Re: Universal Exports - The James Bond Thread

[Zoltar]

So, what are your thoughts? If true, would this be a good move for the franchise?

My reaction to this news is basically the same reaction I'd have to Davros returning: If written well, it could be great. Guess we'll have to wait and see what develops.

[Patrick]

I think it would be brilliant. He is The Doctor's Master, Holmes' Moriarty.

I think the current Bond supports an alternative view- that Blofeld is M's nemesis and Bond M's weapon of choice. She certainly seems to treat that way.

The Daniel Craig Bond is no idiot, certainly, but he's not really on Blofeld's intellectual level. I like the idea of M and Blofeld being chess masters.

I've been thinking about this metaphor of chess as a means to introduce Blofeld back to the series, and it harkens back to From Russia With Love. That's exactly what was going on: Blofeld and M were, respectively, the black and white kings. Bond was essentially the white queen because of how he was deployed, while Rosa Klebb was the black queen. Grant was the black knight, while Kerim Bay was the white knight. And poor Tatiana was everyone's pawn.

I think your metaphor has a lot to recommend it, Dave.

[Patrick]

Time for another movie review. And please note, it didn't take three years from my last one to post it...

[Patrick]

The Man With The Golden Gun was still in its original theatrical release when pre-production started on the planned tenth film in the Bond franchise. Early story treatments were getting underway, as a clause in Ian Fleming’s sale of the movie rights to his books included the unusual provision that no part of the novel for The Spy Who Loved Me could be used in the movie. Guy Hamilton was all set to direct his fifth Bond movie, and location scouting was beginning to get underway as 1975 began. But a funny thing happened on the way to Pinewood Studios, and it caused a three year hiatus for the franchise.

Since the release of Dr. No, some thirteen years earlier, all Bond movies were done by Danjaq Productions, a company name derived from the first names of the wives of Harry Saltzman (Jacquie) and Albert R. Broccoli (Dana,) who, in partnership owned the movie rights to Mr. Fleming’s novels. However brilliant a film producer Harry Saltzman was, it has to be said that managing his personal finances was not a particular strength. At some point while The Man With The Golden Gun was being filmed, Mr. Saltzman had taken out a rather sizeable loan with some Swiss banks, and pledged his stake in the ownership of Danjaq as collateral. When he defaulted on the loan, the Swiss bankers came calling to collect. This put Mr. Saltzman’s business partner, Cubby Broccoli, in a difficult position. Were the Swiss bankers to have their way, they would be in control of roughly half of the company that owned the Bond franchise, something Mr. Broccoli simply couldn’t live with- not because the bankers wanted to get into the movie making business, but because they would have simply sold Mr. Saltzman’s ownership to a third party to recover their losses, and Mr. Broccoli would have no say in who that third party might be.

The whole matter ended up in court, and took more than a year to resolve. In that interval, Guy Hamilton moved onto other projects, all work on the tenth entry for Bond was shelved, and both sides in the conflict racked up a pretty impressive tally in attorneys’ billable hours. When the dust finally settled, it was Mr. Broccoli who now owned the rights to the Bond franchise, under a new company name: EON Productions. And it meant that as the path was now cleared to get the next entry in the adventures of 007 underway, Mr. Broccoli would be going it alone, as sole executive producer.

The Spy Who Loved Me
UK Release: July 20, 1977
US Release: August 3, 1977



“Commander James Bond, recruited to the British Secret Service from the Royal Navy. License to kill and has done so on numerous occasions. Many lady friends but married only once. Wife killed...”
As is custom, we start with Bond, himself. This is now Roger Moore’s third excursion as Bond, and this time around, we truly get to appreciate why he landed the role. Completely shed from his performance is any vestige of the playboy twit we were introduced to in Live And Let Die. He gets to showcase his physicality to a greater degree in this film. He is still the suave, charming gentleman spy we’ve come to know, and yet, despite the outward appearance of a shallow seducer who always knows the key words to end up in bed with a woman, many of his more serious lines are delivered with conviction. I should comment at this point that it seems to me that Mr. Moore’s portrayal of Bond, in this movie, has achieved the level of polish it will have for the remainder of his time with the franchise.



He does have some great moments in this film. When he’s challenged by Amasova over the death of her lover, Bond’s reply is direct, made with no apologies, and deadly serious. During his numerous battles with Jaws, he shows he’s actually rather good at fisticuffs. When a henchmen is teetering on a rooftop ledge, holding onto Bond’s tie, Bond extracts the information he needs from him, and then rather than pulling him back from the ledge, he slaps his tie and the henchman falls to his death- a rather casually brutal maneuver that reminds me of Connery shooting a man in the back in Dr. No. In the big action set piece aboard Stromberg’s tanker, Bond demonstrates his military background and his leadership skills. All told, it’s a satisfying outing for Bond. Mr. Moore even comes across as a bit of a bad ass at times.


