Live and Let Die, released in 1973, began a new 12 year era in the James Bond franchise with the casting of Roger Moore as 007. Sean Connery made it clear during the filming of 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever that this was a one film return, so the producers turned to Moore, an actor they’d had on their minds for a while.
Unlike Connery, Moore was far from an unknown when he landed the Bond role. From 1962-70, he gained worldwide fame in the television series “The Saint”. And unlike George Lazenby, producers seemed aware that the casting of Moore would necessitate a number of changes in the franchise. By Moore’s own admission, he did not bring quite the tough guy persona that Mr. Connery delivered. This would be a softer Bond. And a sillier Bond. Moore’s main strength was the gift of very good comic timing and he is certainly convincing with classic 007 quips and one-liners.
It is definitely Moore’s casting, though, that has divided 007 fans for years. My history with Moore is simple: he’s the James Bond I grew up watching the most. It wasn’t really until later that I discovered the wonder of Connery. And truthfully, the often comedy oriented style of the Moore pictures probably translates better to kids. It’s not until you get a little older that the Connery pics can be truly appreciated. At least that’s my story.
Upon receiving the Bond Blu Ray set, I was and am most curious to rediscover what I now feel about the Moore movies. It’s been a while and we start with Live and Let Die. I’ve already surprised myself once with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It had been years and years since I’d viewed it. Frankly, my recollection of it seemed to coincide with what a lot of Bond fans now feel about it: that it’s one of the greatest 007 adventures. Upon viewing it a few days ago, I discovered that I didn’t really feel that way. I have a feeling Majesty will fall somewhere in the middle of the pack when I finally rank them.
I have fond memories of watching Roger Moore as 007 as a child. But would they translate as an adult? So far, with Live and Let Die – the answer is a mixed bag. First, let’s get the obvious item out of the way. The theme song to the film, performed by Paul McCartney and Wings, is undoubtedly one of the greatest Bond themes ever. When regular Bond scorer John Barry was unavailable for the film, longtime Beatles producer George Martin took over the reins. And so we have a Bond theme by an ex-Beatle. Ironic, considering Sean Connery’s well-known line in Goldfinger: “That’s as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!”. Guess the new Bond was a little more hip.
Live and Let Die also contains some very memorable sequences, most notably an extended boat chase that is really terrific. Before that, we have a great sequence from 007 must deal with some nasty alligators. I remember loving these scenes as a kid and I still do.
We also have a truly beautiful Bond girl this time around, Solitaire, played by Jane Seymour. She’s a tarot card reader who also happens to be a virgin, until very shortly after meeting Mr. Bond, naturally. She’s certainly a major improvement over the Tiffany Case character in Diamonds Are Forever.
However, not all is well with Live and Let Die and there are some major issues. Much like in Diamonds, we get one character – loudmouth Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper that seems to have wandered in from a different movie. A really dumb movie. Surprisingly, at least to me, this annoying character would prove popular and make a return appearance in the next 007 feature. Go figure.
And then there’s the matter of the plot. What Live and Let Die is most known for nowadays is the influence of the blaxpoitation genre on the film. Very popular in the early 70s, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz chose to make the villains African-American and set the film in New Orleans and the Caribbean. Also, New York City in the early part of movie, where James Bond chases a “pimp mobile” (the script’s words, not mine). Watching the film today, trying to mesh blaxpoitation and 007 is an often uncomfortable mix. Lots of the African-American characters in the picture are pretty badly drawn stereotypes. While you come to expect that in blaxpoitation flicks, it’s a little disconcerting to see here. And frankly, it seems kind of unnecessary.
The influence of that genre leads to a rather unexciting plot. Instead of world domination, Bond is basically just trying to stop heroin dealers here. The main villain is Dr. Kananga, the dictator of a small country in the Caribbean who plans to give away two tons of heroin to put his competitors out of business. Then, of course, he gets lots of people hooked and can charge whatever he wants. Little different than nuclear annihilation, eh? Kananga is played Yaphet Kotto, who gives a solid performance even if the character isn’t too memorable.
Not that everything is totally different. Kananga does have an underground lair (with, as always, fantastic production design). He even nearly kills Bond and Solitaire at the end with his sharks… but Bond has time to outwit him due to the unnecessarily slow-moving dipping mechanism. This leads to a final encounter between Bond and Kananga that’s pretty darn memorable and cool. And utterly ridiculous, but that’s OK.
There is another quibble: Where’s Q??? In the history of Bond, from the second feature in 1963 to the third Brosnan feature in 1999 (Llewelyn passed away that year), Live and Let Die is the only 007 film that Desmond Llewelyn does not appear in. Apparently, he was shooting something else, but would’ve been let out in order to shoot his part in this. Producers decided to drop the character from Live and Let Die. They wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Producers had to be worried about how audiences would respond to the new James Bond, especially after the negative reaction to Lazenby. Things would be different this time, however. Live and Let Die was a hit, earning over $160 million worldwide. Clearly, crowds were much more accepting of Moore in the iconic role. In the U.S., it made $35 million – a decent number but less than the majority of the Connery films. It placed eighth on the list of 1973’s earners.
Director Guy Hamilton takes his third turn behind the camera here. For that third entry, it’s safe this one ain’t his best so far (Goldfinger) and ain’t his worst (Diamonds Are Forever).
There are some big problems I had with Live and Let Die including a dull plot and silly characters. Quite a bit of it, though, is just a hell of a lot of fun with some truly inspired action sequences. It’s a mixed bag, but it’s certainly an improvement over Diamonds Are Forever.
Here are the facts:
Film: Live and Let Die
U.S. Release Date: June 27, 1973
Director: Guy Hamilton
Screenplay: Tom Mankiewicz
Bond: Roger Moore
Main Villain: Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto)
Main Bond Girl: Solitaire (Jane Seymour)
Theme Song: “Live and Let Die” – performed by Paul McCartney and Wings
Budget: $7 million
Worldwide Box Office: $161.8 million
My James Bond blog series will return in “The 007 Files: The Man with the Golden Gun”
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