Diamonds Are Forever Movie Review
Q-Branch_2012
Posts: 80MI6 Agent
Sean Connery returns to the role of James Bond, after the disaster of George Lazenby, and with the title character back on track Bond can continue to move forward.
The soundtrack is probably one of the most recognisable with the theme 'Diamonds are Forever ' sang by Shirley Bassey, who previously sang Goldfinger, instantly familiar.
Diamonds are forever definately is a strong Bond in certain areas but lacks in many others. Connery plays the role with ease, however the magic over the original Connery run just doesn't seem to be there. I am not sure if it is because Connery has lost interest in the role, or if it is because he is that much older, or if it is a change in the presentation fo the movie.
Mr Winn and Mr Kid are great bad guys, and are a definate plus on the series, these are taking the Bond series in a slightly different direction with their oddball humor, but I think it works in Bond. The girls are great, as always, and the story seems to be fast paced, and jogs the story a long at a great pace.
The Las Vegas scenes are great and the car chase is top notch. Not to sure about the moon buggy scene though.
The whole story is basically about a diamond smuggling ring, who Bond thinks is headed by billionaire Willard Whyte, but it is really Blofeld, who has Whyte kidnapped. The story is great all the way through the movie, but I am always somewhat disappointed with the ending, on the oil rig, which I thought was poorly executed, and completely off with the rest of the movie. The only consolation is that the ending is saved in the last scene when Wint and Kidd try to attack Bond and kill him with a bomb, while he is heading back to England on a cruise ship.
I liked this Bond movie, although it is clear in my mind that Connery was no longer the Bond he was and the series was ready to move. Overall though it delivered a solid Bond movie with many thrills and spills along the way and was enjoyable to watch. This puts the Bond franchise back on track and ready to move on.
The soundtrack is probably one of the most recognisable with the theme 'Diamonds are Forever ' sang by Shirley Bassey, who previously sang Goldfinger, instantly familiar.
Diamonds are forever definately is a strong Bond in certain areas but lacks in many others. Connery plays the role with ease, however the magic over the original Connery run just doesn't seem to be there. I am not sure if it is because Connery has lost interest in the role, or if it is because he is that much older, or if it is a change in the presentation fo the movie.
Mr Winn and Mr Kid are great bad guys, and are a definate plus on the series, these are taking the Bond series in a slightly different direction with their oddball humor, but I think it works in Bond. The girls are great, as always, and the story seems to be fast paced, and jogs the story a long at a great pace.
The Las Vegas scenes are great and the car chase is top notch. Not to sure about the moon buggy scene though.
The whole story is basically about a diamond smuggling ring, who Bond thinks is headed by billionaire Willard Whyte, but it is really Blofeld, who has Whyte kidnapped. The story is great all the way through the movie, but I am always somewhat disappointed with the ending, on the oil rig, which I thought was poorly executed, and completely off with the rest of the movie. The only consolation is that the ending is saved in the last scene when Wint and Kidd try to attack Bond and kill him with a bomb, while he is heading back to England on a cruise ship.
I liked this Bond movie, although it is clear in my mind that Connery was no longer the Bond he was and the series was ready to move. Overall though it delivered a solid Bond movie with many thrills and spills along the way and was enjoyable to watch. This puts the Bond franchise back on track and ready to move on.
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Comments
OHMSS was disliked when it came out in 69, but after that the diehardbondfans have accepted the film as a classic, and it is many people's favourite in this forum.
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
That and Thunderball are probably the closest novel to film translations.
Its weird, because I really enjoy Thunderball, but I wonder if that is in part to Connery being Bond?
TB is my favourite Connery film.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
The fact that they lured Connery back with money or that they had hired John Gavin, or were considering Burt Reynolds only shows how lost they were in 1970-1971. It took a while to get back on track (IMO until 1977, where they finally found a new approach for the franchise).
Diamonds Are Forever was a huge success in 1971. Later it became widely regarded as a low point in the series.
From a production quality point of view that may well be true. There are the unfortunate cheap special effects in some scenes.
DAF has a cheaper look in general than the films that came before, especially after OHMSS this seems to be quite a change in style. And it doesn't stop there, the humour that goes into parody and camp territory was a first as well for the series. There is even a good portion of black humour in DAF.
On its own, detached from what was done in the 60s, DAF holds up very well when it comes to re-watchability and having fun with a Bond film.
The James Bond films from DAF onward always toyed with style and different themes. And as long as EON stayed true to the classic Bond and the beloved, necessary traits like the gun-barrel and the words everybody is rightfully expecting, "shaken, not stirred" for instance, doing different things was alright and did the franchise good.
The score in a Bond film plays a pivotal role. It's unimaginable we don't get the James Bond theme regularly in a film, as it clearly diminishes the overall experience greatly if it doesn't sound like Bond.
