back in his face. She even matches his kill count for the movie. Like Bond said, there was more to her than meets the eye. And what meets the eye is very nice.
However, there's also a rather annoying character - J.W. Pepper. Again, on his own he is a very funny character, but why did they feel the need to bring him back? He was the one thing that was truly out of place in the last movie and he's the same here. They even intercut him with one of the film's big action scenes again. Why?Third, it's good to see the continuing "bromances" between Bond/Q and Bond/M. The first scene with M is particularly well done, with a lot being unsaid but the characters knowing what the other is thinking and respecting each other. However, while there is good character development, the rest of the film seriously feels dated. You can definitely tell this was made in the 70s - from the clothes, to the sets, to the fact that the energy crisis plays a huge role in the plot. Connery's films were visibly made in the 60s yet retained a more timeless feeling.
The biggest thing this movie has going for it, and which pushes it over a rating of 5/10, is Scaramanga. In the hands of a lesser actor, this role could have easily descended into the campy atmosphere that permeates the rest of the film. However, Christopher Lee delivers an excellently menacing performance. But then, I didn't expect anything less from the man. He rountinely produces quality work, even if he sometimes stars in stuff like Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch.
So, Moore stumbles a little in his second outing. This movie isn't as good as Live and Let Die, but still on the better side of average.
That's Amore: 22
Bond slept with Miss Anders and Goodnight.
Body Count: 89 (+1)
^I'm surprised that you didn't mention that TMWTGG cashes in on the kung fu craze, just as its predecessor cashed in on blaxploitation and just as TSWLM cashed in on Jaws and Moonraker on Star Ward. I always view those 4 as the 'plagiarism era' Bond movies.
I always got the impression that Tom Mankiewicz was more enamoured of Sherrif Pepper than the audience was, hence his return here. I'm convinced that this is the reason why the actor, playing a very similar character, appeared in Supeman II, though another poster on the BBS disputed this with me, arguing that Tom's writing role in that movie is limited and he wouldn't have been responsible for it. I hold to the Occam's Razor view with the 'coincidence' though.
I always got the impression that Tom Mankiewicz was more enamoured of Sherrif Pepper than the audience was, hence his return here. I'm convinced that this is the reason why the actor, playing a very similar character, appeared in Supeman II, though another poster on the BBS disputed this with me, arguing that Tom's writing role in that movie is limited and he wouldn't have been responsible for it. I hold to the Occam's Razor view with the 'coincidence' though.
I always enjoy LALD. Yaphet Kotto does a fine job in this film in both roles. As a kid(age 7) the face peeling was a shocker. Now when I see the makeup it makes me cringe. I still like when he starts the tape player to fool the agents into thinking he is giving a long winded speech. Sheriff Pepper....well in this movie I found him to be ok. His next appearance however I loathe very much.
That's certainly there, but not as pronounced as the blaxplotiation of the LALD.
^ Then watch The Wicker Man. Britt Ekland OUT OF a bikini. Even better. Plus more Christopher Lee, even scarier than as Scaramanga.
And the late Ingrid Pitt. RIP.
Oh, I know! I've got the special edition in the wood box.
^ Bet you'd like to put your wood in her box.
Okay, now that Thanksgiving weekend is over, maybe I can get back to doing these reviews more regularly.
The Spy Who Loved Me (****)
Moore offers up another solid outing.
Here, like in The Man with the Golden Gun, we see Bond portrayed as a refined man who is willing to be brutal in certain instances - like when he kills Sandor in Cairo after he gets his information. I think I'm starting to like this portrayal of Bond better than Connery's. With Connery there was always an air of concealed thuggery, that at any minute Bond might turn violent. With Moore, he only does it on certain occasions, so that when it does happen, it's more satisfying.
The movie also has some very good supporting characters. Amasova in particular is good. She's not just extremely beautiful; she's smart, witty and able to stand toe-to-toe with Bond. I'd say she's better matched with Bond than his wife was, which is ironic since she offers the first direct reference to Tracy since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (Also, that reference to Tracy was very well acted by Moore - very well done.) And, of course, there's also Jaws. I got to say, I love this character. He is certainly a comic, even borderline goofy, character - but dammit, I like him all the same. Richard Kiel plays him with just the right balance of menace and humor. The scene where he chases Fekkesh through the Pyramid Complex is menacing. And, of course, he bit the shark =
.
On top of this, we finally get Bond, in his tenth movie, indisputably killing a woman. It's about time James, you damn sexist!
The only drawback to this film is the villian. Stromberg has got to be the worst Bond villian yet. It really says something when the main villian is outshined by one of his henchmen. Stromberg also has the problem of being a paper-thin replacement for Blofeld. One of the strengths of Moore's first two movies was that they were getting away from having Blofeld, and SPECTRE, being the villians all the time. We had new and interesting characters in Kananga and Scaramanga. Here, it seems like we're regressing. Not only that, but there are superficial similiarities to Blofeld in Stromberg. Blofeld was bald, Stromberg is balding. Blofeld has a deformity (his scar), Stromberg has a deformity (his webbed fingers, which are never explained, so why have them in the movie?). Stromberg even dresses similiar to Donald Pleasance's Blofeld at one point. Now, of course, this is because Blofeld was intended to be the villian again, but legal disputes involving the rights to Thunderball prevented that from happening. However, this movie needed another script rewrite to make it less obvious that we were dealing with SPECTRE-lite.
