Another criticism of the film is that Hamilton does not make sufficient use of Peter Mutton's admirable sets. Again, Brosnan points out that Scaramanga's lab is especially ignored, with only one technician overseeing the mess.
Perhaps I'm being too hard on Hamilton. The Bond films have always been collaborative efforts. The producers have just as much say in the direction the film takes as the director himself. To put it bluntly, the collaborative effort created an exercise in blandness in the case of Golden Gun.
ACTORS AND CHARACTERS
Roger Moore, in his second performance as James Bond, makes fewer attempts to toughen the character than he did in Live and Let Die. Hamilton's direction naturally released Moore's easy-going mannerisms. Even in the scene in which Moore slaps Anders, his harshness is contradictory. It's difficult to accept Roger Moore slapping anyone, much less a pretty girl. There is one funny line, though, when Bond is visiting Mr. Lazar in Thailand. (Lazar provides Scaramanga with his golden bullets.) Bond points a rifle at Lazar's crotch in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of Scaramanga. "Speak now or forever hold your peace," Bond warns, taking aim. A terrific Moore-ism.
Horror-film veteran Christopher Lee portrays Francisco Scaramanga (the "Pistols" nickname from the novel has been dropped). Lee is a distant cousin of Ian Fleming and was once told by the author that he would have made a good Dr. No. Lee is finally able to play a Bond villain, and it could have been one of the best characterizations of the series. Unfortunately, the script and direction reduce Scaramanga to an almost harmless entity. Lee's Scaramanga is much too charming and elegant to be evil. He isn't frightening in the least; in fact, he tends to evoke sympathy when the audience is told of Scaramanga's past and his tragedy with a pet elephant (one of the few Fleming elements transferred to the screen). Scaramanga, as a boy, shot a policeman who killed the elephant when it went berserk. The incident gives the villain an excuse. But there is one striking image when Scaramanga is escaping from Hong Kong with Andrea and Nick Nack on his fishing vessel. As he and Andrea stand on the deck watching the Hong Kong skyline, he caresses her face with his golden gun. Though a little obvious symbolically, it's an image that works.
Britt Ekland portrays Mary Goodnight, Bond's aide in the East. In the novels, she is Bond's second secretary, but in the film she is merely working for the Service's station in Hong Kong. Miss Ekland has been directed to play the character as a dumb blonde. Apparently, the intention was to make a comic character, which is a little patronizing to both the actress and Ian Fleming. As a result, Mary Goodnight is nothing but a clumsy fool, getting herself kidnapped or finding herself stuck in a closet Ms. Ekland does an adequate job and provides the audience with a few good laughs, but the character, though attractive, is basically an idiot.
The exotic model Maud Adams portrays Andrea Anders, Scaramanga's girl friend. It is she who sends the golden bullet engraved with "007" to Universal Export. Andrea is attempting to contact Bond so that he will rescue her from Scaramanga's clutches. Why she doesn't reveal this during the first meeting with Bond is confusing, since she's so desperate. Andrea is the film's Obligatory Sacrificial Lamb, killed by Scaramanga himself in a boxing ring in Bangkok. Miss Adams's role is the most sophisticated in the story.
Herve Villechaize (of TV's Fantasy Island) portrays Nick Nack, Scaramanga's midget manservant and bodyguard. Nick Nack is simply another version of Oddjob, although his small size and high intelligence create an interesting variation. Unfortunately, the direction of the film makes Nick Nack a figure of fun (he's even accompanied by a humorous musical theme), thereby depriving Bond of any true menace. The final battle aboard Scaramanga's vessel with Nick Nack is embarrassing—as is the way Bond punishes the character. Bond scoops up Nick Nack in a suitcase, and hoists him to the top of the ship's masthead!
Clifton James appears in another cameo in this film as J. W. Pepper. The big question, though, is what is Sheriff Pepper doing on vacation in Thailand? And furthermore, why is he considering buying a new car in Bangkok? Bond accidentally runs into him first on the floating market in Bangkok during a boat chase. Pepper becomes so excited about seeing Bond again that he is knocked into the canal by an elephant (which just happens to be standing next to him). This sequence might have been funny to anyone under twelve years old. Next we see Pepper with his wife in a new car showroom, where Bond steals a car in order to chase Scaramanga. Pepper happens to be in the passenger seat of the car when Bond hops in and drives it through the showroom window. The scene is too ludicrous for words.
