98 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

It is what it should have been, a fun romp. I think after the ending of OHMSS, Cubby felt the need to put some fun into the world of Bond. And DAF did agreat job of it.

Yes but how many other film series can you say have left the death of the hero's wife and the fate of his archenemy unclear!

Well if you consider For Your Eyes Only, the opaqueness as to Blofeld can be washed away (even if the way "Blofeld" is finally disposed of is rather poor).

[triviachamp]

Took them ten years though!

[Qwerty]

True, but the series still made it.

[triviachamp]

Culd someone answer this (from the previous page ):

Having rewatched Diamonds are Forever recently I have a good question: How do they smuggle the diamonds into the US? Remember the ones in Peter Frank's body are fake and Leiter has the real ones, I think. Bond had no time to replace the diamonds (*shudder*) and if the Americans did then why would Felix ask Bond were the diamonds are? Heck why would he ask anyway if he has the real ones?

Edited by triviachamp, 05 December 2005 - 03:27 PM.

[Bon-san]

A pox on George Lazenby for stupidly leaving after one film, when he could at least have come back for just one more and finished up OHMSS properly. Likewise, Telly Savalas would have been preferable in the role of Blofeld.

Done as the one-on-one, Bond vs. Blofeld revenge piece it should have been, DAF could have been one of the greats. Bond would have it out for Ernst over the death of Tracy, and Ernst would be after Bond for destroying the tattered remnants of his organization and nearly incapacitating him for life. After all, that drive-by wasn't meant for Tracy so much as it was for Bond.

The title "Diamonds Are Forever," with its metaphor for the eternal bond between man and wife, was perfect for a final confrontation between the two men. It could even have made for a great final line from Bond to Blofeld, just before Bond finished his wife's murderer once and for all.

Every time I begin to contemplate would could have been with a Hunt/Lazenby DAF, I get excited by the phenomenal prospects and then depressed at the loss of a truly golden opportunity.

That said, I do enjoy DAF. Silly, but fun.

[JimmyBond]

I know I have a rather harsh critique of YOLT in this forum, but I still enjoy that movie...but DAF? This movie has absoletly nothing going for it. Ok, it has Sean Connery, but that's not much. Let's go down a list shall we:

-Charles Gray is a good actor but he is horribly miscast as Blofeld.

-Sean Connery's performance is only mildly better than in YOLT

-The Bond girls are entirely forgettable

-Bland and uninspired action sequences.

-Silly and overt humor

-Tom Mankiewicz...this man should never be allowed near a Bond film again...EVER!

Aside from an inspired teaser, this film is really one huge misfire. It's hard to believe Guy Hamilton directed Goldfinger, that film is miles ahead of this one in almost every conceivable way.

As bad as it is though, it could have been much worse. Imagine if MGM didnt request Connery come back and we got stuck with John Gavin, can you imagine how that would have turned out?

[Qwerty]

Topics merged.

[Kingdom Come]

Coming after the dull OHMSS - Diamonds was a breath of fresh air. Brilliant script and locations a real feel good atmosphere established. The right amount of surreal elements. This is my second or third fav of the films.

[Pierce James Bond]

I think that Sean Connery made an impressive return to Diamonds Are Forever. For some reason I can't picture George Lazenby playing the roll of 007 in DAF. The plot was good to use James Bond to smuggle Diamonds into the United States. For Blofeld I think they should either stuck with Donald Pleacense from YOLT or Telly Savalas from OHMSS. But the Blofeld in DAF played by Charles Grey did a super job playing Blofeld but the reason I say the Donald or Telly would have been good is because if I recall Blofeld was bald and in DAF he was not. And another thing is that Charles Grey already played a role in YOLT as Henderson Bond's informant in Japan. Jill St John played a great role as Tiffany Case in DAF. And Lana Wood played a great but short role as Plenty O' Tool. Mr Wintt and Mr Kidd played a great role as two assassians in DAF and they even tried to burn Bond in a crematourm. Bruce Glover and Putter Smith played the role as the two assassians Mr Wintt and Mr Kidd.

Best Line: Plenty: "Hi, I'm Plenty." Bond: "But, of course you are."
Plenty: "Plenty O'Toole."
Bond: "Named after your father, no doubt?"

Mistake in DAF: In the moonbuggy chase a wheel falls off mid-chase.

Locations: Japan; Cairo, Egypt; South America; South Africa; Dover, UK; Amsterdam, Holland; Los Angeles, USA; Nevada, USA; Las Vegas, USA; Baja, California; USA.


