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James Bond faces his most terrifying ordeal yet. Battling
the forces of black magic in a high-octane adventure that
takes him from the streets of New York, through Louisiana's
bayou country to voodoo-infested Jamaica, 007 must take on
the powerful drug lord Dr Kananga and his gangland "associate"
Mr Big...
Making
an impressive debut, Roger Moore manages to inject a little
more humanity into Bond, as George Lazenby attempted to do
in 1969. Although the tactics he uses to woo Solitaire (Jane
Seymour) are undeniably underhanded, Bond nevertheless demonstrates
a tenderness towards his lover that we had seldom seen before.
The
task of replacing Sean Connery is made easier for Moore by
the efforts of writer Tom Mankiewicz and the rest of the production
team, who engineer dialogue and situations that are free of
associations with previous Bond movies, thus helping to avoid
direct comparisons between the two actors. As the "making
of" documentary and three (yes, three!) audio commentaries
reveal, Bond's dialogue in Live and Let Die contains
none of the familiar catchphrases, aside from the inevitable
"My name is Bond, James Bond." At no point during this movie
does 007 order a vodka martini, don a tuxedo, or even appear
on the familiar set of M's office. Even the supernatural subject
matter, with its references to voodoo and Solitaire's use
of Tarot cards, is unique among the Bond films - as was Fleming's
original novel among his Bond books.
The
plot, in particular the role of Solitaire, bears closer comparison
with Fleming's book than Diamonds Are Forever does
with its source material. Nevertheless, the details of the
story are sufficiently different that the screenplay could
be adapted and integrated with relative ease into the literary
Bond canon.
The gap of almost 20 years that exists between the novel and
its cinematic counterpart means that Solitaire in the latter
version could actually be the daughter of the original Tarot
reader - though not, I hasten to add, a daughter by Bond,
because of course he ends up sleeping with her! This would
actually tie in well with the screenplay's references to how
Solitaire's mother fulfilled a similar function until she
lost her ability to read the cards. "Mr Big" could be a title
that has been held by a succession of gangland bosses, a position
that Kananga has now adopted as an alias. The names Tee Hee
and Whisper would need to be changed, though Quarrel Jr could
remain the same character.
Other
memorable aspects of the movie include further assaults upon
the American police force during the spectacular speedboat
chase. This involves the first of two Bond appearances by
the unforgettable Clifton James as the loud-mouthed Southern
sheriff, JW Pepper. Yaphet Kotto puts in a charismatically
unhinged performance in his dual role as Kananga/Mr Big. Composer
George Martin fills John Barry's shoes expertly with a rousing
and refreshing incidental score and one of the best Bond title
songs ever, performed by Paul McCartney and Wings.
In addition to previously released extra features including
an amusing cross-promotional TV advertisement by the UK's
milk marketing board, this Ultimate Edition offers
rare gems such as 20 minutes from a lost 1973 documentary
and a 1964 sketch from the short-lived comedy show Mainly
Millicent, starring Roger Moore... as James Bond! The
production values of this sketch aren't terribly high, and
there are a number of action-related fumbles, but it still
makes fascinating viewing.
Moore
has also recorded additional commentaries for all seven of
his Bond movies. Owing to the decades that have elapsed since
the production of these films, the actor does not attempt
to provide scene-by-scene commentaries, but takes a more conversational
approach, using the movies that play out in front of him as
a springboard for often witty and sometimes intimate recollections
from the entire span of his career.
Thankfully,
now that it is spread over two discs, the Ultimate Edition
isn't as painfully slow to load as the previous DVD release
had been. Altogether, it's to die for.
  
Richard
McGinlay
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