John Barry's score helps DAF quite a lot, especially in scenes that are not too spectacular. Barry elevates even the weaker moments in DAF to a higher level of enjoyment.
Jill St. John's Tiffany Case is and will forever be my favourite Bond girl.
THIS may be my favourite image in all of Bond.
Every little thing she is almost wearing in DAF is a work of art fashion wise, her hairdo is always perfect. I approve.
While Tiffany gets a bit silly by the end of the film, the character overall is just perfect for DAF. Jill St. John brings T. Case wonderfully to life by showing a bit more cheek than usual.
Dialogue is one of the reasons I can watch DAF over and over again. The whole film is quotable and I claim it is the best overall dialogue in any Bond film, because in the end, to be entertained is key, and DAF's endlessly humorous dialogue is fantastic fun from start to finish.
Everything up to arriving in Las Vegas is actually quite perfect imho. Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd are my favourite henchmen. I do love other henchmen as well, almost as much. But that duo in DAF is the cream on the cherry.
I have such a gay time with them whenever I watch DAF. Bruce Glover's performance is simply priceless, fabulous and such fine comedic acting!
Honestly, this warms my...ahem...heart every time I see it!
The ensemble cast is colourful and many of these characters have depth and are written very well considering how little screen time some have.
It's a great cast and many of them belong to my favourites. Tiffany Case as mentioned, Wint & Kidd, but also Felix Leiter who spends a lot of time on-screen and he has great, great chemistry with Connery. Norman Burton plays him expertly.
And don't forget the many supporting but nonetheless very memorable characters like Willard Whyte, Saxby, Dr. Metz, Shady Tree, Mrs. Whistler, Mr. Slumber and more.
The Amsterdam sequence starting with Moneypenny being so sexy in her uniform is such delight from start to finish and naturally, the lift fight is my favourite in the series! Peter Franks, yet another character that has little screen time but makes a memorable impression.
https://youtu.be/jpffY6ZRfZk
The plot may be silly, the film may be silly, but DAF belongs to the most witty, most memorable and most funny films in the series.
So there is a lot in DAF that I like and don't mind at all.
I love Blofeld in drag, and that scene stands exemplary for the silliness of DAF that is oh so fun to witness.
Charles Grey as Blofeld. I find him rather fitting and amusing, even when cross-dressing.
I even don't mind her! And why would I? Lana Wood as "Hi, I'm Plenty!" But, of course you are...
Between all the subtle, obvious and silly humorous moments in DAF there is still an underlying menace and sense of danger. Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd are quite cruel, sinister and dark in how they are having fun leaving a trail of dead people.
"If at first you don't succeed... Try, try again."
Let's not forget these two lovely characters:
"I see you've met my friends, Bambi and Thumper." "Yes, we did have a bit of a chat."
Whyte's residence is a good example for the many beautiful sets in DAF, that is something that may be forgotten a bit.
Personally I view DAF as the follow up to YOLT. It totally fits if you watch them back to back.
In the end, DAF is a silly, fun romp. Fun is never wrong and I for one, am very glad it got made. It paved the way for Sir Rog's humour heavy Bond films in the 70s and 80s.
"I haven't seen you here before. I'm Klaus Hergersheimer. I've been here three years. G Section."
"Will you please leave, you irritating man?"
"Doctor, there's no reason to run down the little people. G Section may not be as important to the operation as you are, but we do have our orders."
I'm afraid DAF catches me with more than my hands up, whenever I watch it!
Wish the deleted scenes were kept (except for the aquarium seduction).
- Wint and Kidd
-The "Welcome to hell, Blofeld" opening.
- Plenty O'Toole and Tiffany Case.
- Some very good dialogue
- Bond taking the elevator
But to me DAF will always be one of those "what if? " movies.
- What if this had been a revenge movie?
- What if they had gutten those enormous digging machines they wanted?
- What if they had filmed the final fight between Bond and Blofeld in the salt dessert?
- What if Lazenby had played Bond in it?
you clearly have a deep love for them.
Excellent review! I have a soft spot of DAF. I remember catching it on ABC's SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE as a kid in the '80s completely butchered, then my mom renting the old CBS/FOX VHS edition so I could see the complete film. I watched twice in a row that night.
I actually find that period in Bond history fascinating. Three consecutive films brought us a different actor as Bond. Although many fans rank DAF low, I love it. It's a fun filled pleasure from start to finish, and Sean is clearly having a blast as 007.
Agreeing to the role last minute probably didn't give him time to get back into his Bondian shape, still, IMO, he's back to his old GOLDFINGER self. I think Guy Hamilton probably had something to do with it. The tougher edgier Sean's were Terence Young's work. The unflappable Sean is Guy Hamilton.
Although campy, different, maybe a bit weird, to me it feels very much like a James Bond film. One that's re-watchable at that.