All and All it is a great Bond film feauturing the return of Sir Sean Connery and a darn good plot of Diamonds to ruin the world and beautiful girls and a nice chase through the streets of Las Vegas.

--PJB

[roboas]

I enjoy reading the varying opinions on this unique Bond film. I'll offer up my favorite and least favorite aspects of DAF. I really like the title music, and I think the bits and pices of it used in the movie help emphasize scenes quite well. What I don't like about the movie is that it is much more sporadic compared to the earlier films as there is alot of unlinked action with little explination. Someone who would only see this film once would not have a firm understanding as to why the events are unfolding they way they do. Lots of characters doing lots of things ending in a huge battle.

[MarcAngeDraco]

I enjoy parts of DAF, but overall it's one of my least favorite Bond films...

[00Twelve]

I just realized...the film actually improves over the novel in one, *ONE* regard. That would be the plot point of Peter Franks' escape from captivity and his coming close to blowing Bond's cover, forcing Bond to take a short side-track and eliminate him. That created some good tension, and provided for the highlight scene of the film (the elevator fight). I could actually see Fleming writing this sequence as it played out (minus the kissing-against-the-wall gag), but then again, had this been Fleming, Bond would have rammed the fire extinguisher into Franks' face after spraying him, and then kicked him over the rail as he did.

If only the rest of the film were an improvement over Fleming...

[Double-Oh Agent]

An imperfect, but very enjoyable and fun film. I give it an 8.

[CharlieBind]

I am probably the sole person who regrets to this day that John Gavin did not get the chance to play Bond in DAF. Gavin was a highly underrated actor who would have brought some real energy to the film that was missing in Connery's relaxed performance. Unlike Lazenby, Gavin was a film veteran who really could act

Well, I'm not up on Gavin's career, but I've heard about the problems on the set of Psycho (Gavin being wooden and, ehm 'unresponcive' in the love scenes, despite the best efforts of Janet Leigh) and so I'm heartly glad he didn't play Bond.

Aslo he's American. True Gregory Peck played a far Englishmen in his time, but you always knew he was an American pretending (especially when acting alongside the real thing, such as Stanley Baker, David Niven or Roger Moore).

Back on topic, DAF is a hugely enjoyable movie and has some of my favourite scenes (Bond on top of the lift or 'elevator' as he is in America) and characters (Wind & Kidd, Charle's Gray's Blofield).

[Harmsway]

Culd someone answer this (from the previous page ):

Having rewatched Diamonds are Forever recently I have a good question: How do they smuggle the diamonds into the US? Remember the ones in Peter Frank's body are fake and Leiter has the real ones, I think. Bond had no time to replace the diamonds (*shudder*) and if the Americans did then why would Felix ask Bond were the diamonds are? Heck why would he ask anyway if he has the real ones?

Bond talks to Felix on the phone when he asks about the diamonds. Felix responds, "Q's just arrived with it."

This a reference to a scene from earlier drafts. It was written that Q was supposed to arrive with them in a wooden leg. But that was ultimately unused, and thus we only get that throwaway line to explain how the real diamonds got in.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Culd someone answer this (from the previous page ):

Having rewatched Diamonds are Forever recently I have a good question: How do they smuggle the diamonds into the US? Remember the ones in Peter Frank's body are fake and Leiter has the real ones, I think. Bond had no time to replace the diamonds (*shudder*) and if the Americans did then why would Felix ask Bond were the diamonds are? Heck why would he ask anyway if he has the real ones?

Bond talks to Felix on the phone when he asks about the diamonds. Felix responds, "Q's just arrived with it."

This a reference to a scene from earlier drafts. It was written that Q was supposed to arrive with them in a wooden leg. But that was ultimately unused, and thus we only get that throwaway line to explain how the real diamonds got in.

Thanks Harmsway. I've never quite followed that plotline. I always figured the real diamonds were in Franks' body but I could never figure out how Bond made the switch. Your explanation does clear up the matter. Thanks again.

[FlemingBond]

I don't rank it as the worst in the series, but it's down there. Charles Gray had no menace as Blofeld, (he refers to the "little island" where Bond is from, all the while speaking with an English accent!),it has a silly feel, looks dated (trying to forget that wide, short pink tie on 007). Bad follow up to OHMSS. That wasn't what they were trying for, but it hasn't held up well over the years.

