James Bond - Live and Let Die

12 January 2015

Live and Let Die 1973

• Director:  Guy Hamilton
• Based on the novels  by Ian Fleming
• Cast: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James, Geoffrey Holder, David Hedison, Gloria Hendry, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Roger Moore  – The Saint
• Yaphet Kotto – Homicide Life on the Streets, Hill Street Blues, Alien
• Jane Seymour – The Onedin Line
• Why? Curious. Hal and I saw several Bond films in a Bond festival in the early 70’s and enjoyed them. Sean Connery is the only Bond we have ever seen.  Friends have said later actors have been good too. And with Judi Dench they can’t be all bad.  So we bought the box...
• Seen:  January 2, 2015  

Well now, that’s an interesting funeral. In New Orleans, in the ‘70s. Afros. Bell bottom trousers. And then a snake murder in the Caribbean.  And then Paul McCartney doing the theme song. I remember that.

But can Roger Moore really do this?

Oh, a young Yaphet Kotto!

It’s a mix of black-is-beautiful and the Saint with James Bond music in the background. James Bond a honkie? Right on, brother. Bond moves with the times.  Even to a black and white romance. She’s beautiful of course, but a villain, of course. The parody of a white racist sheriff is somewhat amusing but otherwise it more or less follows the formula. Car and airplane and boat chases that put me to sleep. Gadgets. A lovelorn but understanding Miss Moneypenny. Fancy autos. Arch villains with a modern touch – drugs instead of diamonds. No story to speak of.

And there are altogether too many snakes and crocodiles in this film.

It’s no better and no worse than the others. And Roger Moore is all right. Not Sean Connery but all right.

2* of 5