So, all in all, there have been stumbles here early in the Moore era, but he's doing his best to keep the British end up.
That's Amore: 25
Bond slept with an unnamed woman in Austria, an unnamed woman in Egypt, and Amasova.
Body Count: 131 (+42)
DAMN BOND! And these are just the deaths of which I could be certain. He kills an additional untold number of people in the tanker's control room when he bombs the place and in the two submarines when he nukes them. I doubt any movie with be able to top this record.
The Spy Who Loved Me (****)
Moore offers up another solid outing.
Here, like in The Man with the Golden Gun, we see Bond portrayed as a refined man who is willing to be brutal in certain instances - like when he kills Sandor in Cairo after he gets his information. I think I'm starting to like this portrayal of Bond better than Connery's. With Connery there was always an air of concealed thuggery, that at any minute Bond might turn violent. With Moore, he only does it on certain occasions, so that when it does happen, it's more satisfying.
The movie also has some very good supporting characters. Amasova in particular is good. She's not just extremely beautiful; she's smart, witty and able to stand toe-to-toe with Bond. I'd say she's better matched with Bond than his wife was, which is ironic since she offers the first direct reference to Tracy since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (Also, that reference to Tracy was very well acted by Moore - very well done.) And, of course, there's also Jaws. I got to say, I love this character. He is certainly a comic, even borderline goofy, character - but dammit, I like him all the same. Richard Kiel plays him with just the right balance of menace and humor. The scene where he chases Fekkesh through the Pyramid Complex is menacing. And, of course, he bit the shark =
.On top of this, we finally get Bond, in his tenth movie, indisputably killing a woman. It's about time James, you damn sexist!
The only drawback to this film is the villian. Stromberg has got to be the worst Bond villian yet. It really says something when the main villian is outshined by one of his henchmen. Stromberg also has the problem of being a paper-thin replacement for Blofeld. One of the strengths of Moore's first two movies was that they were getting away from having Blofeld, and SPECTRE, being the villians all the time. We had new and interesting characters in Kananga and Scaramanga. Here, it seems like we're regressing. Not only that, but there are superficial similiarities to Blofeld in Stromberg. Blofeld was bald, Stromberg is balding. Blofeld has a deformity (his scar), Stromberg has a deformity (his webbed fingers, which are never explained, so why have them in the movie?). Stromberg even dresses similiar to Donald Pleasance's Blofeld at one point. Now, of course, this is because Blofeld was intended to be the villian again, but legal disputes involving the rights to Thunderball prevented that from happening. However, this movie needed another script rewrite to make it less obvious that we were dealing with SPECTRE-lite.
So, all in all, there have been stumbles here early in the Moore era, but he's doing his best to keep the British end up.
That's Amore: 25
Bond slept with an unnamed woman in Austria, an unnamed woman in Egypt, and Amasova.
Body Count: 131 (+42)
DAMN BOND! And these are just the deaths of which I could be certain. He kills an additional untold number of people in the tanker's control room when he bombs the place and in the two submarines when he nukes them. I doubt any movie with be able to top this record.
Yes... it seems to be a real crowd-pleaser, this one. Unfortunately The Spy Who Loved Me has too much going against it (yes, even Jaws) for my "classics" list. When it does things well, it does so very, very well. When it does things badly, it's repugnant. And Roger Moore using an unarmed Stromberg for target practice does not make for a satisfying end to the villain...
Oh, I love that death , It's Moore at his most brutal!
Spy Who Loved Me is one of my favorites. It's notable for having one of the best pre-credits sequences. That ski jump takes my breath away everytime.
I think Stromberg is the only weak link in this film tbo. I just love the very epic, sweeping cinematography (especially when they're in Egypt). And of course no discussion of TSWLM is complete without mention of that pre title sequence. From Rog's yellow jumpsuit and tickertape watch to some very dodgy back projection and the jump (you just know it would be cg today, and shite). What's so great about it is that it always seems to take too long for the chute to open, so daft as it sounds given this is 007, you actually worry. Then there's the added realism of the fact the stunt man clearly almost tears through the chute with one of his skis!
I always remember a documentary on Bond, presented by Roger Moore, and he said something along the lines of... "Of course I offered to do it myself."
As for the killing of Stromberg? Hardly the first unarmed man Bond's killed (Dent anyone?) and there was no purpose to keeping him alive (unlike Dent). Besides alive who knows what Stromberg could have done (maybe he'd lifted a couple of missiles off those subs and had them stowed below?)
Killing the guy in Egypt with the flick of a tie is more brutal, and cooler!
I always remember a documentary on Bond, presented by Roger Moore, and he said something along the lines of... "Of course I offered to do it myself."
As for the killing of Stromberg? Hardly the first unarmed man Bond's killed (Dent anyone?) and there was no purpose to keeping him alive (unlike Dent). Besides alive who knows what Stromberg could have done (maybe he'd lifted a couple of missiles off those subs and had them stowed below?)
Killing the guy in Egypt with the flick of a tie is more brutal, and cooler!
