The Spy Who Loved Me Movie Review
Q-Branch_2012
Posts: 80MI6 Agent
Roger Moore's third outing as Bond is a classic, from the classic opening sequence, in my opinion the best pre title sequence in a Bond movie, all the way to classic final battle aboard Strombergs hidden submergable bas, Atlantis, in between all of this you have the introduction of Jaws, the indestructable assassin, the beautiful Russian agent, Triple X, and brillian locations, such as Egypt and Sardinia.
The pre-title sequence is epic, its starts with a sub-marine being attacked, which is all typpical Bond stuff, then we get to the skiing scene, where Bond leaves a house in Austria to return to England, and is attacked by assassins on skis, a pursuit follows with Bond taking out one or two of them, with a few nifty skiing tricks thrown in for good measure. Once you think Bond is running out of time he ends up skiing off a cliff, and you suddenly think it is all over, as he starts plummeting to the ground below. All is not lost though as he loses the skis an a union jack parachute appears and he parachutes to safety, only to be followed by the title song 'Nobody Does It Better'.
An interesting note - if you watch the parachute scene you can notice this was almost a disaster, as the parachute comes out, a rogue ski gets tangled in it, and for a split second you think the stunt has gone wrong. Somehow, the ski wriggles free and falls to the side allowing the parachute to open, but it could have been a major disaster.
The movie continues at this pace throughout and is a great watch. I really enjoy it anyway. Its another one which strongly reflects the 1970s culture of the time, from the fnky sounding music, to the flares and cars.
There is excellent chemistry between 007 and Triple X, from the very start as rivals, all the way though to working together and becoming a love interest for Bond, the chemistry is always there.
This movie also features one of the best Bond cars, the Lotus Esprit. The white Lotus is instantly recognisable, and is involved in some classic scenes in the film. The best probably being when Bond goes into the water and the car turns into a submarine. Which he then shoots a rocket while underwater blowing up a helicopter.
Bond continues to play the Bond with tongue firmly in cheek, and lots of campiness ensues. I think this is the only way to pull off the Moore movies, but ultimately this is what flaws them in many ways, especially as Roger Moore continues to get older.
In my opinion, this is the last movie by Moore I would take seriously, I think after this one, the movies steadily decline, due mostly to Moores age.
This is up there in Bond elite, and is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, the introduction of Jaws, is a big plus to the franchise, who would return for one more Bond movie, and the introduction of Triple X also adds alot to the film. This is definately worth watching and is classic Bond.
The pre-title sequence is epic, its starts with a sub-marine being attacked, which is all typpical Bond stuff, then we get to the skiing scene, where Bond leaves a house in Austria to return to England, and is attacked by assassins on skis, a pursuit follows with Bond taking out one or two of them, with a few nifty skiing tricks thrown in for good measure. Once you think Bond is running out of time he ends up skiing off a cliff, and you suddenly think it is all over, as he starts plummeting to the ground below. All is not lost though as he loses the skis an a union jack parachute appears and he parachutes to safety, only to be followed by the title song 'Nobody Does It Better'.
An interesting note - if you watch the parachute scene you can notice this was almost a disaster, as the parachute comes out, a rogue ski gets tangled in it, and for a split second you think the stunt has gone wrong. Somehow, the ski wriggles free and falls to the side allowing the parachute to open, but it could have been a major disaster.
The movie continues at this pace throughout and is a great watch. I really enjoy it anyway. Its another one which strongly reflects the 1970s culture of the time, from the fnky sounding music, to the flares and cars.
There is excellent chemistry between 007 and Triple X, from the very start as rivals, all the way though to working together and becoming a love interest for Bond, the chemistry is always there.
This movie also features one of the best Bond cars, the Lotus Esprit. The white Lotus is instantly recognisable, and is involved in some classic scenes in the film. The best probably being when Bond goes into the water and the car turns into a submarine. Which he then shoots a rocket while underwater blowing up a helicopter.
Bond continues to play the Bond with tongue firmly in cheek, and lots of campiness ensues. I think this is the only way to pull off the Moore movies, but ultimately this is what flaws them in many ways, especially as Roger Moore continues to get older.
In my opinion, this is the last movie by Moore I would take seriously, I think after this one, the movies steadily decline, due mostly to Moores age.
This is up there in Bond elite, and is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, the introduction of Jaws, is a big plus to the franchise, who would return for one more Bond movie, and the introduction of Triple X also adds alot to the film. This is definately worth watching and is classic Bond.
