25 replies to this topic

[zencat]

Okay, another thread on death made me think of this in the shower (yes, I think about James Bond movies and death in the shower) and I have a thought about the end of MOONRAKER.

Near the end there's a moment that I really like when Jaws and his girlfriend Dolly find each other left alone on the space station and they sit down with champagne -- resigned to their fate -- and Jaws has his one and only line in the series: "Well, here's to us." Then, I believe, they help out Bond, the space station breaks off, and we later learn form a control room technician that "A tall man and a small blonde woman" were rescued. So Jaws and Dolly made it after all.

But what if they didn't?

What if we got the "Well, here's to us" line and then, boom! The station break apart. Jaws and Dolly die. I don't mean to make the kiddies cry, but wouldn't this have been an interesting way to sort of bring the movie back down to earth and negate the silly aspect of the Jaws Dolly relationship? These two figures of silliness become tragic and very noble in the end, greeting death bravely. It all seems to work on the huge, sometimes silly (but always entertaining) operatic scale that Moonraker plays on.

I don't know. Maybe it would be too much of a shock after the lightness of the movie. But, remember, Moonraker has some dark moments (the dogs killing Corrine) and while this would have been tragic, the happiness they show just being together before their death would have made it strangely beautiful, not dark at all. And certainly NOT silly. Even in Moonraker, people die. It would have been a very strong punctuation and a clever (and brave) way to restate the underlying danger and reality of the world of James Bond at the end of one of the more unrealistic movies.

Thoughts?

[Agent 76]

don't know maybe was not the right way to finish with the "Jaws" character...

[Johnson Galore]

It would certainly bring the end of film in line with the 1st half of the film, which is very good and very suspenseful. I suspect Jaws survived Moonraker to allow the potential of him returning in another film.

[marktmurphy]

I always thought they did die when I was a kid- the news of their survival isn't exactly made clear. So when I saw it again in my teens I was both pleased to learn they didn't die and yet disappointed that the producers threw away what had, up until then for me, been a great redemption sub-story for Jaws. When you think they're about to die, their helping Bond is almost pretty moving (although I'm still not sure why he doesn't offer them a lift).
Smacks of last minute mind changing to me.

[Loomis]

What if we got the "Well, here's to us" line and then, boom!

Wouldn't that have been just as likely to make people piss themselves laughing as to make them feel moved? Difficult to push viewers into the "right" response with a "banana skin" moment like that.

Personally, I think it was right to let Jaws and Dolly live.... happily ever after. Presumably Jaws did a few years in prison after he and his woman were rescued, though, for his part in Drax's (and Stromberg's) crimes against humanity.

[ChandlerBing]

They shouldn't even have been in the [censored]ing movie to begin with!

[Genrewriter]

I think it was a good move to let them live as well, though an even better one would have been to keep Jaws a villain and ditch the love story angle. It just seemed to be something from a different movie.

[Qwerty]

Personally, it seems like they just threw the line in thay they were resuced so they wouldn't have to further explain how exactly they did survive.

Personally, I wouldn't have minded seeing them die in the film, or they could've just kept it a mystery and left to the viewer to decide what happened. It was fitting to see them have the drink together, that was fine for me.

In any case, we would then be discussing in that case if they did survive or not.

[Mister Asterix]

Simply removing the line about them rescued would have made Moonraker a better movie. I

[freemo]

There's also another line, by Bond to Goodhead, where he says "Don't worry, they'll make it" or something along those lines.

When they sit down with the wine and Jaws says "Well, here's to us", it does look like that they've accepted the fact that they aren't getting back to earth. First time I saw it I assumed that they'd die the honourable death, like Mayday in A View to a Kill.

Although that example aside, generally sacrifical lambs die in the middle of the film, so that the smell of their untimely demise isn't lingering come the end.

[Blofeld's Cat]

When they sit down with the wine and Jaws says "Well, here's to us", it does look like that they've accepted the fact that they aren't getting back to earth.

Yes, I've read it this too.

I think an explosion soon after Jaws' toast to Dolly would've been OK, as long as it wouldn't have the "banana skin" effect.

Mind you, I wish she wasn't in the movie at all, but I'm stuck with her.

Or, how about this: The module seperates, Bond takes Holly "around the world one more time," then the module collides with Blofeld's diamond laser satellite from Diamonds Are Forever creating a huge explosion. The End.

[Scottlee]

I've never really given this much thought before, but after consideration I agree with Zencat. A shot of Jaws' and Dolly's rescue pod blowing up after "that line" would have been very dramatic, and perhaps concluded a Bond film with its biggest tearful moment since OHMSS. Seeing how ludicrously comic book MR was at times, something like this might really have helped hide that somewhat. Also, it's not like you wouldn't have the "attempting re-entry" gag before the credits come down to help cheer you up again.

[Jeff007]

Jaws and Dolly fell out of the sky and landed in a Circus tent and survived. jk.

[Loomis]

I've never really given this much thought before, but after consideration I agree with Zencat. A shot of Jaws' and Dolly's rescue pod blowing up after "that line" would have been very dramatic, and perhaps concluded a Bond film with its biggest tearful moment since OHMSS.

Wow, they'd certainly have squeezed a fair old amount of mileage out of the Jaws character if they'd gone down that route: in just one movie he'd have served as villain's hechman, comic relief, Bond's ally and sacrificial lamb, being used for virtually every purpose save love interest for 007 (but Jaws does hook up with a woman of his own!). MOONRAKER would have verged on being a Richard Kiel vehicle about Jaws' life, loves, crimes and redemption, instead of a Roger Moore Bond outing!

[4 Ur Eyez Only]

you know I am not the biggest Moonraker fan.. I think it is maybe Roger's worst one... maybe because of the epic feel & to much humor..

BUT

a Joke they missed is..

*When Jaws smiles to Dolly when they first meet & Dolly is just about to smile back.. (((( They should have had Dolly have Braces on her Teeth ))))

[DLibrasnow]

Definately

[Blofeld's Cat]

When Jaws smiles to Dolly when they first meet & Dolly is just about to smile back.. (((( They should have had Dolly have Braces on her Teeth ))))

You know what? For a while after watching The Spy Who Loved Me in the cinema for the first time I had it in my mind that Dolly did have braces for some reason, and was kind of surprised that she didn't after seeing it a second time later on.

[Q-Zar]

Me too, at first for some reason I always thought she had braces, exactly because it would make a great joke with two metallic smiles.

[zencat]

LOL!

Braces would have been great.

[ChandlerBing]

Bond should have woken up at the end of Moonraker, telling us that everything with Jaws was all just a sick joke on someone's part. We apologize for losing our way with Bond, folks, but we'll make it up to you with the next one, we promise.

[Qwerty]

Ah, I had always thought for some reason she did have braces, but then repeated viewings of the film, revealed that she didn't. At least I'm not alone, in the thought that we thought or think she did/should have.

Although, it might have been a bit too far out then...

[Blofeld's Cat]

Ah, I had always thought for some reason she did have braces, but then repeated viewings of the film, revealed that she didn't. At least I'm not alone, in the thought that we thought or think she did/should have.

Although, it might have been a bit too far out then...

True, and may have given the impression that their age difference was too unnatural, if you know what I mean.

[Qwerty]

Yes, I see. I think the height difference was well enough of a difference between them to point out that they are very different, yet still love eachother.

[DLibrasnow]

You mean she didn't have braces?!

[Qwerty]

No, she has just teeth, didn't you notice it DLibrasnow?

[DLibrasnow]

For some reason I always thought she had braces!