“Still, you did save my life.”
“We all make mistakes, Mr. Bond.”
As Major Amasova, Barbara Bach certainly falls into the “classically beautiful” category. With her long, silky hair and slender feminine frame, she is unquestionably attractive. The thing is, I wasn’t bowled over with her performance. In many places in the movie, I found her delivery of a line or her gestures a bit wooden and unconvincing. Having said that, as the Soviet counterpart to Bond in this movie, she is certainly given a lot to do. For much of the film, she and Bond have a running competition of one-upmanship going on between them, and she gives as good as she gets. On the boat, for example, when Bond tries to make his move on her, he receives a face full of knock-out gas from her cigarette, you have to admire her resourcefulness.



It is interesting, however, that when they meet at the Kalba club, she knows a lot more about Bond than he clearly wants her to. Her dialogue, referencing Traci, strikes a nerve in Bond, and she seems genuinely surprised to have gotten that reaction. Now, while all that’s fine and well, the main problem here is that if we are to believe that a British agent and a Soviet agent are to team up- a rather bold idea for the 1970s- it would really help credibility if the tensions between them, first as rivals to get the micro-film, and then after she discovers Bond killed her lover, wasn’t watered down by Ms. Bach’s sub-par acting.


“For me, this is all the world. There is beauty... there is ugliness... and there is death”
There is no particularly nice way to say this, so I’ll just come right out with it. Carl Stromberg, as the villain of the piece, is a lackluster cliché of a character. I grant you that the late Curt Jurgens was an accomplished actor with an impressive list of movies to his credit, but in this one, he’s drawn a bad character to play. Stromberg is uncharismatic and lifeless. Not a combination you want in a believable villain if he suffers from megalomania. I get that his fascination for the sea has driven him to want to force humanity to move there, presumably with him as humanity’s natural leader. But that’s all I get from him. There’s no telling backstory to the man to make me understand how he came to suffer from his delusions of grandeur. And when you compare him to some of the more charismatic villains Bond has faced, like Telly Savalas’ Blofeld, or Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga, there really isn’t a comparison to be made.


“How does that grab you?”
Of course, the main feature character of this movie is Jaws, played with iconic menace by Richard Kiel. On first blush, it’s easy, and probably even tempting, to dismiss this character as nothing more than yet another injection of pointless comedy into a Bond film, what with his stainless steel teeth and his ability to emerge from any given scene relatively unscathed. But there’s something more to it than that. In Jaws, what we have is a seven foot tall physical villain who is easily the most daunting challenge Bond has ever faced. He appears to have absolutely no regard for his personal safety (which probably stems from his personal knowledge that’s he’s entirely indestructible) and he pursues Bond with the relentless tenacity of The Terminator. What this yields on screen is a henchman who is practically his own force of nature, and one Bond must contend with at several points in the film, particularly given his ability to pop up unexpectedly.



So, jettisoning the “comic relief” criticism, the next criticism that comes to mind is that this is rather lazy screenwriting. And yet, I don’t interpret it that way. As a character who also dresses well, Jaws can be thought of as the manifestation of all of Bond’s worst qualities writ large. I wrote about the Jungian Shadow in describing Grant for my review of From Russia With Love. I think Jaws is cut from the same cloth as Grant, only in this case, he represents all the violent, crass and base impulses of Bond’s id directed with but one purpose: to kill James Bond.



“You ever get the feeling that somebody doesn’t like you?”
In terms of structure, the basic storyline actually works fairly well, with the first half of the movie being all about recovering the stolen microfilm, and the second half being about an investigation of, and the need to defeat, Stromberg. There are some great action sequences to keep the story moving along, and some great suspenseful moments as well. But there are two basic problems that crop up with this movie. The first is one that frustrates me anytime I come across it: the numerous chances that emerge to kill Bond that go unaddressed. In the pre-credit sequence, he’s in a mountain chalet when he receives orders to return to London. The woman he’s with radios her Russian compatriots to warn them Bond has just left. Why didn’t she simply shoot him in the back? Bond and Amasova are in the back of a van being driven by Jaws. Jaws hears them over the intercom. So why play the game of driving on to some Egyptian ruin? Why not stop in the middle of the desert, at night, and kill them both?



But more than that, and slightly worryingly, this film isn’t held together with a strong thematic element. Most Bond films have a specific theme, but as this is lacking one, the film begins to feel episodic at points. For example, Bond and Amasova drive through, and then walk through, the desert together, eventually finding a boat that can take them back to Cairo, and en route Bond examines the micro-film before Amasova knocks him out with her cigarette surprise. When Bond wakes up, and makes his way to the MI-6 facilities in Egypt, it feels like a new writer has been brought in to pick the story up. I think the problem here was that in Mr. Broccoli’s haste to get something into the theaters after a three year hiatus, the script really needed one more revision to layer in some theme that it, unfortunately, did not receive.