[Qwerty]

Culd someone answer this (from the previous page ):

Having rewatched Diamonds are Forever recently I have a good question: How do they smuggle the diamonds into the US? Remember the ones in Peter Frank's body are fake and Leiter has the real ones, I think. Bond had no time to replace the diamonds (*shudder*) and if the Americans did then why would Felix ask Bond were the diamonds are? Heck why would he ask anyway if he has the real ones?

Bond talks to Felix on the phone when he asks about the diamonds. Felix responds, "Q's just arrived with it."

This a reference to a scene from earlier drafts. It was written that Q was supposed to arrive with them in a wooden leg. But that was ultimately unused, and thus we only get that throwaway line to explain how the real diamonds got in.

Thanks Harmsway. I've never quite followed that plotline. I always figured the real diamonds were in Franks' body but I could never figure out how Bond made the switch. Your explanation does clear up the matter. Thanks again.

Yeah, that could be hard to follow I've noticed.

[Judo chop]

I finally received my UE volume #1 set and I just watched this one last night. If there were any comparisons to be made between Sean

[Safari Suit]

I was teetering between a 7 and an 8, but I settled on 8. This is probably most enjoyable on it's first viewing, but there's still a lot of fun to be had. No, it wasn't the right direction to go in following OHMSS, but that chance was blown more than 35 years ago, so I think the film can be appreciated on it's own merits by now. I feel the film is somewhat unique among the Bond series, as it indulges in a more "adult" kind of camp.

[tambourineman]

Gave it a 5.

A bad for for Connery to go out, one of the reasons I like NSNA. It wasnt a great film, but it was a better finale for Connery then DAF.

Its just way to camp. Charles Gray hams it up like a 60's Batman villain, the gay villains are too much, I've never liked american Bond girls, and Vegas is certainly one of the less exotic Bond locations.

It had a few things going for it, like some great one liners and Lana Wood's breasts, but overall Im not a fan and its in my bottom 5 Bond movies.

[RazorBlade]

I agree with Judo Chop, there is good and there is bad. Ace is way off the pace on this one.

I used to like DAF when I was younger. Not so much anymore. I guess I became more demanding.

[Fiona Volpe lover]

I think Diamonds Are Forever is a little overrated,and I have it around the middle of my ranking list,and actually higher than Dr No and Goldfinger! Of course coming after the superb OHMSS it's a letdown,but it was the right film for them to make at the time,OHMSS was considered a failure {though it wasn't}.

The plot is muddled to say the least but the script is often very witty and has some superb lines. I like Tom Mankiewizc's contributions to the Bond series,the only things he was a little weak on were plot and endings-Diamond's oil rig climax is very poor. The lift fight I think is one of Bond's best,and even if the action after that is generally played for laughs it's never less than fun to watch.

Wint and Kidd are very memorable henchmen,even if they are pretty incompintent. I even like Grey's Blofeld-he's unique and original. Not a patch on Savalas or Pleasence,obviously,but fun. Connery's performance is alot better than the one he gave in You Only Live Twice {that's my favourite Bond film,but it's obvious Connery didn't give it his all}. The film has a terrific gloss,aided by John Barry's superb score,and it's all great fun. Which is sometimes all you want from a film.

The more i think about it,Diamonds is really a Roger Moore Bond film without Moore in it and a little more violence. To me it shows that Connery was perfectly at home in the more light-hearted Bond world of the 70s and could have easily done a couple more.

[LadySylvia]

Personally, I think that DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is the worst Bond movie ever made. But the ironic thing is that I like the movie and find it rather fun to watch. I guess I just simply turn my brain off and don't take it seriously as a good story.

[Bond fan since March 2000]

Ok, I reviewed all 21 Bond films on DVD & I started with my least favorite & am working my way to #1. So enjoy!

#20 Diamonds Are Forever, 1971

Whenever you watch a movie, it is fun to see they the film was made in your town where you live or have lived. It is nice to see what my town (Las Vegas) looked like in 1971 while watching Diamonds Are Forever, the 007th Bond adventure & that's one of the things that saves this from being the worst. That along with some adeaquate action & the presence of an older & less charismatic but still entertaining Sean Connery keep Diamonds Are Forever from being Bond's all time low.

Blofeld (Charles Gray) is back & this time he plans on using a laser to hold the world hostage. The one person who can stop him is James Bond (Sean Connery). Traveling with him is Tiffany Case (Jill St.John) from Amsterdam to LA to Vegas trying to recover diamonds & stop Blofeld from world domination.

