Part of the success of the Bond film series lies in its incredible ability to reinvent and stay relevant - every time they're in a bit of a slump or threatening to get tired the producers seem to come up with a way of reinvigorating things. In the mid 70s Albert Broccoli was up against it - producer Harry Salztmann was facing tax problems, the last movie hadn't done that well, the public hadn't taken to Roger Moore the way they way with Sean Connery, they couldn't get a script that worked...
And yet, it somehow all magically came together. In part because they deployed a well established story (copying the structure of You Only Live Twice... which had been copied from Dr No), and stuffing it full of familiar ingredients: exotic locations, a Blofeld like-villain (he even has a shark infested pool to dispose of pesty female employees and who likes to kill people rather than pay them), an Odd-job like henchman, a Pussy Galore type spirited Bond girl, a fight on a train, a ski chase, a car chase involving a car with a lot of gadgets, Bond and the girl busted in flagrante delicto at the end.
But the villain is given a fresh twist and superbly cast (Curt Jurgens as a man with webbed hands who wants the world to live underwater); ditto the henchman (Richard Kiel as the vampire like Jaws) and girl (Barbara Bach who is actually a pretty bad actor but you don't notice because (a) she's so beautiful and (b) her character is so strong - easily the smartest, most powerful and imposing Bond girl yet, even more than Pussy Galore).
The ski sequence is very well done with perhaps the greatest end gag in the history of the series; the fight on the train is exciting, the car with gadgets outshines the one in Goldfinger; the battle at the end involving the captured submariners and their odd-red-uniform-wearing gaolers is better than the one in You Only Live Twice.
There is some originality, too: Jaws' teeth, the battle of the sexes between Bond and Barbara Bach (okay this wasn't super original but it was a first for Bond), the underwater lair (cue some fantastic Ken Adams sets with their massive spaces); I loved how the two captured subs are told to blow each other up and the fight amongst the pyramids is genuinely creepy and well shot.
Amidst all the spectacle and sexual banter, the screenwriters still allow some humanity: the fact Bond has killed Anya's boyfriend gives it some real edge, as does Bond shutting down conversation about his dead wife. I like how they referred to Bond's career as a naval officer. They've written to Roger Moore's strengths - he has a wonderful way with a line, loves the romance and fun of it, and is professional about his job (rather being joyously sadistic). He's superb as Bond here, and has every right to be proud of the movie.
In addition to the leads there's also a top rate support cast, including the ever reliable Shane Rimmer given a decent part; Caroline Munro as a sexy, flirty assassin (winking at Bond before trying to kill him); Milton Reid as a Tor Johnson like hitman; Edward de Souza as Bond's old Cambridge classmate. Desmond Llewellyn gets to go on location for a bit which must have been nice for him; Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee are back (although was he supposed to be on the sub at the beginning of the film?). This movie also saw the introduction of new series regulars like Walter Gotell (who was in From Russia with Love admittedly) and Geoffrey Keene. Oh and Hammer horror fans will get a kick out of seeing Valerie Leon as a receptionist.
I've got the soundtrack and wasn't a fan of it to listen to (all that disco) but it works in the film and the title tune is an all time classic.
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