James Bond & Bond Girls Discussion Thread

[JK2001]

Happy 77th birthday, George! Shame he only did one film. Damn you Ronan O' Riherly!

[Greenman]

Interesting story on line. I read that Daniel Craig, who initially said he would rather slash his wrists than play James Bond again, has been reported as being offered £110m to do two more Bond films. If this is true, money talks obviously but it also means that the films will be just as good with Craig as Bond, but it could all be a smokescreen...watch this space.

George only did ONE Bond film because he didn't take it seriously, and just treated it as another job. I think he annoyed the producers because as he said I am just an actor from a commercial that got lucky. I think personally he could have been an excellent James Bond had he taken it more seriously. O.H.M.S.S. is widely considered a great film in the series but Lazenby's acting seems a little wooden "this never happened to the other fella" and perhaps could have been better.

[JCat]

Recently a certain cable channel here in the U.S. has been replaying the vintage Bond movies frequently. I've seen You Only Live Twice too many times to count in my life. Now I just noticed a small detail for the first time. In the mini-helicopter ("Little Nellie") scene, they show the cockpit several times. On the instrument panel, it appears that the dials and weapons are identified with words made with one of those old embossed plastic strip label makers. I remember seeing those a lot as a kid in the 70s and even having one at home. Could such a gadget have been used back in 1967? Or are they actually some sort of embossed metal strip instead?

[JCat]

On another note, I saw Live and Let Die again. I believe it is in the top 10 of all Bond films. It has a wonderful vintage early 70s look and feel. The music is great. Not just the main theme by Paul, but how it backs up certain scenes. I'm thinking of the 747 flight for example--subtle but just right.

I doubt that the story would even be done in today's PC climate. The idea of a black man heading a large crime organization and employing hundreds of other blacks as his henchman and accomplices just would seem too racist to producers now. But I see it as a daring way to showcase the acting abilities of many great African-Americans. Most actors relish playing "bad" guys anyway, rather than the soft and sanitized characters created in so many scripts now. And the contrast between oh-so-white Bond and Solitaire against Kananga's empire makes for great viewing. All in all, a fun and delicious movie.

[JK2001]

Originally Posted by JCat

On another note, I saw Live and Let Die again. I believe it is in the top 5 of all Bond films. It has a wonderful vintage early 70s look and feel. The music is great. Not just the main theme by Paul, but how it backs up certain scenes. I'm thinking of the 747 flight for example--subtle but just right.

I doubt that the story would even be done in today's PC climate. The idea of a black man heading a large crime organization and employing hundreds of other blacks as his henchman and accomplices just would seem too racist to producers now. But I see it as a daring way to showcase the acting abilities of many great African-Americans. Most actors relish playing "bad" guys anyway, rather than the soft and sanitized characters created in so many scripts now. And the contrast between oh-so-white Bond and Solitaire against Kananga's empire makes for great viewing. All in all, a fun and delicious movie.

Bond films tend to take advantage of popular trends at the time a film was made. In 1973, the Blaxplotation craze was booming. Moonraker jumps on the Star Wars bandwagon and LTK is heavilly influenced by Miami Vice.

LALD is simply a product of its time.

[JCat]

Originally Posted by gamerboy

Bond films tend to take advantage of popular trends at the time a film was made. In 1973, the Blaxplotation craze was booming. Moonraker jumps on the Star Wars bandwagon and LTK is heavilly influenced by Miami Vice.

LALD is simply a product of its time.

Going back to the origins of the Bond phenomenon itself: was there any similar type of character popular in books or movies before Ian Fleming created him? I'm not a cinephile or literary major, but he seems rather unique, as a cosmopolitan yet very physical agent who must stay behind the scenes.

[Greenman]

Originally Posted by JCat

Recently a certain cable channel here in the U.S. has been replaying the vintage Bond movies frequently. I've seen You Only Live Twice too many times to count in my life. Now I just noticed a small detail for the first time. In the mini-helicopter ("Little Nellie") scene, they show the cockpit several times. On the instrument panel, it appears that the dials and weapons are identified with words made with one of those old embossed plastic strip label makers. I remember seeing those a lot as a kid in the 70s and even having one at home. Could such a gadget have been used back in 1967? Or are they actually some sort of embossed metal strip instead?

Thinking back to the late 60's my sister and I had one of those gadgets called DynaMo or similar and the damn things would never print the whole word out properly and when you peeled off the backing it would eventually crimp in the middle and look stupid. It is quite possible that Ken Wallis, who flew the original Little Nellie(and invented it) may well have used that stuff before the film was made. a lot of them of course were dummy switches and did nothing. He did reveal later in an interview that he had some wired to produce smoke and to fire a mini rocket for his demonstrations and displays he put on. Today you can get an electronic hand-held version of the printer which still produces the labels.

[Greenman]

Being six years old when my Dad took me to see 'Live and Let Die' I wasn't aware of the racism thing although I had heard 'white honky' used in comedy 'Love Thy Neighbour' but most of my friends were either black or Asian in those days. I always thought Kananga was based on Robert Mugabe, another dictator that persecuted his own people and terrified White farmers in Zimbabwe. I suppose being that young it went a little over my head but I was more concerned about the boat chases which was quite thrilling and the Sheriff's reactions to the mayhem around him - he would do the same in the sequel 'The Man With the Golden Gun', tagging along with Bond and being in the car that did that fantastic flip upside down from the broken bridge-many people's favourite stunt but ruined by the comedy penny-whistle slide sound.

[JK2001]

Originally Posted by Greenman

Being six years old when my Dad took me to see 'Live and Let Die' I wasn't aware of the racism thing although I had heard 'white honky' used in comedy 'Love Thy Neighbour' but most of my friends were either black or Asian in those days. I always thought Kananga was based on Robert Mugabe, another dictator that persecuted his own people and terrified White farmers in Zimbabwe. I suppose being that young it went a little over my head but I was more concerned about the boat chases which was quite thrilling and the Sheriff's reactions to the mayhem around him - he would do the same in the sequel 'The Man With the Golden Gun', tagging along with Bond and being in the car that did that fantastic flip upside down from the broken bridge-many people's favourite stunt but ruined by the comedy penny-whistle slide sound.

A lot of people on forums like AJB007, find JW Pepper irritating and not funny. I prefer his appearance in TMWTGG over LALD, mainly because i think the fact he's been taken out of his comfort zone in Louisiana and dragged on holiday by his wife. It's a massive culture clash for him.

He is more racist in TMWTGG than he is in LALD (referring to Thai characters as "pointyheads"), but that's also a product of its time.

[Greenman]

Yes I know what you mean, always calling people 'boy' was annoying but that I think was trying to explode the typical stereotype of the Deep South and we all knew that that area, at that time, was racist so when the black guys get the better of the fat, ignorant, racist Sheriff it is one in the eye for people like that. As you say he is out of his jurisdiction and still thinks he can tell the police what to do but what makes it funnier is that he is a tourist who winds up involved with "that secret agent" fellow and looks clumsy and stupid in the end(he ends up upside down in the car when it flips). Perhaps that was the whole point.