Or it's something like that as the plot of Diamonds Are Forever goes from too hard to follow to extremely silly, even for a Bond movie. The third appearnce of Blofeld is terribly acted by Charles Gray. The Blofelds from You Only Live Twice & On Her Majesty's Secret Service were smart, sinister, bald & fun to watch & this Blofeld is just plain silly. Of the villains only a pair of homosexuals named Mr.Wint & Mr.Kidd (Bruce Glover & Putter Smith) seem to be really fun to watch & have great dialogue. All the other villains act either very poor or very over the top or both.

One of the most notably things about Diamonds Are Forever is that this is the last (official) Bond film with Sean Connery. Although a bit fatter & with a bad wig, Connery still embodies Bond even though the script makes Bond more silly instead of the tougher version we know Connery as (this one could have easily starred Roger Moore). But watching Sean Connery as James Bond is always a treat.

Jill St.John is obviously enjoying being a Bond girl here & Tiffany Case has a wry attitude that most other ones lack. There's also an enjoyable bit part by Lana Wood as Plenty O'Toole, a Bond girl with another strange name. The action is overall enjoyable especially a fight inside an elevator, a chase through the Nevada desert with Bond in a moon buggy & a car chase through Downtown Las Vegas. These scenes would set the standard for action scenes in Live & Let Die & The Man With The Golden Gun later on.

This film wants to be Goldfinger but is nothing close to it. Guy Hamilton, Goldfinger's director is back, Ken Adam does the sets, Maurice Binder does the titles & even Shirley Bassey is back singing the title song, but it falls so short of Goldfinger. Still it's entertaining enough, despite some serious issues & anyone who can't watch a Bond film without Sean Connery will certainly enjoy this one.

[LadySylvia]

One fact about Diamonds Are Forever that many over look is that the filmmakers wanted to cut all ties to OHMSS and wanted to bring the fun back into Bond and have a hit like Goldfinger. Face it, OHMSS didn't finacially meet their expectations and they had to do something or the series would have ceased to exist. DAF signified that Bond would continue on until TMWTGG, but then TSWLM brought the series back to blockbuster status.

I wish to God they had not done this. Granted, DAF was rather funny, but I still consider it to be the worst Bond movie I have ever seen. It seemed such a sad follow-up to what I consider to be the more superior OHMSS.

[Mike00spy]

That has always been my biggest complaint. If you want to cut ties with OHMSS, fine. But, when you bring back Blofeld, it makes no sense and it undermines the film. Plus, they made Blofeld and Bond seem like old friends.

[LadySylvia]

I might as well be frank. After my recent viewing of

[manfromjapan]

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (Guy Hamilton, 1971)
After the George Lazenby-starring ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969), which despite it's stigma as a flop was actually a huge success, Sean Connery was persuaded to return for a hefty one-off payday as James Bond in a film designed to take the 007 series back to the more light-hearted, easy going days of GOLDFINGER (1964 - director Hamilton also helmed that picture, and an early draft of the film featured Goldfinger's twin brother as the villain). Truth be told, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is arguably the first mediocre Bond film. Connery is aged and overweight, but on the other hand, his sense of fun is infectious, as is Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz's morbidly witty script. The action scenes (there's both an excellent punch-up in an elevator and the most underwhelming climax to any Bond film ), Bond girls (a progressively dumber if sexy Jill St. John, Lana Wood) and villain (Charles Gray's camp Blofeld) - all important assets of a Bond film - are all forgettable. The plot is difficult to follow and ultimately nonsensical, although the early portion of the film follows Ian Fleming's under-rated, fourth Bond novel quite closely. Add to the assets John Barry's breezy score (including the excellent theme song by Shirley Bassey - who also sang the theme from GOLDFINGER, of course) and Ken Adam's distinctive sets, and some memorable individual scenes (Bond making his way to Blofeld's suite and a hard-edged beginning to the pre-credits sequence), and you have a Bond film that entertains but fails to enthrall. (Even the gay assassins Wint and Kydd, who are initially amusing, quickly become tiresome.) With it's emphasis on episodic action scenes and humour above plot, characterisation and suspense, it could be said that the Roger Moore era starts here, yet there are quite a few films of Moore's that hit the spot higher.

[DamnCoffee]

Great Review, Not a very big fan of Diamonds Are Forever. The only things I do like are:
1. Wint and Kidd
2. Ken Adams Sets (Especially Blofelds Pent House Suit - which is really cute)
3. John Barry's Score (Which is pretty fun)
4. Jill St. John (She was a good Bond girl though her talents were wasted on the terrible script)

I really want Lazenby back for this one, infact I'm gonna go and read Mr. Blofelds fan fiction again

5 star review btw.