Home Media Magazine - Agent DVD - July 2008 - (Page DVD5) *ACTIONFILES The Sincerest Form of Flattery Sean Connery was not the first actor to play Bond, nor was 1962’s Dr. No the character’s first on-screen appearance. That honor goes to a 1954 episode of the CBS anthology series “Climax!” that adapted Casino Royale, Fleming’s first Bond novel, which had been published a year earlier. A truncated version is available on MGM’s DVD of producer Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale, which lampoons the franchise. Pfeiffer produced a VHS version of the 1954 version that restored the program’s ending, but rights issues held up a DVD release. Steven Jay Rubin, author of The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia, calls the Feldman production the worst Bond movie ever made. But that didn’t stop him from compiling retrospective interviews for an upcoming collector’s edition DVD of the film, which experienced its share of notorious behind-the-scenes chaos. “The movie sucks, but the story behind it is fascinating,” Rubin says. Other spoofs from the era included the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry-created TV series “Get Smart”; Our Man Flint and its sequel, starring James Coburn; and films based on Donald Hamilton’s book series about agent Matt Helm, starring Dean Martin. Some serious imitators also emerged. Fleming himself had a hand in developing NBC’s spy series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” Rubin also cites “I, Spy” and the original “Mission: Impossible” series as owing a lot to the Bond formula. “It was a fun time for secret agents,” Rubin says. “That’s a huge testament to the strength of the Bond series.” Face of Change When Connery walked away from Bond after 1967’s You Only Live Twice, Broccoli and Saltzman cast Australian model George Lazenby as the new Bond. In the opening scenes of 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby’s Bond saves the life of a girl on a beach, who runs away rather than thanking him. Lazenby quips, “This never happened to the other fellow!” “That line brought down the house and removed any anxiety among audience members,” Pfeiffer says. “It was a wink and a nod that fans appreciated. As Lazenby was the first actor to succeed Connery, it was never again necessary to explain away the new face.” After Lazenby rejected a multifilm deal to remain as Bond, and Connery returned once more for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, Broccoli and Saltzman turned to Roger Moore, who was well known within the genre for his portrayal of Simon Templar in “The Saint” TV series in the 1960s and in the crime drama “The Persuaders!” in 1971. Moore’s films would rely more on humor and sight gags. “A lot of people try to disparage Roger’s films,” Pfeiffer says. “But they were enormously successful in their time. He was the Bond for that generation.” >> Movie Guide Key 10 Martinis = All-Time Classic 1 Martini = For Completists Only Available on DVD from MGM On Blu-ray Oct. 21 from Fox and MGM Available on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures >> DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER D LIVE AND LET DIE 1971 All herald the Roger 19 Moore era one film early. Mo Co Connery breezes through a fun script that involves Blofeld posing as a reclusive Howard Hughes-type billionaire in Las Vegas wh blackmailing the world while wit a diamond-powered with sp space laser. Maybe it’s too go for its own good, but goofy it works. w HALLE BERRY THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN 1974 This film throws subtlety out the window in Bond’s hunt for the deadly assassin Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), who lives on a faraway island where he controls a solarpowered laser. Lee commands the screen, but the action and supporting cast, including the return of Sheriff Pepper, are forgettable. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME MOONRAKER FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 1973 Roger Moore settles nicely into the role in his debut as Bond, but the blaxploitation-flavored script, laced with a touch of voodoo, doesn’t do him justice. On the other hand, a young Jane Seymour is stunning and sexy as Bond’s love interest. Be on the lookout for Clifton James as the infamous Sheriff Pepper. 1977 Moore’s best performance as Bond has him teaming with a Soviet agent (Barbara Bach) to stop an industrialist from using stolen nuclear submarines to start World War III. The visual effects are dated but service the story effectively. It’s also the first appearance of Jaws (Richard Kiel). 1979 Again, the series goes too far, with Bond literally blasting into space to stop a megalomaniac from eradicating Earth’s population (virtually the same plot as the previous movie). Lois Chiles comes off as too much of an ice queen as Bond’s CIA counterpart. The final battle in outer space evokes memories of the Thunderball finale. 1981 The film achieves marginal success in grounding Bond in a more realistic story. The opening scene at Tracy’s grave is touching, but devolves into a cartoonish dust-up with a Blofeld-like enemy. The story, involving a lost military computer and an heiress out for revenge, is otherwise not memorable. Bond: Sean Connery Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Roger Moore Bond: Roger Moore AgentDVD.com JULY 2008 AGENTDVD 5 http://agentdvd.com
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