Cool LALD Review
Lazenby
The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
This is by Amazon user 'kakuta "Seth"':
"When George Lazenby finally decided to relinquish the role of James Bond, the search was on for his successor. Eventually, Roger Moore was awarded the role. Oh, wait just a second--I almost forgot...there was a very strange blip in between. Upstart Sean Connery played the role for one movie, Diamonds Are Forever, and then quit. And we were all left imagining what sort of film Diamonds Are Forever could have been if George Lazenby had stayed on for just one more. Ah, right. That's how it all went.
Enter Roger Moore. And what sort of film did they give him to debut in? Well, the way I see it, Live And Let Die, for all of its strange trappings, its hip coolness, its heroine, its Tarot cards that really predict the future, its funky outfits, its lack of Q, is at heart, a traditional Bond flick to be treasured. If you aren't really going to tamper with the formula, then fool everyone by making it look as if you're tampering with the formula. This is Roger Moore before he used the James Bond films as one long audition for Cannonball Run: a bit more serious, a bit more intense, in control of when things turn humourous rather than at the mercy of bad sound-effects when cars do loop-de-loops while jumping twisted bridges, or Beach Boys music erupting during snowboard stunts. Here, some of the supporting characters handle the comedy-relief, like the wonderfully inept Rosie Carver, and the immortal Sheriff J. W. Pepper, who manages to steal the show during the boat chase. Moore, as Bond, mainly gets down to business.
Apparently, both Yaphet Kotto and Jane Seymour tend to swear off this film--like mentioning Grease 2 to Michelle Pfeiffer, or Police Academy 7 to Claire Forlani (or Christopher Lee, or Ron Perlman). Didn't someone from the Howard Stern radio show get the cold shoulder from Kotto when he mentioned how Kotto's villain, Mr. Big/Kananga, is always blowing up at Solitaire and Bond? And didn't Jane Seymour stop right in the middle of an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to insert the line "I did Live And Let Die only for the money, people."? (Okay, that may just have been Bistro 990 gossip.) Regardless of any actor rejecting their contribution to this Bond gem, Kotto is superbly shark-like throughout, and Jane Seymour makes a wonderful lasting impression as the Bond girl who wants to remain a virgin so she can read Tarot Cards for a vicious heroine giver-awayer with long-range plans for incredible profit after his clever, freebie "Just Say Yes" campaign. Enter James Bond.
There's the boat chase, of course. I mentioned it already. Yes, it is a great boat-chase--but again, it has its eccentricities that only make it better. As indicated, the boat chase, slick and exciting as it is, is broken into weird pieces by Sheriff J. W. Pepper pursuing all those crazy boats, while being restricted to his police-car on land. But that's okay, because occasionally the boats are chasing each other on land too. Also, characters like to switch boats at different points in the chase, pit-stop in swimming pools, and interrupt weddings while in boats--and then when we're up to full speed once more, we stop again for Sheriff J. W. Pepper and one of his roadside rants, or while he switches cars. All of this lunacy rips the pace of the boat chase to shreds, but that's what makes it so amazingly cool.
Other cool stuff: Bond getting suckered twice at the Fillet Of Soul club, the death-trap at the alligator-farm (which does not involve sharks--sharks, later), sadistic henchman Tee Hee breaks a string or two and no doubt loses his place in the orchestra (can he play with a broken string?), and Solitaire asks for Lesson Number Three (I guess she has no complaints).
This is tradional Bond, albeit with a new leading man, dressed up in cool clothes. It feels a little different than usual, but it's fast and fiendish, and one of my favourites. A swirl of campiness and nasty venom, that goes down just right."
I love his description of the boat chase.
"When George Lazenby finally decided to relinquish the role of James Bond, the search was on for his successor. Eventually, Roger Moore was awarded the role. Oh, wait just a second--I almost forgot...there was a very strange blip in between. Upstart Sean Connery played the role for one movie, Diamonds Are Forever, and then quit. And we were all left imagining what sort of film Diamonds Are Forever could have been if George Lazenby had stayed on for just one more. Ah, right. That's how it all went.