M and Miss Moneypenny, as well as Q, appear on location in the Orient again. This time their headquarters is inside the sunken Queen Elizabeth, which is still sitting on its side in Hong Kong harbor. There are shades of The Poseidon Adventure when Bond visits the headquarters: the rooms slant awkwardly, but new, horizontal walkways have been built to accommodate the staff. For once, Q doesn't supply Bond with any gadgets to speak of. The only real gadget in the film, besides the false third nipple that Bond uses, is Scaramanga's golden gun, which is assembled from ordinary items such as a ballpoint pen, cigarette lighter, etc. The gun was designed and built by Colibri Lighters.
OTHER ASPECTS
Peter Mutton, the film's production designer, had worked on previous Bond films as art director. His sets are very good, even though they smack of Ken Adam influences. As mentioned before, the only problem with the sets is that they are underused. But Scaramanga's dining room is especially attractive, and looks similar to Dr. No's dining room. Ted Moore's cinematography is among his best work for the series, and puts the only polished touch on the film's proceedings.
Supervising editor John Shirley and his assistant, Ray Poulton, give the film the usual tight, fast-paced tempo. Their work is especially effective during the film's main set-pieces: the boat chase around the floating market and the car chase outside of Bangkok.
The car chase features a very impressive stunt which was created by the film's stunt coordinator, W. J. Milligan, Jr. At one point, Bond decides to drive his car onto a collapsed bridge, hoping to leap over the water and land on the other side. The two sections of broken bridge are curved, so that the car does a 360-degree turn in mid-air before landing on the second bridge. The stunt, performed by Milligan, is breathtaking. Each Bond film, no matter how weak it may be, features some kind of spectacular stunt that somehow makes it all seem worthwhile.
The martial arts school fight is another highlight of the film, featuring some of the best in kung-fu and karate action sequences. Bond plays it a bit nasty when he kicks one opponent in the head during the customary bow. The sequence is fun to watch, but it lacks the flash of the ninjas in You Only Live Twice. The sequence lapses into incredibility when Hip (Bond's Chinese ally) and his two teenage nieces help Bond vanquish the entire martial arts school. And why do Hip and his nieces drive away in their car, abandoning Bond to use a motorboat to make his escape?
Derek Meddings' miniatures are impressive. A model was built of Scaramanga's lab, as well as a section of the island itself, for the incredible explosion at the film's end. Scaramanga's auto-plane is also a model. This outlandish gimmick features a car that becomes an airplane.
John Barry is back to score the film. Unfortunately, Don Black is also back doing the inane lyrics for the title song. "He has a powerful weapon, he charges a million a shot; an assassin that's second to none—the man with the golden gun." The song should have been an instrumental. Performed with exaggerated zeal by Lulu, the main title theme must rank as the series' worst. The rest of the Barry score, though, is quite good. The Far Eastern setting provided him with another opportunity to create exotic Oriental music, which is successful in capturing the flavor of the locations. There are sections, though, where the music takes on a humorous quality, complementing the action on the screen.
The Man With the Golden Gun,then, represents a low point in the series. It was no financial blockbuster either, and some time elapsed before work began on the next film, mainly due to Harry
Saltzman's departure. But when a new Bond film finally was scheduled, with Cubby Broccoli in total control, the series struck back with the most lavish production yet.
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
PRODUCTION
Since Cubby Broccoli was going it alone, he enlisted the help of his stepson, Michael G. Wilson, who has been actively involved with Eon Productions ever since as an associate producer. The Spy Who Loved Me was chosen as the next title in the Bond film series, and plans were made for a splashy comeback after the lukewarm reception of The Man With the Golden Gun.
Ian Fleming had put some strange restrictions on the use of this particular novel. When Fleming sold the rights to the novel to Broccoli and Saltzman, he specified that only the title could be used. A new story would have to be written for the film. After clearing the rights with the Fleming estate, which proved to be a very involved process, writers were called in to begin a screenplay.