Now having said all that, I must acknowledge that the look of this film is fantastic. This took the idea of a globe-trotting Bond from The Man With The Golden Gun and ramped it up. With locations in Austria (which was actually Canada standing in for the Alps), the Egyptian desert, Cairo and the Pyramids, trains across Europe, Sardinia and the high seas, this film really had an epic feel to it. It also had a far more substantial and modern car chase than the one we got with TMWTGG: it was sustained for far longer, with attacks coming at Bond seemingly in waves. First, a motorcycle with a land-based torpedo for a side-car, a helicopter with machine guns attached to it, a Lotus Esprit that drives off a pier and converts into a submarine, and better underwater action sequences than Thunderball. Couple that with the outstanding ski jump in the pre-credit sequence, and all this conspires to really raise the look of a Bond film to an entirely new level.



And that’s before we get to the really big shoot-em-up sequence aboard Stromberg’s supertanker. We haven’t had that kind of wholesale slaughter since the ninja fight in You Only Live Twice, and it has to be said, on that stage it looked superb. (And it should be noted that that was all one vast studio. It was so vast, that Pinewood studios had to build a completely new soundstage to contain it, dubbed “The 007 Stage.” In fact, its vastness proved so complicated to adequately light for film that set designer Ken Adams had to recruit a special consultant to advise him on how to do it. That special consultant was none other than Stanley Kubrick.)

Now, I want to draw your attention to a couple more scenes involving Jaws. Director Lewis Gilbert, who is, in fact, making his first return at the helm of a Bond film since You Only Live Twice, and editor John Glen do some visually stunning and rather disturbing sequences when Jaws kills Kalba in the telephone booth at the club. The ambient music of the Dervish band grows louder as Gilbert and Glen intersperse shots of Jaws from a low camera angle looking up, and shots of Kalba from a high camera angle looking down. Kalba’s face is a portrait of absolute horror- a man struggling to come to terms with the realization that he’s about to die- cut against the very imposing face (and teeth) of Jaws. Kalba realizes at the same time as the audience that Jaws is a killer who is truly without any conscience whatsoever.

And if that scene weren’t enough, the scene where Jaws kills Fekkesh at the Pyramids is masterfully done! Rather than dialogue, we have the booming music and narration of the light show taking place at the Pyramids as the soundtrack. We watch as Jaws stalks Fekkesh, even chewing his way through a large chain to get to him. Bond and Amasova also slink quietly through the scene, Bond to catch up with Fekkesh, and Amasova to find out who Bond is. The colors and locations of the lights in the Pyramid show shift angle and direction, one moment illuminating all the characters, the next obscuring them in shadow. All the suspense builds until we get another tableaux murder at the hands of Jaws, who also seemingly vanishes into the shadows with another change of lighting.

These two scenes are definitely worth watching once again, because they are arguably the most cinematic deaths featured in a Bond film. The use of ambient light and noise, with very little dialogue, was a technique Alfred Hitchcock mastered as a way of heightening the suspense regarding death scenes in grand public locales. Their use here is the first of its kind in a Bond film, and it serves the film nicely to underscore just what a menacing character Jaws really is.



“Keeping the British end up, sir.”
The Spy Who Loved Me was the first Bond movie I ever got to see in the theatre during its original release. I remember absolutely loving Carly Simon’s opening theme song at the time, but I’m a bit lukewarm about it now. Well, that phony syncopated rhythm is a bit disco and it’s made the song feel a bit dated. But it was a big musical hit in 1977.



So the first effort of a solo Cubby Broccoli to make a Bond film comes to a close. He actually saved the production and earned the devotion of his crew when he made them all a big spaghetti dinner while they were on location in Egypt. It seems a shipment of food for the crew was sent out on a plane that had a bad refrigeration system, so the food arrived spoiled. Cubby had to go into Cairo to buy not only the food they needed, but the pots and pans to make it, and apparently seeing him cook up that spaghetti was an inspiration to the crew.

One final thing to mention about this film. We are introduced here to Walter Gotell’s General Gogol, M’s opposite number with the KGB. He will become a staple to the franchise for a while, appearing in the next five Bond films in varying capacities.

In the final analysis, The Spy Who Loved Me was a suspenseful and cinematic treat, with a reasonably good story. Unfortunately, it’s let down by a rather uninteresting main villain, and the acting of the Bond girl this time around is a bit disappointing. But it did have Jaws. So I’m going to be generous and give this film three man bites shark moments out of a possible five.

James Bond will return in “For Your Eyes Only” “Moonraker.” (Hey, check the end credits and see which movie was supposed to be next.)

[barnaby morbius]

for once i pretty much agree with you patrick! this one looks great but there isn't a lot to it. the first half is excellent but all the naval stuff is pretty boring.

three stars sounds about right...