Enter Roger Moore. And what sort of film did they give him to debut in? Well, the way I see it, Live And Let Die, for all of its strange trappings, its hip coolness, its heroine, its Tarot cards that really predict the future, its funky outfits, its lack of Q, is at heart, a traditional Bond flick to be treasured. If you aren't really going to tamper with the formula, then fool everyone by making it look as if you're tampering with the formula. This is Roger Moore before he used the James Bond films as one long audition for Cannonball Run: a bit more serious, a bit more intense, in control of when things turn humourous rather than at the mercy of bad sound-effects when cars do loop-de-loops while jumping twisted bridges, or Beach Boys music erupting during snowboard stunts. Here, some of the supporting characters handle the comedy-relief, like the wonderfully inept Rosie Carver, and the immortal Sheriff J. W. Pepper, who manages to steal the show during the boat chase. Moore, as Bond, mainly gets down to business.
Apparently, both Yaphet Kotto and Jane Seymour tend to swear off this film--like mentioning Grease 2 to Michelle Pfeiffer, or Police Academy 7 to Claire Forlani (or Christopher Lee, or Ron Perlman). Didn't someone from the Howard Stern radio show get the cold shoulder from Kotto when he mentioned how Kotto's villain, Mr. Big/Kananga, is always blowing up at Solitaire and Bond? And didn't Jane Seymour stop right in the middle of an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to insert the line "I did Live And Let Die only for the money, people."? (Okay, that may just have been Bistro 990 gossip.) Regardless of any actor rejecting their contribution to this Bond gem, Kotto is superbly shark-like throughout, and Jane Seymour makes a wonderful lasting impression as the Bond girl who wants to remain a virgin so she can read Tarot Cards for a vicious heroine giver-awayer with long-range plans for incredible profit after his clever, freebie "Just Say Yes" campaign. Enter James Bond.
There's the boat chase, of course. I mentioned it already. Yes, it is a great boat-chase--but again, it has its eccentricities that only make it better. As indicated, the boat chase, slick and exciting as it is, is broken into weird pieces by Sheriff J. W. Pepper pursuing all those crazy boats, while being restricted to his police-car on land. But that's okay, because occasionally the boats are chasing each other on land too. Also, characters like to switch boats at different points in the chase, pit-stop in swimming pools, and interrupt weddings while in boats--and then when we're up to full speed once more, we stop again for Sheriff J. W. Pepper and one of his roadside rants, or while he switches cars. All of this lunacy rips the pace of the boat chase to shreds, but that's what makes it so amazingly cool.
Other cool stuff: Bond getting suckered twice at the Fillet Of Soul club, the death-trap at the alligator-farm (which does not involve sharks--sharks, later), sadistic henchman Tee Hee breaks a string or two and no doubt loses his place in the orchestra (can he play with a broken string?), and Solitaire asks for Lesson Number Three (I guess she has no complaints).
This is tradional Bond, albeit with a new leading man, dressed up in cool clothes. It feels a little different than usual, but it's fast and fiendish, and one of my favourites. A swirl of campiness and nasty venom, that goes down just right."
I love his description of the boat chase.
Comments
But I admit the review is fun to read.
Oh, and I never allow an actor swearing off a movie to affect my appreciation of it. For example, Harrison Ford has expressed disdain for some of his best work, like Han Solo and Blade Runner.
I'm not a great fan of that boat chase either though, it goes on too long without any tension due to the fact it doesn't have any music over the top of it for most of the scene. JW Pepper is hardly a great addition to the series though, and he got worse and even less plausible in the next film. The end showdown is very weak, imho, as well.
I tend to see TMWTTGG to this film what Moonraker is to TSWLM- an attempt to do the same thing again, even more outrageously. Here, there are at least some memorable characters even if the action setpieces are fairly mundane for the most part. I agree this is a B ranking Bond film, but is an entertaining one.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Also, George Martin's awesome score, easily the best non-Barry Bond score IMO.
Agreed.
blueman: we can always use another OHMSS fan over in the elimination game thread hint hint ;p
[rushes on over]