Live and Let Die
With Diamonds are Forever a huge success at the box office, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman must have felt the franchise was back on track. But just like that - Sean Connery declined to return and the producers found themselves once again trying to recast the iconic role of James Bond. I can imagine there must have been a lot of pressure to find the right person - after all, last time they had gone through this process they had ended up with Lazenby! Luckily, this time they went for the right actor - Roger Moore, known to audiences at the time from the TV show, The Saint.
Roger Moore catches a lot of heat from people these days. They point to the films under his watch as among the worst of the series, accusing them of being silly, indulgent and representative of everything bad about the franchise. I think people just forget what decade we were in. These were the funky 1970s. I also think that people who don't like the absurdity of the Moore years conveniently forget that the run of self-referential craziness did not begin with Moore, but with Connery in Diamonds are Forever (some would even argue that it started with You Only Live Twice, but I disagree with that. You Only Live Twice thinks its being awesome. Diamonds are Forever is in on the joke and is laughing with you. There's a BIG difference). Roger Moore's films were also always in on the joke, with the star continuously winking at the audience in between gunshots and martinis, and trusting that the audience was winking back. And I would argue that Roger Moore was absolutely the right man for the job.
When George Lazenby left the role after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he said that Bond had no place in the 1970s. And to his credit, he was right. The Bond of the 1960s - the last gasp of British superiority in the wake of their Empire's breakup - would have quickly become archaic in the new decade. What Lazenby (and many critics of the day) did not expect is that Bond could adapt with the times, continually re-inventing himself - sure, the franchise would shamelessly take advantage of the hot topics and fashions of the day, and while that has dated some of the films, it has also contributed to the franchise's longevity.
The hot genre of the early 1970s was blaxploitation, and Live and Let Die jumps right into the pool, trying to cash in on the same vibe that brought Shaft and Superfly box office glory. The film is full of the archetypes and cliches that fill blaxploitation films, including even a plot about drug trafficking - hardly a scheme that should merit the attention of a super spy who is used to battling megalomaniac super villains. In Live and Let Die, Bond is going up against strange group of villains, including a voodoo dancer/assassin Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) and drug dealer Kananga (Yaphet Kotto). Kotto also uses a tarot card reader Solitaire to help him identify and kill his enemies - given that this beautiful psychic is played by the radiant Jane Seymour, it's a sure thing that Bond will be interested in, uh, getting a psychic reading himself.
There is actually quite a lot to like in Live and Let Die. The blaxploitation stuff is ridiculous and dated, but is also so bizarre that it is more funny than offensive (for example, the bad guys drive a "pimp-mobile"). Director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) is back in the director's chair and pushes the film along at a nice clip, with some marvelous set pieces - a terrific car chase with a shoddy old bus, an awesome way to dispose of poisonous snakes, and a scene where Bond is trapped on a small island surrounded by alligators. The villains are acceptable, if not up to the standards of the Connery era (Red Grant, Oddjob, and Fiona Volpe will never be topped). Most importantly, Eon Productions had now found a worthy replacement in the lead. Roger Moore makes a great debut in the role. He certainly was not as physical or dangerous as Connery, and perhaps he knew how to throw a punchline better than a punch, but that is exactly what is needed in this film. And I also think the music merits a special mention - the title song was written by Paul McCartney, and it easily ranks as one of the series' best.
The movie certainly has its share of misses in the first 2/3 of the film, but it also hits just as much. Unfortunately, at the two-thirds mark, it all falls apart. In the middle of what should be an exciting boat chase, we are introduced to the comic relief, actor Clifton James as Sherif J.W. Pepper - a character so annoying and ridiculous that he drags the entire film down with his bloated stupidity. That audiences enjoyed this character is beyond me, but apparently they did. If anyone needs proof that drugs were too readily available during the 1970s - that's your proof.
Ultimately, Pepper is not in the film for that long, but the movie never recovers. The rest of the film, featuring Bond's rescue of Solitaire and his final fight with Kananga, is kind of blah - it's almost like Pepper sucked all the energy out of the production, and the rest of the cast and crew are just going through the motions, trying to finish the film as quickly as possible so they can all go home and shower off the tainted odor Pepper has left on them. Ugh, I hate that character so much.
So in the end, what can I say? If you could only see one film in the Bond franchise, this would not be it. It wouldn't even be close. But there is a lot to enjoy about the film, featuring a rocking main song, one of the most beautiful Bond girls, and a worthy debut for Roger Moore.
RANKINGS:
This is a tough one. In a way, Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever have a lot in common. Both have many of the same problems and strengths. But ultimately, I think Live and Let Die is a stronger film. It has a more clear voice and handles the balance between the serious and absurd with much more grace. They run close in the ratings, but I think I am going to tip the balance in Live and Let Die's favor.
So the rankings so like this:
1. Thunderball
2. From Russia With Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Dr. No
5. Live and Let Die
6. Diamonds are Forever
7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
8. You Only Live Twice
BEST LINE:
Hamilton: Whose funeral is this?
Old man: Yours.
What a fun scene!
TRIVIA:
Kananga was named after Ross Kananga who worked on the film to help with the alligator scenes. He was the owner of the alligator farm used in one of the more memorable sequences in the movie (and that sign in the movie, "Warning: Trespassers will be eaten!" is really on his front gate). He also performed the big stunt in the film when Bond jumps across the backs of the alligators to escape. The producers liked Ross so much that they decided to rename the villain of the film in his honor.
MVP:
So this one is tough. There are three serious contenders. Do I go with Roger Moore who showed that someone else other than Connery could succeed at playing James Bond?
Or do I go with Jane Seymour? Because its Jane Seymour. Solitaire, while she isn't the most assertive or tough Bond girl, is an interesting character. And plus, she has that delectable English accent. And it's Jane Seymour! I mean, look at her!
But in the end, the winner isn't Moore or Seymour. If there is one thing about this movie that truly elevates it, it's that main title song by Paul McCartney. Apparently, the song was so expensive that it ate up the entire music budget, which is why there is no real film score. John Barry was missed, though the instrumental variations on the title song admirably fill in. The song "Live and Let Die" was a big hit, and was the first Bond song to be nominated for an Oscar (ultimately losing to "The Way We Were" by Marvin Hamlisch). This song is amazing, and is the perfect piece of rock music to usher Bond into a new era. It's the most memorable and badass thing about this film. So it has to win the MVP.
