10 replies to this topic

[James Page]

I know most of you will say that we're not exactly picking from riches
when we conclude what is the best Moore film, but here's my opinion on
Live And Let Die:

Teaser:
Pretty dismal. Lets down the whole film. Okay, so some of the key plot
lines are introduced but where's Rog, and where's the action? After
all, this is his debut (at least they didn't break the fourth wall
this time).

Titles:
Another Maurice Binder masterpiece, with the voodoo overtones setting
the scene for the rest of the film (not to mention some of the most
risque models so far in the series).

Assignment:
M visiting 007 at home is a revelation. Much has been said about the
Connery / Lee on-screen relationship but this scene brings continuity
(in M's opinion of 007 - "is that all it does?") and change (new Bond,
new setting). Moneypenny's jealousy could have been worked a bit more
perhaps.

On The Trail:
Dart shooting wing mirrors? Very original, although Bond's attempt to
steer the runaway car through traffic does beg you to wonder why he
didn't pull up the handbrake.
Good scenes showing Bond having the balls ad gumph to waltz into
Harlem unannounced and without backup. What Felix did do after 007
disappeared from his table?

Wildlife:
Carver (newbies beware) as a character was shallow, and it was obvious
that Bond worked her out from the minute she stumbled into the cottage
- hardly a plot twist really, considering Kananga gives it away before
007 confronts her. This could have been concealed until then. (OT:
Goodnight's bumbling performance in TMWTGG is strikingly similar).

Plot:
Not enough was made of the excellent concept of a drugs baron flooding
the market with "free samples" to increase the number of potential
customers - and causing social chaos in the mean time. This main plot
seemed to be a back burner story compared to the triangle of 007,
Solitaire and Kananga (a Bond film - character driven??? Heavens).

Motor Vee-Hickle Action:
A 15 minute boat chase? And people complain about the length of the
TWINE teaser - at least that was pretty fast paced. Remove JW (love
him or hate him) and you are left with a fairly drawn out and mundane
chase. J-turning a double decker on a single carriage way road to run
the three motorcycles off the road was a great stunt, far better than
the popular low bridge.

Q & Allies:
Must have been on holiday. The biggest mistake of the film. One can
only assume it was a deliberate decision at the time when Moore was
cast to break the formula slightly.
Quarrel Jnr is a good nod to Dr No, if only for the character to be
rehashed again later in the form of LTK's Sharky.

[Mr Trump]

I think that The man with the golden gun, The spy who loved and For your eyes only were all better than live and let die but it's better than his other 3 bond movies.

[White Persian]

And why on earth did they switch back from widescreen to academy ratio for LALD?

[Digitarius]

I would say that LALD is the second best Moore Bond film, after TSWLM.

[White Persian]

I'm not sold on LALD for more reasons than I'll go into now. Its best points for me are Jane Seymour as Solitaire, Julius Harris as TeeHee and the Bond stuck on the island surrounded by crocodiles sequence. Having it seem Bond would casually use his magnetic watch to draw over the boat, only to have it turn out tobe securely tethered was a nice touch. The actual escape was audacious (have you seen the outtakes? Hairraising!)
LALD came out at about the same time as "The Deep" (Peter Benchley's follow up to Jaws) which used a lot of the same elements as LALD - West Indies setting, sunken treasure, drug smuggling, black villain and voodoo. All used more effectively and with a John Barry soundtrack to boot.
BTW, I think Q was absent because Desmond Llewelyn was tied up filming the TV series Follyfoot at the time.

[Blue Eyes]

I'm going to go with TSWLM which is Moore's best to me. LALD comes in second

[zencat]

I really like LIVE & LET DIE, but I gotta say SPY is Moore's best, followed by OCTOPUSSY (which I think is a vastly UNDERRATTED Bond flick).

[Digitarius]

I'm not so sure that Live and Let Die was Moore's best. I think it was The Spy Who Loved Me, but then what the hell?
LALD contained voodoo, which I personally have no interest in, and when it was included I felt that it lacked vigour, and I wasn't at all scared by its effects.
There was perhaps over-the-top humour, covering the otherwise tense plot.
Moore still seem 'green' to Bond, giving him a slightly uneasy feel.
The inclusion of Sheriff Pepper (yes, him again) and the exclusion of Q were unacceptable.
All in all, a modest 6.5/10.

[James Page]

Leading Lady:
Seymour did a fairly good job in the role, especially considering it
was her big movie debut. Her lines were not too bad, but having to use
8 or 9 to tell 007 she's lost it (in both senses) smacked of
overstating the obvious.

Villain:
Anyone who didn't see through the disguise the first time around needs
to pay a little more attention to things other than Jane Seymour, but
Kotto does a good job playing the brains vs brawn double role. You
wouldn't want to mess with Kananga or Mr Big in a dark alley.

Henchmen:
Tee-Hee, Whisper and the other goons are one of the best combinations
in the series to date. Tee-Hee's claw in particular, combined with
the crocodile sequence, established Harris's sterling performance in
what could have been a no-brain role.

Finale / Sting In The Tail:
The close quarter fight with Tee-Hee aboard the train proved a lot
more exciting than the rather drab and predictable outcome of Kananga.
Do the script writers get a bonus for working sharks into a scene?

Effects:
Meddings' poppy field explosions were one of the best minature
sequences in the series up to that point. Thankfully the producers saw
fit to bring him back again and again.

Music:
McCartney's theme will remain one of the series's highlights for years
to come and the soundtrack still remains fresh compared to later Moore
outings (FYEO disco anyone?) - well done George Martin.

Style:
Leather gloves, cigars, bourbon, flares... Moore successfully recrafts
007's character to fit his own persona, distancing himself from
Connery's portrayal sufficiently to prevent direct comparison - even
though critics at the time weren't too favourable.

Conclusion:
The voodoo and "Blackspoitation" could have been handled very badly,
but thankfully Rog and the team pulled it off. Only bettered by FYEO
if you don't mind your action a little small scale and thin on the
ground. Before soneome says it, TSWLM......... Jaws? The less said
about that the better =)

[WhitePersian]

I quite agree that TSWLM and FYEO were better than LALD. The best bits of TMWTGG were better than anything in LALD (exept for the lovely Jane Seymour), but the worst bits were well below LALD too.

I mentioned similarities between The Deep and LALD the book a couple of posts ago and just remembered the strongest link...The scene where Mr Big pours blood and offal into the sea where he knows Bond is diving was stolen for The Deep - and a damn creepy sequence it made too.

[DLibrasnow]

I think that TSWLM, FYEO and AVTAK were better than LALD, but at least Moore's first was better than TMWTGG, MR and OP.