The most significant change in the history of James Bond film series, at least until 2000s reboot, occurred in 1973 with Live and Let Die, film directed by Guy Hamilton, best known for introducing new leading actor, consequent change in tone and general approach, as well as producer’s orientation towards new generations of viewers.
The main character, British secret agent James Bond, is for the first time played by Roger Moore, actor who was the original choice for the role at very beginning of the series. The plot is very loosely based on Ian Fleming’s eponymous novel and begins when three British secret agents get killed in New York, New Orleans and in (fictitious) Caribbean island nation of San Monique. Bond is set to investigate and help his colleagues from CIA, led by his good friend Felix Leiter (played by David Hedison). The trail leads to Harlem and the chain of restaurants which serves as a front for massive heroin smuggling operation led by powerful and mysterious Mr. Big, who is later revealed to be Dr. Kananga (played by Yaphet Kotto), prime minister of San Monique. He runs his emerging drug empire by using voodoo superstitions among his followers, but he is prone to the occult himself and uses white virgin seer Solitaire (played by Jane Seymour) to read Tarot cards and warn him about the future. Bond tries to penetrate Kananga’s operation and in the end seduces Solitaire.
Moore in his first appearance as Bond consciously refuses to mimic Sean Connery, who had played the character in previous films. His Bond is more hedonistic, more suave and acts more like an international playboy than British government’s top killing machine. Even when dealing with villains directly, Moore’s Bond relies more on brains than brawn, and consequently, his appearance in this (and most other films) is better remembered for one-liners than the way he took out villains and their henchmen. Moore as English aristocrat seemed to be more in tune with this new Bond approach than Connery as working class Scot. While the older fans might have preferred more realism and seriousness, young audience embraced the light-heartedness in the form of “clever” dialogue, double entendres and outrageous stunts. Moore and solid direction of veteran Hamilton mostly make it work.
However, when Moore isn’t on the screen, some of the audience would have problems concluding that Live and Let Die is actually a James Bond film. In many scenes it looks like something quite different, namely “blaxploitation” thriller like those who became extremely popular among young audiences in early 1970s. Those films featured black protagonists fighting the black villains, usually in order to eradicate growing drug problem, and the script by Tom Mankiewicz fits those parameters perfectly. Film, therefore, features one scene in which Moore has to face some unpleasant facts of early 1970s reality for African Americans when surrounded by ruins of the building of increasingly impoverished and decaying Harlem. But producers don’t allow such content to stay for long and maintain escapist character of the film by featuring surreal funeral-assassination scene in New Orleans, as well as scenes featuring voodoo practices that look like they belonged in 1940s Hollywood B-films. Some critics were likely to see this content as racist, but Live and Let Die actually broke some racial barriers by having Gloria Hendry in the role of rookie CIA agent Rosie Carver as the first African American Bond girl that actually has romantic relationship with Bond. Producers originally wanted character of Solitaire to be black, but in the end were too afraid of racial prejudice in various countries that made lucrative film market.
Such potential controversies failed to have serious impact on the film, which in the end had very good box office. But for many critics it was way inferior to the high standards set by Connery era. This might be seen in relatively banal plot that deals with down-to-earth heroin smuggling operation instead of threats of World War III or megalomaniacs seeking world domination. There is relatively little action in the film, with the best part appearing in the middle, featuring Bond walking on crocodiles in the water and speedboat chase. Yaphet Kotto, who would later have very successful career, is quite bland and almost forgettable as villain. Jane Seymour, who would also later have successful career, is also bland and lacks chemistry with Bond. The general impression is made worse by the introduction of Sheriff Pepper (played by Clifton James), buffoonish Southern redneck who was brought in order to pander to young audience’s anti-establishment sentiments. Younger generations were also courted by title song by Paul and Linda McCartney, first use of rock and roll in the franchise, but the music by George Martin (who replaced John Barry), although passable, is nothing particularly memorable. Because of such details, Live and Let Die looked the least Bondian of all James Bond films until that date. But it had just enough formula for the series to survive and Moore had opportunity to perfect it in next sequels.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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