Introduction:
When Diamonds Are Forever wrapped, Sean Connery put his foot down and
said, never again. And we all know how that went. So the producers brought in
Roger Moore, and he became the James Bond for an entire generation of folks.
But the odds weren’t in Moore’s favor, because his first film was based on one
of Fleming’s most controversial books. Was this film going to allow 007 to
surive into the ‘70s or kill him on arrival?
Summary:
Three British operatives are
killed while investigating Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), the rich and powerful
diplomat of a Caribbean island. M
(Bernard Lee) assigns his best agent James Bond (Roger Moore) to the case. Bond finds himself in Harlem, New Orleans
and finally the island of San Monique.
The lovely Solitaire (Jane Seymour) seems to be the key to the
investigation, but to get to her Bond must face the iron hook hand of Tee Hee
(Julius Harris), the dreaded Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) and the mysterious
Mr. Big. With help from Rosie Carver
(Gloria Hendry), Felix Leiter (David Hedison) and Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton
James), Bond just might be able to Live
and Let Die.
Good Points:
- Moore, Seymour and Kotto provide
some solid performances
- The first half of the film
is a gritty throwback to classic Bond
- The musical score by George Martin
brings the ‘70s funk to the Bond sound
Bad Points:
- The second half of the movie
slogs to a halt
- The boat chase is one of the
dullest action scenes in the entire series
- The humor comes across
pretty forced
Overall:
This is one of those movies
I feel bad for not liking. There are so many elements in place that are good
and nearly work. But time and again director Guy Hamilton diffuses the entire
thing, but throwing in a comic moment at the wrong time or editing an action
scene into a bore. If you do see this one, see it for some fun performances and
a solid turn in the role by Moore.
Scores
(out of 5)
Visuals: 3
Sound: 3
Acting: 4
Script: 2
Music: 4
Direction: 2
Entertainment: 2
Total: 2
In Depth Review
Let me get this out of the
way, I like Roger Moore in the role of James Bond. I think he had a fun take on
the character and could even give the part of bit of an edge when needed.
Sometimes the scripts got a little too tongue in cheek and Roger had to play it
pretty light. At those times, I roll my eyes but I’m usually along for the
ride. But what is interesting about Live
and Let Die is that we can actually see the franchise finding its feet.
First there was a new Bond
to introduce, and lets be honest the last time this was attempted (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) the
result was not to the producers liking. But Moore was more of a known quantity,
being very familiar to audiences especially playing The Saint. Moore had plenty of acting experience and the decision
was to let Moore tackle the role without trying to be Connery. We see it in his
choice of drink (bourbon), his enjoyment of cigars, and in his more genial
approach to the situations at hand. But we also see the darker side of Bond
here (something that would pretty much vanish by the time The Spy Who Loved Me rolled around). When you watch the movie, you
actually see a very accomplished performance as Bond, even if the movie around
him doesn’t quite work.
Live and Let Die was always going to be a tricky adaptation. Nearly all the villains in
the story are black, and there are some pretty unpleasant attitudes in it. What
is interesting is that the movie is able to turn these into a strength. The
villains lead by the debonair but deadly Dr. Kananga are some of the most
competent and powerful Bond had faced yet. At nearly every turn Bond finds
himself overwhelmed, outmatched and barely getting out of the situation by the
skin of his teeth. When the movie is clicking, there’s a real sense of danger
to the whole operation, and that’s because the bad guys are so good. Kotto
plays his part with an intelligent malice. And his two henchmen, Tee Hee and
Baron Semedi are very intimidating. The movie doesn’t make this into a white
against black story – but a good versus evil story. And Kanaga is one nasty
customer with a villainous plot that will turn half the U.S into heroin
junkies.
How can I review this film
without talking about Jane Seymour, looking absolutely beautiful in her
costumes and practically glowing in each scene. She certainly is bewitching and
we can see why Kananga and Bond are fighting over her. Sadly the part of
Solitaire is underwritten, but Seymour does what she can with it. Yes, she’s
basically the damsel in distress, but she never comes across as stupid or
pointless (unlike the love interest in the next film The Man with the Golden Gun).
