November 12, 2008

Short Cuts: "Making Mud Pies, 007?"

Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Directed by Guy Hamilton; written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz (adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming); starring Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood, Bernard Lee, and Desmond Llewelyn.


7 comments:

  1. This may be very timely considering that the producers of Quantum of Solace seem intent on "repeating" the "vengeful Bond" motif of the beginning of this film.

    This is one of the weirder, more uneven Bond movies in my opinion. So much of it is the beginning of "the '70s Bond," wacky car chase in Las Vegas and all. I used to like it a lot more when I was a little kid.

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  2. Ah, interesting insight, Alexander about QoS. I've obviously missed every trailer for it so far, but I do know that he's meant to be a silent, sulking Bond this time around. I feel like it's going to be like Damon in the Bourne Ultimatum.

    Diamonds is about middle of the pack for me in the Bond canon, but this happened to be one of the few clips that a.) I could find, b.) was good quality, and b.) has most of the archetypal Bond elements: silly lines, funny action, sexual innuendo (albeit a bit disturbing as it's violent), an underground lair, a classic Bond villain, and and at least one exotic death.

    I just love that line by Blofeld about mud pies. I think Blofeld and Kananga are two of my favorite villains (not henchmen), and I don't think people give Blofeld enough credit for his influence on Bond's character. I think he has to be considered the most important villain in the series.

    I'd have used his last ever appearance (the intro to For Your Eyes Only) if I would have found it in decent quality.

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  3. What I like about this movie is that it's a hungrier, more vital Connery after his sleepwalking performance in You Only Live Twice (when he was wanting to get out of the series and just phoned in presence).

    And that moment where Blofeld says, "Right idea, Mr. Bond," gives Bond one of his best lines: "But wrong pussy." I love the resigned, hateful twist he gives that innuendo quip.

    I agree that this movie falls somewhere in the middle of the Bond canon. Your points about the underground lair, a classic Bond villain, and the exotic death are all on-target.

    The Howard Hughes character provides some fun, and is so different for this franchise.

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  4. Good point about Connery's energy in this one. Unfortunately, some would say that he gives a "hateful twist" to many of his "innuendo quips". In other words, he doesn't have the best track record as a chivalrous gentleman (his "collars and cuffs" line in this movie, for example - it's not hateful but it's kind of slimy).

    The elevator fight in Diamonds is decent as well.

    I just love the name BLOFELD. What a great name for a villain!

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  5. Pretty random, Comcast has put the whole canon "On Demand" to tie in with QoS. I felt like watching an intro of one of them as I haven't properly seen most of them and happened to pick Diamonds. I watched through the elevator scene and felt I got most of the classic elements of the series.

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  6. Very cool. I actually wanted to watch a whole lot more of those than I've had time to do, especially because they're in HD. There are some sweet extras as well. If you saw that much of Diamonds, you're right, you will get a good sense of the series. Unfortunately it's just not one of the better movies overall.

    Everybody has their own preferences (especially depending on which Bond actor they like), but mine tend toward Moore and Connery. I liked Goldeneye and The Living Daylights, but generally speaking the Bonds of the 80's, 90's and 00's haven't been as good, in my opinion, as those in the 60's and 70's.

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  7. Sorry Alexander, You Only Live Twice owns Diamonds are Forever six ways to next Tuesday :)

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