[Johnstone McGuckian]

I always used to consider this the worst film. However I have reaccessed it lately and decided that it's the most average Bond film. I agree with your every word yet again Patrick.

[Rich Flair]

I can't imagine ever wanting to watch this again.

[Patrick]

I can't imagine ever wanting to watch this again.

I can't imagine wanting to watch Moonraker again. Unfortunately, I kind of have to for the next review.

[Rich Flair]

LOL - rather you than me!

[The Co=Ordinator]

Well I still loveTSWLM! From the brilliant pre-credits jump and one of the gretest ever Bond themes to the best large scale set piece since YOLT it's a roller coaster ride. Jaws was a wonderful creation and IMO Bach & Jurgens both turn in very good performances.

4.5/5.

[Patrick]

I can't agree with you about Bach and Jurgens, C=O. Bach was wooden and unconvincing. Jurgens was simply uncharismatic. He seemed to be sitting at a large table and eating in just about every scene.

The saving grace of this movie is Jaws, who was truly one of the more terrifying physical villains Bond has ever faced, enhanced by some great cinematography in two of the scenes where he kills. As great as those are to watch, they don't lift the movie out of 'average' status.

[The Co=Ordinator]

We don't have to agree Patrick. Free will and all that. I trust you're girding your loins for our disagreement to come.

[Patrick]

We don't have to agree Patrick. Free will and all that. I trust you're girding your loins for our disagreement to come.

I'll do that once I write my review. For the immediate future, I have to actually sit down and watch the wretched thing again.

[barnaby morbius]

We don't have to agree Patrick. Free will and all that. I trust you're girding your loins for our disagreement to come.

I'll do that once I write my review. For the immediate future, I have to actually sit down and watch the wretched thing again.

have a couple of drinks first and you'll probably quite enjoy it.

[Patrick]

We don't have to agree Patrick. Free will and all that. I trust you're girding your loins for our disagreement to come.

I'll do that once I write my review. For the immediate future, I have to actually sit down and watch the wretched thing again.

have a couple of drinks first and you'll probably quite enjoy it.

Or even better, have a few more than a couple of drinks, and completely forget the whole experience. Moonraker is not a movie I'm looking forward to re-watching.

[stanmore]

The Spy Who Loved Me used to be in only 1 of three Bond films I'd give 5/5 to - the others being From Russia With Love and Goldeneye. And as the latter two work could even be proper films, that leaves TSWLM as the only 5* Bond film. But thinking about, aye, Patrick, you're right. The lead villain and leading lady are sub-par and the plot is mechanical. I think I just love the visual spectacle. And yes, that includes Barbara Bach...

[The Co=Ordinator]

A pre-emptive strike taken from "The Essential James Bond".

'Although hard-core Bond fans were turned off by the lack of reverence for the more serious side of 007, critics were impressed with Moonraker, describing it as a fun summer extravaganza. There could be no debating the success of Moonraker. The film grossed a worldwide total of $210 million (against a budget of $30 million), making it the highest-grossing entry in the series until GoldenEye until 1995'.

So I'm not hard-core: but Joe Public, and me, clearly loved Moonraker.

And I've just started re-watching it right now!

[Patrick]

So I'm not hard-core: but Joe Public, and me, clearly loved Moonraker.

It wasn't the first time a bad movie did decent box office, and it certainly wasn't the last.

And I've just started re-watching it right now!

You have my sincere condolences.

[Patrick]

"Skyfall", according the article the link jumps you to, is to be title of Bond 23. Shortest title since "Dr. No" and first original title since "Die Another Day."

[The Co=Ordinator]

I think we need a title like "James Bond and the Volcano of Doom".

Loved rewatching Moonraker the other day by the way. It's a joy to see it, every time.

[Patrick]

I've been watching the "making of" and several other featurettes. I'll devote Sunday evening to watching the wretched movie with the audio commentary on. My plan is to numb my senses in preparation for the misery that awaits me finish my review and post it a week from today.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Actually I must watch some of the extras. That Bond DVD Box is one of my best buys of recent years.

[barnaby morbius]

I've been watching the "making of" and several other featurettes. I'll devote Sunday evening to watching the wretched movie with the audio commentary on. My plan is to numb my senses in preparation for the misery that awaits me finish my review and post it a week from today.

glad to see you're approaching it with an open mind.
have a couple of scotches first...

[Zoltar]

I think we need a title like "James Bond and the Volcano of Doom".

Yep, Skyfall is a bit dull. Volcano of Doom sounds more fun to me.

[Patrick]

I think we need a title like "James Bond and the Volcano of Doom".

Yep, Skyfall is a bit dull. Volcano of Doom sounds more fun to me.

How about James Bond and the Alpine Lair of Death.

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