Since Eon Productions was already experienced in throwing out Fleming stories, the producers probably anticipated few difficulties in preparing a new Spy. But as Steven Rubin documents in his book, The James Bond Films, the screenplay for the film went through many changes and authors, most of them uncredited. Among the writers who contributed were Tom Mankiewicz, Ronald Hardy, Anthony Barwick, Derek Marlowe, Sterling Silliphant, John Landis, and even Anthony Burgess. But it was Richard Maibaum who was called back to complete an initial draft. Christopher Wood was brought in later by director Lewis Gilbert for a rewrite, and it is Maibaum and Wood who share the screenplay credit.
With a script finally in hand, production began in 1976. As reported by both John Brosnan and Steve Rubin, the story involved a typical formulized plot with Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE back in action again after a two-picture absence. But legal problems began when Kevin McClory claimed that the screenplay was similar to one that he, Len Deighton, and Sean Connery had written, entitled Warhead. The issue of McClory owning the rights to the character of Blofeld and the SPECTRE organization, since they were originally created for Thunderball, was deep in legal controversy.
Broccoli decided to avoid a confrontation with McClory and ordered Christopher Wood to extract any references to SPECTRE and Blofeld from The Spy Who Loved Me. So Blofeld became Karl Stromberg, but his set-up is still very SPECTRE-like, even featuring an efficient method of disposing of unsuccessful underlings.
The Spy Who Loved Me was allotted the biggest budget yet for a Bond film—thirteen and one-half million dollars. The result is a very lavish production. There have been several articles in Bondage magazine and other publications claiming that The Spy Who Loved Me is similar to, and is in essence, a remake of You Only Live Twice. John Brosnan has this to say about the film:
The Spy Who Loved Me is basically an anthology of all the Bond films that have gone before. It's as if Broccoli and his team deliberately set out to take a number of the more memorable set-pieces and remake them, even bigger and more spectacular. The pre-credits sequence, with its skiing scenes, for instance, comes from On Her Majesty's Secret Service; the fight on the train comes from From Russia With Love and Live and Let Die; the scene involving the motorcycle assassin and his rocket-powered sidecar is obviously inspired by the similar scene in Thunderball; the car chase with the gimmicked-up Lotus is a repeat of the one in Goldfinger with the Aston Martin; the underwater battles are from Thunderball; and the basic plot, together with the final climactic scenes in the tanker are, as we've mentioned before, from You Only Live Twice.
(John Brosnan, James Bond in the Cinema)
Despite the déjà vu of many of the sequences, The Spy Who Loved Me, surprisingly, turns out to be a very high-class film. Humor is still emphasized, and the science fiction formula returns; but the quality of the production, the spectacular stunts, and even Roger Moore's performance are all better than ever. Technically, the film is beautiful to look at—the huge budget can be seen in all areas of production. Even Ken Adam is back, designing dazzling and spectacular sets.
More locations were used in the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me than ever before. Interiors, as usual, were shot at Pinewood Studios in England, and primary locations were shot in Sardinia and Egypt Additional footage was shot in the Bahamas, Baffin Island in Canada, Scotland, and Switzerland.
The film was released in the summer of 1977, and although it was competing with Star Wars, it was a blockbuster and the biggest grosser since Thunderball.
SCREENPLAY
The Spy Who Loved Me is basically You Only Live Twice using submarines instead of space capsules. In an interesting article from Bondage magazine, Saul Fischer made a list of the similarities between the two films, totalling forty-six entries. A few of these similarities follow:
(From "The Spy Who Lived Twice," by Saul Fischer, Bondage Number 7)
An interesting sidelight to all this is that when Cubby Broccoli was asked about the similarity between the two films at a public press conference held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1979, he replied that he didn't think the films were similar at all, and seemed confused that the question was even asked.
There is an attempt in the film to make the Bond character a little tougher, in contrast to Roger Moore's earlier approach. There are a few more fight scenes than in the two previous Moore efforts. But he still emerges from the battles basically unscratched. The fight with Jaws at the Egyptian ruins confirms Roger Moore's "brains before brawn" characterization of Bond. Jaws has accidentally knocked over a support beam while attempting to hit Bond, and the entire structure falls down on top of the giant. Bond walks away from the ordeal briskly wiping his hands, as if he had just swatted a fly.
