Bond Retrospective: "Live And Let Die"
Released: 1973
Actor: Roger Moore
Villain: Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto)
Henchman: Tee Hee, Baron Samedi, Whisper
Allies: Felix Leiter, Quarrel jr, JW Pepper
Bond Girl: Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), Solitaire (Jane Seymour)
First Appearance: Roger Moore
Notable Absence: Q
Precredits sequence: Three secret agents investigating the ruler of a small island, Dr. Kananga, are killed at the UN, on an island, and in New Orleans.
Plot: Bond is sent to investigate the deaths of the aforementioned agents. First, he goes to Harlem, but is caught tailing Kananga's men and is to be shots, when he's saved by Strutter, a fellow CIA agent with Felix. Bond goes to Kananga's island, San Monique, and encounters Carver, who works for Kananga, and when confronted by Bond, is killed by Kananga. Bond then goes and seduces Solitaire, and they go to New Orleans, where Bond and Solitaire are captured, and Solitarie "loses" her "ability" to "read" those cards. Kananga reveals he is growing heroin, and will give two million tons for free as his alter ego gangster Mr. Big, to gain a customer base and drop everyone else out of the business, and then he would sell his product and make lots of cash. Bond is left to die with crocodiles, but he escapes. Then, he goes and saves Solitaire from death on San Monique, and saves them from death at Kananga's hands, instead blowing him up, literally. Tee Hee tries to fight him at the end, but is thrown out a window. We are promised a return in TMWTGG.
Thoughts: There's probably a lot of criticism regarding the depiction of black people in this film. That's a wholly reasonable point. However, it does make for a very different but very entertaining Bond film. We have something relatively low key: drug trafficking. We have elements of fake supernatural beliefs: tarots, voodoo. We a have a villain who's not out for domination or nuclear war, but just a heroin monopoly. It's a very different type of Bond film and sharp contrast to the Connery era. Moore fits the part well, his greatest strength being the more suave, comedic aspects. And Solitaire is to me the most attractive Bond girl probably in the entire series, very feminine and played well by Seymour. And, the song rocks. Overall, an interesting way to introduce Moore as Bond. And notably funny use of words like "pimpmobile."
Actor: Roger Moore
Villain: Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto)
Henchman: Tee Hee, Baron Samedi, Whisper
Allies: Felix Leiter, Quarrel jr, JW Pepper
Bond Girl: Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), Solitaire (Jane Seymour)
First Appearance: Roger Moore
Notable Absence: Q
Precredits sequence: Three secret agents investigating the ruler of a small island, Dr. Kananga, are killed at the UN, on an island, and in New Orleans.
Plot: Bond is sent to investigate the deaths of the aforementioned agents. First, he goes to Harlem, but is caught tailing Kananga's men and is to be shots, when he's saved by Strutter, a fellow CIA agent with Felix. Bond goes to Kananga's island, San Monique, and encounters Carver, who works for Kananga, and when confronted by Bond, is killed by Kananga. Bond then goes and seduces Solitaire, and they go to New Orleans, where Bond and Solitaire are captured, and Solitarie "loses" her "ability" to "read" those cards. Kananga reveals he is growing heroin, and will give two million tons for free as his alter ego gangster Mr. Big, to gain a customer base and drop everyone else out of the business, and then he would sell his product and make lots of cash. Bond is left to die with crocodiles, but he escapes. Then, he goes and saves Solitaire from death on San Monique, and saves them from death at Kananga's hands, instead blowing him up, literally. Tee Hee tries to fight him at the end, but is thrown out a window. We are promised a return in TMWTGG.
Thoughts: There's probably a lot of criticism regarding the depiction of black people in this film. That's a wholly reasonable point. However, it does make for a very different but very entertaining Bond film. We have something relatively low key: drug trafficking. We have elements of fake supernatural beliefs: tarots, voodoo. We a have a villain who's not out for domination or nuclear war, but just a heroin monopoly. It's a very different type of Bond film and sharp contrast to the Connery era. Moore fits the part well, his greatest strength being the more suave, comedic aspects. And Solitaire is to me the most attractive Bond girl probably in the entire series, very feminine and played well by Seymour. And, the song rocks. Overall, an interesting way to introduce Moore as Bond. And notably funny use of words like "pimpmobile."
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