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Comments
This is Rogers best imo its even his favorite of his films and will probably always be my no 1 also because it was the first Bond film i watched.
The Spy Who Loved Me is rightfully one of the most important films in the series. It's impact on the franchise is probably only rivalled by GoldenEye ever since.
Roger Moore unlike his successors doesn't have a definite "best film". While TLD, GE and CR certainly are viewed as the best of each of its actor's era, The Spy Who Loved Me may be Sir Rog's definite Bond film. But is it? For Your Eyes Only certainly has probably as much fans as TSWLM, maybe even OP could be a contender for Roger's best film. It's all a matter of taste naturally.
One thing is for sure though, Roger's third film changed the face of the franchise and made sure it will go on for many more decades.
There are two other third films that made quite a splash with the public. Goldfinger and Skyfall.
TSWLM has an almost infinite number of iconic images, lines spoken and scenes, maybe even more than Goldfinger. Those two go hand in hand when it comes to being ICONIC overall.
The PTS of TSWLM certainly must be the most iconic in the series to use that word again. The idea of the parachute with the British flag is a stroke of genius. Not to mention that stunt work.
I wonder what audience reactions must have been to seeing Bond going off the cliff and open that parachute. I wish I could have been there at the time. Probably the most awesome thing ever to see on the big screen for the first time.
Roger has but three lines in that PTS and already we know what Rog's Bond is about.
FUN, HUMOUR, ENTERTAINMENT in the best Bondian way possible.
"Oh, James. I cannot find the words."
"Let me try and enlarge your vocabulary."
"What happened? Where are you going?"
"Sorry. Something came up."
"But, James, I need you."
"So does England."
But TSWLM certainly doesn't stop at being great at the PTS. Roger Moore's third James Bond film sees him getting his image of Bond perfected to the last eyebrow movement.
Marvin Hamlisch is a part of what makes TSWLM so great in my opinion. I love his score and Bond77 is the best piece of music since the OHMSS theme. Nobody Does It Better, if cheesy, is probably the best known and loved Bond theme after Bassey's Goldfinger, it's easy listening yes, but highly enjoyable and it mirrors the romantic tone of the film very well. And who will not love Carly Simon.
Personally Tiffany Case will always be my favourite Bond girl, but Barbara Bach's Major Anya Amasova comes a close second. Agent XXX is a (guilty) pleasure to watch. I often hear that Barbara Bach doesn't act well. I disagree. What she does comes across as being composed in most scenes which fit her Major character well.
And do I even need to mention how incredibly beautiful and sexy she is.....and THAT dress!!
"Commander James Bond, recruited to the British Secret Service from the Royal Navy. Licensed to kill, and has done so on numerous occasions. Many lady friends, but married only once. - Wife killed..."
"All right, you've made your point."
"You're sensitive, Mr Bond."
There are many moments of note in TSWLM, too many to mention all. Just take Jaws for instance. He must be, to this day, the most famous of all the henchmen. Even more than Oddjob I would say.
When he appears first in the film in Stromberg's fantastic dining room, he "smiles" and you see those metallic silver teeth. Quite frightening actually and I think back then in 1977 it must have felt quite that way seeing him for the first time.
Jaws is treated a tad unfairly when we remember him I think. He didn't go silly only with Moonraker, but it started very early in TSWLM in Egypt. Dropping the big block of rock on his foot. I think from that moment we know what Jaws is about and why would anyone want it any other way.
Having him back in Moonraker is such a treat and I love the whole character arc he goes through. He still remains a ruthless killer, something that of course gets buried a bit in all the (silly) humour.
Many images are combined with score and sound that make them unforgettable.
I wonder if it is TSWLM who does such things best of all the films. Quite possible. I give you this image and I'm sure you instantly have the sound that accompanies it in your head.
Curd Jürgens makes for a good villain, there may be more memorable and better villains than Karl Stromberg, that came before and after him, but not too many I would say.
I love his introduction scene in his dining room that evokes the SPECTRE meetings. We even get the usual "death" treatment, the variation is there are not people sitting at the table but Stromberg's secretary meets a gruesome death, and Stromberg's two business partners are boarding the helicopter with the knowledge they are filthy rich now, well...BOOOM!
The Spy Who Loved Me belongs to the many Bond films that are entirely a fun romp, entertaining and still have great, original action and a fantastic story. A megalomaniac villain is something that will always make a Bond film a bit better in my opinion.