The comic emphases are still present. Jaws, the new Oddjob, is a terrific character and might have been the best henchman of the series. But the script makes him absolutely indestructible; therefore, the character's increasing frustration at being outsmarted by Bond is intended to be funny. (It's like the notion behind the coyote character in the "Road Runner" cartoons.) Jaws is subjected to all kinds of punishment: electric shocks, toppling ruins, and the prospect of drowning in the ocean off the coast of Sardinia—but he seems always to come out unharmed. More on him later.
Christopher Wood supposedly added quite a few of these comic elements to the script. This theory is further supported by the fact that Wood alone wrote the screenplay to the most juvenile of the films, Moonraker.
Unlike the three previous Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me at least holds together as a story. The set-piece formula, though executed with overindulgence, does not seem so obvious. There is a natural progression from location to location, and there are even some sections with genuine suspense. It is, without a doubt, the best Bond screenplay of the seventies.
DIRECTION
Lewis Gilbert is back for his second Bond film. Significantly, he was the man who directed You Only Live Twice, the film that the new one so closely resembles. And like the previous film, The Spy Who Loved Me is full of big action scenes involving hundreds of extras and massive sets. Gilbert is a very good logistical director. His mise en scène captures the panorama of large picturizations with remarkable ease and control. The film moves with a brisk pace, never letting the audience catch its breath. But this speed hampers the picture in some ways. First, the plot information is communicated in extremely brief dialogue scenes, and the rest of the film consists of fast-moving set-pieces. Second, the comic elements of the movie tend to feed on the fast pace.
This is where Gilbert gets into trouble. He often allows the humor in the film to lapse into comic-book material. For instance, Bond is attempting to rescue Anya from Stromberg's establishment, Atlantis, before it is torpedoed by the U.S.S. Wayne. He comes upon the gargantuan Jaws, and a tense fight ensues. It looks as if it's going to recall the good old Oddjob days, as their grapplings take them into the room containing a shark pool. But the action then regresses into pure silliness when Bond maneuvers some kind of magnet attached to a line running above the pool over Jaws' head (what it's s
upposed to be used for is not explained). Bond gives a very Moore-ish grin at Jaws, causing the killer to smile. The magnet pulls Jaws up by his steel teeth. Unable to free himself, Jaws is then maneuvered by Bond over the shark pool. When he's in the right spot, Bond releases the magnet and runs to find Anya. Jaws falls into the shark pool. But he isn't eaten, of course. He eats the shark and climbs out of the pool!
There is also an embarrassing moment as Bond and Anya are walking across the desert after their van breaks down. The soundtrack plays the theme of Lawrence of Arabia. This is too cute. James Bond films should be anything but cute.
Gilbert also does not do much with the couple of good dramatic scenes the scriptwriters have provided. During the scene in which Anya discovers that it was Bond who killed her lover in Asgard, Roger Moore is surprisingly good and Barbara Bach is embarrassingly bad. Miss Bach is a competent actress, and has much presence throughout most of the film; but here, she is like cardboard. Gilbert could have shot more life into this flaccid, and important, scene.
The action passages, though, are very good. The final battle in the super tanker Liparus is quite a spectacle. Though it is entirely too reminiscent of the attack on Blofeld's volcano fortress (and Piz Gloria, and the oil rig in Baja), it is fun to watch. There is one good moment of suspense when Bond decides to extract a detonator from a nuclear missile and use it to blow their way into the fortified control room. After a few seconds of concentration and worry from the witnesses, Bond removes the device. He then rides atop a roving security camera attached to the ceiling across the area to the control booth window. He attaches the explosive to the wall, and the moving camera begins its retreat. But the controls are switched off from inside so that the technicians may focus the camera on something. Bond is stuck ten feet away from the explosive. And he's at least fifty feet from the floor! After a moment of seat-clutching tension, the camera's belt is switched on again, and Bond makes it to a safe distance just as the detonator explodes.
The James Bond Bedside Companion Page 45