Since we’re talking about things I like about the film, let’s
get into the music. I know it’s a bit of a heresy to say this, but I’ve never
much cared for the Wings version of Live
and Let Die. It was always just a little too cheesy for my tastes. But I do
have to say that the tune itself is solid and I like that it rocks (as much as
Wings can be said to rock) taking the feel of the film in direction away from
the more brassy and very ‘60s stylings of the previous films. Bringing that oh
so modern touch, in a ‘70s way, to the score is George Martin. He takes the
Bond theme, the title song and turns them into funky guitar lead tracks. You’ve
got your wakka-jo-wakka guitar material and it works great. Yes, it immediately
dates the film, but if the clothes and cars didn’t already do that for you –
then you must be blind. Bond films are great gauges of popular culture and
music is part of that.
Speaking of popular culture,
one of the interesting things that happened as the Bond franchise left the ‘60s
is that instead of being on the cutting edge of pop culture, Bond was taking
what was hot and fitting it into the Bond template. Live and Let Die is a perfect example of this. Blaxsplotaiton films
had just erupted onto the scene the year before with films like Superfly. So maybe the decision to give
Live and Let Die the green light was
more calculated than I originally figured. Add to that the more edgy feel of
the first half of the film. This may be one of the first times we actually see
James Bond in a less then glamorous spot, in the slums of New York. It all
feeds into an interesting theme in this film.
I can’t remember where I
read this, but someone compared Live and
Let Die with the myth of Orpheus. In a sense James Bond visits the
underworld and battles with the forces of death. This is lateral and
figurative. Death is all over this movie – from the title, to the embodiment of
death in Baron Semedi. Solitaire’s ability to see the fate (and death) of
others plays a key role. Bond literally is pulled underground in the Filet of
Soul restaurant. Mr. Big is called a king of the criminal underworld. Then
there’s the fact that Bond is very much the alien in this film. He nearly
always looks out of place in surroundings and seems unable to get the upper
hand. Even the last shot of the film features the embodiment of death
impossibly sitting on the front of rocketing train and laughing at the audience
– as if to say, there is no escape.
It’s an interesting conceit
and one that almost makes the movie more interesting then it turns out to be…
almost.
What really ticks me off is
that the first hour of the movie is actually pretty good. It’s gritty, it’s
dark, and it’s got an edge to it. Moore isn’t playing it too lightly, and the
humor is a bit more organic to the situations. Sure there are a few cheesy
moments. For example, the entire pre-credit sequence is just too silly and it
doesn’t work as a neat mini-movie, something that previous and future Bond
films excelled at.
When the film crosses into
the second hour the wheels start to come off. Bond arrives in New Orleans and
the pacing just stutters to a slow crawl. Most of the chases and escapes from
this point on are filmed and edited poorly, draining all tension from them. And
some of these should work. The crocodile farm scene just feels limp, and the
great stunt work there is lost. But the real issue is the boat chase. This
should be, and could have been one of the greats. But Hamilton just botches the
whole thing. There are some great stunts here too, with some crazy jumps and
explosions, but the whole thing just feels like it goes on way too long and has
no tension in it. Compared to the amazing chase down the Thames in The World is Not Enough – well there is
no comparison.
The final nail in the coffin
is the abysmal character Sheriff J.W. Pepper, who is supposed to be
HIGH-larous. Instead he’s so damn annoying that you are chanting for him to
die. I get it, he’s supposed to be the honky southern police officer stereotype
that blaxsploitaion flicks loved to smash. Clifton James plays the part to the
hilt, with such over the top antics that I’m amazed any scenery was left
standing. This hideous character injected into the languid pacing for the boat
chase makes it one of the worst set pieces of the franchise.
As a whole, the humor really
makes its appearance in the second half. There are some terrible one liners
here and the whole chase on the airfield including an old lady learning to fly
with James Bond is pretty cringe inducing.
The only thing worse is the
amazingly stupid death for Dr. Kanaga. Death by inflation. Yes, he actually
expands till he explodes. During my first viewing, I had to rewind the film
to make sure I actually saw this. Was it supposed to be funny? Maybe ironic? I
don’t know, but it is right up there with dressing James Bond up as a gorilla –
but we’ll keep that for the review of Octopussy.
The last time I watched Live and
Let Die this final hour killed the whole experience for me, and I declared
it the worst of the official franchise films. But this time, I appreciated it a
bit more. The first hour is pretty darn good. For a first crack at the
role, Moore is up to the task. But the second half nearly kills it, nearly.
There’s some fun to be had here, and if you’re in the mood for something a bit
different in your James Bond flick, check it out. But when it comes to Moore's films, you might be better off with For Your Eyes Only or The Spy Who Loved
Me.