Ken Adam has created some truly memorable and wonderful sets, again. As if it was ever any different but it's still worth a mention.
Roger Moore engages in heavy action at the end battle in that wonderful set, previously only similarly seen in YOLT.
What makes TSWLM such an easy watch as well are the different beautiful locations. Egypt gets treated very well and the atmosphere in Cairo and especially in the Pyramid sequence is absolutely breathtaking. One of the best lighting, editing and directing jobs in the series.
This film really has one memorable sequence after the other. Sardinia makes for a wonderful contrast to Egypt where brown colours dominated, in Sardinia we get treated with a lot of white and strong colours. Not to mention HER!!! BOOOM! ...again!
"What a handsome craft. Such lovely lines."
I also immensely enjoy seeing regulars Robert Brown, Bernhard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn and Geoffrey Keen's Sir Frederick Gray having screen time together, especially with Bond in his Navy suit.
TSWLM, as DAF or TND is a film I can go to regularly, it never seizes to entertain me and there are the elements that I love most in Bond films:
The humour, the silly stuff, an actor that oozes Bond in every split second of screen time, the suaveness and the determination, the action that is allowed to go to OTT levels at times, the lines, the witty dialogue and always everything with a good bit of self-irony. That is how I define the cinematic Bond.
Solid, short review Jason.
I agree about the music, it's just that when you listen to the soundtrack as whole, it doesn't work as well as say Live and Let Die's does as an "ensemble" of good music.
Summer in 77 and on holiday. Every dusty harbour I'd be playing on ( I was still a kid ) I'd imagine a beautiful white lotus screaming past to dive into the sea. ........ although soon after I discovered girls, so began to imagine many, many different things !
They knew it was REAL. Not CGI. No pixel pushin in those days.
They stood and clapped. And that was just at the beginning of the movie. I remember that scene was heavily trailed in the pre publicity. TV reviews and newspapers. So folks were really primed for it as something special.
And they reacted.
I agree with what's been said. More and more, as the years go by, I love it. The best Moore Bond.
Those Japanese posters are wonderful.
Worth alone the money for a cinema ticket ;%
But seriously the gap and progress between TMWTGG ( which Imtruely love and always defend) TSWLM is huge and lifted the franchise and the hero to an entire new level.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
LALD and TMWTGG wasn't grand enough and Moore didn't seem fully formed in the part. FYEO has some qualities, but it doesn't quite fit Moore. MR was too sci-fi and silly and AVTAK is an action movie starring pensioners. Oh, and OP fits Moore well, but it simply isn't as good as TSWLM.
How dare you...
it's such a nice retirement party...
....you ...you... mean man!
Personally, I would take any 80's Bond film (besides Never Say Never Again) over any 70's Bond release. All of the 80's Bonds are in my top ten for many different reasons, with For Your Eyes Only taking the top position with Octopussy being the least preferable. The films were all directed by John Glen and while most of the films were highly serious, gadgets and over the top aspects were eliminated. Those elements for me make a great Bond film.
1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Craig 5. Lazenby 6. Brosnan
A very neat summary and welcome aboard the AJB train @Jucky78 not sure how memorably I would rate Curt Jurgens, but it is certainly a memorable movie in any era, Bond or otherwise
Welcome, Jucky78. TSWLM is my favourite Bond film so I have to agree with you there (mostly). Agree with @chrisno1 that Stromberg isn't one of the stronger villains in the series, but he fits the bill and does the job.
Not my favorite Bond from Moore, the biggest takeaway is Barbara Bach, she just can't act at all, very monotone, one note, obvious line readings, not much facial expressions, stiff performance, and she's just dull, there are scenes when the character was supposed to have and show emotion but she just failed to convey it.
I know she's beautiful, but she's like a mannequin or a doll, she's not acting with life.
And even her character never did that much, mostly passive, I don't believe the sayings that she's Bond's equal, she's far from it, she's mostly a damsel in distress, got saved many times (in train against Jaws and in the final act), heck, Bond even pulled her away from the falling wood scaffoldings in Egypt against Jaws, because she's inattentive, she's just doing nothing but to stand beside Bond, and the way she had this jealousy with Naomi when she's supposed to have this rivalry with Bond is just ridiculous, she's very incompetent as a spy.
Her Russian Accent also sounds bad and sucks big time, not convincing and very terrible.